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Speaker 1: Yo, 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. You can listen

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to all Animal Tales stories advert free via our premium service,

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where you'll also get over ninety premium only stories. Find

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out more in the text that accompanies this episode, and

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remember for a tiny fee, they're advert free. Laylor and

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Evan are from Toronto in Canada and they would like

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a story with a lion, a kawate, a boa constrictor,

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and a thorny devil. You can learn more about these

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creatures in the Animal Facts off to the story. Now,

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settle back, relax, and I'll begin meal time Muddel. It

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was a busy evening at the Grazing Spot restaurant, and

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Layla and Evan had just arrived to begin their shifts.

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The two cappy bar of friends had been working at

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the restaurant for a few weeks. They were both enjoying

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it and were getting used to taking orders, wiping tables,

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and carrying trays of food. It was a nice place

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to work, even if their manager, Larry, who was a

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Hyaena was rather strict. It's busy tonight, so I expect

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everyone to be giving one hundred and ten percent, Larry

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said when they arrived. Work hard, work fast, and above all,

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keep the customers happy. Layla and ev nodded and got

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to work. So far, the two of them had made

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a good team during the busy period. I'll wipe down

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those tables while you start taking orders, Evan suggested. Sounds

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good to me, Laylah replied. She grabbed her apron and

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notepad before heading over to the seating area. Larry had

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been right. It was busy that night. Animals of all

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shapes and sizes were taking up almost every chair. Most

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of the tables had already been seen to by some

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of the other waiters, but Layelah spotted two animals waiting

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patiently in the back left hand corner by the window.

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One was a lioness and the other a large bower constrictor.

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Good evening, I'm Laylah and i'll be your server to day,

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she said, with a smile. Can I start you off

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with some drinks and starters? Sounds great, the lioness replied,

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I'll take a lemonade and the soup of the day,

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and I'll have an apple porjuice and the prawns, the

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borough constrictor added. Laylah wrote this down, great, those will

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be with you shortly, she said. She then dropped the

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order off at the kitchen and delivered the drinks. She

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was just returning to collect the starters when Larry the

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Hyaena appeared at her side. Come with me, he ordered, Sharply,

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a tray of drinks has been spilt. I need you

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to clean it up. Layelah wanted to protest. She didn't

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want to keep her table waiting, but Larry was in charge.

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She had to do what he asked. Evan, she called

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out as she saw her fellow Cappi Bara approaching. Can

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you take the soup and prawn starters to my table

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for me? There sat in the back corner a reptile

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and a mammal. Sure thing, Evan replied, happy to help

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Laylah out. Adjusting his apron Evan grabbed the two plates

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from the kitchen hatch and turned to the restaurant floor.

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His eyes quickly fell on a reptile and a mammal

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in the back corner by the fireplace. It was a

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kowati and a thorny devil lizard that must be who

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Layelah meant? Good evening, said Evan, happily. I have a

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soup of the day and some prawns. Oh that was quick,

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said the Kuwati, who had only just sat down and

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not yet ordered. I'm not sure we want those, though,

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they're not to my taste, sniffed the thorny devil. I

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want to order something else er, of course, said Evan.

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How strange to order something and then change your mind

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when the food arrives. Um, what can I get you instead?

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I'll have the garlic bread, the thorny devil replied, and

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the salad for me, please, the quartie added. Evan nodded,

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taking the original plates away. He didn't know why they'd

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changed their minds. Maybe they hadn't liked the look of

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them when they saw them. He returned the plates to

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the kitchen hatch and passed on the new order. A

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short distance away, a family of otters were leaving, so

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he went over to clear their table. Seconds later, Layelah

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returned from cleaning up the spilled drinks. Here's the replacement

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starters for your table, said the chef, a crocodile, and

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he pushed forward the new plates, Laylah frowned. Replacement, she asked,

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but the crocodile was already busy with something else. Shrugging

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her shoulders, Layelah took the new plates to the table

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by the window. You're starters, she said, placing down the

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garlic bread and the salad. That's not what we wanted,

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the lioness said. We asked for the soup and the prawns,

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added the borough Constrictor, but began Layelah, but decided not

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to argue very well, I'll have those with you. Shortly,

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she returned to the kitchen hatch and sat down the

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plates right next to the soup and the prawns where

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even had left them. Picking up the order, she rushed

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back to the table by the window. Just as Evan returned.

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There was the garlic, bread and salad, so he scooped

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them up and delivered them to the table by the fireplace.

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Sorry about the weight, he said to the thorny devil

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and the Kouati. Layelah made herself busy before returning to

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the table by the window. What would you like for

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a main meal? She asked. Meanwhile, on the other side

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of the busy restaurant, Evan had seen that Laylah was

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too busy to deal with her mammal and reptile table

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by the fireplace. I'll take care of it, he said helpfully,

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and went to get their order for their main meal.

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Both Cabi barers passed the orders to the kitchen, wiped

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more tables, and fetched more drinks. It was Evan who

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returned to the kitchen hatch first, finding two trays with

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covers over them to keep the food hot. Which is mine,

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he called to the crocodile. The one on the left,

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replied the chef. The other one is Laila's. Unfortunately, the

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crocodile meant the one on his left, which from the

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opposite side of the hatch, was the tray on Evan's right.

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Evan took the left tray just as Laylah arrived. That

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one's yours, he said, nodding to the other tray at

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the thorny Devil and Cowati's table. He lifted the cover

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and set down the plates. That's not right, said the Kuwati.

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I ordered fruit and nuts, and this is fish, complained

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the thorny Devil. I would never order this. I wanted

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the ant surprise. I'm terribly sorry, said Evan, just as

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a scream cut across the restaurant floor. By the window,

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a borough constrictor was desperately trying to shake off a

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multitude of ants. This isn't what I ordered, he cried. Laylah,

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feeling quite dreadful at the mix up, rushed to brush

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the ants back onto the plate. I am so sorry,

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she said. There must have been a mix up in

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the kitchen. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment as she

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returned to the kitchen. It was there that she came

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face to face with a very cross looking Larry. What's

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going on? The Hyaena snapped, why was your table shouting?

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My table got the wrong food? Layla explained. I was

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just about to sort it out with the kitchen. The

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Hyaena rubbed his forehead in frustration. You do that, he said,

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I'll get them some free drinks. Which table was it?

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The back corner, the one with the big snake, Laila replied.

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Larry nodded and went to fetch his finest bottle of Bubbly.

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While all this was happening, the borough constrictor was convinced

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he could still feel an ant down his shirt, so

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excusing himself, he went to the bathroom to check, only

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to spot his old friend sat near the fireplace. This

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meant that when Larry looked for a table in a

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corner with a big snake, he saw one with a

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kuwati and a thorny devil. Putting on his best server smile,

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Larry hurried over to deliver the bottle. As he got close,

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he saw the snake leave for the bathroom. No werries,

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Larry thought he could still deliver the bubbly. I terribly

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sorry about the mix up, he gushed. Please enjoy this

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free bottle of expensive Bubbly, he said, placing the bottle

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on the table. Oh that's very kind of you, the

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Kuwati said, But it really wasn't that bad a mix up.

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That's kind of you to say so, But we do

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want our guests to be happy, Larry said sweetly. Now,

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enjoy your drinks and I'm sure your meals will be

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with you in just a moment. On the other side

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of the restaurant, Evan had entered the kitchen in order

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to understand and what had gone wrong. You told me

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it was the tray on the left, Evan said, my left,

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my left, not your left. The crocodile replied, Look, let's

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not argue. We just need new meals as soon as possible.

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Evan sighed. Larry's giving my table free drinks, added Laylah.

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That should help smooth things over your table, Evan said,

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looking puzzled. But I just saw him take a bottle

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to my table. Why would he do that, Layla asked.

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I told him it was the back corner, but that's

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where my table is, in the back corner, Evan said,

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I took it over from you earlier. You didn't take

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it over, Layelah insisted, I've been serving them all night,

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to the mammal and the reptile. Yeah, that's who I've

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been serving, continued Evan. A kowaate and a thorny devil, no,

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shrieked Laylah. A lioness and a boa constrictor. Oh no,

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said Laylah quietly, as they dashed for the kitchen door.

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No running, we've just mopped. The chef called after them,

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but it was too late. Laylah and Evan both slipped,

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skidding across the floor. Laylah collided with a large pot

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of cold soup, while Evan crashed into the salad station.

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That was when Larry walked in. What on earth is

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going on, he bellowed. Laylah was wiping cold soup from

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her eyes, while Evan was plucking lettuce and tomato from

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his ear. I don't know what's going on to day,

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but we have two disappointed tables out there, Larry growled.

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They've been given the wrong food, been made to wait,

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and now it looks like we're ignoring them altogether. It's

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so late now they're almost the only two tables left.

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I want this sorted out, and I want it sorted

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out now, Layla and Evan both nodded meekly. They collected

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the correct plates from chef and prepared to face their

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grumpy customers. But what they found wasn't what they expected.

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There weren't two tables waiting for their food. There was

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only one, a table of four made up of a lioness,

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a borough constrictor, a kui, and a thorny devil. I

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really hope you don't mind, said the lioness warmly. But

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we realized our friends were here and this bigger table

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was available, so we thought we might all sit together.

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That be okay, of course, Laylah said with relief, looking

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at the two reptiles and the two mammals, dreadfully sorry

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about the weight, but we have your meals right here.

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I can't believe you ordered ants. The Boa Constrictor laughed

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as he saw the thorny devil's meal. The karate was

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busy filling glasses from the bottle of bubbly. Hey, isn't

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this great? She said, We've got the whole restaurant to ourselves. Well,

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if you need anything else, said Evan, just let myself

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or Laylah know right away. We'll both be here to

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look after you. The two cappy baras left their guests,

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chatting and laughing as they tucked into their meals. At last,

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everything seemed to be going according to plan. Thank goodness,

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that's all over, said feeling relieved. I agree, Layla replied,

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maybe it's time that Larry gave all the tables a number.

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I don't want to go getting in a muddle like

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that again. Me neither, chuckled Evan. Oi, you two, said

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the crocodile from the other side of the kitchen hatch.

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You're not out of trouble yet. What is it, asked Layla.

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What's wrong? Wondered Evan. There's soup and salad all over

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the floor in here, and it needs clearing up, said

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shef come on, jump to it. We'd better get on

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with it, sighed Layla. Yes, chuckled Evan, we wouldn't want

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it to attract any more ants. Animal fact our story

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features a mix up between mammals and reptiles. Do you

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know the difference between the two kinds of creature? Mammals

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produce milk to feed their young, have hair, and for

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the most part, give birth to live young. Examples of

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mammals are gorillas, giraffes, dolphins, and mice. Reptiles tend to

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have scaly skins, need to bask in the sun to

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warm their bodies, and mostly they lay eggs. Examples include turtles, snakes, lizards,

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and alligators. Can you think of more examples of each?

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Thank you for your great suggestions, Layla and Evan. We

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hope that you all enjoyed the story. Wherever you're listening

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in the world, don't forget to look at our Animal

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Tales books over on Amazon Great bedtime reading, especially if

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you've discovered the joy of reading for yourself. Make sure

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you join us next time for another great animal tale. Goodbye,