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Speaker 1: Yea, hello. My name's Josephine and this is the Animal

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Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.

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There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,

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with a third premium only story every Friday, and occasionally,

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if we have the time, we'll do an extra one

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like this one. Jack is in Ireland and he has

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asked for a story featuring a buffalo. You can learn

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more about these creatures in the animal facts after the story. Okay,

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are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin. I don't know,

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said the buffalo. When Jack woke up that morning, the

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room appeared to be done darker than usual. At first,

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he thought he'd just woken up too early, until he

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heard his mum moving about elsewhere in the house. It

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must be bad weather today, thought Jack. The sky must

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be full of gray clouds for it to be as

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dark as this. But when he sat up, he saw

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the reason for the lack of light was clearly something else.

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There was a buffalo in front of his window. Good morning,

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said the buffalo. It seemed almost as surprised to be

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there as Jack was to see it, Um, said Jack.

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Don't mind me, continued the buffalo with embarrassment. Er Okay,

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said Jack. This sort of thing had never happened to

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him before, so he wasn't entirely sure what he was

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supposed to say. Was the buffalo somehow now his guest?

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Did he need to offer it breakfast? And how was

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he going to get the buffalo through his bedroom door

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to reach the kitchen? The animal was far too big,

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which made him realize something else. Um, how did you

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get in my bedroom? Jack asked, I don't know, said

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the buffalo. This seemed like a strange answer to Jack.

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The buffalo had got in here somehow, and it couldn't

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have been easy. It would have required some considerable squashing

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and squeezing, and yet the buffalo was acting as if

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it couldn't remember it happening. Jack swung his legs out

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of bed, although he did it carefully, the buffalo was

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taking up a lot of space. Have you been in

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here long? Jack wondered, I don't know, said the buffalo.

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Do you at least know how long you're going to stay?

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Jack added, He felt as if asking so many questions

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might be considered to be rude, but he reminded himself

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it was his bedroom, after all. I don't know, said

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the buffalo. Look, I'll tell you what, said Jack. I'm

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just going to fetch my mum. Perhaps she can help

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work out what's going on. Is that okay with you?

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The buffalo shrugged, its very large hairy shoulders. Suppose, so,

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the buffalo said. Jack managed to open the door just

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enough to extract himself from the room, returning moments later

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with his mum in toe. There's no buffalo here, Jack,

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she said, as the pair of them gazed around the

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empty room. But there was a minute ago, said Jack,

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as he checked under his bed. There really was. Then

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where did it go? Asked his mum, holding her palms

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out facing upwards. I don't know, said Jack. Jack went

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to the bathroom, making sure to check in the bath

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in case there was a buffalo in it. He'd seen

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a spider in there before now, so it seemed perfectly

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reasonable that the buffalo could be in there too. But

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it wasn't. Then he got dressed and went looking for breakfast.

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Help yourself to whatever you want, said his mum as

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she passed him at the kitchen door. I'm just going

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to fetch the washing that needs doing, okay, said Jack.

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He went to the fridge, first, opening the door wide

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to remove the milk. Turning back around, Jack saw that

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he was no longer alone. The buffalo was filling much

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of the kitchen. Ah, there you are, he said. Where

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did you go? I don't know, said the buffalo. It

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sounded as if he was telling the truth. I see

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that you managed to get in here, all right, observed Jack,

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despite you being bigger than the door that is. How

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do you do that? I don't know, said the buffalo.

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Well you're here, and that's what matters. Would you like

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some breakfast? Jack set the milk down on the side,

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then pulled open the cupboard to see what cereal they

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had to do this, He had to turn his back

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on the buffalo. Have you still not chosen what you're having?

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Asked his mum, as she arrived with arms full of

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underpants and socks. Has it gone again? Asked Jack, sounding astounded.

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There's what gone again, asked his mum. The buffalo. It

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was right there, insisted Jack, gesturing to the now empty

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space in my kitchen. His mum replied, what was a

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buffalo doing in my kitchen? I don't know, said Jack.

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Jack's mum said they needed some items from the supermarket,

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so as soon as breakfast was over, they bundled into

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the car. Jack made sure to check all the seats

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in case there was a buffalo in there already, but

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there wasn't. They'd gone out early, which was good because

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it meant that the supermarket wasn't very busy. The smell

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of freshly baked bread filled their nostrils as they went in,

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prompting Jack to ask Mum, may I have some cookies?

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Sure you can, she smiled at him. Go and choose

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the ones you like, then come and find me. Jack

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knew exactly where the fresh cookies were kept, so went

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directly there. There were more flavors than he was used to,

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so he spent a moment studying the packaging before selecting

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the ones with white chocolate chunks. With this done, to

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go and find his mum, but found his way blocked

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by a gigantic, shaggy beast. Hello again, said Jack, Did

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you need some shopping as well? I don't really know,

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said the buffalo with a frown. I've chosen some cookies,

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said Jack. Do you like cookies? I don't know, said

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the buffalo, with a shake of its tremendous head. Have

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you never tried cookies before, asked Jack in surprise, I'd

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be very happy to share one of mine. Come with

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me so we can pay for them. Then you can

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have the first one out of the bag. Jack saw

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his mum waiting near the front of the store and

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so headed straight to her. Did you get what you wanted?

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She asked? White chocolate chunks, grinned Jack. But I'm going

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to share them with me, asked his mum hopefully. Of course,

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he smiled. But also with the buffalo. Oh it's gone again.

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It was right behind me. That's frustrating, said his mum,

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as she started unloading their items to be scanned. Does

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the buffalo like white chocolate? Jack realized he'd forgotten to ask.

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I don't know, he replied. Jack had a hospital appointment

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that afternoon, so straight after lunch, he and his mum

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were sat on neighboring chairs waiting to be called in

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to see the doctor. Jack had studied the car park,

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the entrance, and the corridors, but hadn't seen the buffalo

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once since the supermarket. He was beginning to think that

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was the end of it. Mum whispered Jack as he

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tugged on her sleeve. I need the toilet. They're right there,

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said his mum, pointing to a door a short distance away.

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Make sure you wash your hands. Jack hopped down from

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the chair and crossed to the toilet door. Unfortunately, it

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was locked, but there was another door beside it with

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a wheelchair symbol on it. Jack tried the handle, pulling

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the door open. Oh sorry, said Jack as he realized

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that this toilet was occupied. After all, there was something

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hairy in it. Although this toilet was larger than the

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one next door, it wasn't much larger than the bulk

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of the buffalo. You really should lock the door, said

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Jack helpfully. Do you know how to do that? I

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don't know, said the buffalo. Look, you just lift the

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handle upwards to lock it like this, said Jack, demonstrating

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on the partially opened door. Then push it down when

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you want to come out. Does that make sense? I

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don't know, said the buffalo. It was looking very worried.

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If you don't mind me saying Jack said gently. You

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don't seem to know much, do you. The buffalo considered

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this for a moment. No, I don't do, I realized

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the buffalo. If I'm honest, to day has been very confusing, Jack,

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are you going in the toilet or not? Called his

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mum from her chair. Just waiting my turn, he called back,

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but when he looked back into the toilet, it was

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completely buffalo free. A short time later, after washing his hands,

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of course, Jack retook his seat. The buffalo was in there,

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he explained to his mum, but it disappeared again. It

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gets about, doesn't it, she observed. Do you think it's

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following you? I don't know, admitted Jack. They picked up

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pizza on the way home, but Jack didn't see the

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buffalo once. He made sure to look in all the

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cars they passed, down all the side streets, and even

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looked over the counter when they collected their pizzas in

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case there was a buffalo beside the pizza oven. Back home,

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once the pizza had been devoured, Jack's mum asked him

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to choose a movie for them to watch. He scrolled

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through the choices, wondering if there was one about a buffalo,

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but couldn't see one. He picked one about aliens instead.

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By the time they'd watched that, it was bedtime, so

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after a trip through the bathroom and a quick story,

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Jack's mum kissed him on the top of his head

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and wished him good night. Mum asked Jack as she

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was leaving the room. You do believe me when I

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say I saw a buffalo, don't you? Of course I do,

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smiled his mum. That's good, said Jack, returning the smile.

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See you in the morning. The door was pulled too.

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As Jack wriggled down, getting snugly, he was right on

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the brink of falling asleep when something snorted near the

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end of his bed. It sounded like it might have

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come from a buffalo. You're back, said Jack, sitting up.

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I am, said the buffalo, And to be truthful, I'm

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still not really sure what's going on here. One moment

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I'm here, the next I'm there, then I'm somewhere else.

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It seems like a very strange way for a buffalo

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to behave, it does, agreed Jack. But wherever I go,

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continued the buffalo. You're there. Are you important? I don't know,

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said Jack. At least I don't think so. No more

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important than anyone else. Well, it seems to me, said

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the buffalo. But maybe you are, and perhaps that you

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and I are connected. It does seem that way, doesn't it,

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nodded Jack. It's just that we don't know. Why do

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you think that matters? I don't know, said the buffalo.

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I just hope I'm not being a nuisance. You know,

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with all this appearing and disappearing, you're not a nuisance,

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insisted Jack. It's not everyone that gets their very own

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buffalo following them around. I rather like the idea, and

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I'm quite sure my mum wouldn't mind if you were

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to stay. She's great like that. That's good to know,

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said the buffalo. Then I'll do just that. It's looking

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like that's what I'm supposed to do. Anyway. That way,

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whenever you need me, I'll be there, white by your side.

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Jack like the sound of this. He'd grown quite fond

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of his new buffalo friend. Do you think other children

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have their own buffaloes, he asked. I don't know, said

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the buffalo. But what I do know is that you

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have one. I intend to be around whenever you need me.

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Thanks Buffalo, said Jack. Reaching down beside his bed, he

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lifted up a paper bag with a white chocolate chunk

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cookie inside. I saved you one, he said. Ooh, grinned

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the buffalo. I was looking forward to that. With the

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cookie eton Jack said good night to the buffalo. Sleep tight.

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The buffalo answered, settling its considerably large body upon the

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bedroom floor, and much to Jack's mum's surprise, that's where

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she found them both in the morning. Animals fact, all

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buffalo are bovines, which also includes other large cattle such

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as goers and yaks. Bow vines, along with all other

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animals with hoofs such as antelope, pigs and horses, are

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what we call ungulates. If that sounds complicated, wait until

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you hear about the buffalo, because buffalo covers several species

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of wild cattle. These include water buffalo, a Noah's or

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dwarf buffalo, and the African buffalo. It can also mean

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an American bison, which isn't actually a buffalo at all.

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I wonder which kind of buffalo you were imagining when

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you heard the story. Thank you for your suggestion, Jack,

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We hope you enjoyed it, and thank you to all

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of you across the world for listening to it. If

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animaltales dot uk for a tiny fee their advert free.

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Join us next time for another great animal tale good Bye,