Hello!
Welcome to Stories Podcast.
I'm your host, Amanda Weldon.
Today's story is a throwback episode.
Tune in to hear one of our classic stories from the archive that you might have missed the first time around.
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Enjoy the episode!
The Big Scary Cave.
Once upon a time, on a bright, sunny day, a friendly little rabbit poked her little rabbit head out of the big cave that she called home.
The sun was warm against her whiskers, and the grass was soft against her paws.
The wind smelled like carrot greens and basil and coriander and all her favorite snacks.
Her little pink nose twitched in the air.
What a beautiful, perfect, lovely day, the little rabbit said.
I think I'll go gather some food for a big dinner tonight.
She scampered off into the woods, bouncing from fluffy paw to fluffy paw, her tail wiggling and waggling as she went.
She spent the day collecting foods, and she returned to her cave late in the afternoon.
She bounced up to the entrance but stopped short.
There were little marks in the dirt leading right up to her door.
They were strange, certainly not anything like her own fluffy paw prints.
"'Hello!' she called into the darkness of the cave."
It's the little rabbit who lives here.
Who's in my house?
She waited a moment and was about to step inside when a great voice came booming back.
It is I, the many-legged legend, the jungle jugger, not the biggest and the meanest foe you ever fought.
I can rip a rhino, elephants I eat.
Roar or squeal, you'll be a meal or maybe just a treat.
Hearing that fearsome song, the little rabbit let out a yelp and ran away as fast as she could.
She bolted through the forest, jumping over vines and leaping over logs.
On and on she ran until her breath was gone, and she could barely continue.
She knew she couldn't abandon her home, though, so she went to find her friends instead.
After searching for a while, she found the hyena, gnawing on an old bone.
Hyena, a mighty beast has taken over my cave.
Will you please help me?
A mighty beast to you is but a snack to me, said the hyena.
Let's go get your home back.
The little rabbit and the hyena marched right up to the cave and the hyena called into the darkness.
You in there!
It's the hyena!
You better get out of my friend's house.
Who are you anyway?
They waited a moment, and then the great voice came booming back.
It is I. Hearing the fearsome voice echoing out of the cave, the hyena took a step back.
Well, maybe we need to get someone bigger than me after all.
I gotta go.
See ya.
With that, the hyena spun away and ran off into the forest, letting out whimpers of fear with every step.
The little rabbit ran away too, tearing through the forest until she was out of sight of the cave and finally felt a little safer.
I need someone even tougher, she said to herself, someone that everyone's afraid of.
She thought and thought, and finally she knew just the friend she needed.
After a bit of searching, she found the leopard.
He was a hulking cat, sleek with gleaming white fangs.
Leopard, a great beast has stolen my cave.
He won't come out and give me back my home.
Will you please help?
The leopard agreed, and together they walked through the forest back to the little rabbit's home.
Hello, hello in there, the leopard called into the cave.
The leopard has come, and it's time to end these games.
The little rabbit is loved by us all.
Who are you to take over her house?
They waited a moment, and then the great voice came booming back.
It is I. The leopard didn't even wait to reply.
He turned and sprinted back into the forest, as scared as he'd ever been.
The little rabbit was right on his heels, running through the woods and leaping over logs and just getting as much distance as she could between her and the great big, scary cave.
That night, she slept under a dirty old branch, shivering in the cold.
She had left all of the carrot greens and basil and coriander she had gathered by her cave.
So she was hungry too.
All in all, it was the worst night the little rabbit had ever experienced, and the next morning found her sitting miserably long, teeth chattering and fur all sticky with mats.
"'Ho there, friend.
Looks like you've had quite a night.'
The little rabbit looked up.
It was her friend, the frog.
"'You have no idea.
A monster stole my cave, and now I have nowhere to live.'
"'A monster?'
"'A great big monster who eats rhinos and elephants and all kinds of things.'
"'Sounds terrifying.
What did it look like?'
"'Well, I haven't actually seen it.
I just heard it roaring.'
"'Hmm,' said the frog.
"'Well, maybe I can help.
Let's go take a look.'
"'You?
I'm sorry, but the hyena couldn't do it, and either could the leopard.
You're not even as big as me.
What makes you think you can get the monster out of my cave?
Let's go take a look.'
The frog hopped off towards the cave, and the little rabbit had no choice but to hop on after him.
When they arrived, the frog kept hopping right up to the entrance.
Hello in there!
This is my friend, the little rabbit's house.
Do you mind telling me who you are to take it over?
They waited a moment, and then the great voice came booming back.
It is I, the wonder of the wild, the nargle of the night, the biggest and the meanest.
Whoever wanna fight?
I'll inhale a hippo, alligators I eat.
Roar or squeal, you'll be a meal or maybe just a treat.
When the roaring voice was finished, the frog just smiled wide.
Well, those sure are a lot of big claims.
But I guess I need to come see you for myself.
And I should warn you, as hungry as you sound, I'm even hungrier.
The little rabbit looked at the frog with wide eyes, thinking he was crazy for challenging such a fearsome beast.
But a second later, a much smaller voice called out from inside the cave.
Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
It just seemed like a nice place to live.
The little rabbit turned and watched in amazement as a caterpillar inched his way out of the cave.
What?
A caterpillar?
The little rabbit turned to the frog.
How did you know?
The frog smiled and watched the caterpillar inch its way back into the forest.
A big voice and a bad attitude is nothing to be afraid of.
It's nearly always just cover for someone real little hiding behind all that bluster.
The little rabbit shook her head embarrassed.
She'd been so afraid without even knowing what she was afraid of.
She invited the frog and the hyena and the leopard over to her cave and they all had that big dinner she'd been planning, laughing at themselves for being so scared about something so little.
The End.
Today's story, The Big Scary Cave, was an adaptation of a traditional African folktale written by Daniel Hines, performed for you by Kelsey Lee, with a song written by them both.
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