A man was walking along the beach one day when he was surprised to see a porpoise stranded on the shore. It looked at him with sad eyes, and the man couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor thing. So without a second thought, he immediately rushed to the creature's side and, with a little effort, was able to push it into the water. He was about to continue on his way, happy that he'd been able to help it, when he was shocked to hear it speak!
"I thank you, sir, for assisting me!" it said, flipping happily in the water.
"W-What? You... you can talk??" stammered the amazed man, kneeling at the water's edge to get a better look at it.
"And that's not all I can do! You see, sir, I happen to be possessed of magical powers, powers that allow me to live forever, and to grant wishes, and I would like to thank you for helping me by granting you your heart's desire. Unfortunately, before I can do that, I'm going to need your help again..."
The man wasn't greedy, but the idea of having his greatest wish fulfilled certainly pleased him, so he nodded his head emphatically. "Whatever you need, I'll do it!"
"Well, you see... this is going to sound strange..." began the porpoise, "But my powers run out every century or so, and in order to keep them going, I require the aid of two myna birds which live in South Africa. I need you to travel there, retrieve them for me, and return with them, so that they can reinstate my magic and allow me to grant your wish."
This seemed like a lot of work to the man, but he was only too happy to oblige; after all, not everyone has the opportunity to receive his heart's desire! So he agreed to help the porpoise and traveled to South Africa, where, after a few days' searching, he was finally ale to find the birds in question. He put them into two birdcages and started back to the airport so he could bring them back to the magical porpoise, but before too long, he found his path blocked by a sleeping lion. There was no room to go around it, and he sure as hell didn't want to wake the beast, so he decided the best course of action would be to very, very carefully step over it.
He managed to surpass the lion without waking it and, with a sigh of relief, continued on his way. But not five minutes later, he was suddenly stopped by a police officer.
"Just what are you doing there, son?" demanded the cop. The man knew that he must look very strange, carrying a pair of myna birds in cages, so he decided it would be best to simply level with the officer. So, not sure at all that he would believe him, he told him his wild story, from meeting the porpoise to finding the birds to stepping over the sleeping lion--every single detail.
Upon concluding his story, the cop nodded knowingly and said, "Well, that's some story son, but I believe you. Unfortunately, though, I'm afraid I'm going to have to arrest you."
"WHAT??" the man exclaimed as he was handcuffed. "Why?? What am I being charged with?"
As the cop pushed the man into his car, he said: "You're under arrest for transporting mynas across stately lions for immortal porpoises."
