NARRATOR:
Most animals love the fall.

It's a time to collect nuts,

grow fur...

( gags )

( coughing )

( animals laughing )

NARRATOR:
And kick a lot of leaves.

( all shouting with glee )

( all laughing )

( muffled squeaking )

Hmm?

Hey!

( soft squeaking )

Who's there?

( muffled squeaks )

PEEP:
I can't hear you.

You have to speak louder!

PEEP:
Squeak, it's you.

What are you doing
under all these leaves?

Oh, you know--
just enjoying the view.

In point of fact,
I'm waiting to be rescued!

Really?

Yes.

I need somebody big to remove
these leaves from my house.

Hey, I'm big.

I could rescue you.

Quack! Chirp! Come here!

( all laughing )

QUACK:
Okay, there we go.

Nice work, everyone.

Yup, all done there.

SQUEAK:
That's right,
over there-- all of them.

( shudders )

Leaves.

PEEP:
But don't you think
they're pretty?

I wouldn't mind having
some around my can.

SQUEAK:
Take as many as you like.

But if you're smart,
you'll go to your can
and stay there

before things get worse.

Uh, Squeak?

What do you mean, "get worse"?

Don't you see?

Haven't you noticed?

Things are falling down
all over the place--

leaves, apples, nuts.

Next thing you know, the sun
will be falling, or the moon.

The whole sky, even!

SQUEAK:
You'd better hurry, unless you
want to get smushed.

QUACK:
Do you think
there's anything to it?

To what?

QUACK:
To the sun falling down

or the sky.

I could handle the sun,
but the whole sky--

well, that would hurt.

CHIRP:
I don't think it could happen.

I'm not even sure
Squeak was right.

I mean, sure, leaves fall down,

but I haven't noticed
anything else.

PEEP:
Hey, did you see that?

One of my feathers got loose

and it fell down.

QUACK:
Wow.

( all yell )

CHIRP:
Uh...

Did we never
notice this before--

that things are falling down?

QUACK:
Is that why they call it "fall"?

ALL:
Run!!

PEEP:
Where are we going?

CHIRP:
I don't know.

Somewhere safe.

( panting ):
Where's that?

Someplace with a roof.

Hey, look!

ALL:
Huh?

( sighs of relief )

QUACK:
Ah, see?

It's going up.

I knew that mouse was wrong.

( pop )

( all scream )

NARRATOR:
That was quite enough
for one day.

Chirp, Quack and Peep
decided to head for home

and stay there
until it was safe.

There was one small problem
with this plan.

Peep was the only one
with a roof.

QUACK:
Got room for a duck in there?

CHIRP:
I was first!

QUACK:
No, you weren't!

PEEP:
We've tried this before,
remember?

We can't all fit inside.

CHIRP:
Come on, Peep.

I think there might be room

if you squeeze in beside me.

( Chirp and Peep straining,
Quack groaning )

PEEP:
This is silly.

I'm going.

CHIRP:
Peep, come back.

I'll make Quack move some more.

Come back!

NARRATOR:
Peep was determined to prove

that the world is safe
for chickens, birds and ducks.

NARRATOR:
But how he was going
to prove it, Peep didn't know.

How could he be sure that
the sun, the moon or the stars

wouldn't come crashing down?

PEEP:
Whoa.

Oh! Ah!

NEWTON:
Hello?

Did somebody say something?

PEEP:
It's only me, Newton.

Sorry to disturb you.

NEWTON:
Oh, no bother, no bother.

What a beautiful day.

Simply glorious.

( startles )

Mmm.

PEEP:
Can I ask you
something, Newton?

How come it
doesn't bother you,

all these apples
falling down?

NEWTON:
I don't know.

Just used to it, I guess.

PEEP:
But aren't you afraid?

If apples can fall,

then why doesn't
the tree fall?

Or the sky?

Or the sun?

NEWTON:
That's a good question.

I think trees do fall down
sometimes, but not very often.

As for the sun or the sky--

well, I've been here
for a long time

and I've never seen

even the smallest piece
of sky on the ground.

PEEP:
Whoa!

So you think it's safe
to be outside?

Even in the fall?

I do.

Take it from a turtle.

NARRATOR:
Newton had given Peep
a lot to ponder.

PEEP:
Hmm.

NARRATOR:
And ponder Peep did.

He pondered all the way
back to his can.

CHIRP:
Peep-- thank goodness
you're okay.

I am.

And I think
we're all going to be okay.

I ran into Newton and he said...

CHIRP:
Never mind about Newton.

I'm stuck in here with
a duck breathing on me.

Help!

PEEP:
Okay, hold on.

( Quack and Chirp grunting )

( screaming )

( Quack and Chirp scream,
grunt and groan )

PEEP:
It worked!

Okay, so tell us about Newton.

Are you sure we're safe?

PEEP:
Well, Newton said that trees
fall down sometimes,

but not very often,
and he said that...

NARRATOR:
Peep told them everything
Newton had said--

how little things
fall down all the time

and mostly
you don't even notice,

and how the big things, the sun
and the sky,

don't fall at all.

They stay right where they are.

( all sigh tiredly )

QUACK:
Well, that settles it.

I'm never listening
to a mouse again.

PEEP:
Squeak!

Maybe we should go
tell her it's okay...

( squeaking )

Squeak!

What are you doing?

I thought you were
afraid to come out.

SQUEAK:
Oh, right.

You know, Peep,
I am a worrywart,

especially on an empty stomach.

( chomping )

Mmm... lovely.

But why are you
just standing there?

You should be looking for nuts.

If you think fall is bad,

wait till you see winter.

Snow, ice, sleet.

( shivers )

It's a wonder anything survives.

ALL:
Hmm?

CHIRP:
What on earth is "winter"?

( wind whistles )

( all giggling )