Deep Sea Find

A ghost shark and a frilled shark find a mysterious object at the bottom of the ocean.
Written especially for this podcast by Alice. 

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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.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:12):
Yea. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast,
where you suggest the animal for us to write a
story about. My name's Josephine, and I've got a brand
new animal story here just for you. There are new
stories every Monday and Wednesday, with a new Premium story
every Friday. Details on how to become a Premium member

(00:35):
are in the text that accompanies this episode. Remember for
a tiny fee, it's advert free. Dorian is from Virginia
in the USA, and he'd like a story featuring a
thrilled shark and a ghost shark. You can learn more
about these creatures in the Animal facts after the story.

(00:56):
Now settle back, relax, and I'll begin deep sea find
It's hard to say it's a lovely day when you
live in the darkest depths of the ocean, but two
friends were making the most of it all the same.
Dorian was a frilled shark, a long, eel like creature

(01:19):
with clumps of spiky teeth. His friend, Moira was a
ghost shark. She was more what you'd expect a shark
to look like, but was much smaller than many of
her shark cousins. It was hard for animals to make
friends in the deep ocean. For one, it was extremely dark,
so not easy to find anyone. What's more, if you

(01:43):
were lucky enough to come across someone else, there was
a high chance they tried to eat you. Fortunately, when
Dorian and Moira had met, they just clicked. Neither wanted
to eat the other, nor were they afraid, so a beautiful,
fun filled friendship was born. The game they were playing

(02:05):
today was chase. They were darting along the gloomy seafloor,
dodging rocks and other obstacles as the chaser attempted to
touch the other with a nose or a fin before
racing away to be chased themselves. Dorian the frilled Shark
was trying to escape from Moira the ghost Shark, when

(02:27):
he almost swam into something in the dark, letting out
a yelp of surprise. It took a second or two
to understand what he was looking at. It was small
and red, unlike anything Dorian had seen before. It had
a curved semicircle base with a triangle sticking up at
the top of it. He picked it up with his teeth,

(02:51):
finding it was hard but not very heavy. Found you,
Moira cried as she raced up. Hey, what's that. I'm
not sure, Dorian said, as he dropped the object again.
It must have fallen from somewhere up above, from the surface,

(03:11):
gulped Moira. Maybe, Dorian said, or somewhere in between. Maybe
we should take it back up. Whoever dropped it might
be missing it. How in all the oceans are we
going to do that? The ghost shark yelped. The ocean
above is enormous, and besides, the owner could be long gone. Perhaps,

(03:37):
but I think we should try, Dorian said. It's so unusual,
whatever it is. Moira shivered as she looked up. The
sea above their heads was a mysterious place, and daylight
was so far away that it never reached them at
this depth. All right, if you say so, she said

(03:59):
at last, But if there's any trouble, we turn around
and come straight back. Okay. Nodding excitedly, Dorian flicked the
object up onto his nose, and the two sharks began
their journey upwards, very very slowly. The water around them
grew lighter, and it wasn't long before they came across

(04:22):
another animal. It was a squid, small and red, swimming
lazily before Moira could stop him. Dorian was swimming towards
the squid, a friendly smile on his face. Excuse me,
he called, the object still perched on his nose. Does

(04:44):
this belong to you? We found it on the seafloor, me,
asked the squid, inching closer so its large eye could
get a better look. I don't think so. I've never
seen anything like that before, oh, said the frilled shark,
with disappointment. He'd been quite hopeful for a moment. Do

(05:07):
you know what it is or who it might belong to?
No idea, the squid said, It's new to me, but
if it sank, some one further up might know what
it was. Thank you, said Dorian. Well, Moira, I guess
we'll need to swim a bit higher. I suppose you're right,

(05:30):
she replied, sounding nervous, But if they have big teeth,
I'm swimming the other way. Adjusting the object on his nose,
Dorian led them both even higher. The water became lighter,
still becoming a dark blue, and it wasn't long before
they came across another animal. It was a silver herring

(05:54):
with shiny scales. Excuse me, called Dorian once again, does
this belong to you. We found it on the seafloor, me,
asked the herring, swimming closer for a better look. I
don't think so, but I have seen something like it before,

(06:15):
you have, said Moira, sounding pleased. Yeah, definitely, said the herring,
much to their delight. It's a boat, er boat, Dorian repeated.
What's a boat. It's something humans use in order to
travel across the surface of the water. The herring explained.

(06:39):
They sit in the curved bit and use the triangle
on the top to help it move. I think it's
called a sail. Moira looked at the little boat perched
on Dorian's nose. But I thought humans were much bigger,
she said. They must be very tiny to fit into this.

(06:59):
The herring laughed. No, that's not a real boat, he said.
Real ones are much much bigger. This one's probably a toy. Oh,
I see, said Dorian. So you think this little boat
came from the surface then, most certainly, said the herring.

(07:23):
I bet it probably belongs to a human. Wow, a
real human, Dorian murmured to himself. Both he and Moira
had heard of humans, but neither of them had ever
seen one before. Then, I guess we need to swim on,
said Dorian. Just be careful, the herring warned, it's still

(07:47):
a long swim to go, and it can be dangerous
up there. Moira gulped nervously. We'll keep that in mind,
Dorian said, trying to sound confident. Thanks for all your help.
The herring swam away, But as Dorian went to swim upwards,

(08:07):
you noticed that Moira hadn't moved. Are you coming, he asked,
I'm not so sure, said the little ghost shark. Look
I wanted to help, but it sounds scary up there.
I'm not sure I can do it, but we might
be close, Dorian insisted, and we've come all this way already.

(08:32):
I know you want to be helpful, she said, but
we don't know these waters or the animals in them.
I'm worried that it's dangerous. I'm sorry, Dorian, but I
can't go any further. I'm sorry, too, said the frilled shark,
because I really want to return this boat to its owner.

(08:55):
Moira nodded. Then you'll have to do it alone, she said, sadly.
Good luck, Dorian. He watched as his friend swam away,
disappearing into the darkness below. Part of him wanted to
follow her, but when he looked at the little toy boat,
he knew he couldn't give up. Taking a deep breath,

(09:19):
Dorian continued upwards. The water was getting warmer now and
it was much easier to see. The frilled shark used
to the darkness below was blinking against the growing light.
He was disappointed that Moira hadn't followed, but this was
something he felt he had to do with or without her.

(09:44):
He was, however, growing tired. It was hard work swimming
for so long, and that, coupled with the brighter light,
was making him sleepy. Watch it, shouted a voice, startling him.
He was suddenly surrounded by a shoal of bluefish. They
swirled around him, confusing him with their numbers and their

(10:08):
rapid swimming, darting this way and that, and it didn't
take Dorian long to realize why they were being hunted.
Dolphins sped through the swarming bluefish, while a kind of
shark that Dorian didn't recognize circled further out. Stranger still

(10:28):
bizarre fish with strange fins dived down from above, grabbing
a meal before surfacing again. No, not a fish, these
must be birds, he'd never seen a swimming bird before,
or any bird for that matter. And above it all,
Dorian could see several long, dark shapes resting on the surface.

(10:52):
And stuck in the middle of it all was Dorian.
Every time he tried to move, he was cut off
by bluefish, dolphins, or sharks. It was all so confusing
that he almost dropped the toy boat, only managing to
snatch it with his teeth at the last moment. Suddenly

(11:13):
the fish parted and Dorian darted for the opening, but
a dolphin much faster than him zoomed through and caught
him with her tail. Stunned, Dorian's vision was filled with stars.
It was only when his head cleared that he realized,
to his horror, that he dropped the toy Oh no,

(11:38):
Dorian said, oh no, no, no. He couldn't see it
amongst the swirling, spinning mass of bluefish bodies. He'd lost it.
He'd failed. Moira had been right. He should have just
stayed below, in the dark where it was safe. He

(11:59):
felt dizzy, upset, and despite all the bluefish spinning around him,
very much alone, drop something, asked a familiar voice. Dorian
couldn't believe his eyes and ears Moira was floating before him,
clear as day, with the toy red boat balanced upon

(12:22):
her nose. He'd never been so happy to see anyone.
You came back, he cried, wrapping her up in a hug.
I couldn't stop thinking about how important this all seemed
to you, Moira replied. And if it's important to you, well,
then it's important to me too. That's what being friends

(12:46):
is all about. Besides, you're too clumsy to be left alone.
You saved the day, he said, Not quite, Moira replied.
We appear to be stuck in a eight ball, surrounded
by predators, and we still don't know who the boat
belongs to. Then we'd better get out of here, Dorrian

(13:09):
said firmly. Hey, we are both sharks, you know, Moira said,
with a grin, Dorry and smiled back, baring his teeth.
This could work. They swam upwards at the wall of bluefish,
doing their best to seem scary. Sure enough, the bluefish

(13:31):
got out of the way, creating a tunnel up to
the surface. What are those dark objects, Moira asked, of
the shapes above them. I think I think those might
be boats, Dorian realized, real ones bursting from the water.

(13:52):
The two adventurers felt cold air on their faces for
the very first time. Moira looked about her to see
dozens of boats, white ones, blue ones, big ones, small
ones all around them. Dorian looked across at the little
red boat on Moira's nose. How could they ever find

(14:13):
the owner of the toy amongst so many boats? There,
he gasped in surprise, a red boat just like the toy.
Sure enough, amongst the bobbing fleet was a smaller red
boat with a white sail. It looked exactly like the toy.

(14:35):
The two sharks dodged through the boats, avoiding fishing lines
and diving birds, to arrive beside the red painted hull.
A small human sat on the edge, his legs dangling
over the water. He was looking quite miserable. Do you
think it's his, Moira asked. Dorian was sure of it.

(15:00):
He took the toy from Moira's nose, balancing it on
the end of his long, snaking tail. Then, with a
careful flick, he sent the tiny boat arking upwards. His
aim was perfect, and the toy landed upon the deck
with a gentle thunk. The boy looked down at it

(15:21):
with astonishment. Grabbing the toy, he let out a cry
of joy, disappearing into the heart of the boat. You
are right, said Moira proudly. You did a good thing.
We did a good thing, Dorian replied, bumping her gently.

(15:43):
Now are you ready for the long swim back down?
Moira looked around at the busy, bustling, confusing surface. You
know we could stay up here just for a little
while longer, she suggested. There's so much more to see
than I ever thought there would be, and it's not

(16:04):
quite as scary as I thought it would be either.
Amongst the boats and the diving birds, and the leaping
dolphins and the swirling bluefish, the two deep sea sharks watched,
fascinated by it all. This mysterious surface world was unlike
anything they'd ever seen before. Animal fact frilled sharks, also

(16:34):
known as lizard sharks a long, slender sharks with almost
eel like bodies. They can grow to around two meters
long that's six feet, and get their frilly name due
to the shape of their gills. Its teeth are long
curved needles, and its mouth can contain around three hundred

(16:55):
of them. Ghost sharks aren't actually sharks at all. But
they are a distant cousin. Their proper name is the chimera,
but are also known as rabbit fish, ratfish, and spookfish.
Thank you for your suggestions, Dourian. We hope that you
all enjoyed the story. Wherever you're listening in the world,

(17:19):
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