Speaker 1: And here is today's story request. Hi from the UK.
I'm Luke and my son Jacob listens to your podcast
religiously before bed every single night for the last year
or two. We just became premium members and we enjoy
listening to the subscriber episodes. He would absolutely be made
up if he could get a shout out. Jacob from Watford, England. Hey, Jacob,
he enjoys all of your stories, especially ones involving tele reporting, portals,
time travel and flamingos. So we thought we'd make you
such a story, Jacob, hope you enjoy it. It was
bedtime for Jacob. He just listened to his favorite podcast,
said good night to his dad, and now he closed
his eyes to sleep. His dad had turned the light
off when he left, and yet even through his closed eyes,
Jacob could tell the room was bright. He opened an
eye to look. There was a flamingo stood in his room.
It was in front of a dazzling white rectangle. Not
an ordinary flamingo, mind you, but one wearing a pair
of goggles on its head, a flying jacket, a utility belt,
and a rather impressive pair of boots.
Speaker 2: Is this the Tower of London?
Speaker 1: Asked the flamingo, What answered Jacob, sitting up?
Speaker 2: I said, is this the Tower of London?
Speaker 1: Repeated the flamingo.
Speaker 2: I mean I can't see any towers in the pictures.
It looks quite big, but lots of things look bigger
in pictures. My auntie Paula looks enormous in photographs.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry, said Jacob, who was still trying to figure
out what was going on. What are you doing here? Exactly?
I just told you, said the flamingo, as he peered
under the bed looking for the Tower of London.
Speaker 2: You don't have it hidden away and here somewhere, do you?
Speaker 1: No? I do not, said Jacob, sounded offended by the suggestion.
It wouldn't fit for a start, Ah, said the flamingo,
tapping his beak.
Speaker 2: I get you. This room is inside the Tower of London.
Speaker 1: No, said Jacob, not even close. We're miles away from
the Tower of London. This is Watford whattle Food, said
the flamingo, trying out the unusual name.
Speaker 2: What a funny name is that?
Speaker 1: A portal behind you, asked Jacob, pointing to the white rectangle.
What that?
Speaker 2: Yes, it is well done. How did you know that?
Speaker 1: The pink bird asked looking impressed. Well, because it looks
like one, and you weren't in here a minute ago
when my dad left, So I'm guessing you came through it,
Jacob explained.
Speaker 2: Amazing, said the Flamingo. You must be some kind of
genius to have worked all that out, which is a
remarkable coincidence, for I am also a genius. The name's Domingo.
Speaker 1: Jacob frowned upon hearing this. So your name's Domingo, Flamingo.
Speaker 2: See your genius, said.
Speaker 1: The Flamingo in astonishment.
Speaker 2: I could do with someone like you and my team.
What do you say? Want to come and find the
Tower of London with me?
Speaker 1: But I'm in my PEJS, said Jacob. No problem, said
Domingo as he leaned back into the portal. He re
emerged holding a pair of goggles, a flying jacket, and
a pair of boots.
Speaker 2: Just put these on over the.
Speaker 1: Top, the Flamingo said. Jacob pulled the items on and
admired how he looked. He thought he looked pretty cool, right,
said Domingo as he fiddled with the settings on his
utility belt.
Speaker 2: I've recalibrated the portal thingy. We're good to go.
Speaker 1: Ready, ready, confirmed Jacob, Domingo pressed a button on the
belt and a fresh portal opened up opposite the first.
Speaker 2: One to the Tower of London.
Speaker 1: Shouted the bird, and grabbing Jacob by the sleeve, stepped through.
They were not at the Tower of London. What is
this place, asked Jacob, looking confused. They were on a
grassy plain under a warm sun. London, said Domingo proudly.
I think no, it's not, complained Jacob. London doesn't look
like this. London has lots of buildings. For a start.
There are no buildings here anywhere, well to even a tower,
said Domingo, flaming feathers.
Speaker 2: This is proving harder than I thought. Any ideas genius?
Speaker 1: What other than we're not in London, asked Jacob. Domingo
is checking the settings on his belt.
Speaker 2: I don't understand this says we are, but our eyes
are telling us otherwise. Do you think our eyes are malfunctioning?
Speaker 1: I doubt it, said Jacob. His eyes were working just fine,
but he didn't like what he was seeing. There was
a pride of lions taking a particular interest in both
of them. Domingo, I think your belt is working.
Speaker 2: This is London. Great news, trumpeted the flamingo. Does it
mean you've spotted the tower?
Speaker 1: No, said Jacob as he edged backwards. You've got the
right place, but not the time. These are prehistoric lions.
We've just come back too far.
Speaker 2: See I said you were a genius.
Speaker 1: Declared Domingo loudly.
Speaker 2: Oh look, kitty kats.
Speaker 1: Those are lions, said Jacob. So I think we should go?
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, squeaked Domingo. As the lions closed in. He
managed to alter the settings quickly enough for a fresh
portal to open quickly Now, he urged, this wasn't the
Tower of London either, but it was close. They were
in a small boat on the River Thames.
Speaker 1: Around them was a dirty, smelly city, and the river
wasn't much better. The man rowing the boat screamed at
the sudden appearance of his unexpected passengers and the bright
white portal behind them.
Speaker 2: Much to their surprise.
Speaker 1: He dived into the filth of the water.
Speaker 2: Where is hey off.
Speaker 1: To, asked Domingo innocently. Wow, said Jacob, who was quite
distracted by what they were building on the nearby shore.
It's the Tower of London.
Speaker 2: No, it can't, be insisted the flamingo that's a building site.
Speaker 1: That's because they're still building it, said Jacob. Look around you.
There are no tall buildings, no shar no tower bridge.
This isn't modern London, so is still in prehistoric times,
sighed Domingo. No, this isn't prehistory. This is history, explained Jacob.
Prehistory comes first, then when humans start writing things down,
it becomes history.
Speaker 2: Oh that's terribly confusing, groaned The bird OUs flamingos don't
usually bother with all of that.
Speaker 1: But we are here where you want it to be,
insisted Jacob, not really, said Domingo.
Speaker 2: I wanted to see the tower. I'm going to have
to try again.
Speaker 1: He fiddled with his belt until a portal opened at
the other end of the boat. They climbed through it.
This was quite possibly the Tower of London, at least
that's what Jacob thought. It looked like the pitchers anyway.
They were inside the outer walls, beside the white tower
at the center, and there was a raven stood on
a post watching them.
Speaker 2: Where did you come from?
Speaker 1: Asked a voice beside them. It was a scruffy looking
man with another raven, this one on his shoulder.
Speaker 2: Oh hello, said Dominic.
Speaker 1: Happily.
Speaker 2: Are you some sort of chimpanzee A chimpan.
Speaker 1: Watt, asked the man, clearly befuddled by the question. Nah,
I'm the riven Master, aren't I said the man. Never
heard an old blooming chimpanzee. My mistake, said Dominic, on
account of how short and hairy you are. He ha
been funny, said the raven Master.
Speaker 2: Me nothing of the sort, insisted the Flamingo. All I
want to see is the Tower of London. Is it nearby?
Speaker 1: Well, yeah, said the raven Master. I think that's it,
said Jacob, pointing at the large castle like building before them.
Speaker 2: But where's the tower, then asked Dominic. This is a castle.
Speaker 1: It's got a tower on each corner, pointed out Jacob.
And it's called the White Tower, added the raven Master. No, no,
this can't be right, insisted the Flamingo.
Speaker 2: I imagined a tall tower like rapunzels or something. This
is just a bit at the middle of the castle.
It's called a keep, said the raven Master. Well make
your mind up, complain Domingo. You just said it was
called the White Tower. Now it's a keep.
Speaker 1: That's what this part of a castle is called, explained Jacob.
The keep, oh very well, sighed Domingo.
Speaker 2: If you say so, you're the team's genius. So tell me,
my good chimp, what do they keep in this keep?
Speaker 1: Tis the crown Jewels, said the raven man, proudly. We
protect him on behalf of the king, and we've been
doing it for ten long years and doing a marvelous
job of it too. Oh what year is this, asked Jacob.
Don't you children know nothing these days? Tis the year
of the Lord, sixteen seventy two, announced the raven master.
Oh perfect, said Domingo, suddenly cheering up.
Speaker 2: Come along, genius, this way.
Speaker 1: He trotted off across the grass towards the White Tower's wall,
forcing Jacob to follow. Where are we going now, called
Jacob as he rushed to catch up, sh said the flamingo,
as he ushered Jacob into some bushes beside the stone wall.
We're almost done, now, just give me a moment. He
began fiddling with his belt again. What are you doing now,
asked Jacob. We're at the Tower of London, aren't we.
And why is it so perfect that it's sixteen seventy two, because,
said Domingo as he opened up another portal against the wall.
That means no burglar alarms. They've not been invented, jet
and with that he pulled Jacob inside. They were stood
in a room with thick stone walls, no windows, and
a very heavy iron door. Jacob was quite sure it
was locked, not that it had stopped them from using
the portal to teleport. Right inside, on a tabletop in
the center of the room stood the King's crown. Yes,
cheered Domingo as he pulled a bag from the inside
of his jacket. What are you doing, hissed Jacob as
loud as he dared. I'm going to put the crown
in this bag, replied Domingo. But you can't do that,
insisted Jacob.
Speaker 2: Why not, asked the flamingo. It's not a plastic bag. Look,
it's made from cotton. It's environmentally friendly. It's not the
bag I'm worried about.
Speaker 1: It's the crown, said Jacob sternly. Why is it fake,
asked the flamingo. No, yelled Jacob a little too loudly,
because it's stealing. The flamingo stopped what he was doing.
He looked at the crown, then at his bag, then
back at the crown. Again.
Speaker 2: But it's just sitting there, locked in this room, said Domingo.
Nobody's done anything with it.
Speaker 1: That doesn't matter, said Jacob. It's not yours to take.
Speaker 2: But I built this whole portal machine to get myself
a crown.
Speaker 1: Said the Flamingo, sadly.
Speaker 2: It was hard work.
Speaker 1: Jacob could see that he was disappointed. Look what you've
built is amazing, it really is. But you can't just
go using it to steal. That's what villains do. And
you don't strike me as a villain.
Speaker 2: Oh I'm definitely not a villain, said Domingo. I'm a flamingo.
Speaker 1: That's good, said Jacob. But what I mean is you
shouldn't be using your invention to do something bad. You
should try using it to do something good, like what,
asked the Flamingo. I don't know, shrugged Jacob. But if
we think about it, I'm sure we could come up
with something.
Speaker 2: Could I try it on?
Speaker 1: Asked Domingo. Hopefully please go on, then, said Ja, but
be quick with the crown. Trying on session completed, they
returned through the portal and closed it down. The raven
master was busy studying the one they'd arrived in out
on the grass, so they had to ask him to
step aside so that they could go through. This took
them back to the boat, where the boat's owner was
now clutching to the side and coughing dreadfully. Domingo closed
the portal they'd just come through, and they both went
through the other one. Fortunately, there was no sign of
any prehistoric predators on the other side, so Domingo closed
the next one down to allowing them to pass back
to Jacob's bedroom. What an adventure, said Jacob happily as
Domingo closed down the portal to the prehistoric past. So
shall we talk about how you're going to use your
portal invention for good? Oh? I don't know, huffed Domingo.
It doesn't seem as much fun anymore.
Speaker 2: I think I might just go home, oh, said Jacob
with disappointment.
Speaker 1: Well, if you.
Speaker 2: Think that's best, genius.
Speaker 1: Said the Flamingo and stepped through the final remaining portal.
Jacob watched, expecting it to blink out of existence, leaving
him alone once more, but that didn't happen. Instead, Domingo
came charging back through in a hurry, already fiddling with
his belt. What's wrong gasped Jacob, what's the rush The
prehistoric lions gulped the flamingo.
Speaker 2: I just found them, thee and