Dr Zebra’s Scribble Trouble

Dr Zebra was well-known in the jungle for his medical skills.

- Alka Jain

Any animal who saw him in a white coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck immediately recognised him as the doctor whose prescriptions were said to work like magic. Whether it was Barry bear’s stomach ache or Gogo giraffe’s sore throat, just one visit to Dr Zebra and a few doses of his prescribed medicine were usually enough for a cure.

But there was a small problem—Dr Zebra’s handwriting. It was so messy that even if someone wasn't seriously ill, they would end up with a headache just trying to read it. His writing looked like an ant had walked across the paper with ink-covered legs.

One day, Gigi goat caught a cold. Her nose was runny and she was constantly coughing and sneezing.

“Oh, this is too much! I have to see Dr Zebra,” she thought, wiping her nose. She tied a red scarf on her head and headed straight to the clinic.

“Gigi, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s just a mild cold. I’ll write you a prescription. Take the medicine, and you'll be fine by tomorrow,” Dr Zebra calmly said after checking her.

Gigi goat thanked the doctor and walked out of the clinic. But as soon as she looked at the prescription slip, her head started spinning.

“Oh no! This looks like ancient carvings in a cave!” she thought, turning the slip around, trying to make sense of it.

Then she had an idea, “Manny monkey will definitely be able to read this. He’s the only one who understands these medical scribbles!”

Gigi rushed to Manny’s shop—Manny Medicals. Manny was an easygoing shopkeeper, who usually worked while swinging from his tail. He paused to look at the slip, squinted at it and said, “Ah, Gigi! This is Dr Zebra’s handwriting! Let me try to figure it out.”

Manny turned the slip upside down, then put on his thick spectacles, and used his magnifying glass. Still, nothing made sense. So, he used his monkey instincts and gave Gigi some medicine—just his best guess. Gigi took it without much thought.