The years passed by slowly for Sonny, for he was very lonely. He went to school each day, determined to gain an understanding of the ways of man. But after a while, there was little he could learn from his teachers. He began talking to the animals around him and, like in the swamp, he gained knowledge from the animals in the world of man. Even then, the animals of the human world couldn't replace his family in the swamp. He began to talk to the trees, and from them he learned of life and of the knowledge of good and evil.

It was then that Sonny decided that he would always do what was good. From that point on, he would live his life to make others happy. At first, he thought that the way to do this was to play football. Each fall brought him great excitement with the beginning of a new football season. He knew that if he played well and his team won, his teammates and his school friends would be happy. So he practiced and played, sacrificing his time and his body to bring happiness to those around him. On the last play of the final game, Sonny broke a rib scoring the winning touchdown. He was taken to a hospital, where his broken rib was removed and where he spent weeks in recovery for his sacrifice.

While recovering in the hospital, his teammates told great stories of Sonny, and the news of his broken rib brought him a visitor. It was a woman. She was named Eve and she was a member of the school band. She played music for Sonny in the hopes that it would help him to recover, and she promised to call him every day until he was better.

From the moment he met her, Sonny fell in love. He had never seen such beauty in his life, not even in the swamp. He thought about her day and night and waited by the phone all day for the chance to once again hear her sweet voice. When night fell, Sonny was still waiting by the phone. His pet snake that he had brought with him from the swamp had shed its skin and the flowers by his bed had started to dry and wither. Still, Sonny was confident that his Eve would call. That night, Sonny thought of an idea. Eve had so mesmerized him with her beautiful music, that he decided to try to return the favor. He took the dead skin from his pet snake and shaped a large flute. And throughout the night, he practiced playing his skin flute, thinking of Eve the whole time.

The next morning, Sonny's doctor said that he was healthy enough to return home. So Sonny left the hospital and returned to his adopted family. When Sonny returned to school, the football season was long over and his classmates had already forgotten about his deeds. This didn't matter to Sonny, for the only reason he did what he did was to make others happy. However, what did make him sad was that Eve still had not called him. He had not stopped thinking about her, but it seemed clear to him that she did not feel the same way about him.

It was at this time that a 3-on-3 basketball tournament began at school. Sonny thought that if he were victorious, Eve would surely return to see him. So Sonny joined a team with a long-thumbed fellow and a short haired man. His teammates were not very good basketball players, but Sonny still had with him the abilities of his animal brethren. With Eve looking on, Sonny and his team easily defeated all of their opponents and were crowned champions. They were heroes to all.

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