The Very Bravish Lion
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Hello! Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's story is called The Very Bravish Lion, an adaptation of an Aesop's fable written for you by Daniel Hines.

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The Very Brave-ish Lion Once upon a time, where the jungle met the savannah, there lived a little lioness named Abby. She was sleek and gold, flashing through the trees like a sunbeam, prowling through the savannah grasses like the first hint of wind. She was smart and cunning and brave. Well, brave-ish, anyway.

Abby slept in a tall tree with lots of long, curling branches. Plenty of lions slept on the ground, but Abby didn't like waking up with bugs in her fur, and Africa had some big bugs. Plus, it was cooler up in the trees, shaded from the sun and blessed with a balmy, blowing breeze. There was just one problem Abby had, and she had it every single morning.

She'd be sleeping peacefully, slumped over a branch like a house cat over a chair, when, as soon as the sun came up, the roosters would bellow out their morning call and Abby would jump up like she'd been stung by a bee. What? Where?

Then she'd remember the rooster and curl into an angry ball. "'Lousy big chickens!' she'd growl to herself. It wasn't just that they woke her up, it's that they scared her. Her! She was a big lion, supposed to be the queen of the jungle, but the early morning rooster call always scared her. She was so much bigger than the rooster that she could eat it if she wanted to, but it still scared her. It was embarrassing.'

Feeling especially miserable about the whole thing one day, Abby went walking through the jungle. She wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for, but maybe it was a friend because she was overjoyed when she saw Amara, her elephant bestie.

she said. How's it going today? Amara had found a banana tree and was wrapping her trunk around the big bunches and pulling them down. Then she'd eat the bananas a bunch at a time, peels and all, disappearing into her big mouth. Can't complain when you have bananas, Amara said. But then she looked back at her friend, the lioness. But Abby, you look so upset. Tell me what's going on.

Abby groaned and rolled over in the grass. Is it that obvious I'm having a bad day? I can see it all over your face, Amara said, crunching another bunch of bananas. It's the lousy roosters that live near me, she said miserably, her tail drooping as she lay her head on her paws.

What did they do? asked Amara, reaching extra high for a particularly yellow bunch of bananas and talking while she gobbled them. What did they do? Did they bully you? Oh, if they bullied you, just say the word and I'll go over there and give them such a trumpeting they'll never forget. Abby laughed and stretched.

I appreciate you having my back, but it's nothing like that, she said. It's just, I'm the lioness. I'm the queen of the jungle. But every morning when that thing crows out, it scares me half to death. Just that loud, sharp noise out of nowhere. That does sound annoying, said Amara, grabbing another bunch. Would it help to be, be...

A single big bee had been looking for pollen in the banana plant that Amara grabbed. It flew out and buzzed angrily at her trunk, bellowed the elephant, trumpeting and rearing back on her hind legs. Relax, Abby shouted, dodging the wild elephant's tree-thick feet. It's just a bee!

Amara shouted, waving her trunk wildly and stumbling away from the buzzing menace. Abby had to dodge her big feet again and then thought, enough of this. Watch out, she shouted. Then Abby gathered herself like a coiling spring and launched across the clearing.

She didn't want to eat the bee, knowing it could sting her mouth. Instead, she batted it away with her mighty paw. The bee went flying off into the trees and then buzzed away just as fast as it could. Abby landed gracefully next to Amara. Are you okay? Did you get stung? I'm okay, Amara said, breathing heavily and snorting through her trunk. It just scared the bananas out of me.

What? asked Abby, looking up at her big, strong elephant friend. The bee scared you? But it's tiny. Guess how big it is, said Amara. Have you ever gotten stung? It's not pleasant, I'll tell you that much. I just hate it so much, especially on my trunk. Oh, thank you so much, Abby, for being so brave.

No problem at all, Abby said, confused about the whole thing. I better go and see if I can find some lunch. I'll catch you later, Amara. The elephant said, waving with her trunk. 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.

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Disney and Pixar's Elio in theaters June 20th. Tickets available now. Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested. Abby walked deeper into the jungle until she came to the river. She was hoping to catch a zebra or maybe a meaty pig drinking in the waters. But instead, she saw the muddy butt of Hogo the hippo. He was wallowing in the shallow water, getting as much mud as he could on his body. Hey there, Hogo, Abby said, taking a drink at the water's edge. What's with the mud bath?

It's too hot out, Hogo said, wiggling even deeper into the mud. Hogo was an old hippo and absolutely colossal, except for his tiny tulip ears that wiggled in the water. The mud helps block the sun and trap the wet, keeps my skin moist and cool all day long. You should really try it out. Thanks, but no thanks, Abby said. She thought it was a little gross.

She would never mash her beautiful golden coat into mud full of bugs and who knows what else. But she was glad it worked for Hogo. What's bothering you today? Hogo asked. Is it that obvious? Asked Abby. Your whiskers are drooping and your eyes aren't quite as golden as usual, said Hogo. And you didn't even pretend to pounce on me like you do sometimes. That was more about the mud than being sad, but Abby wasn't going to correct him.

Yeah, she said a little miserably. I just, I keep being scared by the roosters in the morning. I'm dead asleep and then all of a sudden, cock-a-doodle-doo at like the top of their lousy little lungs. It makes me jump every morning and I don't know. What? You can tell me, said Hogo.

I guess I'm just embarrassed to be scared of something so small. I'm supposed to be the queen of the jungle. The queen can't be afraid of a little rooster. It's not, she thought for a bit, looking for the right word. It's not dignified, is it? I'm not the best judge of what's dignified, said Hogo, gesturing at his giant body freshly coated in sticky mud. But being afraid happens to everyone.

But they aren't afraid of stuff that's smaller than them. I should be braver. Nonsense, said Hogo, blowing bubbles in the water with a snort. I'm huge and I'm afraid of smaller things. You are? Asked Abby, remembering Amara and the bee. Like what? Well, snakes for one, said Hogo. The way they slither around, it just makes me nervous. And some could be poisonous or venomous or whatever. Well, that makes sense.

Oh, and humans, said Hogo. Everyone, no matter how big or small, is afraid of the humans. Abby nodded at that. Hogo was right. Everyone from the jungle to the savannah was afraid of the humans. They weren't very big or strong, but they had things like those loud rolling monsters and their sticks that shot thunder and lightning. I guess that's true, Abby said.

Sure is, said Hogo, rolling belly up in the mud and letting out a long belch so loud it made waves. Now if you'll excuse me, it's nap time. Abby started to reply, but before she could, the big hippo was already asleep, snoring like an avalanche. Feeling a little bit better, Abby made her way back home. She was thinking about Amara and Hogo and how they had their own things they were afraid of.

Maybe being afraid was more common than she thought. And as she thought, Abby forgot to pay attention. And so came around a tree and found herself face to face with a human. A human! She froze.

The human was tall and thin, with dark skin and big brown eyes. It was wearing tan clothes with a big pack on its back and something strange in its hands. It could be a thunder stick. Was it going to launch it at Abby? She didn't know, and her thoughts all jammed together in her head. She was so startled.

Finally, in a mixture of surprise and fear, she let out a mighty ROAR! She expected the human to attack her, but her roar was only halfway out before the human screamed, turned, and went bolting back into the woods.

Abby stopped to listen as they crashed away from her, still screaming and pushing through the brush. Abby could only sit for a second as she processed what had just happened. The human was afraid of her? It was a strange thought, but there was no denying it. She had seen fear in the human's eyes as she had roared, and she could still hear them running in the distance.

Shaken up, Abby headed back to her home and lay down in the shade. It had certainly been a strange day. First, she had learned her biggest and best friend, Amara the elephant, was also afraid of something smaller. The little bee had really spooked her, but Amara had no problem swatting it down. And then Hogo, too. He was afraid of snakes and even humans, despite the fact that he was so big he could swallow a human whole.

And speaking of humans, Abby was queen of the jungle, but the humans were in charge of the whole world, and one had been afraid of her. Maybe being afraid wasn't such a big deal after all. It seemed like everyone got spooked sometimes. It was just what you did next that mattered. Abby thought about it long and hard, and she was still thinking about it that night when she dropped off to sleep.

The next morning, the rooster rose with the sun and let out a thunderous, COCK-A-DIDDLE-DOO! that echoed through the trees. Abby jerked awake, startled as always. Then, when she heard it was just the normal rooster, she smiled, rolled over, and went back to sleep. The End Here are some questions for you to talk about with your family. When was the last time you were scared? And what did you do?

Were you like Abby and you roared and got really big and scary? Or were you like the human who ran away? What are some of the little things that scare you? What are some of the really big things? When you're feeling scared, what are some of the things you can do to help feel better? I bet you can figure out some tricks.

Today's story, The Very Bravish Lion, was an adaptation of an Aesop's Fable written for you by Daniel Hines. It was edited and produced for you by Andrew Martin and performed for you by me, Amanda Weldon. If you would like to support Stories Podcast, you can leave us a five-star review on iTunes. Check out all of our merch available at storiespodcast.com slash shop, commission a special video on Cameo, follow us on Instagram at storiespodcast, or simply tell your friends about us.

Thanks for listening!

Disney and Pixar's Elio. Rated PG. Parental guidance suggested. Only in theaters. Tickets available now.