1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,560 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to a special taster of our new 2 00:00:03,680 --> 00:00:22,719 premium only story. We hope you like it. Hell yeao. Hello. 3 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:26,760 I'm Josephine and this is the Animal Tales podcast, home 4 00:00:26,839 --> 00:00:30,440 to over four hundred and fifty stories written just for you. 5 00:00:31,359 --> 00:00:34,840 Our Friday story is especially for our Premium subscribers only. 6 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:39,960 Anya is a Premium member from England and she would 7 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,280 like a story with a mouse. Don't forget to listen 8 00:00:43,359 --> 00:00:46,200 to the animal facts after the story to learn more 9 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:49,799 about this creature. For now, it's time to sit back 10 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:55,920 and get comfy, because it's time to begin One Wet Mouse. 11 00:00:57,679 --> 00:01:00,920 It was raining again. It had been raining for so 12 00:01:01,119 --> 00:01:04,159 long now that Anya couldn't remember the last time there 13 00:01:04,159 --> 00:01:08,040 had been a sunny day. She was cold and damp 14 00:01:08,439 --> 00:01:12,400 and quite miserable in her little mouse hole. She had 15 00:01:12,439 --> 00:01:14,959 tried leaving the hole once or twice in the hope 16 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,439 of locating some food, but the heavy rain drops had 17 00:01:18,519 --> 00:01:22,560 quickly pushed her back into the dry again. This is 18 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:28,159 no good, grumbled Anya. I can't stay here. I need 19 00:01:28,239 --> 00:01:31,480 warmth and something to eat, and I'm not going to 20 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:36,200 find it shivering in here. But that of course meant 21 00:01:36,239 --> 00:01:40,079 going back outside, where the pounding rain would beat upon 22 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:44,319 her little mouse body. Anya poked her nose from the 23 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,439 hole and stared at the drizzle. I'm going to need 24 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:53,680 an umbrella, she said. Anya's mousehole was at the base 25 00:01:53,719 --> 00:01:56,879 of an old, tumbled down wall, in a gap between 26 00:01:56,959 --> 00:02:00,560 two of the red bricks. Beside the hole, to the 27 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:05,120 left grew a large dandelion, while to the right a 28 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,039 very young tree had taken root. It would be many, 29 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:12,319 many years until it looked like most other trees, for 30 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,199 at present it was little more than a spindly stick 31 00:02:15,479 --> 00:02:19,719 with a handful of broad leaves. Anya reached up to 32 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,639 the nearest leaf and plucked it. It was just large 33 00:02:23,759 --> 00:02:28,360 enough to be an ideal umbrella for a mouse off. 34 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,080 I go, then, said Anya, holding the leaf above her 35 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,039 whiskered head. She was not entirely sure where she was 36 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,719 going or what she might find, but she knew she 37 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:44,439 couldn't stay here. At the end of the brick wall 38 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,719 was an ancient rusting block of metal, surrounded by large 39 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:53,199 dock leaves that sprouted around it. The metal block had 40 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,280 once been part of a car's engine and had sat 41 00:02:56,360 --> 00:03:01,080 upon that patch of ground for many long years. Perhaps 42 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,759 this would provide a warmer drier place for Anya to 43 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:09,280 wait out the rain. A promising gap between the dock 44 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,280 leaves made a tunnel to beneath the rusty block. This 45 00:03:13,439 --> 00:03:16,520 looked like a good place to start, but as her 46 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:21,680 twitching nose reached forward, another nose appeared from underneath the block. 47 00:03:23,199 --> 00:03:27,919 What's this? Who are you? Snapped the hedgehog. What are 48 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:32,719 you doing trying to come into my house? I'm so sorry, 49 00:03:33,319 --> 00:03:37,000 yelped Anya. I was just looking for somewhere warmer than 50 00:03:37,039 --> 00:03:41,879 my mouse hole, with maybe something to eat. You'll not 51 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:46,479 find that here, said the hedgehog, sounding a little less grumpy. 52 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:50,800 My house is riddled with leeks, and I'm chilled to 53 00:03:50,879 --> 00:03:53,960 the bone, and I've had nothing to eat in such 54 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:59,400 a long time. As the hedgehog said this, his belly rumbled. 55 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,560 It was loud enough for Anya to hear over the 56 00:04:02,599 --> 00:04:07,280 pitter patter of the falling rain. Then I'm sorry to 57 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:11,159 have troubled you, said the mouse, as raindrops splashed and 58 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:17,120 bounced from her leaf. I'll try some place else. Please wait, 59 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:22,240 said the hedgehog urgently. Could I could I come with you? 60 00:04:23,759 --> 00:04:27,959 I don't really know where I'm going, admitted Anya, but 61 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,240 some company would be nice. Do you have something you 62 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:35,199 could use as an umbrella. I know just the thing, 63 00:04:35,759 --> 00:04:39,560 said the hedgehog. He pulled up a large dock leaf 64 00:04:39,759 --> 00:04:42,639 and held it over his own head to mirror Anya 65 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:49,079 with her own leaf. There, how's that? That's perfect, said 66 00:04:49,079 --> 00:04:52,560 the mouse, and on they went through the falling rain. 67 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:56,439 If you'd like to hear more, please join our premium service. 68 00:04:56,920 --> 00:05:01,199 You can find out how in the description. The premium 69 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,160 service means you can listen to all animal tales stories 70 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:08,480 advert free, get bonus stories, and we guarantee to turn 71 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,680 your animal suggestion into a future tale. I look forward 72 00:05:12,759 --> 00:05:13,600 to seeing you there.