Once upon a time, deep in the sunny savanna, lived a little zebra named Zola. Zola loved her black and white stripes very much, but sometimes she wished they weren't all straight up and down. All the other zebras had straight stripes! Zola’s stripes had a tiny little wiggle in them, right near her ear.
One warm evening, as the sun began to paint the sky orange and pink, Zola felt a little flutter of curiosity. She wondered what it would be like to follow her wavy stripe. Would it lead somewhere special? It was almost time for bed, but the savanna felt quiet and calm, perfect for a little peek.
Carefully, Zola walked a few hoof-steps away from her family. She looked closely at the little wiggle in her stripe and then looked out towards a patch of tall grass she had never explored before. Taking a deep breath, she tiptoed towards it, feeling a tiny bit brave.
The tall grass tickled her nose as she walked through. It smelled like dry sunshine and something sweet, like nectar. A little butterfly with wings like painted jewels fluttered past her nose. Zola giggled quietly. The path her wavy stripe seemed to point towards was leading her somewhere new and lovely.
Soon, she came to a small, bubbly stream she had never seen. The water sparkled under the twilight sky. Standing by the stream was a little giraffe named Gigi. Gigi had spots, not stripes, and they were round and brownish-gold. Gigi was looking at her reflection in the water.
"Hello," said Zola softly. Gigi looked up, surprised but smiling. "Hello, Zola! I've seen you from afar. Your stripes are so interesting! They look like little rivers running down you." Zola felt a little blush under her fur. "Thank you, Gigi. I like your spots too. They look like warm sun puddles."
They talked for a little while by the stream. Gigi told Zola about the highest leaves on the acacia trees, and Zola told Gigi about the best patches of sweet grass. They discovered that even though one had wavy stripes and the other had round spots, they both loved the quiet evening and the smell of the savanna.
Zola realised that following her unique little wavy stripe hadn't led her away from her family for long, but it had led her to a new friend and a beautiful quiet spot. She felt happy about her wavy stripe now. It was part of what made her Zola.
As the sky turned a deep purple, Gigi and Zola said goodnight, promising to meet by the stream again. Zola trotted back towards her family, her wavy stripe seeming to glow a little in the moonlight. She snuggled close to her mother, feeling warm and safe. Being Zola, with her special wavy stripe, was just right. And with thoughts of new friends and gentle streams, Zola the zebra closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of sparkling water and friendly spots.