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Speaker 1: Yale. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast,

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where you suggest the animal for us to write a

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story about. My name's Josephine and I've got a brand

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new animal story here just for you. There are over

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four hundred and fifty animal tales now and all are

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available on our premium service, alongside over eighty premium only

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stories for a tiny fee. They are all advert free.

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Iyot is from Worcester in the UK and she would

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like a story with a rhino and a hippo. You

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can learn more about these creatures in the animal facts

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after the story. Now, settle back, relax, and I'll begin

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world of imagination. It was lunch time at school and

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Iyot was looking for something to do. The young hippo

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decided she didn't want to run around getting all hot

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and tired. Instead, she wanted to do something calmer, more relaxed.

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That was when she spotted Zaine, a rhinoceros, on the

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edge of the playing field by himself. Iyat didn't know

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Zayne very well. He was quiet and kept to himself,

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often happily drawing pictures of a world he'd made up

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called Wonderwood. That was about all she knew about him.

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To day, though, Zayin wasn't drawing, but appeared to be

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going somewhere around the corner of the school building. This

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was odd, Iyat thought, because there really wasn't anything round

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there to go to. Curious, Iyot followed, but by the

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time she turned the corner, Sayne was nowhere to be seen.

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All she could see was an old tennis ball, an

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empty crisp packet, and a brick wall. A large rectangle

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had been drawn on the wall with chalk, but there

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was no sign of Zayne. Oddly there wasn't anywhere else

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Sayne could have gone. Iyat tilted her large hippo head,

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scratched her chin and gave up. She still needed to

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find something to do, and there clearly wasn't anything going

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on here. Zayin was in class when lunch time was over,

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so Iyat didn't give it another thought until the next

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day came around. Once again, during lunch time, Iyat saw

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Zayne heading for the building's corner. This time, she intended

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to be quicker, trotting to catch up. The hippo leaped

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around the corner in time to see the rhino clutching

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a small piece of white chalk He was half way

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through tracing over the rectangle on the wall when he

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stopped suddenly, almost guiltily, what are you doing, Ayot asked

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er nothing, Sayin said, quickly, hiding the chalk behind him.

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I saw you drawing, pointed out Ayot. Although that rectangle

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was there yesterday. Why are you drawing over the top

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of it? Zain let out a defeated huff. Fine, the

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rhino said. I'll tell you, but only if you keep

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it a secret. I'm the best at keeping secrets, Ayot said, proudly.

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All right, Zaine said, taking a deep breath. I'm going

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to wonder Wood. Wonderwood. But that's from your drawings, isn't it,

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said Iyat. That's right, nodded the rhino. I have a

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magic piece of chalk that opens the door. I go

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to Wonderwood on adventures. What sort of adventures? Asked Iyat,

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not completely sure she was believing a word. Say was saying,

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I help magical creatures by using the power of my imagination,

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he explained, as if it was a very ordinary thing

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to say. So you're saying that Wonderwood is real, She

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asked that you didn't make it up. Sain shook his head,

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would would you like to see it? Still not sure

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that he was telling the truth, Ayat replied, all right, then, yes,

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please sayin reproduced the chalk and finished tracing the rectangle.

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Once done, he held out his hand towards her. Ready,

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he asked, I guess, so, she replied. Taking Zane's hand,

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he pulled her towards the brickwork and walked straight through

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the chalk door, as if there was no wall there

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at all, finding herself in the most beautiful place she'd

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ever seen. Everything was so bright and colorful, appearing to

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sway slightly as if dancing along to music she couldn't hear.

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The very air sparkled, catching her eye. That's magic, smiled

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the rhino, Hizaine. A bright blue bird chirped, landing on

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a branch above them. Hello, Zaine, called a chorus of

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bees buzzing around some flowers. It's Zane, jeered a fish

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as it raised its head from a nearby stream. Wow

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everyone knows you, Iyat said. Yeah. They do seem to

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like me, don't they said the rhino modestly. A rustling

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amongst the branches signaled the arrival of a frantic squirrel.

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Say thank goodness, you're back. Doctor Monotonous is trying to

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destroy all of Wonderwood. You have to stop him. Who's

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doctor Monotonous, Iyat asked. He's kind of evil, Sayin explained,

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he doesn't like creativity or imagination. He wants everything to

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be as dull and boring as he is, and you're

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going to stop him, Iyat asked, in surprise, it won't

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be the first time, smiled, saying, then can I come?

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Iyat asked, If that so right, of course, Zaane smiled

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broadly at that. I was hoping you'd say that. Now.

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First of all, we need to find where doctor Monotonous

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is hiding, and the best way to do that is

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from the air. Why the air, asked Iyot, wondering exactly

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how they were going to manage that. You'll see, Sane grinned.

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The rhino began to concentrate very hard, then relaxed again.

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Have a look at my feet, he said, IoT looked down.

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You've got wings on your shoes. She giggled. Saine's little

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wings started flapping fast, lifting him off the ground. Your turn,

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he said, Think of something that can make you fly.

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Iyat wasn't sure what to imagine. A plane aboard or

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winged shoes like Zane's. Don't overthink it, the rhino said

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from above her. Just go with whatever pops into your head.

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How about, said Ayot, And out of nowhere, a fluffy

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cloud grew beneath her feet, lifting her up into the

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air like a flying carpet. Oh cloud travel, Saine said, impressed.

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You got the hang of this quickly. The young hippo

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followed Zane upwards on her cloud, high enough to show

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wonderwood stretching out into the distance all around them. It

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was huge. Look for anything that looks wrong, Zaine said,

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as he circled in the air. There, she said, pointing

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to a swampy area by the sea. Everything looked gray,

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as if the color had been drained from the land.

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The grass was withered and pale, the trees leaves had

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turned sickly, and everything looked bleak and sad. That's it,

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said sayin doctor Monotonous hates colorful things. The determined pair

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were carried down to the edge of the swamp on

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winged shoes and floating cloud, which disappeared the moment they

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touched the ground. Sain then gestured for Iyot to follow. Quietly.

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The swamp would have been difficult to cross, but Zain

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imagined floating stone steps or giant lily pads to help

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them on their way. Iyat was beginning to understand what

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was needed. So you've faced Doctor Monotonous before, she asked

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a few times. Sayin replied, he dislikes color and creativity,

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and we'll do anything to make the world around him

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boring and dull. If he was somehow able to take

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all the fun out of Wonderwood imagination, magic wouldn't work

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here any more. But you could put that right again,

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couldn't you, Ayat asked No. By then it would be

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too late. We'd never be able to come back, then,

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explained saying, which is why we have to stop him

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before it's too late. The rhino stopped suddenly, meaning Iyot

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only narrowly avoided bumping into him. There he is, saye, whispered.

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Iyat was imagining Doctor Monotonous to be a gigantic snake,

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or a wolf with glowing red eyes, or even a

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very nasty looking wasp. Instead, just beyond some tangled shrubs,

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she saw an ordinary looking cow wearing a gray that's

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Doctor Monotonous, she murmured. He doesn't look very interesting exactly,

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Zaine replied, he doesn't like interesting. Follow me. He sprang

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out from amongst the shrubs Iyat at his heels to

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confront the evil doctor. The cow, though, didn't appear to

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be that bothered. Ah Zaane, I was expecting you, said

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Doctor Monotonous in a flat, monotone voice. How uninteresting that

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you're here, although you seem to have brought a friend,

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which I find rather annoying. The cow jabbed a hoof

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towards Ayot, making the young hippo feel drained of energy.

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At that moment, all she wanted to do was sit

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down and do nothing. Don't let him make you boring,

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say hollered. Come on, Iyat, you're much more fun than that.

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Iyat shook her head and blinked her eyes. Hey, yes,

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she was fun. She liked having fun. No, she loved

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having fun. Feeling a rush of enthusiasm, Iat sprang back

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to her feet, making Doctor Monotonous scowl. No matter, said

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the cow. I'm more powerful now than i've ever been.

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Your imagination is no longer strong enough to defeat me, say,

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wasn't about to believe that, so imagined an enormous net

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dropping out of the sky on to the villain. Sure enough,

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the net appeared and dropped onto the cow, but the

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doctor simply rolled his eyes and the net fizzled into nothing.

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So Zain tried again. He imagined a huge cage appearing

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around his foe to trap him inside, but when it appeared,

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the doctor just yawned, as if bored by Zain's antics,

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and the cage crumbled away to dust. I don't know

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what to do, Zain gasped. His dulness is affecting my creativity.

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He's not interested, and that's making whatever I imagine disappear.

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What was worse, I Hat noticed was that everything around

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them was getting grayer and paler by the second. The

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cow was winning and Zain was struggling to think of

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a way to get the upper hand. Maybe we're going

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about this the wrong way. I At hissed, what do

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you mean, Zain asked, keeping his voice low. He's used

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to your ideas, Iyat explained, he's seen them before, but

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he was surprised to see me. We need to be

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more surprising. You mean, unusual, said Saine, looking impressed. Now

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that's using your imagination. This is getting boring now, don't

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you think, Doctor Monotonus said, just the way I like it.

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What are you going to try next? A pit for

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me to fall into, ropes to tie me up, a

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giant bird to swoop down and carry me away. None

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of that's very interesting, is it. What about a tea party,

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I had, smirked. Doctor Monotonus looked visibly stunned as a

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pretty tea set appeared between them, complete with a steaming

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teapot and a selection of cakes. Iat and Zaine promptly

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sat down, and I at began to pour, as if

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it was the most normal thing in the world. What

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are you doing, doctor Monotonous, blustered, what's all this? We're

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not finished yet, Zain said, as he imagined a cluster

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of palm trees dancing the macarana. This isn't right. You're

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not supposed to spat the flustered doctor. Iat could see

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the strangeness of their ideas was having an effect. The

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cow couldn't even begin thinking of such things. I'm imagining

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a swimming pool full of jelly, she giggled, and one

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promptly materialized beside them. Zayin added to it by imagining

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a blue giraffe diving into it. Stop it's too much.

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Doctor Monotonous cried as more and more wacky things burst

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into life about him. It's too colorful, too fun, too creative.

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With a whimper, the cow faded away into nothing. We

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did it, Iat cheered as their random bizarre ideas played

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around them. He's gone. That was a great idea, Ayat,

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Saye said, that was really imaginative thinking. He's wonderwood saved,

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the hippo replied, as the world around them became colorful again.

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For now, said Saye, until the next problem. We really

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should be heading back. Lunch time's nearly over. He imagined

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a wall much like the one on the side of

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the school building and sketched out a door with the

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magic chalk. I don't want to go, Iyat admitted, although

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she knew that she had to then come back with

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me to morrow, said the rhino. Iat grinned and said,

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now that's something I can imagine myself doing. Animal fact,

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there are five species of rhino in the world. You're

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probably most familiar with the right rhinos and black rhinos

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of Africa, but there are a further three species found

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in Asia. Common hippos are one of the largest land

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mammals on the planet. There is another hippo species, the

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pygmy hippo, which is much smaller. Hippos spend much of

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their time in and under the water and are able

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to hold their breath for five minutes. Thank you for

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your suggestions, Ayat, We hope that you all enjoyed the story.

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Wherever you're listening in the world, make sure you join

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us next time for another great animal. Tell good bye,