# Clay Creations

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 29 Sep 2026, 18 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/75331636/at536_claycreations_mixdown.mp3

Making dragons out of clay proves to be a lot harder than it looks. 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

[0:15] Speaker 1: Hello everyone and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast where
[0:19] Speaker 1: you suggest the animal for us to write a story about.
[0:22] Speaker 1: My name's Josephine and I've got a brand new animal
[0:25] Speaker 1: story here just for you. Jessie and Sadie are premium
[0:31] Speaker 1: members from California, USA and they would like a story
[0:35] Speaker 1: with two specific dragons. You can learn more about these
[0:39] Speaker 1: creatures in the animal facts after the story. Now, settle back,
[0:44] Speaker 1: relax and I'll begin. Play Creations Alright everyone, it's time
[0:52] Speaker 1: for art. Instantly, the children of Mrs Jones' class were
[0:58] Speaker 1: buzzing with excitement. Art was always popular. They got to
[1:03] Speaker 1: paint and draw and be messy while getting creative. It
[1:07] Speaker 1: was a lot of fun. I hope it's painting today.
[1:12] Speaker 1: whispered Jessie. I want to mix some new colours. I
[1:17] Speaker 1: hope we're making collages again, Sadie whispered back. I love
[1:21] Speaker 1: all the cutting out and sticking. But, to their surprise,
[1:27] Speaker 1: Mrs Jones had something else in mind. Today, she said,
[1:32] Speaker 1: we're going to be making dragons out of clay. The
[1:36] Speaker 1: class cheered as she uncovered a large tray of clay lumps.
[1:42] Speaker 1: Come and collect a piece of clay while I pass
[1:44] Speaker 1: out pots of water and some tools. A whole class
[1:49] Speaker 1: of excited students trying to collect clay at the same
[1:53] Speaker 1: time was certainly a sight to see. Unfortunately, Jessie and
[1:59] Speaker 1: Sadie sat at the back of the class so had
[2:02] Speaker 1: to wait until last to pick up their clay. By
[2:06] Speaker 1: the time they reached the tray, all of the clay
[2:09] Speaker 1: was gone. Um, Mrs Jones, said Jessie, there's no more clay.
[2:17] Speaker 1: Oh dear, was there not enough, his teacher replied. Check
[2:22] Speaker 1: the art cupboard, I think there's some more right at
[2:25] Speaker 1: the back. Jessie and Sadie did as instructed, going to
[2:31] Speaker 1: the art cupboard just outside their classroom. It was a
[2:35] Speaker 1: large walk-in space, lined with shelves for all the school's
[2:40] Speaker 1: art supplies. Jessie poked through some bags on the floor,
[2:45] Speaker 1: while Sadie stood on her tiptoes, searching the shelves just
[2:49] Speaker 1: above her head. I think I've found it, Sadie said,
[2:54] Speaker 1: reaching into a back corner. With Jessie's help, they managed
[2:59] Speaker 1: to lift down a box. There was so much tape
[3:03] Speaker 1: holding the box together that they could barely see the cardboard,
[3:07] Speaker 1: but what they could see had clay written in bold lettering.
[3:12] Speaker 1: This must be it, smiled Jessie. It was heavy, but
[3:17] Speaker 1: they got it back to their table where Jessie used
[3:20] Speaker 1: scissors to cut through the tape. Inside was a plastic
[3:24] Speaker 1: bag and inside that was a warm clay coloured a
[3:28] Speaker 1: brownish orange. It smelled a little like rain and dirt,
[3:33] Speaker 1: but hadn't dried out at all in its packaging. Oddly,
[3:38] Speaker 1: The newer clay that the other children were using was
[3:41] Speaker 1: a dull grey. What sort of dragon are you making?
[3:46] Speaker 1: Jessie asked as he split the lump of clay in half.
[3:51] Speaker 1: I'm not sure, Sadie said. Her classmates were already hard
[3:56] Speaker 1: at work making four-legged, two-winged dragons with long necks and tails.
[4:03] Speaker 1: Sadie wanted to try something a little different. Mrs Jones,
[4:09] Speaker 1: Sadie asked, putting her hand in the air, what counts
[4:13] Speaker 1: as a dragon? The teacher considered this for a moment. Well,
[4:20] Speaker 1: not all dragons have wings and not all dragons have legs,
[4:25] Speaker 1: so I suppose as long as it's reptilian and scaly,
[4:30] Speaker 1: you can be as creative as you like, Mrs Jones replied.
[4:35] Speaker 1: Then I know what I'm making. Jessie grinned. Oh, what?
[4:40] Speaker 1: Sadie asked. Remember that book about Greek myths and monsters
[4:45] Speaker 1: in the library? Jessie said. Yes, Sadie laughed as she
[4:52] Speaker 1: recalled the fearsome beasts within the pages. In that case,
[4:57] Speaker 1: I know what I'm doing as well. They got to
[5:01] Speaker 1: work using tools and their fingers to shape the clay.
[5:06] Speaker 1: When lunchtime rolled around, everyone in the class had a
[5:10] Speaker 1: finished dragon each. Mrs Jones had been walking around the room,
[5:16] Speaker 1: admiring the different dragons of the class. She stopped at
[5:21] Speaker 1: Jessie and Sadie's table, noting that they still had plenty
[5:25] Speaker 1: of the orange-brown clay left. What was more interesting, though,
[5:30] Speaker 1: were Jessie and Sadie's creations.' Mine' s sort of a dragon,'
[5:36] Speaker 1: said Jessie. He's a Greek giant called Typhon, and he
[5:40] Speaker 1: can breathe fire and has wings, and best of all,
[5:44] Speaker 1: he's got two large snake tails for legs. Wow, said
[5:50] Speaker 1: Mrs Jones, genuinely impressed. And what about yours, Sadie? Mine's
[5:57] Speaker 1: also from the Greek myths, Sadie said with a smile.
[6:02] Speaker 1: It's a dragon-like serpent that with a head at each
[6:05] Speaker 1: end of its long snake body. I think it was
[6:09] Speaker 1: called Amphisbina. Well, I wasn't expecting to see anything quite
[6:15] Speaker 1: like those, but I love your creativity, their teacher said,
[6:20] Speaker 1: before turning to the class. Good job, everyone. We'll leave
[6:24] Speaker 1: them all to dry now, then paint them tomorrow. The
[6:29] Speaker 1: children filed out for lunch, chatting about what they'd made.
[6:34] Speaker 1: Once they're painted, do you think our models will be
[6:37] Speaker 1: as scary as the drawings in the book? Sadie asked.
[6:42] Speaker 1: I hope so, laughed Jessie. That's why we chose them.
[6:48] Speaker 1: When all the children returned after lunch, Mrs Jones had
[6:52] Speaker 1: moved all of their models to a shelf beneath the window,
[6:55] Speaker 1: out of the way. Mrs Jones, Jessie asked, where's mine
[7:01] Speaker 1: and Sadie's dragons? Right there on the end, Mrs Jones said,
[7:08] Speaker 1: but trailed off when she realised she was pointing at
[7:10] Speaker 1: an empty space. That's odd. I was sure I put
[7:15] Speaker 1: them there. Sadie, Jessie and Mrs Jones looked high and low,
[7:22] Speaker 1: but the two models were nowhere to be found. I'm
[7:26] Speaker 1: so sorry, children, said Mrs Jones, looking puzzled. Look, We're
[7:32] Speaker 1: supposed to be heading to the gym now. Why don't
[7:35] Speaker 1: you two stay here and make them again? There seemed
[7:39] Speaker 1: to be plenty of clay left over. And so, while
[7:44] Speaker 1: the rest of the class headed out, Jessie and Sadie
[7:48] Speaker 1: settled down with another clump of clay. I was so
[7:53] Speaker 1: pleased with my first one, Sadie said. I'm worried that
[7:57] Speaker 1: if I try again it won't be as good. Me too.
[8:02] Speaker 1: Jesse sighed, gazing back to the empty space beneath the window. Curiously,
[8:09] Speaker 1: he could see a wet trail leading to the floor.
[8:14] Speaker 1: What is it? asked Sadie, following Jesse as he got
[8:18] Speaker 1: up to take a closer look. There's a trail, he said,
[8:23] Speaker 1: as if our models were moving by themselves. The trail
[8:29] Speaker 1: went out into the hallway. stopping at a door they'd
[8:33] Speaker 1: never been through before. That's the teacher's bathroom, said Sadie.
[8:38] Speaker 1: We can't go in there. But if they didn't, they
[8:43] Speaker 1: wouldn't find out what had happened to their dragons. Together,
[8:47] Speaker 1: they pushed open the door. Inside was a mess. Streams
[8:53] Speaker 1: of toilet paper covered the floors and stalls, and water
[8:57] Speaker 1: was blasting into the sinks. Sat on the sink's edge
[9:02] Speaker 1: were the two clay models, Typhon and Amphisbina, and both
[9:08] Speaker 1: of them were moving by themselves. What are they doing?
[9:13] Speaker 1: Sadie hissed. It looks like they're having a shower, Jessie replied.
[9:21] Speaker 1: The two models were certainly taking the opportunity to get wet. Finally!
[9:28] Speaker 1: Typhon cried as he noticed them. Subjects to worship me,
[9:34] Speaker 1: although I do not remember humans being so big. We're not,
[9:40] Speaker 1: Jesse answered. You're just small. I am Typhon, ruler of
[9:47] Speaker 1: the cosmos, Typhon cried. I am not small. I am power.
[9:54] Speaker 1: I am strength. I am Made of clay? Sadie pointed out.
[10:02] Speaker 1: Typhon looked at himself in the mirror above the sink.
[10:06] Speaker 1: He touched his orange-brown cheek. I am made of clay,
[10:12] Speaker 1: he repeated. That would explain a lot, said one of
[10:17] Speaker 1: Amphispina's two heads. That explains why we felt the need
[10:22] Speaker 1: to stay wet, said the other head. It doesn't matter,
[10:28] Speaker 1: Typhon snapped. I am still capable of creating chaos, just
[10:33] Speaker 1: as I have in this room. Now, how far am
[10:37] Speaker 1: I from Mount Olympus? Er, that's in Europe, said Sadie.
[10:44] Speaker 1: We're in California, in the USA. It's a very long way.
[10:50] Speaker 1: Typhon scowled. Then I shall create chaos in Cal-li-for-ni-ay, he
[10:57] Speaker 1: said triumphantly as the two clay creatures jumped to the floor.
[11:03] Speaker 1: Where are you going? Jesse cried, but their models weren't
[11:07] Speaker 1: hanging around. Amphisbina slipped past Sadie's ankles while Typhon dodged
[11:15] Speaker 1: past Jesse on his snake-like legs. They were through the
[11:19] Speaker 1: door and into the hallway before the two children understood
[11:23] Speaker 1: what was happening. What do we do? Sadie asked as
[11:28] Speaker 1: she hurried to stop the flow of water. Are they serious?
[11:32] Speaker 1: Are two little clay models really going to try to
[11:35] Speaker 1: take over California? I'm not sure, said Jesse thoughtfully, but
[11:42] Speaker 1: he sure seems determined. The typhoon in the Greek myths
[11:47] Speaker 1: was dangerous. We can't let them create chaos, said Sadie.
[11:53] Speaker 1: We're going to have to stop them. They peered down
[11:57] Speaker 1: the hallway, noticing the wet trail went back into their classroom.
[12:02] Speaker 1: Arriving in the doorway, they were shocked to see Typhon
[12:06] Speaker 1: and Amphispina attempting to climb onto the table where the
[12:10] Speaker 1: rest of the orange-brown clay was sat. They're trying to
[12:14] Speaker 1: get bigger, Jessie cried. They're bad enough at this size,
[12:20] Speaker 1: gulped Sadie as they dashed forward. Jessie was able to
[12:25] Speaker 1: give the table a jolt, causing their creations to falter,
[12:29] Speaker 1: while Sadie scooped the leftover clay into its box. Give
[12:35] Speaker 1: me that, Typhon demanded. No, Sadie cried, holding the box
[12:41] Speaker 1: above her head. I'm not helping some ancient dragon monsters
[12:46] Speaker 1: cause havoc. It was only then that Jesse realised he'd
[12:51] Speaker 1: lost track of Amphispina. Sadie, look out, he shouted, but
[12:57] Speaker 1: it was too late. Amphispina leapt onto Sadie's arm, wrapping
[13:02] Speaker 1: the coils of her body around it and squeezing tight.
[13:07] Speaker 1: Give it to us, demanded the first head. It belongs
[13:12] Speaker 1: to us, hissed the second. Sadie was unable to hold
[13:17] Speaker 1: up the heavy box any longer. It thumped onto the table,
[13:22] Speaker 1: spilling the clay a typhoon's snaky feet. He laughed as
[13:27] Speaker 1: he began tearing off huge clumps of clay, pressing them
[13:31] Speaker 1: into his stomach. As he did so, he grew, becoming
[13:36] Speaker 1: larger with each addition.' Now what do we do?' Jessie asked.
[13:42] Speaker 1: as the two-headed Amphisbina joined Typhon at the clay. Sadie
[13:48] Speaker 1: didn't know what to say. The clay creatures were growing rapidly,
[13:53] Speaker 1: somehow growing bigger than the amount of clay added. They
[13:58] Speaker 1: were half the size of Jessie and Sadie already. What
[14:02] Speaker 1: would they be like if they reached the size of
[14:04] Speaker 1: an adult? Or a horse? Or an elephant? They'd be unstoppable.
[14:11] Speaker 1: Sadie gasped. Jessie, they're made of clay, she cried. I know,
[14:20] Speaker 1: that's kind of the problem, he replied. No, no, listen,
[14:25] Speaker 1: we had to keep wetting the clay in order to
[14:27] Speaker 1: shape it, Sadie said. Jessie nodded. So that it wouldn't
[14:34] Speaker 1: crack or dry out, he said, catching on to what
[14:38] Speaker 1: she was saying. That's what we need to do. We
[14:42] Speaker 1: need to dry them out. Sadie raced for the windows,
[14:47] Speaker 1: yanking open the blinds so that the warm early afternoon
[14:51] Speaker 1: sunlight flooded in. Jessie turned on the classroom fan, turning
[14:57] Speaker 1: it directly at the clay monsters. Typhon realised something was
[15:02] Speaker 1: wrong first as he began to seize up. What are
[15:06] Speaker 1: you doing? he roared. Hanging you out to dry, replied
[15:12] Speaker 1: Jessie with a smile. Amphisbina was struggling. Her clay was hardening,
[15:19] Speaker 1: cracks forming when she tried to bend. I can't move,
[15:25] Speaker 1: she muttered as the two heads gave a final twist
[15:29] Speaker 1: before drying out completely. Typhon, powered by his rage, lurched
[15:36] Speaker 1: towards the children, roaring with anger. his hands outstretched, but
[15:41] Speaker 1: he never reached them. His clay body dried out, leaving
[15:46] Speaker 1: him motionless in the sunlight. Wow, said Sadie quietly as
[15:53] Speaker 1: they stared up at the dramatic poses of the two
[15:56] Speaker 1: models on the desk. That was close. But before they
[16:02] Speaker 1: could say or do anything else, in flooded their classmates
[16:07] Speaker 1: returning from the gym. and everyone was stunned by what
[16:11] Speaker 1: they saw. They're so big, said Mrs Jones in surprise,
[16:18] Speaker 1: and so detailed. They're awesome, called out one of the children.
[16:25] Speaker 1: They look so real, said another. I wish my dragon
[16:30] Speaker 1: looked as good as that. Unsure of how to respond,
[16:35] Speaker 1: Jessie said, We used up all the clay. I'm sure
[16:41] Speaker 1: you did, replied Mrs Jones. You'll certainly need plenty of
[16:46] Speaker 1: paint tomorrow. The models were too big to move, so
[16:51] Speaker 1: were left to bake in the sun for the rest
[16:54] Speaker 1: of the afternoon. And Typhon and Amphispina never troubled anyone again.
[17:07] Speaker 1: What actually makes a dragon a dragon? Because they're not
[17:12] Speaker 1: real animals, but creatures from stories, we can make a
[17:16] Speaker 1: case for all sorts of strange beasts being dragons. Typhon,
[17:21] Speaker 1: for example, had many dragon heads, but the rest of
[17:25] Speaker 1: him was nothing like what we would traditionally think of
[17:28] Speaker 1: as a dragon. Amphisbina resembled a giant snake with a
[17:33] Speaker 1: head at each end. although sometimes is shown with horns
[17:37] Speaker 1: and even chicken feet. The Greek myths are full of
[17:41] Speaker 1: amazing monsters and creatures. You might even know of some
[17:46] Speaker 1: of them. Thank you for your excellent suggestions, Jesse and Sadie.
[17:51] Speaker 1: We hope that you all enjoyed the story, wherever you're
[17:54] Speaker 1: listening in the world. Make sure you join us next
[17:57] Speaker 1: time for another great animal tale. Goodbye.

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