Latest / Abide Meditation App / A Sleepy Fairy Tale _ Flowers that Bloom by Moonlight

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A Sleepy Fairy Tale _ Flowers that Bloom by Moonlight · Abide Meditation App

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: we get sleepy. My name's Tom, and I'm your host.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Thanks for tuning in. Tonight, TK will be reading a
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: sleepy retelling of the classic fairy tale, The White Slipper.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: If you're familiar with another version This one is a
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: little different. We'll travel to a beautiful, faraway city on
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: a river, where a king has a problem that almost
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: nobody can solve. In the end, we'll find that a
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: little bit of reading and a lot of courage can
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: make all the difference. So let's settle in and prepare
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: for a great night's rest. Snuggle up in your covers
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: finding a comfy position and take some deep nourishing breaths
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: just to help you relax. As you breathe Pay attention
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: to your body. Are there any areas that feel tense
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: or restless? If so, just spend a moment tuning into
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: that area. And as you release each breath, allow a
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: greater sense of relaxation to clear out the tension more
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: and more. You can do this for as much time
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: as you'd like, noticing any discomfort and just spending a
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: moment acknowledging those sensations. Then, letting them gradually fade with
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: each calming release. As you continue to relax, let TK's
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: voice guide you into a night of deep sleep. May
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: a sense of imagination be your gateway visualize a shining
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: waterway spanned by beautiful arched bridges. On either side, there
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: is a bustling city filled with twisting streets. This is
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: where our story begins.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Many years ago, there was a charming city on the
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: banks of a wide and lazy river. It was the
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: greatest city in the kingdom. This was because the royal
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: family lived there in a beautiful palace. The river also
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: created a natural hub for commerce. The port, St. received
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: goods up and down the river. And these goods traveled
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: as far as the towns near the ocean and beyond.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: Because of its excellent reputation for trade and its position
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: on a major waterway, the towns was prosperous and lively.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: Merchants of all types flourished, building stately homes on either side.
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: Gracious bridges appeared to sail weightlessly over the water, joining
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: the people on the left. to the people on the right.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: Even the humbler craftsmen benefited from the robust life of
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: the city, finding plenty of horses to shoe, tools to make,
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: and potions to mix. As the saying goes, A rising
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: tide lifts all boats. And that was the case for
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: the fortunate citizens of this part of the kingdom. The
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: king was a good-natured and festive sort of person. In fact,
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: some might have called him a little frivolous. His daughter
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: was the Princess Kira. She was greatly admired. Suitors from
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: all the nearby kingdoms visited with lavish gifts, hoping to
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: win her hand. The throne room became piled high with jewels,
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: fine silk, clever mechanical music boxes, and exotic teas and spices.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: Each visitor tried to outdo the last with his offering
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: of love. However, these suitors were challenged by more than
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: just competition with each other. It happened that, in addition
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: to shining beauty and wealth, the princess was also blessed
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: by an abundance of intelligence. Because of that, she was
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: not in a hurry to marry. As the only heir
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: to the throne, she had spent her life studying what
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: she liked. She had read many classic texts and studied languages, history,
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: and music. The princess had high standards for those who
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: would seek to be her husband. And none of her
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: suitors could seem to keep up with her in conversation.
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: One after the other, they were rejected. As for the king,
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: he wasn't in a hurry for her to be wed.
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: And he was often too busy enjoying his life. and
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: taking part in the entertainments of the court to bother protesting.
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: The king had a magnificent white horse, and one of
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: his favorite pastimes was to go out for long rides.
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: One day, while he was enjoying a canter through the woods.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: His horse was spooked by a wily fox. The faithful
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: mount reared up, and the king was thrown from the saddle.
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: Although he mostly fared all right, he caught his foot
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: in the stirrup, The king rested for many days, and
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: many court healers applied poultices, but his foot never quite
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: felt the support. Walking on it just wasn't comfortable anymore.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: It made him sad to think he might not be
• 10:14
  Speaker 2: able to enjoy life as he had before. Some time later,
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: the princess received a suitor who had brought her a
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: truly wondrous gift. It was a pair of baby soft
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: silk slippers in the most delicate pink. The suitor told
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: her that these slippers would allow her to dance all
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: day and night without ever feeling any pain from tired feet.
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: Kira was skeptical about this claim. In the spirit of science, however,
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: she tried the slippers at a lavish ball a city
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: merchant was hosting the next night. She found, to her amazement,
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: that the promise was true. She danced constantly at the
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: glittering party all night, and then all the next day,
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: until she was simply too tired to continue Somehow, her
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: feet were as comfortable at the last dance as they
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: had been at the first. Curious about where the shoes
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: had come from, she asked the suitor how he'd obtained them.
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: He told her that he had paid a great price
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: to a famous traveling shoemaker who had passed through his kingdom.
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: Kira had an idea. What if a shoe could be
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: made to fit her father? If the same medical wizardry
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: might be applied to the king's foot, she hoped that
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: perhaps he could walk happily again she sent one of
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: the king's most loyal and speediest servants to find the
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: elusive shoemaker, promising the craftsman a lavish payment if he
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: could bring her a miraculous cure. The weeks dragged on,
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: and Kira's father continued. and dead. When the king wasn't happy,
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: the city wasn't happy. All festivities ground to a halt.
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: Without their king to plan all the celebrations they were
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: used to, the entire town found that life was much
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: less exciting. Finally, one day, a long-awaited servant returned with
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: the famous shoemaker. The court was aflutter with excitement. They'd
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: heard their guest already had a shoe with him that
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: he claimed would cure the king of his discomfort. He
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: was to present it in the throne room the very
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: next day. Naturally, the shoemaker was given the finest guest
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: room at the palace for the night. He grandly took
• 14:46
  Speaker 2: up residence in his chambers, ordering the footman to place
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: a very special, richly carved wooden chest at the foot
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: of his bed. All eyes were on that chest, because
• 15:07
  Speaker 2: everyone knew it must hold the magical shoe for the king.
• 15:16
  Speaker 2: One of the servants in the palace, was a young
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: man named Rowan. His job was to clean the fireplaces
• 15:28
  Speaker 2: and tidy up in all the rooms. Rowan was a
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: very handsome and intelligent fellow. He had been raised by
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: his uncle, who was the owner of a bookshop. Because
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: of that, he'd read a great deal over the years,
• 15:55
  Speaker 2: but he had no money. Getting a job at the
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: palace had seemed like his best chance at making ends meet.
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: So he cleaned all day, every day, without complaint. Rowan
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: came to the famous shoemaker's chamber once the man had
• 16:24
  Speaker 2: gone down to dinner. He built up the fire and
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: looked to see if anything in the room needed straightening.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: His eye fell on the intricately carved wooden box. Like
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: everyone else, He knew it had to hold something special.
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: And he couldn't stop himself from taking a little peek.
• 17:03
  Speaker 2: Running his hands over the beautiful carvings, he decided he'd
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: just look inside quickly. He pulled open the heavy metal vat.
• 17:20
  Speaker 2: and peered in. There, resting on purple velvet, was a
• 17:30
  Speaker 2: large white silk slipper. He didn't dare touch it, for
• 17:39
  Speaker 2: fear he might smudge it with ashes. He had never
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: seen a shoe so fine As he was admiring it,
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: he heard a noise in the hall. He realized the
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: shoemaker must be returning. Rowan closed the lid of the
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: box and slid himself under the bed, where he could
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: hide behind the dust ruffles. the shoemaker entered the room,
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: and Rowan could hear the sound of some items being
• 18:28
  Speaker 2: set out on the table. Laying his head flat to
• 18:34
  Speaker 2: the ground, he could just see the man placing some
• 18:40
  Speaker 2: sort of jar and a soft brush there. The man
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: then approached the wooden chest, which made Rowan nervous, since
• 18:54
  Speaker 2: it was so near the bed. But he didn't notice
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: Rowan at all. Instead, he took the beautiful white slipper
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: from the chest. Carrying it back to the table, he
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: proceeded to lightly brush the inside of the slipper with
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: some sort of powder from the jar. It glittered briefly
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: in the firelight. Then he tapped the brush three times
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  Speaker 2: on the jar, resealed it, and put all the materials
• 19:43
  Speaker 2: and the shoe away. Having completed this task, and humming
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: cheerfully to himself, he fetched the velvet cloak and once
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: again left the chamber. When he was sure the shoemaker
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: was gone, Rowan crawled out from under the bed. There
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: was nothing on the table now, and the chest was
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: firmly closed. Not wanting to be caught snooping, Rowan left
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: the room and continued with his chores. But as he cleaned,
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: he couldn't get the shoe out of his mind. He
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: wondered what the man had been doing with the glittering powder.
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: Rowan wasn't in the throne room the next day for
• 20:56
  Speaker 2: the grand occasion, but he heard that the shoe was
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: a success. According to the servant's gossip, the king's pain
• 21:10
  Speaker 2: had vanished when the shoe was placed on his foot.
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: And he was already back to being his old self. Apparently,
• 21:26
  Speaker 2: the king was already out on a walk around the
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: garden with some of the nobles of the court. and
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: a lavish ball was being planned. The shoemaker had been
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: richly rewarded in gold and was departing to fulfill other
• 21:51
  Speaker 2: requests in distant kingdoms. The entire city rejoiced, knowing life
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: would return to normal. the king threw himself back into
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: life with enthusiasm. And he was soon spending his time
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: planning a grand regatta on the river for all the
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: citizens to attend. The day of the regatta was declared
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: a holiday, and there were to be many games and
• 22:36
  Speaker 2: races and, of course, feasting. The king had a barge
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: prepared where he would have his court assembled on the
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  Speaker 2: river to watch the boat races. It was large enough
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  Speaker 2: for dancing. There was much talk about who would have
• 23:04
  Speaker 2: the privilege of sitting there during the event. The holiday
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  Speaker 2: brought sparkling sunshine, and the river was full of little
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: boats flying colorful flags. The clear water of the river
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: glittered as though it was full of jewels. The entire
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: city was filled with music and the smell of delicious food.
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: The king and his court made merry on the barge,
• 23:54
  Speaker 2: dancing and eating and laughing throughout the day. But then
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: something unexpected happened. As the king was leaning over to
• 24:12
  Speaker 2: speak to someone in a different boat, he lost his
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: balance and almost fell over the edge of the barge. Luckily,
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: there were many people nearby to help him. But by
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: the time he was safely standing again, he had lost
• 24:40
  Speaker 2: his beloved white slipper. It landed in the river, bobbed
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: briefly at the surface, and then sank. A cry went
• 24:57
  Speaker 2: up that everyone who could swim should go in after
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: the shoe. people in nearby boats hung over the sides,
• 25:12
  Speaker 2: running their hands through the water. Many dived right into
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: the river and swam about looking for it. But in
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: the end, the slipper could not be found. Almost at once,
• 25:38
  Speaker 2: the king began to say that he was uncomfortable and
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: couldn't walk on his foot. He was carried home, inconsolable.
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: Over the next few days, the river was teeming with activity.
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: The king promised a handsome reward to anyone who could
• 26:10
  Speaker 2: find his shoe. Before long, word had spread to nearby kingdoms,
• 26:21
  Speaker 2: and fortune hunters arrived, determined to capture the prize for themselves.
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: They searched and searched for the shoe, but had no
• 26:37
  Speaker 2: luck in finding it. They walked the same beaches, sifted
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: through the same mud, and hung nets from boats in
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: the same channels. Kira watched as each of them failed
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: time and time again. she watched as her father grew
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: more and more hopeless every day. One morning, she made
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: up her mind. She announced that in addition to the
• 27:23
  Speaker 2: reward from her father, she would marry whoever could succeed
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: in completing this most daunting task. Now, unlike her father,
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: Kira didn't think the shoe would ever be found in
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: the river. It was deep and had swallowed up much
• 27:51
  Speaker 2: more than shoes in the past. But she secretly hoped
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: that someone with a little more creativity someone she could
• 28:07
  Speaker 2: love and respect, might come through with an even better
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: idea to cure her father's ailment. Like every other person
• 28:23
  Speaker 2: in the kingdom, Rowan heard Kira's announcement. Although he was
• 28:32
  Speaker 2: merely a servant, he was completely smitten by the princess.
• 28:40
  Speaker 2: He found her dazzling. It was because of her wit
• 28:46
  Speaker 2: as well as her beauty. Rowan remembered that his uncle
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: had a shelf of science and alchemy books in his bookshop.
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: He had pored over those books as a youth, marveling
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: at the mysteries they reveal. He knew nothing about magic shoes,
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: but he had not forgotten how the shoemaker had secretly
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: dusted the king's slipper with some type of powder. And
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: it only made sense that the powder was responsible for
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: the pain relief. Rowan decided to search for the source
• 29:39
  Speaker 2: of the powdered treatment rather than wasting time finding the
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: shoe itself. He was tireless in his pursuit. While the
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: river was teeming with fortune hunters, diving and combing the banks.
• 30:02
  Speaker 2: Rowan spent his free time in his uncle's bookshop. It
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: was a wonderful place, piled high with tomes of all kinds.
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: There were cookbooks and warm volumes about history. There were
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: classic texts in all different languages. Novels and storybooks were
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: stacked haphazardly along with poetry. Here and there, one could
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: find a cozy, worn armchair in a little corner and
• 30:50
  Speaker 2: get lost in a good book for hours. Rowan spent
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: every possible moment in the nooks and crannies of his
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: uncle's little shop. When he couldn't stay, he borrowed books
• 31:10
  Speaker 2: on alchemy and brought them back with him to the
• 31:14
  Speaker 2: palace to read in his spare time. One day, he
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: found his answer. in a dusty book about herbalism. There
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: was mention of a plant that grew in a special
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: place on the plains of a nearby kingdom. Its pollen
• 31:45
  Speaker 2: was known to cure pain, but it had to be
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: harvested in the moonlight and could not be diluted dissolved
• 31:57
  Speaker 2: in liquid or turned into a syrup. It had to
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: be used in its powdery form. According to the maps
• 32:11
  Speaker 2: Rowan was able to find, it would take him about
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: a week of travel to reach this place on horseback.
• 32:23
  Speaker 2: Now he didn't have a horse, nor did his uncle.
• 32:28
  Speaker 2: Anyone he knew who might be fortunate enough to own
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: one surely couldn't part with it for weeks. Rowan knew
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: that getting to this miraculous plant was his only hope
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: to solve the king's problem. And maybe, just maybe, win
• 32:54
  Speaker 2: Kira's hand. Risking everything, he decided to speak to the
• 33:03
  Speaker 2: king at the next public audience in the throne room.
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: Later that week, he lined up with all of the
• 33:15
  Speaker 2: citizens who waited outside the king's chambers to make their requests.
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: the public audience was always a lengthy and trying affair,
• 33:30
  Speaker 2: and the king tended to get grumpy as the day
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: went on. Sadly for Rowan, he was nearly last in line.
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: After many hours, and with only a handful of people
• 33:51
  Speaker 2: left in the room, Rowan stood before the king. He
• 33:59
  Speaker 2: waved his hand and indicated that Rowan should speak quickly.
• 34:07
  Speaker 2: Your Highness, he said, I think I may have discovered
• 34:12
  Speaker 2: a way to cure your ailment. But I will need
• 34:20
  Speaker 2: to borrow a horse. The courtiers dropped their jaws at
• 34:27
  Speaker 2: this display of impudence. The idea of a servant boy
• 34:35
  Speaker 2: asking the king for a horse, let alone suggesting he
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: could cure his ailment, was ridiculous. Seeing he had only
• 34:50
  Speaker 2: moments to make his case, Rowan continued, There is a
• 34:58
  Speaker 2: flower that grows in a special place, he said. I
• 35:04
  Speaker 2: know where this place is. But it would take me
• 35:08
  Speaker 2: a month to get there on foot. If only you
• 35:13
  Speaker 2: could loan me a horse, I could be back here
• 35:18
  Speaker 2: in two weeks to relieve your pain. The nobles murmured
• 35:26
  Speaker 2: and laughed. the king shifted in his seat and Rowan
• 35:33
  Speaker 2: prepared to be turned away. But the young man was surprised.
• 35:45
  Speaker 2: To the amazement of all present, the king said, Give
• 35:51
  Speaker 2: this boy a horse and get him gone. If he
• 35:58
  Speaker 2: can succeed where all of you have failed, it will
• 36:04
  Speaker 2: be worth it. Then, with a dramatic wave of his hand,
• 36:13
  Speaker 2: he dismissed Rowan and told everyone else in the room
• 36:18
  Speaker 2: they should leave as well. Princess Kira was seated nearby
• 36:26
  Speaker 2: during this extraordinary conversation. and she was intrigued. The fact
• 36:36
  Speaker 2: that this young man had the sense to take a
• 36:40
  Speaker 2: new approach made her respect him instantly. She liked clever people,
• 36:51
  Speaker 2: and his bravery in appearing before the king with such
• 36:55
  Speaker 2: a bold request was admirable. Although she didn't want to
• 37:04
  Speaker 2: get her hopes up, the princess secretly wished that Rowan
• 37:10
  Speaker 2: might pull off a miracle cure. Meanwhile, Rowan made haste
• 37:18
  Speaker 2: to prepare for his departure. News of his audience in
• 37:26
  Speaker 2: the throne room spread quickly. and every servant in the
• 37:32
  Speaker 2: castle was soon whispering about it. All the other servants
• 37:40
  Speaker 2: rallied around him as he readied himself for the journey.
• 37:48
  Speaker 2: The cook packed him a generous supply of provisions, and
• 37:53
  Speaker 2: the grooms offered him one of the best horses. All
• 38:00
  Speaker 2: eyes were now on Roland. He set off on his
• 38:07
  Speaker 2: journey the next day, carrying his food and water, the
• 38:15
  Speaker 2: herbalist's book, and a map from his uncle. The older
• 38:23
  Speaker 2: man had great faith in his nephew, and hoped that
• 38:28
  Speaker 2: Rowan's studies and bravery would help him find a cure.
• 38:36
  Speaker 2: It wasn't long before Rowan had traveled farther beyond the
• 38:42
  Speaker 2: limits of the city than he had ever been before. First,
• 38:51
  Speaker 2: he passed over the peaceful river. Then through the thick forest, Eventually,
• 39:01
  Speaker 2: he traveled through a windy mountain pass to the grassy
• 39:07
  Speaker 2: plains beyond. Rowan rode long hours, stopping only to rest.
• 39:21
  Speaker 2: When he finally saw vast expanses of waving wildflowers before him,
• 39:29
  Speaker 2: he knew he had reached his destination. Taking the precious
• 39:39
  Speaker 2: herbalist's book from his saddlebag, he left his horse to
• 39:45
  Speaker 2: graze and began slowly circling the area with the illustration
• 39:52
  Speaker 2: of the plant in his hand. It took him the
• 39:58
  Speaker 2: better part of the day to find it. As the
• 40:04
  Speaker 2: sun was setting, he came upon a large cluster of
• 40:09
  Speaker 2: white flowers that matched the description in the book. He
• 40:17
  Speaker 2: knew he had found his treasure. Taking some food from
• 40:26
  Speaker 2: his provisions, he sat down in the grass and happily
• 40:31
  Speaker 2: ate some dinner, waiting for night to fall. According to
• 40:41
  Speaker 2: the book, after dark was when the flowers would open,
• 40:47
  Speaker 2: and reveal their precious gift. He drifted off to sleep,
• 40:56
  Speaker 2: while the red and orange flames of sunset lit the sky.
• 41:06
  Speaker 2: The hooting of a night owl woke him some time later.
• 41:12
  Speaker 2: He sat up in the cool darkness, and rubbed his eyes. There,
• 41:21
  Speaker 2: clearly visible in the moonlight, was a sea of open blooms.
• 41:31
  Speaker 2: Taking his jar, as the book instructed, he lightly tapped
• 41:38
  Speaker 2: each of the open flowers. and gently shook their glittering
• 41:44
  Speaker 2: pollen into the container. He repeated this task patiently, moving
• 41:55
  Speaker 2: from one bunch of flowers to another until the jar
• 42:01
  Speaker 2: was entirely full. Then he carefully put the cap on
• 42:10
  Speaker 2: and secured it in his saddlebag. As the sun was
• 42:16
  Speaker 2: rising Rowan was already making haste back home. But a
• 42:25
  Speaker 2: question still played on his mind. What if the powder
• 42:32
  Speaker 2: didn't work? He knew that everything was riding on his
• 42:39
  Speaker 2: faith in this cure. Back through the windy mountain pass
• 42:46
  Speaker 2: he rode, and through the thick forest. In about a
• 42:53
  Speaker 2: week's time, he was once again approaching the city he
• 42:58
  Speaker 2: called home. He crossed the soaring ridge with excitement, but
• 43:07
  Speaker 2: also trepidation. There was much excitement among the staff when
• 43:16
  Speaker 2: he returned his trusty horse to the stable yard. The
• 43:24
  Speaker 2: servants gathered around him, pressing him for news of his quest.
• 43:33
  Speaker 2: Had he found what he was looking for? What was
• 43:37
  Speaker 2: the journey like? Would the cure work as he'd promised?
• 43:46
  Speaker 2: He was polite to everyone, but said he couldn't answer
• 43:51
  Speaker 2: their questions just yet. Instead, he withdrew the precious jar
• 43:59
  Speaker 2: from the baggage and put it carefully in his coat pocket.
• 44:07
  Speaker 2: As the servants were dispersing, he bowed to one of
• 44:12
  Speaker 2: the lady's maids and begged a favor of her. Would
• 44:18
  Speaker 2: it be possible to loan me a soft brush of
• 44:22
  Speaker 2: some type? The kind that a lady would use to
• 44:27
  Speaker 2: apply makeup powder, he asked. The maid said that she could,
• 44:35
  Speaker 2: and fetched a brush for Rowan while he waited in
• 44:38
  Speaker 2: the stable yard. When he had it, he returned to
• 44:44
  Speaker 2: his uncle's bookshop with the herbalist's book, the map, and
• 44:51
  Speaker 2: his jar of precious pollen. He would attend the public
• 44:58
  Speaker 2: audience with the king tomorrow. By the next day, word
• 45:05
  Speaker 2: had spread throughout the city of Rowan's return. The bold
• 45:13
  Speaker 2: young man, who had never attracted Any notice before had
• 45:19
  Speaker 2: suddenly become a curiosity. At the king's request, Rowan was
• 45:28
  Speaker 2: given the very first place in line for the day.
• 45:35
  Speaker 2: As the majestic carved double doors to the throne room
• 45:40
  Speaker 2: swung open, he took a deep breath and stood up straighter.
• 45:49
  Speaker 2: he tried not to allow doubt to cloud his mind.
• 45:55
  Speaker 2: He walked toward the king, who was sitting with Princess
• 46:00
  Speaker 2: Kira at his side. The room was fuller than usual.
• 46:09
  Speaker 2: The entire court seemed to have assembled to see Rowan.
• 46:16
  Speaker 2: Bowing low to the king, He began. Your Majesty, I
• 46:25
  Speaker 2: have brought what I believe will cure your pain. But
• 46:31
  Speaker 2: it does not require a special shoe, he said. The
• 46:38
  Speaker 2: king looked at him doubtfully. Rowan continued, drawing the jar
• 46:45
  Speaker 2: and the brush from his coat. If you would allow
• 46:51
  Speaker 2: me to have the shoe you are wearing now, I
• 46:55
  Speaker 2: will demonstrate, Rowan continued. This was certainly unusual, thought the king.
• 47:06
  Speaker 2: An ordinary person did not normally request to hold his shoe. However,
• 47:15
  Speaker 2: the king's servant knelt and removed it, when the king
• 47:20
  Speaker 2: nodded his assent. Rowan dipped his head respectfully, and, taking
• 47:30
  Speaker 2: the king's silk shoe in his hand, he carefully uncapped
• 47:35
  Speaker 2: the jar. Using the brush he'd gotten from the maid,
• 47:43
  Speaker 2: he lightly dusted the inside of the shoe with just
• 47:48
  Speaker 2: as he had seen the shoemaker do on the night
• 47:51
  Speaker 2: he'd hidden under the man's bed. When the application of
• 47:58
  Speaker 2: the pollen was complete, the moment of truth had arrived.
• 48:06
  Speaker 2: Rowan handed the shoe back to the servant, and he
• 48:10
  Speaker 2: gently returned it to the king's foot. Rowan stole a
• 48:17
  Speaker 2: glance at Kira. Her eyes were wide, and she was
• 48:24
  Speaker 2: holding her breath. The king stood. He moved his ankle
• 48:32
  Speaker 2: and stepped. He hopped lightly. Then his face lit up
• 48:42
  Speaker 2: with joy, and he began to dance waving his hands
• 48:48
  Speaker 2: merrily above his head. The entire room lit up with
• 48:56
  Speaker 2: the chatter of a hundred nobles who had just seen
• 49:00
  Speaker 2: the most miraculous sight they could remember. But all that
• 49:08
  Speaker 2: Rowan cared about was what Kira thought. Shyly, He turned
• 49:16
  Speaker 2: and looked her straight in the eye. To his relief,
• 49:23
  Speaker 2: she smiled in return. All attention was on the king,
• 49:33
  Speaker 2: but these two people knew that their own story together
• 49:39
  Speaker 2: was beginning at that moment. And so it was that
• 49:48
  Speaker 2: the king became his old self again. Finding the shoe
• 49:56
  Speaker 2: held no magic, he ordered a lavish wardrobe of slippers
• 50:02
  Speaker 2: in many colors. After all, each one could be dusted
• 50:10
  Speaker 2: with the same magic pollen. Many parties and festivals were
• 50:17
  Speaker 2: planned that year, but the biggest and best one was
• 50:23
  Speaker 2: the wedding of Kira and Rowan. The two became inseparable,
• 50:33
  Speaker 2: even before they were wed. they could often be seen
• 50:39
  Speaker 2: strolling the gardens, engaged in lively conversation. Together, they established
• 50:50
  Speaker 2: an extensive library at the palace, furnished by Rowan's delighted uncle.
• 51:00
  Speaker 2: Of course, the library had many comfortable chairs, and tall
• 51:06
  Speaker 2: rolling ladders, as well as large books of maps on
• 51:14
  Speaker 2: broad tables. After all, Kira and Rowan felt they both
• 51:24
  Speaker 2: still had a lot of reading to do. The king
• 51:31
  Speaker 2: never bothered much with the library, but he was happy again.
• 51:38
  Speaker 2: And so were all the citizens of the glittering city
• 51:43
  Speaker 2: on the river. With Kira and Rowan destined to inherit
• 51:51
  Speaker 2: the crown, they knew their lives would continue to be
• 51:57
  Speaker 2: richly blessed by merriment, prosperity, and good Common sense.
• 52:12
  Speaker 3: Thank you. you Thank you for watching. Thank you.
• 54:20
  Speaker 2: Thank you.
• 55:16
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 55:46
  Speaker 4: Thanks for watching! Thank you for watching.
• 56:41
  Speaker 3: You you you.
• 57:14
  Speaker 2: Thank you. you