0:00 The Sun-Kissed Acorn was the only one of its kind.0:04 It hung from the very tip of the Great Oak, on a branch so thin it looked like a pencil line drawn against the sky.0:14 Down below, a young squirrel named Squeak, who had far more fluff than sense, was staring up at it.0:22 His mother was chittering nervously.0:25 "Squeak, it's too dangerous!0:28 The morning rain has made the bark slick as glass!" But Squeak… well, Squeak wasn't really listening.0:36 He was too busy imagining the cheers of the other young squirrels when he, and only he, brought down the prize.0:46 Old Man Fitzwilliam, a gray squirrel whose tail had seen seventeen winters, hobbled over.0:53 He squinted one cloudy eye up at the glittering acorn.0:58 "I've seen three brave squirrels try for that one after a rain," he said, his voice a dry rasp.1:06 "And I've seen three squirrels learn a hard lesson on the ground below." Squeak just flicked his tail, a gesture of pure, youthful dismissal.1:18 What did these old-timers know about being fast?1:22 About being clever?1:24 Their bones were slow, their eyes were dim.1:28 He saw their caution, but he called it fear.1:32 He felt the wind in his fur, the thrum of the great tree beneath his paws, and all he could think was… mine.1:41 He gave his mother one last, confident glance and started to climb.1:47 The climb was a blur of bark and leaves.1:50 He was magnificent!1:52 He felt it.1:53 Higher and higher he went, past the sturdy branches where the sensible squirrels made their homes, out onto the limb of legend.2:03 The bark was slick, but his claws were sharp.2:07 He was almost there… he could smell the nutty sweetness of the acorn.2:13 He stretched out a paw, his heart hammering against his ribs.2:19 And that's when the world tilted.2:21 The branch, impossibly thin and wet, gave a little shudder… and then just… dropped.2:28 There wasn't even a snap.2:31 Just a silent, sickening lurch as Squeak found himself clinging to nothing but air.2:38 He landed in the softest patch of moss at the base of the tree, which was the only reason his story didn't end right there.2:48 His leg was twisted, and his pride was shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.2:55 He lay there, groaning, and looked up.2:58 The Sun-Kissed Acorn, dislodged by the bounce of the branch, wobbled for a moment… and then dropped right next to him.3:08 Before he could even think to reach for it, a fat little beetle trundled over and began to nibble on his prize.3:18 He didn't feel anger, or disappointment.3:21 Just the throbbing in his leg, and the quiet, heavy truth that Old Man Fitzwilliam had been right all along.
