NEW PREMIUM TRAILER: A Half-baked Mystery

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1:00Hello, and welcome to a special taster of our new premium only story. We hope you like it. Hello, I'm Josephine, and this is the Animal Tales podcast. Home to over 450 stories written just for you. Our Friday story is especially for our premium subscribers only. Mikey is a premium member from the UK, and he would like a story with a hamster and a cat. Don't forget to listen to the animal facts after the story to learn more about these creatures. For now, it's time to sit back and get comfy, because it's time to begin. A half-baked mystery. Mary Mayfield loved three things,

2:02baking, sunny afternoons, and her pets, and life was never better than when she had all three. Standing in her kitchen, elbow deep in muffin batter, windows flung open to let in the sunshine, was the happiest Mary could be. And from the dining table, her two pets watched, knowing that a little treat would soon be coming their way. Iris was a tortoise shell cat. She liked to lay in sunny spots, and breathe in the delicious smells coming from the oven. Mikey was a hamster. He would sit in his hamster ball, face pressed up against the plastic, taking in every action Mary made. He loved seeing her chop and measure and poor and mix. It was almost like magic. Mary had been baking for almost 60 years. She baked for her family, friends, and neighbours.

3:04She made birthday cakes and Christmas cookies, and welcomed to the neighbourhood tarts. She even competed in the village's annual pie making contest, almost always taking home the gold medal. And every time she thought of a new recipe, it went in her big book of baking, a recipe book that she'd been adding to ever since she made her first cake, when she was only 15 years old. The big book of baking was Mary Mayfield's prize possession. She was so forgetful that she'd be lost without it. She wouldn't even let Iris or Mikey touch it, for fear they might accidentally damage one of the pages. It contained every single one of her baking recipes, including her award-winning pies. And then, one sunny day, it went missing. It had been in the kitchen the night before, Mary was sure of it.

4:04She kept the book on a specific shelf, and even said good night to it every night before bed. But this morning, when she went to make her cup of breakfast tea, it had vanished. Mary searched high and low, pulling cushions from the sofa, emptying drawers, rooting through bins, but the recipe book was nowhere to be found. Iris and Mikey saw how upset Mary was, which made them upset too. They didn't like seeing her so sad. We've got to do something about it, Mikey, said Iris, helping the little hamster into his ball. We've got to find that recipe book. But Iris, Mary, has already searched the house, and it's not here, pointed out the hamster. Then someone must have broken in and taken it, decided the cat. Remember, it was all of Mary's recipes,

5:06including her award-winning ones. But who would be terrible enough to take it? Wondered Mikey as he set his ball rolling. The animals started their search in the back garden. The back door was unlocked all night, I was said, which knowing Mary isn't a surprise. She sure is forgetful at times, agreed Mikey. And it would explain how someone could have got inside to take the book. Hey, look, there were footprints in the dirt. They were right on the edge of the flower border, as if someone had stepped that way to look through the kitchen window. Which means they would have had to come through the back gate, observed the cat. The gate brought them out onto a narrow lane with high hedges. Iris had been out here many times before, but for Mikey, this was his first time out of the house,

6:06let alone the garden. Do you smell that? He asked Iris after they'd gone down the lane a short distance. If you'd like to hear more, please join our Premium Service. You can find out how in the description. The Premium Service means you can listen to all animal tale stories, advert-free, get bonus stories, and we guarantee to turn your animal suggestion into a future tale. I look forward to seeing you there. They say if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. At Amika Insurance, we know what matters most to you. And we work even harder to protect it together. As a mutual insurance company, we're built for our customers and prioritise your needs. Amika, empathy is our best policy. Visit amika.com and get a quote today.