Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to a special taster of our new
premium only story. We hope you like it. Hey yo, Hello,
I'm Josephine and this is the Animal Tales podcast, home
to over four hundred stories written just for you. Our
Friday story is especially for our Premium subscribers only. Samson
is a Premium member from New Jersey in the USA,
and he would like a story with a Commodo dragon
and a Monota lizard. Don't forget to listen to the
animal facts after the story to learn more about these creatures.
For now, it's time to sit back and get comfy,
because it's time to begin row your boat. Rainforest was
a very busy city. Every day, thousands upon thousands of
animals left their homes and traveled to work and school
using cars, trains, cable cars, bicycles, buses, taxis, or simply
just on foot. The hardest part for any traveler was
if you lived on one side of the river and
needed to get across to the other. Although there were
subway trains and cable cars, if you were in a
street vehicle or wanted to walk, there are only a
handful of bridges to take you over the water. Just
one problem on or near a bridge could cause a
traffic jam that created headaches for everyone. Here we go again,
sighed Sam, a commodo dragon as he tapped the steering
wheel with his long claws. What's going on, asked the
Ostrich in the back of his taxi. Is there problem?
I can't be late, sorry, miss, said Sam. There's a
hold up on the bridge. Well that's not good enough,
snapped the Ostrich. I need to get to my appointment.
But the traffic's all jammed up, pointed out Sam. We're
stuck in the middle of it. We're not going anywhere
until it clears. Outrageous, snapped the Ostrich. I'll be late
and it will all be your fault. Of course, it
wasn't Sam's fault at all. He couldn't control traffic jams
or know when they were going to happen. It was
just one of those things you had to put up
with when traveling from one side of the city to
the other. Eventually, the jam did clear, and they limped
slowly across the bridge and to the Ostrich's destination, arriving
thirty minutes late. The Ostrich paid, but was not happy.
Sam noted that she didn't leave him a tip. That's it,
thought Sam. I'm done for the day. He had an
appointment of his own to keep. This was with Max,
a Quint's monitor lizard. Max was smaller than Sam, with
a yellow head and tail with dark markings, and he
was enjoying a drink in a cafe overlooking the river
when Sam found him. You're late, said Max. Traffic again,
grumbled Sam. You know it gets worse every day. Oh
don't say that, replied Max. Not when I'm about to
buy my own taxi. Sam had been giving his friend tips,
but just lately he found himself wondering if it was
such a good idea. You just need to appreciate they're
getting around the city isn't easy. Your customers don't always understand,
and then they blame you, not the traffic, explained Sam.
Are you trying to put me off, groaned Max. I've
saved enough money to get my taxi now. The sound
of horns blasting made them turn to the nearby Greystoke Bridge.
It looked as if a truck had spilt its load
across the road surface, bringing traffic in both directions to
a stop. That's what you've got to deal with, said
Sam more frustrated drivers and passengers. If only there were
a better way. They never seemed to have a problem,
said Max, pointing to the handful of boats out on
the river itself. There was a tourist boat cruising down river,
while a cargo vessel and a police cruiser headed up river.
In fact, as they watched, all the boats were going
either up stream or down stream. Not one Sam realized
was going across the river from one side to the other,
Say Max, said Sam, as he stroked his long Commodo
dragon chin. How would you feel about going into business
with me? If you'd like to hear more, please join
our premium service. You can find out how in the description.
The premium service means you can listen to all animal
tale stories advert free, get bonus stories, and we guarantee
to turn your animal suggestion into a future tale. I
look forward to seeing you there