Crocodile Smiles

"Say Cheese!" said the photographer.

"CHEESE!" grinned Snappy, the crocodile as he gave his most winning smile.

"You're a natural!" said the expedition leader, who was with a team of wildlife photographers. Snappy smiled looking at his reflection in the river.

"Ooh, what a handsome chap!" he preened, gnashing his fine set of teeth with glee.

Snappy was very proud of his sharp fangs, and fine good looks. He strutted up and down the river bank for all to see.

"I'm a star!" he said. "My face will be known throughout the world!"

"Thanks for letting us take your picture," said the expedition leader.

"No problem," said Snappy. "Anytime!"

"And as your reward, here's the tuckload of chocolate you asked for," said the leader.

"How delicious? said Snappy. "Most kind of you. Thank You so much."

When they had gone, Snappy lay in the sun, daydreaming of fame and fortune, and popping chocolates into his big, open mouth.

Just then, along slithered Snake.

"What's thisssss? he hissed. "A crocodile eating chocolates? How ssssssssstrange!"

"Not at all!" snapped Snappy. "All crocodiles love chocolate. It's just that most of them don't know how to get hold of it."

"Well, if you're so ssmmmart, you ssshould know that too much chocolate will make your teeth fall out!" hissed Snake.

"What rot!" said Snappy, crossly. "For your information, I've got perfect teeth."

"Lucky you!" said Snake, and slithered off into the bushes.

So Snappy carried on eating chocolate. He had chocolate for breakfast, chocolate for lunch and chocolate for dinner.

"Ooh, yummy!" he grinned, smiling a big chocolatey smile. "This is heaven."

"You won't be saying that when you are too fat to float in the river," said Parrot, who had been watching him from a tree.

"Nonsense!" scoffed Snappy. I've got a very fine figure, I'll have you know!"

"If you say so," said Parrot, and flew off into the jungle.

Days and weeks passed with Snappy eating chocolate after chocolate, until it was all gone.

"Back to the river to catch my next meal, then," Snappy thought miserably. "Though I'd much rather have more chocolate!"

When Snappy slid into the river, instead of bobbing along gently, he sank straight to the bottom, and his stomach rested in the mud.

"Oh, dear, what's happened to the river?"

Snappy wondered aloud to himself. "It's very hard to float in today."

"Even for someone with such a fine figure as you?" jeered Parrot, watching from the trees. Snappy just sank further beneath the water so that only his two beady eyes could be seen, and gave Parrot a very hard stare.

He awoke next morning with a terrible pain in his mouth. It felt as if someone was twisting his teeth. "Oww, my teeth!" he cried.

"Sssurely not!" hissed Snake, dangling down from a tree. " After all, you have sssuch perfect teeth!"

Snappy knew what he had to do. He set off down the river to visit Mr. Drill the dentist.

It was a long hard walk, and by the time he got there he was puffing and panting.

"Open wide!" said Mr Drill, an anteater, peering into Snappy's gaping mouth. "Oh, dear, what have you been eating, Snappy? Now show me where it hurts."

"Here," said Snappy pointing miserably into his mouth, and feeling rather ashamed," and here and here and here ...."

"Well, there's nothing for it," said Mr. Drill, " they'll have to come out!" And so they did!

Before very long, another photography expedition arrived in the jungle.

"Say Cheese!" said the photographer.

"CHEESE!" smiled Snappy, stepping out from behind a tree. But instead of a flash of cameras, Snappy met with howls of laughter.

"I thought you told us that Snappy was a handsome crocodile with perfect teeth!", they cried looking at the leader. "He should be called gappy, not Snappy!"

Poor Snappy slunk away into the bushes and cried. It was all his own fault for being so greedy and eating all that chocolate.

"There, there," said Mr. Drill "we'll soon fit you out with some fine new teeth."

"And from then on, Snappy vowed he would never eat chocolate again!