Kevin has a problem that nobody quite understands. He cannot cling to trees. Not because he is lazy. Not because he is not trying. Simply because his paws will not hold him there. Every other koala in the bush can do this effortlessly. Kevin slides down every trunk like a furry grey blob of butter.

This is humiliating. This is lonely. This is not how life is supposed to work when you are born a koala.

The other koalas sit high in the branches, half asleep, perfectly secure. Kevin sits at the bottom in the dust. Again. Watching. Wanting. Wondering if he will ever belong up there with them.

But then Kevin notices something. Something about the creatures who zip through the branches without falling. Something about their name. And he has an idea. The sort of idea that involves things you definitely should not eat and definitely should not drink when you are a Koala.

What happens next is extraordinary. What happens next involves sugar, fizzy drinks, peppermints, a dessert table that never stood a chance, and a tummy that stops cooperating entirely. There will be consequences. There will be chaos. There will be a moment so spectacular that every child at the party will remember it forever.

This is a story about never giving up when something matters. It is also a story about fizzy burps, poor decisions, and the fact that sometimes the strangest path leads exactly where you want to go.

More wonderfully peculiar stories at MrMortonsBarmyBook.com where different solutions are always welcome.

Episode length: approximately 12 minutes
Ages: 4 to 400
Best enjoyed: bedtime, car journeys, or whenever you need proof that determination can look ridiculous and still work

Press play. Kevin is waiting at the bottom of a tree. What happens next is sticky, explosive, and utterly unforgettable.