# Mealtime Muddle

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 5 May 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71779935/at493_mealtimemuddle_mixdown.mp3

A busy night in a restaurant creates all manner of confusion. Written especially for this podcast by Alice. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yo, Hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast,
[0:18] Speaker 1: where you suggest the animal for us to write a
[0:20] Speaker 1: story about. My name's Josephine and I've got a brand
[0:24] Speaker 1: new animal story here just for you. You can listen
[0:28] Speaker 1: to all Animal Tales stories advert free via our premium service,
[0:33] Speaker 1: where you'll also get over ninety premium only stories. Find
[0:38] Speaker 1: out more in the text that accompanies this episode, and
[0:41] Speaker 1: remember for a tiny fee, they're advert free. Laylor and
[0:47] Speaker 1: Evan are from Toronto in Canada and they would like
[0:50] Speaker 1: a story with a lion, a kawate, a boa constrictor,
[0:54] Speaker 1: and a thorny devil. You can learn more about these
[0:58] Speaker 1: creatures in the Animal Facts off to the story. Now,
[1:02] Speaker 1: settle back, relax, and I'll begin meal time Muddel. It
[1:09] Speaker 1: was a busy evening at the Grazing Spot restaurant, and
[1:13] Speaker 1: Layla and Evan had just arrived to begin their shifts.
[1:18] Speaker 1: The two cappy bar of friends had been working at
[1:20] Speaker 1: the restaurant for a few weeks. They were both enjoying
[1:24] Speaker 1: it and were getting used to taking orders, wiping tables,
[1:28] Speaker 1: and carrying trays of food. It was a nice place
[1:32] Speaker 1: to work, even if their manager, Larry, who was a
[1:35] Speaker 1: Hyaena was rather strict. It's busy tonight, so I expect
[1:40] Speaker 1: everyone to be giving one hundred and ten percent, Larry
[1:44] Speaker 1: said when they arrived. Work hard, work fast, and above all,
[1:49] Speaker 1: keep the customers happy. Layla and ev nodded and got
[1:54] Speaker 1: to work. So far, the two of them had made
[1:57] Speaker 1: a good team during the busy period. I'll wipe down
[2:01] Speaker 1: those tables while you start taking orders, Evan suggested. Sounds
[2:07] Speaker 1: good to me, Laylah replied. She grabbed her apron and
[2:11] Speaker 1: notepad before heading over to the seating area. Larry had
[2:16] Speaker 1: been right. It was busy that night. Animals of all
[2:20] Speaker 1: shapes and sizes were taking up almost every chair. Most
[2:25] Speaker 1: of the tables had already been seen to by some
[2:27] Speaker 1: of the other waiters, but Layelah spotted two animals waiting
[2:31] Speaker 1: patiently in the back left hand corner by the window.
[2:36] Speaker 1: One was a lioness and the other a large bower constrictor.
[2:41] Speaker 1: Good evening, I'm Laylah and i'll be your server to day,
[2:45] Speaker 1: she said, with a smile. Can I start you off
[2:48] Speaker 1: with some drinks and starters? Sounds great, the lioness replied,
[2:55] Speaker 1: I'll take a lemonade and the soup of the day,
[2:59] Speaker 1: and I'll have an apple porjuice and the prawns, the
[3:02] Speaker 1: borough constrictor added. Laylah wrote this down, great, those will
[3:08] Speaker 1: be with you shortly, she said. She then dropped the
[3:12] Speaker 1: order off at the kitchen and delivered the drinks. She
[3:16] Speaker 1: was just returning to collect the starters when Larry the
[3:19] Speaker 1: Hyaena appeared at her side. Come with me, he ordered, Sharply,
[3:25] Speaker 1: a tray of drinks has been spilt. I need you
[3:28] Speaker 1: to clean it up. Layelah wanted to protest. She didn't
[3:33] Speaker 1: want to keep her table waiting, but Larry was in charge.
[3:37] Speaker 1: She had to do what he asked. Evan, she called
[3:42] Speaker 1: out as she saw her fellow Cappi Bara approaching. Can
[3:46] Speaker 1: you take the soup and prawn starters to my table
[3:49] Speaker 1: for me? There sat in the back corner a reptile
[3:53] Speaker 1: and a mammal. Sure thing, Evan replied, happy to help
[3:58] Speaker 1: Laylah out. Adjusting his apron Evan grabbed the two plates
[4:04] Speaker 1: from the kitchen hatch and turned to the restaurant floor.
[4:08] Speaker 1: His eyes quickly fell on a reptile and a mammal
[4:11] Speaker 1: in the back corner by the fireplace. It was a
[4:16] Speaker 1: kowati and a thorny devil lizard that must be who
[4:19] Speaker 1: Layelah meant? Good evening, said Evan, happily. I have a
[4:25] Speaker 1: soup of the day and some prawns. Oh that was quick,
[4:30] Speaker 1: said the Kuwati, who had only just sat down and
[4:33] Speaker 1: not yet ordered. I'm not sure we want those, though,
[4:37] Speaker 1: they're not to my taste, sniffed the thorny devil. I
[4:41] Speaker 1: want to order something else er, of course, said Evan.
[4:47] Speaker 1: How strange to order something and then change your mind
[4:50] Speaker 1: when the food arrives. Um, what can I get you instead?
[4:56] Speaker 1: I'll have the garlic bread, the thorny devil replied, and
[5:00] Speaker 1: the salad for me, please, the quartie added. Evan nodded,
[5:05] Speaker 1: taking the original plates away. He didn't know why they'd
[5:10] Speaker 1: changed their minds. Maybe they hadn't liked the look of
[5:13] Speaker 1: them when they saw them. He returned the plates to
[5:17] Speaker 1: the kitchen hatch and passed on the new order. A
[5:21] Speaker 1: short distance away, a family of otters were leaving, so
[5:24] Speaker 1: he went over to clear their table. Seconds later, Layelah
[5:29] Speaker 1: returned from cleaning up the spilled drinks. Here's the replacement
[5:34] Speaker 1: starters for your table, said the chef, a crocodile, and
[5:38] Speaker 1: he pushed forward the new plates, Laylah frowned. Replacement, she asked,
[5:45] Speaker 1: but the crocodile was already busy with something else. Shrugging
[5:49] Speaker 1: her shoulders, Layelah took the new plates to the table
[5:53] Speaker 1: by the window. You're starters, she said, placing down the
[5:58] Speaker 1: garlic bread and the salad. That's not what we wanted,
[6:02] Speaker 1: the lioness said. We asked for the soup and the prawns,
[6:08] Speaker 1: added the borough Constrictor, but began Layelah, but decided not
[6:13] Speaker 1: to argue very well, I'll have those with you. Shortly,
[6:19] Speaker 1: she returned to the kitchen hatch and sat down the
[6:22] Speaker 1: plates right next to the soup and the prawns where
[6:25] Speaker 1: even had left them. Picking up the order, she rushed
[6:29] Speaker 1: back to the table by the window. Just as Evan returned.
[6:34] Speaker 1: There was the garlic, bread and salad, so he scooped
[6:37] Speaker 1: them up and delivered them to the table by the fireplace.
[6:41] Speaker 1: Sorry about the weight, he said to the thorny devil
[6:44] Speaker 1: and the Kouati. Layelah made herself busy before returning to
[6:50] Speaker 1: the table by the window. What would you like for
[6:53] Speaker 1: a main meal? She asked. Meanwhile, on the other side
[6:58] Speaker 1: of the busy restaurant, Evan had seen that Laylah was
[7:02] Speaker 1: too busy to deal with her mammal and reptile table
[7:05] Speaker 1: by the fireplace. I'll take care of it, he said helpfully,
[7:10] Speaker 1: and went to get their order for their main meal.
[7:14] Speaker 1: Both Cabi barers passed the orders to the kitchen, wiped
[7:18] Speaker 1: more tables, and fetched more drinks. It was Evan who
[7:22] Speaker 1: returned to the kitchen hatch first, finding two trays with
[7:26] Speaker 1: covers over them to keep the food hot. Which is mine,
[7:31] Speaker 1: he called to the crocodile. The one on the left,
[7:35] Speaker 1: replied the chef. The other one is Laila's. Unfortunately, the
[7:41] Speaker 1: crocodile meant the one on his left, which from the
[7:44] Speaker 1: opposite side of the hatch, was the tray on Evan's right.
[7:50] Speaker 1: Evan took the left tray just as Laylah arrived. That
[7:54] Speaker 1: one's yours, he said, nodding to the other tray at
[8:00] Speaker 1: the thorny Devil and Cowati's table. He lifted the cover
[8:04] Speaker 1: and set down the plates. That's not right, said the Kuwati.
[8:10] Speaker 1: I ordered fruit and nuts, and this is fish, complained
[8:15] Speaker 1: the thorny Devil. I would never order this. I wanted
[8:19] Speaker 1: the ant surprise. I'm terribly sorry, said Evan, just as
[8:25] Speaker 1: a scream cut across the restaurant floor. By the window,
[8:30] Speaker 1: a borough constrictor was desperately trying to shake off a
[8:33] Speaker 1: multitude of ants. This isn't what I ordered, he cried. Laylah,
[8:40] Speaker 1: feeling quite dreadful at the mix up, rushed to brush
[8:44] Speaker 1: the ants back onto the plate. I am so sorry,
[8:48] Speaker 1: she said. There must have been a mix up in
[8:51] Speaker 1: the kitchen. Her cheeks were red with embarrassment as she
[8:56] Speaker 1: returned to the kitchen. It was there that she came
[9:00] Speaker 1: face to face with a very cross looking Larry. What's
[9:04] Speaker 1: going on? The Hyaena snapped, why was your table shouting?
[9:11] Speaker 1: My table got the wrong food? Layla explained. I was
[9:15] Speaker 1: just about to sort it out with the kitchen. The
[9:18] Speaker 1: Hyaena rubbed his forehead in frustration. You do that, he said,
[9:24] Speaker 1: I'll get them some free drinks. Which table was it?
[9:29] Speaker 1: The back corner, the one with the big snake, Laila replied.
[9:34] Speaker 1: Larry nodded and went to fetch his finest bottle of Bubbly.
[9:40] Speaker 1: While all this was happening, the borough constrictor was convinced
[9:44] Speaker 1: he could still feel an ant down his shirt, so
[9:48] Speaker 1: excusing himself, he went to the bathroom to check, only
[9:52] Speaker 1: to spot his old friend sat near the fireplace. This
[9:56] Speaker 1: meant that when Larry looked for a table in a
[9:59] Speaker 1: corner with a big snake, he saw one with a
[10:02] Speaker 1: kuwati and a thorny devil. Putting on his best server smile,
[10:08] Speaker 1: Larry hurried over to deliver the bottle. As he got close,
[10:12] Speaker 1: he saw the snake leave for the bathroom. No werries,
[10:17] Speaker 1: Larry thought he could still deliver the bubbly. I terribly
[10:22] Speaker 1: sorry about the mix up, he gushed. Please enjoy this
[10:26] Speaker 1: free bottle of expensive Bubbly, he said, placing the bottle
[10:31] Speaker 1: on the table. Oh that's very kind of you, the
[10:35] Speaker 1: Kuwati said, But it really wasn't that bad a mix up.
[10:40] Speaker 1: That's kind of you to say so, But we do
[10:43] Speaker 1: want our guests to be happy, Larry said sweetly. Now,
[10:49] Speaker 1: enjoy your drinks and I'm sure your meals will be
[10:51] Speaker 1: with you in just a moment. On the other side
[10:56] Speaker 1: of the restaurant, Evan had entered the kitchen in order
[10:59] Speaker 1: to understand and what had gone wrong. You told me
[11:03] Speaker 1: it was the tray on the left, Evan said, my left,
[11:08] Speaker 1: my left, not your left. The crocodile replied, Look, let's
[11:14] Speaker 1: not argue. We just need new meals as soon as possible.
[11:19] Speaker 1: Evan sighed. Larry's giving my table free drinks, added Laylah.
[11:25] Speaker 1: That should help smooth things over your table, Evan said,
[11:30] Speaker 1: looking puzzled. But I just saw him take a bottle
[11:34] Speaker 1: to my table. Why would he do that, Layla asked.
[11:39] Speaker 1: I told him it was the back corner, but that's
[11:43] Speaker 1: where my table is, in the back corner, Evan said,
[11:48] Speaker 1: I took it over from you earlier. You didn't take
[11:52] Speaker 1: it over, Layelah insisted, I've been serving them all night,
[11:57] Speaker 1: to the mammal and the reptile. Yeah, that's who I've
[12:01] Speaker 1: been serving, continued Evan. A kowaate and a thorny devil, no,
[12:08] Speaker 1: shrieked Laylah. A lioness and a boa constrictor. Oh no,
[12:16] Speaker 1: said Laylah quietly, as they dashed for the kitchen door.
[12:21] Speaker 1: No running, we've just mopped. The chef called after them,
[12:25] Speaker 1: but it was too late. Laylah and Evan both slipped,
[12:30] Speaker 1: skidding across the floor. Laylah collided with a large pot
[12:34] Speaker 1: of cold soup, while Evan crashed into the salad station.
[12:39] Speaker 1: That was when Larry walked in. What on earth is
[12:44] Speaker 1: going on, he bellowed. Laylah was wiping cold soup from
[12:50] Speaker 1: her eyes, while Evan was plucking lettuce and tomato from
[12:54] Speaker 1: his ear. I don't know what's going on to day,
[12:58] Speaker 1: but we have two disappointed tables out there, Larry growled.
[13:03] Speaker 1: They've been given the wrong food, been made to wait,
[13:07] Speaker 1: and now it looks like we're ignoring them altogether. It's
[13:10] Speaker 1: so late now they're almost the only two tables left.
[13:15] Speaker 1: I want this sorted out, and I want it sorted
[13:18] Speaker 1: out now, Layla and Evan both nodded meekly. They collected
[13:25] Speaker 1: the correct plates from chef and prepared to face their
[13:28] Speaker 1: grumpy customers. But what they found wasn't what they expected.
[13:34] Speaker 1: There weren't two tables waiting for their food. There was
[13:38] Speaker 1: only one, a table of four made up of a lioness,
[13:43] Speaker 1: a borough constrictor, a kui, and a thorny devil. I
[13:48] Speaker 1: really hope you don't mind, said the lioness warmly. But
[13:53] Speaker 1: we realized our friends were here and this bigger table
[13:56] Speaker 1: was available, so we thought we might all sit together.
[14:00] Speaker 1: That be okay, of course, Laylah said with relief, looking
[14:05] Speaker 1: at the two reptiles and the two mammals, dreadfully sorry
[14:10] Speaker 1: about the weight, but we have your meals right here.
[14:15] Speaker 1: I can't believe you ordered ants. The Boa Constrictor laughed
[14:19] Speaker 1: as he saw the thorny devil's meal. The karate was
[14:24] Speaker 1: busy filling glasses from the bottle of bubbly. Hey, isn't
[14:28] Speaker 1: this great? She said, We've got the whole restaurant to ourselves. Well,
[14:35] Speaker 1: if you need anything else, said Evan, just let myself
[14:39] Speaker 1: or Laylah know right away. We'll both be here to
[14:43] Speaker 1: look after you. The two cappy baras left their guests,
[14:48] Speaker 1: chatting and laughing as they tucked into their meals. At last,
[14:53] Speaker 1: everything seemed to be going according to plan. Thank goodness,
[14:58] Speaker 1: that's all over, said feeling relieved. I agree, Layla replied,
[15:06] Speaker 1: maybe it's time that Larry gave all the tables a number.
[15:09] Speaker 1: I don't want to go getting in a muddle like
[15:12] Speaker 1: that again. Me neither, chuckled Evan. Oi, you two, said
[15:19] Speaker 1: the crocodile from the other side of the kitchen hatch.
[15:22] Speaker 1: You're not out of trouble yet. What is it, asked Layla.
[15:28] Speaker 1: What's wrong? Wondered Evan. There's soup and salad all over
[15:33] Speaker 1: the floor in here, and it needs clearing up, said
[15:37] Speaker 1: shef come on, jump to it. We'd better get on
[15:42] Speaker 1: with it, sighed Layla. Yes, chuckled Evan, we wouldn't want
[15:48] Speaker 1: it to attract any more ants. Animal fact our story
[15:58] Speaker 1: features a mix up between mammals and reptiles. Do you
[16:02] Speaker 1: know the difference between the two kinds of creature? Mammals
[16:07] Speaker 1: produce milk to feed their young, have hair, and for
[16:11] Speaker 1: the most part, give birth to live young. Examples of
[16:15] Speaker 1: mammals are gorillas, giraffes, dolphins, and mice. Reptiles tend to
[16:22] Speaker 1: have scaly skins, need to bask in the sun to
[16:26] Speaker 1: warm their bodies, and mostly they lay eggs. Examples include turtles, snakes, lizards,
[16:34] Speaker 1: and alligators. Can you think of more examples of each?
[16:39] Speaker 1: Thank you for your great suggestions, Layla and Evan. We
[16:43] Speaker 1: hope that you all enjoyed the story. Wherever you're listening
[16:46] Speaker 1: in the world, don't forget to look at our Animal
[16:49] Speaker 1: Tales books over on Amazon Great bedtime reading, especially if
[16:54] Speaker 1: you've discovered the joy of reading for yourself. Make sure
[16:58] Speaker 1: you join us next time for another great animal tale. Goodbye,

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