The Crocodile Who Wanted a Cookie

Hugo the crocodile had a problem. It was a very serious, very important, extremely urgent problem.

He wanted a cookie.

Not just any cookie, mind you. He wanted Mrs. Pepperpot’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies from the bakery on Mulberry Street. The ones with the gooey chocolate chips that melted on your tongue. The ones that smelled like sunshine and happiness mixed together.

There was just one teeny, tiny, itty-bitty problem.

Hugo was a crocodile.

A very large, very green, very toothy crocodile.

And every time he tried to go into the bakery, people would scream “CROCODILE!” and run away as fast as their legs could carry them.

“This is most inconvenient,” Hugo said to his reflection in the river. “How am I supposed to get a cookie if everyone keeps running away?”

His best friend, a brave little mouse named Millicent, twitched her whiskers thoughtfully. “You need a disguise!” she squeaked.

“A disguise!” Hugo’s eyes lit up. “Millicent, you’re a genius!”

First, Hugo tried wearing a hat. A very large, floppy sun hat with plastic daisies on it.

He walked into the bakery.

“Good morning!” he said cheerfully. “I would like one cook—”

“CROCODILE IN A HAT!” screamed the customers, and they all ran out the door, knocking over chairs and leaving their shopping bags behind.

Mrs. Pepperpot peeked out from behind the counter. “I’m sorry, dear, but you’re still quite obviously a crocodile.”

Hugo sighed and left.

Next, he tried sunglasses. Very dark, very cool sunglasses that made him look like a movie star.

He strutted into the bakery, trying to look casual.

“Hello, I am definitely not a crocodile,” he announced. “I am a… a… large green customer who would like a cookie, please.”

“CROCODILE IN SUNGLASSES!” everyone yelled, and whoosh! Out they went again.

Hugo was starting to feel discouraged. He sat outside the bakery with his tail drooping sadly.

Millicent patted his scaly foot. “Don’t give up, Hugo! I have another idea!”

This time, Millicent helped Hugo put on a raincoat. And boots. And a scarf wrapped around his snout. And an umbrella, even though it wasn’t raining.

“No one will recognize you now!” Millicent promised.

Hugo clomped into the bakery, making sloshing sounds with his boots.

“One cookie, please,” he mumbled through the scarf.

Mrs. Pepperpot looked at him. She looked at his green tail poking out from under the raincoat. She looked at his large crocodile eyes peeking over the scarf. She looked at his enormous crocodile feet bursting out of the boots.

“You’re Hugo the crocodile, aren’t you?” she asked gently.

Hugo’s shoulders slumped. The scarf fell off his snout. “Yes,” he admitted sadly. “I just wanted a cookie. Just one delicious, wonderful, magnificent cookie. But every time I come in, everyone runs away screaming. I promise I’m not scary! I’m just hungry!”

Mrs. Pepperpot smiled warmly. “Oh, Hugo. I’ve always known you were a good crocodile. I wasn’t running away—I was hiding because everyone else was running and knocking things over! They’re the ones who are scared, not me.”

“Really?” Hugo’s eyes grew wide with hope.

“Really,” said Mrs. Pepperpot. “The problem isn’t that you’re a crocodile. The problem is that you’re sneaking around in silly disguises! That makes you look suspicious. If you just came in and asked nicely like a regular customer, I would have served you ages ago!”

Hugo thought about this. “So… I should just be myself?”

“Exactly!” Mrs. Pepperpot beamed. “Now, what kind of cookie would you like?”

Hugo couldn’t believe his ears. “A chocolate chip cookie, please! No—THREE chocolate chip cookies! Wait, may I have three cookies, please?”

“Of course! That’s much better than wearing a hat that doesn’t fit!” Mrs. Pepperpot laughed as she wrapped up three warm, gooey cookies in a paper bag.

Hugo paid with the coins he’d been keeping in his raincoat pocket. He took a big bite of his first cookie right there in the shop.

“Mmmmm,” he sighed happily. “This is the best cookie in the whole wide world!”

From that day on, Hugo came to the bakery every Saturday morning. He didn’t wear hats or sunglasses or raincoats (unless it was actually raining). He was just himself—a polite, friendly crocodile who really loved cookies.

And you know what? After a few weeks, people stopped screaming. They got used to seeing Hugo in the bakery. Some even said “Good morning!” to him.

Mrs. Pepperpot always saved the best cookies for her favorite customer.

And Millicent? She got a tiny cookie of her very own, because that’s what best friends do.

The End.

Sweet dreams, little one. Remember—being yourself is always better than wearing a disguise, especially if the disguise is a too-small hat!

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