A little gecko lived at the bottom of a wall.
He was very small.
He was smaller than a leaf.
His tail was long and thin.
In the daytime he lay on the wall.
The wall was warm.
The sun shone on him, and he did not move.
He waited for a small fly.
A small fly came near.
He shot out his tongue.
The fly was gone.
He caught several flies that way.
Then he took a small nap.
A breeze came over the wall.
The breeze was very light.
Then the sky went dark.
A lamp came on inside the house.
The wall was old, and small cracks ran along it.
The gecko liked those cracks.
He slept in them every night.
He knew every crack by heart.
He knew the flies that came at noon.
He knew the smell of rain on the wall.
He had lived here all his life.
The gecko woke up.
It was time to go home.
He crawled along the wall.
He crossed a cool grey stone.
The stone felt cold on his belly.
A door closed softly.
The door caught his tail.
He pulled forward.
His tail came off.
The gecko turned around.
His tail was gone.
A small piece of it lay on the floor.
It was still moving, a little.
It looked like a small whip with no handle.
The gecko felt sad.
Without his tail, his back felt empty.
A little ant came by.
The ant carried one small crumb.
The ant asked: where is your tail?
The gecko said: it came off.
The ant said: do not be sad.
The ant said: look, I have no tail either.
Then the ant went back into her hole.
The gecko thought: I will borrow one.
He went to the little fish.
The fish was swimming in the water.
The water was cool and clear.
The gecko said: Little fish, may I borrow your tail?
The fish said: No, I cannot.
The fish said: I use my tail to push the water.
The fish splashed her tail and swam away.
The gecko went to the old ox.
The ox stood under the tree.
The tree had soft grass under it.
The gecko said: Old ox, may I borrow your tail?
The ox said: No, I cannot.
The ox said: I use my tail to brush the flies away.
The ox swung his tail and went on eating.
The gecko went to the swallow.
The swallow sat under the roof.
The roof was high above the door.
The gecko said: Swallow, may I borrow your tail?
The swallow said: No, I cannot.
The swallow said: I use my tail to steer when I fly.
The swallow spread her tail and flew into the sky.
Now it was quite dark.
The gecko crawled slowly home.
He thought about it all the way.
He thought: a fish needs a fish tail.
He thought: a bird needs a bird tail.
Every tail he saw had a job to do.
He had borrowed nothing.
He reached his own corner of the wall.
He was tired.
He thought: never mind. I will just sleep.
Then his mother came.
She looked at his back.
She smiled.
She said: silly little one.
She said: turn around and look.
The gecko turned around.
And there it was.
A new tail.
Small and short and brand new.
The gecko was so happy.
He wiggled it gently.
The new tail wiggled with him.
His mother led him into a crack in the wall.
The crack was warm.
No wind came inside.
His mother lay in front of the wind for him.
The gecko lay down beside her.
He closed his eyes.
The new tail grew quiet too.
Outside, the lamps went out one by one.
The neighbour dog stopped barking.
The wind moved the leaves on the wall.
The leaves made a soft sound.
Then the moon came up.
A cricket sang somewhere in the grass.
The night was soft and still.
Everything was in its place.
In China, children hear this story on quiet evenings.
That is the old tale of The Little Gecko Asks for a Tail.
It is a gentle Chinese folktale.
It is also a Chinese fairy tale, and one of the oldest Chinese bedtime stories for children.
Now it is time to close your eyes.
Good night, little gecko.
Good night, new little tail.
This is a very old Chinese bedtime story. It is not long, and it is very gentle. Best read slowly, with the lights low.
