Speaker 1: Yea, hello. My name's Josephine, and this is the Animal
Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
with a third premium only story every Friday. If you've
particularly enjoyed an animal tale story, then please do let
your friends know so they can enjoy it too. Zia
is from California in the U s A. And she
would like a story featuring a black panther, a lemur,
and a white blizzard leopard gecko. You can learn more
about these creatures in the animal facts after the story. Okay,
are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin. The diamond
cutter sire arrived at the apartment right on time. She
was a black panther who considered herself a very reliable
and trustworthy animal. The door was answered by a much
smaller creature. He was an unusual kind of leopard gecko,
as he didn't have any pattern upon his skin, making
him almost white. What's more, he was very old, with thick,
black rimmed glasses that looked too large for his head.
You must be sire, said the leopard gecko. I'm Ralph,
do come in Sire entered the nicely decorated apartment, taking
a seat on an arm chair. You come very highly recommended,
said Ralph as he sat opposite her. You're just the
sort of protection that I need, if you don't mind
me asking, responded Sire, protection from what Why would somebody
like you need a bodyguard ands for two weeks? That's
a fair question, said the leopard Gecko. I am, or rather,
I was a cutter of diamonds. Sire looked unsure. You
cut diamonds as a job. That's right, said Ralph. When
a diamond is dug from the ground, it's not all
shiny and sparkly like the ones you see on jewelry
or in movies. They're rough and bumpy, so to transform
them into something spectacular they need shaping and polishing by
an expert. It takes a long time, but the end
result is something beautiful to behold. That still doesn't explain
why I'm here, pointed out Sire. I was coming to that,
smiled the leopard Gecko. I was once considered to be
the finest diamond cutter of them all, and then I retired.
Then last week I was offered considerable amount of money
to cut one last stone, and it's arriving here shortly,
I see, said Sire, nodding her fury black head. And
you need me to stay here to protect both you
and the diamond while you work on it, precisely, smiled Ralph,
just as the doorbell rang. Ah, they're early. Sire was
already on her feet. I'll get it, she insisted. She
was here to keep the gecko safe, and that job
began the moment she'd arrived. Waiting in the hallway was
a Samatran rhino wearing dark sunglasses and carrying a black
leather briefcase. Beside him was a serious looking bintarroon in
a pinstriped suit. We're here to see the gecko, the
Bintarong said gruffly. Zia invited them in, where the two
visitors made no attempt to sit. Show me where you'll
be working, said the bintarroon to Ralph. Through here, he answered,
showing them to a neighboring room. It was small, with
a blind at the window, a desk and chair, and
a safe. The bintarroon went straight to the window, peering
through to a brick wall opposite. You work with the
blinds closed. He asked, always, answered Ralph, and is this
here your security, said the bintarroon, gesturing to Siah. It is,
and she comes very highly recommended, said Ralph patiently. Very well,
said the bintarroon. Larry, open the case. Larry, the Samatran
rhino lifted the case on to the table, revealing that
it was attached to his wrist by a chain. A
key was produced, The lid opened and there was the cut,
rough diamond. The bin Turron placed it into Ralph's hands.
This will look quite exquisite once I've finished, smiled the gecko.
Two weeks, said the bin Turon. Then you get paid.
We'll be back, and with that he and the rhino left.
Shortly after Zia had been shown her room and unpacked,
she returned to find Ralph had already begun to work.
What should I do, she asked? For now, not much,
replied Ralph. Keep the front door bolted, make me a
drink every now and again, and keep your eyes and
ears open for anything suspicious. That's it, asked the black panther.
For now, smiled the gecko and got back to work.
For the next thirteen days, Ralph worked and Zia kept
watch the black Panther paid attention to cummings and goings
in the hallway. Outside, she organized the delivery of groceries
so she didn't have to leave Ralph unattended, and for
the rest of the time she read books and watched
TV in the living room. Occasionally she'd stand at the
window overlooking a rain forest city park and watch the
world go by. It was a far more entertaining view
than the brick wall opposite where Ralph was working. The
leopard gecko started early and worked late, taking most of
his meals at his desk. He clearly intended to meet
the two week deadline. The evening before the Binterrong was
due to return, Ralph called Sire into his workshop. Is
something the matter? Asked the black panther. Far from it,
smiled the gecko as he held up the finished diamond.
What was once a rough, shapeless lump was now a fabulous,
sparkling gem. It's beautiful, said Zia. Ralph then placed the
diamond in the small safe. Oh I ache all over,
he said, stretching his back. I'll certainly sleep well tonight.
But Zia did not sleep well. She didn't even go
to bed. She had been hired to protect both Ralph
and the diamond, and now that the diamond was completed,
it was worth far more money than when it had arrived.
If anyone was going to try to take it, they
were more likely to do so now Before the bintero
On returned, so Zia made sure the door was locked,
pushed a sturdy cabinet against it to make doubly sure,
and then took a seat facing towards it. At around midnight,
a noisy couple stumbled down the hallway outside, shushing one
another and giggling. Zia heard them drop their keys before
tumbling into an apartment. Later, her sensitive ears detected softer footsteps.
She crossed to the spy hole and saw the spoon
bill that lived opposite coming home carrying a pizza. It
smelled good. At around two in the morning, Zia became
aware of a disturbance in the park. From the living
room window, she could see that a fire had started,
sending up thick coils of smoke that rose up to
block the stars. The fire was too far away to
determine what was burning, but Zia could already hear sirens.
She'd walked through the park two weeks ago on her
way here and had passed a small kiosk selling ice cream.
She couldn't be sure, but it seemed likely that this
was a light. She allowed herself to be distracted a
moment longer before telling herself to return to her chair,
But before she took a seat, she poked her head
into Ralph's makeshift workshop. She gave the door a gentle
push to reveal the desk and safe, which was open.
The diamond was gone. It was then that she saw
the long ringed tail dangling from the window. A Leama,
dressed all in black, was looking at her, a look
of sheer pleasure on her face. Too late, said the Leama,
and leapt Zia darted forward in time to see the
lemur scaling up the side of the apartment building. She
was quick. For a second, the black panther thought of
trying to follow, but decided she'd be faster going another way.
She wrenched aside the sturdy cabinet and unfastened the door,
then bounded down the corridor and up the stairs in
a way that only black panthers can. She burst out
onto the roof seconds later, in time to see the
surprised Lema clambering onto the ledge that overlooked the alley.
I hope you're not going to cause me any trouble,
said the Lema. I'm being paid a lot of money
to steal this diamond, and I've gone to a lot
of effort to do it. She nodded towards the park,
where the emergency services were tackling the blaze. So you
started the fire as a distraction, said Sire, But instead
of answering, the ringtailed Lima jumped from the building. Limas
are built for taking big leaps, but even so, the
gap across the alley was quite a distance, but she
made it unable to resist, directing a smug grin towards Sire.
Zia sprinted forth, covering the gap to the ledge of
the building so quickly that the Lema almost forgot to run.
The black panther launched herself, covering the width of the
alley with ease, before continuing to give chase across the rooftops.
They ran, and the only reason Zia didn't catch the
Lema quickly was that the thief was smaller, able to
take more direct routes between and under objects that crowded
the roof spaces. A particular set of air conditioning equipment
forced Zia to go the long way around, meaning that
when she got to the other side, the lema was
nowhere in sight. Growling under her breath, Zia prowled back
and forth, looking for the lema's hiding place or escape route,
but the longer she took, the further away the lema
might get. Then, looking down into a side street, she
spied the distinctive ringed tail of the lema disappearing into
the back of a large black car. It pulled away
almost immediately. Zia broke into a run again, jumping from
roof to roof as she followed the car's progress. Fortunately
for her, even late at night, there were plenty of
vehicles on the rainforest city streets, not to mention traffic lights.
If she could keep going, she just might catch them. Yet,
the black car was heading towards the river and the
Riparian Bridge, which meant Zia was running out of rooftops
to run along. At the Cocobola Feeta, she was able
to drop onto the canopy that covered the entrance and
from there swing down a street light. This was where
being a cat came in really handy, allowing her to
land softly on the black car's roof just as it
turned onto the Riparian Bridge. Through an open window, she
could hear the Lemur talking, No, I'm not handing it over.
She was saying, not until you pay me. Larry will
give you what's coming to you. Shortly, said the familiar
voice of the bin Tarroon. But he's driving at present.
Oh yeah, snapped the Lemur. I don't think you're going
to pay me at all. You're just going to rip
me off, just like you did that old gecko. Don't
be so hasty, replied the bin Turron calmly. Getting you
to steal the diamond means we get back something that's
now far more valuable than when we first handed it over.
And now we don't have to pay the old fossil
because he allowed it to be stolen. Best of all,
we can claim on the insurance. There's plenty of money
for every one. I don't believe you, complained the impatient
Lemur as she thrust her hand out of the open window.
It was holding the diamond. Pay me now, or I'll
chuck it in the river. I'll take that, thank you,
said zire As she plucked the diamond from the lemur's grip.
The diamond screamed the Binturon, lunging at the window. Distracted
by the commotion, the rhino took his eyes off of
the road ahead, clipped the side of a bus, and
crashed the car into the bridge's barrier. It didn't plunge
into the dark waters below because Zia was poised on top,
keeping it perfectly balanced. Unless the three of you want
a very cold bath, I'd suggest you'll sit tight until
the police arrive. She told them. No one in the
car wanted to argue with her. The three crooks went
to jail for their wicked scheme. Because Ralph hadn't been
paid for his work, the Court a Water did him
the diamond as compensation, which he sold, splitting the money
fifty fifty with Zire. But that's far too much money,
protested the black panther. Maybe admitted the gecko, but if
it wasn't for your daring chase, we wouldn't have a penny.
So Zire quite rightly went home much much richer. Animal fact,
black panthers can refer to both leopards from Africa and
Asia and jaguars from Central and South America. Their black
fur is as a result of an abundance of dark
pigment called melanin in the animal's skin and fur. Lemurs
are only found on the island of Madagascar. The ring
tailed lema has a tail longer than its body, which
it uses for balance when climbing and jumping. White blizzard
leopard geckos aren't found in the wild, but have been
developed by pet breeders As a species. Leopard geckos are
one of the most popular lizards kept in holmes worldwide.
Thank you for your suggestions, sire. We hope you enjoyed
the story, and thank you to all of you across
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animal tale. Good Bye,