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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 Little Rescue.
Once upon a time, in a quiet little stretch of American forest, there were soft white-gray of clouds before a summer rain.
Their names were Ms.
Beekman and Mr. Pecks, and they were old friends.
One day, the pair was relaxing in their favorite spot, an old weeping willow.
It grew on a grassy shelf hanging over a swift little river.
It had sun in the morning and shade in the heat of the afternoon.
Bushes of bright red berries grew nearby and they were the sweetest around.
Ms.
Beekman liked to roost in the highest limbs where she could enjoy the rolling forest spread out beneath her.
Mr. Pecks had an old hollow he'd stolen from a squirrel.
It still smelled like old acorns, but the bushy dove didn't mind.
Huh, would you look at that, said Mr. Pecks one quiet afternoon.
There's an ant in the river.
It was a small black ant, the kind you see all over the woods and at the occasional picnic.
It must have fallen in looking for food.
The river wasn't particularly fast, but it must have seemed a raging rapid to the little guy.
It was flailing wildly, but it could barely keep its head above the water.
There was a flutter of wings.
Ms.
Beekman flapped down from her roost atop the willow and settled on a branch near Mr. Peck's.
Good morning, she said, stretching her wings.
What are you looking at down there?
Mr. Pecks gestured down to the river with his beak.
Look, there's an ant in the river.
Ms.
Beakman looked and saw the poor little ant.
It was being swept away, only its tiny little antennae were peeking up over the water's surface.
Oh no, what a poor little bug.
We should go help him.
Help him?
It's only an ant.
Not worth my time.
How can you say that, Mr. Pex?
He's drowning.
What has he ever done for me?
Ms.
Beekman puffed up, upset.
'Bobbing water like a lotus and you say he's not worth notice just because he has nothing of value to you.
Seems to me the kinder act is helping get a life on track as things should be enough.
Just the right thing to do.
Save a man who's drowning, throw water on a fire.
Pick up those who stumble, and you lift them higher.
I don't know much about living, but I'll give it to you straight.'
Being kind for kindness' sake, it makes you feel great.
I'll be kind to an aunt when an aunt gives me a reason to be kind.
If we all acted our worst, waiting for friends to be kind first, who would then step up and make our world a happier home?
Far finer when nice always and you'll find your home in hallways always full of friends and love.
That money just can't own.
Well, if you won't, I will.
Ms.
Beekman dove from the tree and scanned the ground, searching.
She couldn't swim any better than the ant, so she needed to find something to help.
Come on!
A piece of straw, a stick, something, anything!
There!
She finally spotted a dry old reed that had fallen by the riverside.
She swooped down and grabbed it with her talons and then flapped back into the air.
Here, little guy, she called as she soared over the ant.
Grab on!
She dropped the reed and it spun end over end and hit the water with a gentle splash, just in front of the drowning ant.
The river washed him into it and he grasped at it weakly with all his sticky legs, but the river was too strong.
He dipped below the water and vanished from sight.
Come on, little guy, Ms.
Beekman called down.
You can do it.
The ant pulled himself against the current.
One leg, another, another.
Meanwhile, all around him, the river raged wide as an ocean to the little bug.
From above, Ms.
Beekman saw an antenna poke out of the water.
Then the ant's little mouth broke the surface and he took a deep breath.
Almost there!
With a heave, the ant pulled himself onto the reed and laid there recovering.
Soon, the river bent and the reed was swept against the shore.
The little ant scuttled quickly onto the dry land.
Yes!
He made it! said Mrs. Beekman as she fluttered back to Mr. Peck's.
You see?
The little guy's all right.
I suppose, the old dove said.
Still, it seems an awful lot of trouble just to save one little ant.
What's the point?
Ms.
Beekman puffed her feathers indignantly.
Well, Mr. Pecks, I happen to believe that kindness doesn't need a point.
If you're only kind when you think you're going to get something in return, you aren't really being kind at all.
Mr. Pecks puffed himself up right back.
I think you must be sitting on an awfully high branch today to talk down to me like that.
Call me when you save something that matters and maybe I'll listen.
Now for a quick ad break.
We'll be back with the rest of the story after this.
If you'd like Stories podcast and other favorite kid podcasts ad free subscribe to Wondery Plus Kids on Apple Podcasts.
Experience the beloved Harry Potter series like you've never heard them before on Audible.
Harry Potter the full cast audio editions present the iconic series as a truly spellbinding listening event for the whole family.
The adventure will surround you.
You'll hear footsteps echoing off the walls of Hogwarts and the whoosh of a golden snitch as it darts past your ear.
And the production also features a rousing new musical score that heightens every magical moment.
Listen, as A-list stars like Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore and Keira Knightley as Professor Umbridge create a spellbinding experience for not only longtime Harry Potter fans, but also those brand new to the magical world of witchcraft and wizardry.
The first story, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is available now, with new audiobooks releasing every month, moving forward.
Listen on Audible.
Go to audible.com slash hp1 and start listening today.
Today's kids are smart and curious digital natives, but that doesn't mean they need to be exposed to everything the internet has to offer.
Pinwheel is the smarter way to introduce kids to technology, with a smartwatch or phone designed for kids and managed by parents.
They feature GPS tracking and notifications and allow you to remotely monitor text messages from your device without taking the phone.
You can create custom schedules for apps and contacts to help kids focus at school, homework and bedtime and include only parent-approved contacts so you can block all stranger and spam communication.
There are more than 1000 vetted apps to choose from, with safety ratings, so parents know what to pick.
Plus millions of apps in the Google Play Store, except social media and adult apps.
Right now, Pinwheel is offering up to 50 off phones and watches when you choose a quarterly or annual subscription, plus free shipping and returns.
Visit wwwpinwheelcom stories.
That's P-I-N-W-H-E-E-L dot com, slash S-T-O-R-I-E-S to learn more and shop phones for kids.
The two doves continued to argue.
Their chirps and squawks grew louder and louder.
They grew so loud that a nearby hunter heard them and perked up.
He was out hunting ducks, but he hadn't had much luck.
Still, his shotgun full of pellets would work just as well on doves as it would on ducks.
He got down on his belly, crawling closer to the river where he heard the chirps.
It doesn't matter how big or small or important, Ms.
Beekman was saying.
Being kind is its own reward, and you'd be surprised how often putting out kindness gets you more kindness back.
Mr. Peck snorted.
No easy trick for a bird.
It was an ant.
Don't waste my time with ants.
The hunter crept closer.
He saw them now.
Two big doves, one older and one younger.
They were sitting together in an old weeping willow.
Close as they were, he thought he might be able to get both with one blast of his shotgun.
He slid the gun forward and looked down the barrel, taking aim.
You're too young to understand.
Ants are ants, and not a one has ever done anything for me.
So what?
That doesn't mean... Ms.
Beekman trailed off.
Was that a glint in the grass across the river?
She looked harder.
It was near where the ant had landed, but it wasn't the ant.
No.
Was that... Oh, no!
''Hunter!''
Ms.
Beekman cried.
She and Mr. Pecks both stretched their wings, but they knew it was too late.
A good hunter could take down birds in flight as easily as birds on a branch.
Still, they had to try.
The hunter cursed to himself as the birds began to flap.
Still, he had enough time to get at least one of them.
He aimed carefully, swinging the gun slightly up and over.
He prepared to squeeze the trigger.
His finger tensed, and then he felt a shock of pain on his knuckle.
It made him flinch, and his gun dipped low as it roared.
The pellets splashed into the water, and some kicked up dirt on the far shore.
None came anywhere near the birds.
He muttered to himself and shook his stinging hand.
An ant, a little black ant, dropped to the ground and disappeared into the grass.
It had bitten him right as he fired.
He had been bitten hard.
There was already a little red bump forming on his finger.
The hunter figured he must have laid on an anthill.
Oh well, back to ducks, he thought, trudging away.
That evening, when they were sure the hunter had moved on, Ms.
Beekman and Mr. Pecks returned to their willow tree by the water.
I have to apologize, Mr. Peck said, bowing deeply before Ms.
Beekman.
If you hadn't saved that ant, we surely would have ended up as that hunter's dinner.
Who would have thought that such a little creature could save so much with one tiny bite?
Apology accepted.
Thanks, pal, Ms.
Beekman said, whistling lightly in a happy bird kind of way.
I hope you've learned that kindness is always worth it, even for the smallest, especially for the smallest.
You're quite right, Ms.
Beekman, Mr. Pecks agreed.
And from that day forward, he always kept one extra eye on the river.
Together with Ms.
Beekman.
He saved ants and grasshoppers and even a couple spiders, ignoring the chill they sent up his back when he saw them.
The dove saved whoever needed saving, and even though the hunter never returned, Mr Pecks found that his little corner of the world was a happier place as a result.
And to his new way of thinking, that was more than enough of a reward for anyone.
The End.
Today's story, The Little Rescue, was an adaptation of a traditional fable written for you by Daniel Hines and performed for you by me, Amanda Weldon and Kelsey Lee, with a song by Daniel and Kelsey.
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