# Facing Fears

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 18 Mar 2026, 16 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/70636758/at479_facingfears_mixdown.mp3

A thunderstorm is a very scary thing when you're the size of a mouse. 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: Yea. 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. For a tiny fee.
[0:29] Speaker 1: You can listen to all Animal Tales stories advert free
[0:33] Speaker 1: via our premium service, where you'll also get over eighty
[0:37] Speaker 1: premium only stories. Find out more in the text that
[0:41] Speaker 1: accompanies this episode. Summer and Evie are from Melbourne in Australia,
[0:48] Speaker 1: and they would like a story featuring a mouse, a frog,
[0:51] Speaker 1: and a cat. You can learn more about these creatures
[0:54] Speaker 1: in the Animal Facts after the story. Now settle back, relax,
[1:00] Speaker 1: and I'll begin facing fears. Summer had barely slept. The
[1:08] Speaker 1: little mouse had awoken some time after midnight to the
[1:11] Speaker 1: sound of thunder. She squeaked in fright, pulling her blanket
[1:16] Speaker 1: up under her chin as lightning flashed outside her tree
[1:19] Speaker 1: stump home. The hammering rain appeared to echo all around her,
[1:25] Speaker 1: with further booms of thunder making her shudder where she lay.
[1:30] Speaker 1: Summer didn't like loud noises one bit. She hated the
[1:34] Speaker 1: sound of heavy rain and thunderstorms. Disliked shrieking crows, and
[1:40] Speaker 1: wasn't even keen on bellowing cattle. Her sensitive ears just
[1:44] Speaker 1: didn't like it, so she pulled her blanket up over
[1:49] Speaker 1: her head and squeezed her eyes tight shut. Even then,
[1:54] Speaker 1: it was hard to fall back to sleep. Summer managed
[1:58] Speaker 1: it eventually, but only by burying her head under two
[2:01] Speaker 1: blankets and a pillow to soften the noise. When Summer
[2:06] Speaker 1: finally awoke the following morning, the storm had cleared. She
[2:11] Speaker 1: slowly poked her nose out of her front door and
[2:14] Speaker 1: smelt that lovely fresh smell that follows the rain. Heavy
[2:19] Speaker 1: water drops dripped gently from overhanging leaves, splashing on the
[2:24] Speaker 1: ground beside her. Loose sticks and fallen leaves were washed
[2:29] Speaker 1: up against nearby roots and the soil. When she trod
[2:32] Speaker 1: upon it was spongy beneath her feet. It was time
[2:37] Speaker 1: to go in search of something to eat. She wasn't
[2:41] Speaker 1: off to a good start. She was jumpy from the
[2:44] Speaker 1: lack of sleep, flinching at every twig, snap, flap of
[2:48] Speaker 1: a bird's wings, or rustle of wind blown leaves, And
[2:53] Speaker 1: then came a deep, booming croak. The little mouse felt
[2:58] Speaker 1: her fur stand on end. She'd never heard a noise
[3:02] Speaker 1: like that before. What sort of dreadful creature would make
[3:07] Speaker 1: a sound like that? Her mind was filled with thoughts
[3:11] Speaker 1: of something big and scary that probably ate scared little
[3:16] Speaker 1: mice for its breakfast. The throaty, croaking noise happened again,
[3:22] Speaker 1: sounding even closer this time. Fearing she was about to
[3:26] Speaker 1: be gobbled up some are ducked beneath a fallen log
[3:30] Speaker 1: and made herself as small as possible. Is everything all right? There?
[3:36] Speaker 1: Asked a voice. Summer managed to open one eye to
[3:41] Speaker 1: see a small frog looking into her hiding place. Don't
[3:45] Speaker 1: just stand there, Summer whispered, You need to hide. Something
[3:50] Speaker 1: big and scary is coming this way. The frog yelped,
[3:56] Speaker 1: looking about her for signs of danger. As she hopped
[3:59] Speaker 1: in beside Summer, they found themselves sitting face to face.
[4:05] Speaker 1: Did you see it, the frog asked quietly. No, Summer replied,
[4:12] Speaker 1: but I heard it. It was a terrible sound, all
[4:16] Speaker 1: deep and loud and raspy. How horrible, quivered the frog.
[4:23] Speaker 1: It was, insisted Summer, It went like this rabbit. The
[4:31] Speaker 1: frog blinked three times, then began to laugh. I'm terribly sorry,
[4:37] Speaker 1: she said, But the terrible creature you're hiding from, is me, you, said,
[4:45] Speaker 1: Summer astonished. No, no, that can't be right, but it is,
[4:52] Speaker 1: smiled the frog. Did it sound like this ribit? Summer yes,
[5:00] Speaker 1: helped covering her ears. The noise was even louder in
[5:04] Speaker 1: the small space of the log. Yes, that's exactly it,
[5:08] Speaker 1: she said, feeling a little silly. It scared me. I
[5:14] Speaker 1: really am dreadfully sorry, said the frog, as they both
[5:18] Speaker 1: wriggled from beneath the log. My name's Evie, I'm Summer,
[5:23] Speaker 1: answered the mouse, as she looked the frog up and down.
[5:27] Speaker 1: You don't seem that scary. Are all frogs as loud
[5:31] Speaker 1: as you, hm, thought Evie. I suppose we are, But
[5:37] Speaker 1: we really are perfectly harmless unless you are a fly,
[5:42] Speaker 1: Summer giggled. How could she have been scared of a
[5:45] Speaker 1: noise that came from a frog? I was looking for
[5:49] Speaker 1: something to eat, Summer said, Would you like to join me?
[5:54] Speaker 1: That would be lovely, grinned Evie, and so the two
[5:58] Speaker 1: animals walked on. Summer liked having company. It was much
[6:03] Speaker 1: nicer than being alone. The mouse and the frog chatted
[6:08] Speaker 1: away and soon discovered that they had a lot in common.
[6:12] Speaker 1: Summer was quite sure that the pair of them were
[6:15] Speaker 1: going to be friends forever. As they passed a thicket
[6:19] Speaker 1: of berry bushes, they heard a rustling sound coming from within.
[6:24] Speaker 1: But it wasn't the mouse that fretted with fear this time.
[6:28] Speaker 1: It was the frog, Grabbing Summer's hand tightly. Did you
[6:33] Speaker 1: hear that, Evie whined, her eyes searching the shadows. It
[6:39] Speaker 1: was probably a bird or a roll, Summer said, surprising
[6:43] Speaker 1: herself by how confident she sounded. But this confidence evaporated
[6:49] Speaker 1: as a screeching yowl erupted from the thicket. The two
[6:54] Speaker 1: friends grabbed a hold of each other tightly. Oh no, oh, no,
[6:59] Speaker 1: Evie wailed, squeezing her eyes shut tight. We should have
[7:04] Speaker 1: done less talking and paid more attention to what was
[7:07] Speaker 1: around us. Are you scared of loud noises too, Summer asked.
[7:15] Speaker 1: I don't like strange noises, replied Evie. Or dark corners
[7:21] Speaker 1: or big shadows. I'm always afraid there's something hiding under
[7:25] Speaker 1: my bed. The pair of them were so scared they
[7:29] Speaker 1: couldn't even run away. Well, there's something under the bushes,
[7:35] Speaker 1: said Summer. Could it be a monster? Maybe we can
[7:40] Speaker 1: sneak away, quietly, suggested Evie. Another shriek rattled through the
[7:46] Speaker 1: bushes as the thicket began to shake, making Evie and
[7:50] Speaker 1: Summer clutch one another even tighter. It's coming out, yelped
[7:55] Speaker 1: Evie as something emerged from the shadows. But it wasn't
[8:00] Speaker 1: a monster. It's just a cat, Summer said. It was
[8:06] Speaker 1: covered in leaves and bits of twig. I've been stuck
[8:10] Speaker 1: in that bush for an hour, complained the cat. Didn't
[8:15] Speaker 1: you hear me shouting? We did, Evie nodded, But we
[8:20] Speaker 1: thought you were a monster. I'm not a monster, said
[8:25] Speaker 1: the offended cat. But I was stuck and very worried
[8:30] Speaker 1: that I would never get out. We're very sorry, Summer said.
[8:36] Speaker 1: All we heard were strange noises and rustling branches. Well,
[8:42] Speaker 1: I guess that's fair enough, sighed the cat. Oh, look
[8:47] Speaker 1: at the state of my fur here, said Summer, let
[8:52] Speaker 1: us help you. Summer and Evie got to work picking
[8:56] Speaker 1: all the leaves and twigs out of the cat's fur.
[9:00] Speaker 1: The cat seemed to rather like the attention, and as
[9:03] Speaker 1: they chatted, the mouse and the frog discovered she was
[9:07] Speaker 1: called Grace, and Grace was lost. I was looking for
[9:12] Speaker 1: somewhere to sleep, Grace explained. The thicket it turned out
[9:17] Speaker 1: was not a good choice. Why don't you stay with me,
[9:22] Speaker 1: Evie offered, I've got plenty of room. What like a
[9:27] Speaker 1: sleep over, asked the surprised cat. You could both come
[9:32] Speaker 1: if you like, said Evie, extending the invitation to the mouse.
[9:38] Speaker 1: Yes please, Summer agreed. That's very kind of you, added
[9:44] Speaker 1: Grace the cat. Before they left, Somemmer pointed to the
[9:48] Speaker 1: blackberries upon the bush. These will do nicely, she said,
[9:53] Speaker 1: and began to gather a few together. They were able
[9:57] Speaker 1: to get plenty. Summer had all but forgotten the terrible
[10:02] Speaker 1: noise of the night before as the three animals headed
[10:05] Speaker 1: towards Evie's home. It was a long walk, but nobody
[10:10] Speaker 1: seemed to mind. They filled the time with conversation and
[10:13] Speaker 1: eating blackberries, but with legs so small, the sun was
[10:18] Speaker 1: soon beginning to set behind the trees, and this brought
[10:22] Speaker 1: about a change in the cat. Can we go faster,
[10:27] Speaker 1: Grace asked, It's going to be a cloudy night. There
[10:31] Speaker 1: will be no stars or moon. Don't worry, We're nearly there,
[10:36] Speaker 1: Evie reassured her. Evie's house was beside a pond, and
[10:41] Speaker 1: they arrived there just as the thick clouds blotted out
[10:44] Speaker 1: the last glow of the sun, which meant that the
[10:48] Speaker 1: forest around them had grown dark. Somewhere near by, A
[10:52] Speaker 1: twig snapped and the cat bolted through Evie's door the
[10:56] Speaker 1: second it was opened. Let me help, said Evie as
[11:02] Speaker 1: she turned on a lamp, revealing a cozy little room
[11:05] Speaker 1: with just enough room for the three of them. Thank you,
[11:10] Speaker 1: Grace replied as she began to relax. I just don't
[11:14] Speaker 1: much like the dark. Is that why you wanted to
[11:18] Speaker 1: get here so fast? Summer asked? Are you going to
[11:23] Speaker 1: laugh at me? The cat asked sadly. I'm sure it
[11:28] Speaker 1: must sound funny to have met a cat who is
[11:30] Speaker 1: afraid of the dark. It's not funny at all, Summer
[11:35] Speaker 1: said kindly. I'm afraid of loud noises, and Evie scared
[11:41] Speaker 1: of monsters hiding in the shadows. So we really do understand.
[11:47] Speaker 1: That's very nice of you, said Grace with a look
[11:50] Speaker 1: of relief. I really do appreciate it. And nobody has
[11:56] Speaker 1: to weary now, Evie said. We're all together safe in
[12:00] Speaker 1: my home. We have lights, food, and snuggly blankets. There
[12:06] Speaker 1: is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Boom went a
[12:11] Speaker 1: loud clap of thunder, followed by the lamp going out.
[12:15] Speaker 1: Then a flash of lightning lit up the room, casting
[12:19] Speaker 1: a twisted shadow upon the wall. Some Are squeaked, Evie gasped,
[12:25] Speaker 1: and Grace wailed as all three animals hid beneath a
[12:29] Speaker 1: blanket on the sofa. I can't see a thing, Grace said,
[12:36] Speaker 1: what are we going to do? Evie wind as another
[12:40] Speaker 1: clap of thunder boomed. Some Are, though wasn't quite as
[12:45] Speaker 1: worried as she would normally be. Being with friends was
[12:48] Speaker 1: making her feel braver than normal. You know, we could
[12:53] Speaker 1: just stay here, she suggested. It's cozy and warm and
[12:58] Speaker 1: we're together. Just wait for the storm to pass. I've
[13:03] Speaker 1: got snacks we could have, suggested Evie, and I know
[13:08] Speaker 1: some games we could play, Grace offered, and so that's
[13:13] Speaker 1: what they did. Using Evie's blankets, they built a snug
[13:18] Speaker 1: blanket fort, filled with things to do and plenty to eat.
[13:23] Speaker 1: They even had a battery powered lantern. And these are
[13:27] Speaker 1: for you, said Evie, pulling an object into their den.
[13:32] Speaker 1: She handed the mouse a pair of headphones, perfect, said Summer.
[13:38] Speaker 1: Taking them from the frog, she popped them on and
[13:41] Speaker 1: the noise of the thunder wasn't so bad at all.
[13:46] Speaker 1: As the new storm blew and raged outside, inside was
[13:50] Speaker 1: filled with laughter and fun filled chatter. Beneath the blanket
[13:56] Speaker 1: fort the three new friends played games, They had snacks,
[14:01] Speaker 1: and got to know one another. There may have been
[14:04] Speaker 1: a thunderstorm, but the mouse, the frog, and the cat
[14:08] Speaker 1: barely noticed. In fact, Summer soon took off the headphones
[14:14] Speaker 1: to better hear Evie and Grace. Now that they had
[14:17] Speaker 1: each other, a bit of thunder and lightning didn't seem
[14:21] Speaker 1: so bad, because things are always better if you can
[14:26] Speaker 1: face them with friends. Animal fact. In the wild, mice
[14:35] Speaker 1: lived very short lives, just a few months. As pets,
[14:40] Speaker 1: they can live longer up to two years, benefiting from
[14:44] Speaker 1: the protection, food, and warmth an owner can give them.
[14:49] Speaker 1: Frogs can live for around ten years in the wild,
[14:52] Speaker 1: depending on the species. In zoos or in the rare
[14:55] Speaker 1: cases they're kept as pets, they can live up to
[14:59] Speaker 1: twice that. House Cats typically live for between thirteen and
[15:04] Speaker 1: twenty years, but a house cat from Texas, USA holds
[15:09] Speaker 1: the record for the oldest of them all. Called cream Puff,
[15:14] Speaker 1: this cat made it to be thirty eight years of age.
[15:18] Speaker 1: Thank you for your suggestions, Summer and Evie. We hope
[15:22] Speaker 1: that you all enjoyed the story. Wherever you're listening in
[15:25] Speaker 1: the world, don't forget to look at our Animal Tales
[15:28] Speaker 1: books over on Amazon Great bedtime reading, especially if you've
[15:33] Speaker 1: discovered the joy of reading for yourself. Make sure you
[15:37] Speaker 1: join us next time for another great animal tale. Good Bye,

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