Season 1, episode 24
Dayana the alpaca is surprised to learn that her wooly coat is going to be sheared. She loves her wool, so she runs away. While she is away, she meets a graceful vicuña, an overgrown sheep, and a sheared llama. Dayana learns that it might not be so bad to have her coat cut after all.
Dayana’s Wool
Dayana is a young alpaca. She lives on a ranch in Peru with a lot of alpacas. Dayana has pretty, soft wool. Dayana’s wool is incredible. Dayana likes her wool. She thinks it is very pretty.
One day all the alpacas go to a special area of the ranch. This area is new to Dayana. She is worried and nervous. She talks to the other alpacas.
“What is going on? Where are we?” Dayana asks one of the older alpacas.
“We are in a special corral. They are going to cut our wool,” the alpaca responds.
“They’re going to cut our wool?! Why?” Dayana is very surprised.
“Don’t worry. They cut our wool every year,” the alpaca says.
“Well, they are not going to cut my wool,” Dayana exclaims. Dayana doesn’t understand. Why do they want to cut the wool off the alpacas? Dayana doesn’t want them to cut her wool. She doesn’t want to be naked. She wants to have pretty wool on her body.
“But it is necessary to cut our wool. In the summer it is very hot and…”
“I don’t care,” Dayana interrupts. “They are not going to cut my wool!”
Dayana decides to fun away. She runs away from the ranch. She runs away from the old alpaca. She runs away from the people that want to cut her wool. Dayana runs away to the mountains. “They can’t cut my wool here in the mountains,” Dayana thinks.
Dayana climbs the tall mountains of the Andes. In the mountains, Dayana sees some vicuñas. Vicuñas are small and delicate. They are very pretty and elegant. Their wool is incredibly soft. The vicuñas look at Dayana and they are confused. Alpacas are domesticated animals. They live on ranches, they don’t live in the mountains. Why is this alpaca in the mountains?
“Hello, little alpaca!” A vicuña exclaims.
“Hello, mis vicuña,” Dayana responds.
“What are you doing here, little alpaca? Don’t you live on a ranch?” The vicuña continues.
“I escaped from the ranch. They want to cut my wool. I don’t want them to cut my wool. I want to live here in the mountains where they don’t cut wool off of animals,” Dayana says.
Suddenly, a group of Peruvians appears. The Peruvians have a decorated rope. With the rope, they walk near the vicuñas.
“What’s going on?” Dayana asks. She is worried and nervous.
“It is a special event. It is called the Chaccu,” the vicuña responds. “Every year, the Peruvians carry out the ritual of Chaccu. They trap the vicuñas and cut our wool.”
“They’re going to cut your wool?!” Dayana says. She is very surprised that they cut the vicuña’s wool in the mountains. Vicuñas are not domesticated animals like alpacas.
“Don’t worry. They cut our wool every year. It isn’t bad. The people that cut our wool are good and loving. The process is quick and…”
“I don’t care,” Dayana interrupts. “They are not going to cut my wool!”
Dayana runs away. She runs away from the vicuñas. She runs away from the Peruvians and their decorated rope. She runs until she can’t run any more.
Dayana is tired. She sees a cave. She enters the cave and sits. “They can’t cut my wool here in this cave,” Dayana thinks. Suddenly, she hears a sound. Dayana is worried and nervous.
“Hello?” Dayana asks de cave.
“Baaaaa,” an animal responds.
“Hello, my name is Dayana and I’m an alpaca,” Dayana says.
“Baaa. You are not going to cut my wool!” The animal responds.
“I don’t want to cut your wool!” Dayana exclaims. “I am here because they wanted to cut my wool and I escaped from the ranch.
The animal walks into the light. It is a sheep. The sheep has a lot of wool. The sheep has so much wool that it is practically impossible to see her head. Dayana is surprised by the sheep’s appearance.
“You are a smart alpaca,” the sheep says. “They are not going to cut our wool!”
Dayana is a little scared by the sheep. The sheep’s wool is huge and very heavy. It is obvious that it is difficult to move because she has a lot of wool. It is obvious that it is difficult to see through all the wool. Dayana doesn’t want to be in the cave with the sheep.
“They are not going to cut our wool!” The sheep yells. “Wool, wool, wool” echoes in the cave. Dayana is scared. She gets up and runs. She runs away from the cave and the crazy sheep.
In the morning, Dayana sees a town. In the town there is a llama. Dayana thinks that the llama looks different. When she is near the llama, Dayana notices that the llama doesn’t have wool.
“Miss llama, where is your wool?” Dayana asks worriedly.
“Don’t worry, little alpaca. I don’t want my wool,” the llama responds.
“You don’t want your wool? How is that possible? I love my wool,” Dayana says.
“It is hot in the summer. I don’t want to have wool in the heat of summer. In addition, my wool is useful. People make incredible things with my wool,” the llama responds.
“But your wool is very pretty,” Dayana says.
“Yes, my wool is very pretty. And with my pretty wool people make pretty things. Come with me,” the llama says and starts walking in the market.
Dayana observes the market. There are yarns of several colors. Some people use the yarns to knit sweaters. Other people use the yarn to make crochet hats. One woman sews a small alpaca with alpaca wool. The things are very pretty.
“The wool objects are very pretty. But, I love my wool. I don’t want them to cut my wool,” Dayana says.
“Little alpaca, your wool grows and grows. Cutting your wool is necessary. If you don’t cut your wool, it is going to be very heavy and you will be very warm,” the llama says.
Dayana thinks about the crazy sheep in the cave. She doesn’t want to be like her. The llama is right. Cutting the alpaca’s wool is necessary.
Dayana returns to her ranch. The ranchers cut her wool. They make yarn with her wool. They sell the yarn to a woman who knits a hat and scarf. Dayana is happy that her yarn makes pretty objects and in a year, she has more wool. This time, she is not worried and nervous when they go to the special corral. This time she wants them to cut her wool.
The end.
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