Once upon a time, in a green and sunny village, there was a curious boy named Sipho. Sipho loved exploring the forest near his home. Every day, he would go on adventures, looking at birds, flowers, and sometimes, animals.
One warm afternoon, Sipho was walking along a narrow path when he saw something shiny among the leaves. It was a snake!

Sipho stopped and stared. The snake was beautiful, with shiny, green scales that sparkled in the sunlight. But he remembered what he had heard before, snakes can be dangerous.
He felt a little scared but also curious. "Hello," he whispered softly. "Are you a friendly snake?"

To his surprise, the snake moved closer and gently said, "Yes, I am a friendly snake. My name is Sizwe. I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to live peacefully and help the forest stay healthy."
Sipho's eyes widened. "Really? You can talk?"
Sizwe nodded. "All animals in the forest can talk, but most humans don't hear us. I like to be friends with kind people like you."

Sipho smiled and sat down gently. "Can I be your friend, Sizwe?" he asked.
The snake nodded happily. "Yes! Friends help each other. If you ever need help, just call me."
From that day, Sipho and Sizwe became good friends. They played hide and seek in the trees, and Sizwe showed Sipho how to find herbs that could help plants grow.

One day, Sipho saw a group of children throwing stones at a snake in the forest. He ran quickly and called out, "Stop! That snake is my friend, Sizwe. He's not dangerous. He's kind and wants to help the forest."
The children looked at each other and listened. Sipho explained how snakes help keep the forest healthy by controlling pests.

The children felt sorry and promised to be gentle with all animals. Sizwe crawled out from behind a bush and nodded happily.
"See," said Sipho, "not all snakes are dangerous. Some are just like us, friendly and caring. We should respect all animals and nature."

From that day on, Sipho and Sizwe worked together to take care of the forest. They planted trees, picked up trash, and made sure every animal was safe.
And whenever they saw someone hurting animals, they would tell them, "Animals are our friends. We should love and protect them."

The End