Story by John Hoyer Updike

 “Once upon a time, in the deep dark woods, there was a tiny little creature by

the name of Roger Skunk. And he smelled very strange “He smelled so different that no one  would play with him. “Whenever he would go out to play, all of the other tiny animals would say, 'he smells so strange, here comes bread  

 and they would run away, and Roger Skunk would stand there all alone, tears would fall from his eyes.
Roger Skunk walked along very sadly and came to a very

big tree, and in the tiptop of the tree was an enormous wise old owl.”

“M r  Owl,” Roger Skunk said, “All the other little animals run away from me because I smell so strange.”

The owl said. “Very, very bad.”

“Well. The owl thought and thought and said.. You should be proud of who you are, you must learn to respect yourself and not give into peer pressure. But Roger Skunk  cried very hard. So the owl said  “What can I do for you?” Roger Skunk.

“Why don’t you go and see the wizard?” 

The owl told him to go through the dark woods, under the apple trees, into

the swamp, over the crick and meet the wizard...a magician. 

Skunk met the wizard who was a tiny little old man  with a long

white beard and a pointed blue hat. Roger Skunk told him   'All the little animals, my friends run away from me

run away from me because  i don't smell like them nor do I have a funky hair style'

The wizard said, 'simple you don't want to be yourself, I will make you smell like roses!' The wizard made him smell like roses. Roger Skunk was very happy and he ran out into the woods and all the other little

animals gathered around him because he smelled so good.... but when he went home his mom screamed ‘What’s that awful smell?’

“Wha-at?”

“And, Roger Skunk said, ‘It’s me,

Mommy. I smell like roses.’ And she said,

‘Who made you smell like that?’  ‘The wizard,’ and she said, ‘Well, of

all the nerve. You come with me and

we’re going right back to that very awful

wizard .How dare he make my Roger lose his identity, how dare he make my son not believe in himself?  You smelled the way a little skunk should have and I’m going to take

you right back to that wizard,’ and she took an umbrella and went back with Roger Skunk and hit that wizard right over the head.”

The wizard admitted his mistake and made Skunk smell the way he should. The mother was very happy and told Roger.. 'It is very important to respect yourself and believe in yourself'.