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<v Speaker 1>Welcome back, friends to short stories for kids.

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<v Speaker 2>The Great Seagull Snack Squad. Every morning, just as the

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<v Speaker 2>sun rose over sea Breeze Beach, a flock of seagulls

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<v Speaker 2>gathered on top of the old lighthouse. To everyone else,

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<v Speaker 2>they looked like ordinary seagulls, but they weren't. They were

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<v Speaker 2>the Great Seagull Snack Squad, the finest food stealing team

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<v Speaker 2>ever to flap their wings. Their fearless leader was Captain Gull.

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<v Speaker 2>He was bigger than the others, had one scruffy feather

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<v Speaker 2>sticking out of the top of his head, and like

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<v Speaker 2>to bark orders as though he were running the world's

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<v Speaker 2>most important military operation, roll Gall. Captain Gull squawked Present,

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<v Speaker 2>shouted Spike present, called Beakie present, said swoop Nigel. Captain

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<v Speaker 2>Gull asked. There was silence. Captain Gull sighed. A few

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<v Speaker 2>seconds later, Nigel came wobbling across the roof carrying a

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<v Speaker 2>half eaten French fry. Sorry, Nigel said, with his beak

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<v Speaker 2>full breakfast. Captain Gull shook his head. You can't eat

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<v Speaker 2>before the briefing. I was testing it, you know, just

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<v Speaker 2>in case, Nigel replied. Captain Gull ignored him. Today's first mission,

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<v Speaker 2>he announced, is Operation Donut. The entire flock gasped a donut.

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<v Speaker 2>Spike whispered with sprinkles. Beaky asked excitedly. Captain Gull nodded.

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<v Speaker 2>Rainbow spring goles. Every gull stood a little taller. Their

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<v Speaker 2>beady eyes grew big. Captain Gull spread one wing dramatically.

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<v Speaker 2>Our target is sitting on the bench by the pier.

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<v Speaker 2>The gulls peeked over the edge of the lighthouse. Sure enough,

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<v Speaker 2>an elderly man was happily drinking coffee while holding the

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<v Speaker 2>biggest pink doughnut any of them had ever seen. Captain

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<v Speaker 2>Gull pointed his wing. Remember your training. It's time for

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<v Speaker 2>the old surprise attack. The gulls launched into the sky.

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<v Speaker 2>Spike swooped low over the man's newspaper, Gow Gow. The

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<v Speaker 2>man looked up. What in the world. Beki landed on

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<v Speaker 2>a nearby trash can and began flapping wildly. My feathers,

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<v Speaker 2>my feathers, Baky cried dramatically in seagull language. Swoop folded

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<v Speaker 2>his wings and yelled dive, dive, dive. He rocketed toward

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<v Speaker 2>the doughnut snatch the doughnut disappeared. My donut, the man shouted.

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<v Speaker 2>Swoop climbed into the sky, laughing. Captain Gull caught the

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<v Speaker 2>doughnut in mid air. Mission successful. Below them, the man

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<v Speaker 2>waved his fist, you come back here. By lunchtime, the

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<v Speaker 2>snack squad had stolen three bags of potato chips, two

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<v Speaker 2>hot dogs, one hamburger, and three entire hot dogs. They

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<v Speaker 2>were having an excellent day. Then Captain Gull spotted another target.

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<v Speaker 2>Twelve o'clock. He shouted. The flock looked down. A little

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<v Speaker 2>girl skipped happily out of an ice cream shop. She

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<v Speaker 2>smiled from ear to ear as she carefully unwrapped the

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<v Speaker 2>biggest chocolate ice cream she had ever seen. Gee, it's hot.

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<v Speaker 2>I've wanted this all day, she said happily. Captain Gull

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<v Speaker 2>grinned operation ice cream. The gulls rubbed their wings together.

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<v Speaker 2>Spike counted down three, two, one dive Wush. The flock

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<v Speaker 2>dropped from the sky like feathery rockets. The little girl

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<v Speaker 2>gasped in horror. What was soap? Her ice cream vanished.

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<v Speaker 2>She stared at her empty cone and began to cry.

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<v Speaker 2>The seagulls circled overhead laughing that chocolate swirl was delicious.

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<v Speaker 2>Nigel called the little girl stamped her foot. Oh you

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<v Speaker 2>dirty seagulls. She shouted, whyayata. Captain Gull laughed and yelled retreat.

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<v Speaker 2>The gulls disappeared over the sea, while the little girl

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<v Speaker 2>folded her arms and glared at the sky. I hope

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<v Speaker 2>you all get tummy aches. All the gulls did was

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<v Speaker 2>laugh and laugh in that loud, rude way seagulls do.

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<v Speaker 2>For weeks, the snack squad ruled the beach. No burger

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<v Speaker 2>was safe, no sandwich survived. Even popcorn disappeared before it

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<v Speaker 2>reached people's mouths. The townsfolk became desperate. We've got to

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<v Speaker 2>stop those seagulls. One man said, they stole my fish

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<v Speaker 2>and chips, said another, they stole my muffin. Another woman complained.

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<v Speaker 2>One day, exciting news spread across town. A huge summer

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<v Speaker 2>banquet was being held in the park beside the beach.

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<v Speaker 2>There would be roast chicken, steaks, corn on the cob, pies, cakes, cookies,

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<v Speaker 2>ice cream, and mountains of mashed potatoes. Captain gall nearly fainted.

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<v Speaker 2>Every gull report to headquarters immediately. Within minutes, the lighthouse,

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<v Speaker 2>roof was packed. Captain Gull paced back and forth. This,

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<v Speaker 2>he said, seriously, is the greatest mission of our careers.

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<v Speaker 2>Everyone nodded. Nigel wiped away a tear. I'm so proud.

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<v Speaker 2>Captain Gull pointed to a map he had drawn in

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<v Speaker 2>the sand. Our attack begins at precisely food o'clock. Beaky

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<v Speaker 2>interrupted exactly. Captain Gull cried. The flock took off as

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<v Speaker 2>they approached the park. Captain Gull smiled, I can all

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<v Speaker 2>already smell the gravy. Then every gull slammed on the

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<v Speaker 2>air brakes. The gulls all gasped, frozen in mid air.

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<v Speaker 2>Below them stood dozens and dozens of squirrels. Seagulls just

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<v Speaker 2>hated squirrels. Captain Gull's eyes grew wide. He gad Spike

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<v Speaker 2>gulped squirrels. Nigel pointed nervously, they're everywhere. Squirrels stole food

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<v Speaker 2>even faster than seagulls. They were the ultimate competition. Captain

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<v Speaker 2>Gulls swallowed divert mission abort retreat. Nobody moved. I don't

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<v Speaker 2>think those squirrels are moving, Spike said, squinting suspiciously. They aren't,

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<v Speaker 2>Binkie said, tilting his head. Captain Gull flew a little

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<v Speaker 2>lower than he smiled. There, fake, they are plastic squirrels.

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<v Speaker 2>The gulls gasped. Captain Gull burst out laughing. The humans

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<v Speaker 2>knew we'd come. They tried to scare us away. Nigel grinned,

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<v Speaker 2>that's actually quite clever. Captain Gull folded his wings. Oh

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<v Speaker 2>they think they're clever. The flock leaned closer, and Captain

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<v Speaker 2>Gull whispered his plan. Slowly, every seagull began smiling. Ten

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<v Speaker 2>minutes later, the gulls quietly flew away below. The people

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<v Speaker 2>watched them disappear in the distance. It worked. One woman cheered,

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<v Speaker 2>the squirrels scared them off. Another said, with a loud laugh.

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<v Speaker 2>Everyone relaxed, and the big banquet began. People piled steaks

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<v Speaker 2>onto plates, helped themselves to roast chicken, buttery corn, giant

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<v Speaker 2>baked potatoes, juicy burgers, and thick slices of chocolate cake.

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<v Speaker 2>And then the best food came out last, exactly as

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<v Speaker 2>Captain Gull had predicted. High above, hidden in the clouds,

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<v Speaker 2>Captain Gull smiled. Ready, he called attack. They cried back.

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<v Speaker 2>The sky exploded with feathers hundreds of wings beat through

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<v Speaker 2>the air, fast and furious, flapping and flying down to

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<v Speaker 2>the food. People looked up screamed, Oh no, they're back.

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<v Speaker 2>The snack squad struck with perfect precision. Spike grabbed an

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<v Speaker 2>entire steak. Beaky stole four chicken wings at once, Swoop

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<v Speaker 2>carried away two hamburgers. Nigel swooped past one surprised man

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<v Speaker 2>just as he lifted a forkful of mashed potatoes, snatch gulp.

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<v Speaker 2>The mashed potatoes vanished off the fork. The man blinked,

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<v Speaker 2>shook his head. He scooped up another fork full, snatch gulp,

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<v Speaker 2>gone again. Captain Goll flew straight through the dessert table.

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<v Speaker 2>Cookies disappeared, cupcakes vanished. A whole pie lifted into the

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<v Speaker 2>air like a flying saucer. People pointed and shouted, catch them,

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<v Speaker 2>you come back here, that's my lunch. Within moments, the

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<v Speaker 2>banquet tables were almost empty, stripped of every last morsel.

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<v Speaker 2>The flock soared triumphantly over the beach, carrying enough food

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<v Speaker 2>for a week. Captain Gall laughed until his feathers shook. Haha.

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<v Speaker 2>Captain Gull said proudly. The moral of the story is

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<v Speaker 2>never fool of seagull on an empty stomach. For one second,

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<v Speaker 2>there was silence. Then every gull burst into loud, screeching laughter.

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<v Speaker 2>Caw caw caw. They flew back toward the lighthouse with steaks, burgers,

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<v Speaker 2>chicken wings, mashed potatoes, pies, and enough leftovers to feed

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<v Speaker 2>the whole flock for days. The end