Latest / Abide Meditation App / Bedtime Stories for Attached Kids Who Can_t Sleep 💤 🌙 ✨ The Best Tales for Separation Anxiety 😴

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Bedtime Stories for Attached Kids Who Can_t Sleep 💤 🌙 ✨ The Best Tales for Separation Anxiety 😴 · Abide Meditation App

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Tonight We've got a perfect collection of soothing bedtime stories
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: to help kids sleep. Let's get cozy and drift off together.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Before we do, could you please tap subscribe. By doing
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: this small thing, you'll let YouTube know you love what
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: we do, which will help us grow. Let's get ourselves cozy,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: snuggle down, and I'll begin The Sleepy Submarine by Annabell Picture.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: It was a rather unusual night for Cocoa. Usually he'd
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: be tucked up in bed in cozy cabin, but tonight
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: his cozy, wooden home in Sleepy Forest had been replaced
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: by a stretch of soft golden sand in Harmony Cove.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: He was having a sleepover and was feeling happy from
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  Speaker 1: the tips of his fairy ears to the ends of
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: his fairy toes. It was wonderful to visit friends in
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: different places, and he lay contentedly on the beach next
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: to Michele the Turtle, gazing at the stars which gleamed
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: and glimmered overhead. The sky seemed wider than it ever
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: did in Sleepy Forest, stretching far beyond the tops of
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: the cliffs, and the stars were close enough to count
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: one two miss a few ninety nine one hundred, giggled Cocoa,
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: marveling at the sheer volume of stars bathing him in
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: silvery light. He shifted position on the sand, which felt
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: warm with the memory of the day's sunshine. What a day,
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: What a day, indeed, Michel agreed, a busy one. I
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: was glad of your help, Cocoa. Thanks. No need to
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: thank me, Michelle, Cooco replied, I enjoyed every second of it.
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: It was true, the little koala had had a lot
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: of fun helping in the lost property office, where the
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: turtle worked carefully lining up the buckets, goggles, and other
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: curious treasures that had been left behind on the beach.
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: There had been a lot of visitors to Harmony Cove
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  Speaker 1: that day, families carrying picnic baskets, youngsters building sand castles,
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: and swimmers racing in and out of the water, and
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: the little office had bustled with cheerful chatter from morning
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: until late afternoon. Michelle was an expert in handling all
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: the queries and questions, finding out the precise information he
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: needed to locate the lost items. Was it yellow like
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: the sun or yellow like the sand? He'd asked a tiny,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: tearful crab who'd misplaced his sun hat. Michele had nodded
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: carefully as he had listened to the squeaky reply, easily
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  Speaker 1: locating the hat among a basket of abandoned clothes at
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: the back of the office. The crab had clapped his
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: claws with delight when the hat was returned, and Cocoa
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: had felt a warm glow of satisfaction at being part
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: of the rescue. Only one item hadn't been reclaimed by
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: the end of the day, a delicate shell necklace with
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: a gleaming pearl pendant. Michele had looked at it, his
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: eyes narrowing with curiosity as he held the necklace in
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: his flipper. I wonder, he muttered, placing the necklace in
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: the front pocket of his satchel. But what he wondered
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: had remained a mystery to Coco. Coco hadn't dwelt on
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: it for long. Later in the afternoon, when the sun
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: had dipped low, the two friends had gone swimming. They'd
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: slipped into the crystal clear water, gliding slowly through the waves,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: chatting happily in the last glimmers of sunlight. Michelle had
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: dived below the surface, his strong flippers carrying him down
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: to the ribbons of seaweed that swayed gently in the water.
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: Clusters of smooth, pale rocks had glistened on the sandy
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: ocean floor, and tiny shells had shimmered in the twilight.
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  Speaker 1: It had looked like treasure, and Coco had ached with
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: longing as he'd watched it all from above. How wonderful
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: it would have been to follow Michelle into the calm,
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: underwater world and explore the sparkly sea bed for himself. Now,
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: as night settled over Harmony Cove and Koala Moon climbed
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: steadily above the cliffs. Coco gazed out across the moonlit
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: ocean and wondered what might lie beneath the waves. There.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: In the hushed world below, he pictured merr people singing quietly,
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  Speaker 1: shimmering bubbles of music emerging from their lips. They sang
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: about things that Coco didn't understand, things that Cocoa ached
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: to understand. The thought stirred something inside Coco, a deep,
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  Speaker 1: powerful yearning not just to see those places from above,
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  Speaker 1: but to belong to them, if only for a little while.
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  Speaker 1: Coco lay still for a moment, listening to the soft
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  Speaker 1: rhythm of the waves breaking against the shore, Pictures drifting
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  Speaker 1: through his mind like a dream, Coral arches shaped like
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  Speaker 1: grand doorways, glowing caverns filled with treasure, winding passages that
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: led to secret underwater caves. How he longed to see
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  Speaker 1: it all. Then, as if the ocean itself had heard
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  Speaker 1: his wish, the surface of the water gave a slow,
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: curious ripple. It spread outward in widening circles, and Koco
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  Speaker 1: lifted his head, pushing himself upright on the beach and
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: peering closely at the sea to see what might be
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: rising from below. The ripple grew larger as the water
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  Speaker 1: bulged upward, sending tiny rings of light dancing across the ocean.
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  Speaker 1: What is going on, he asked, gazing at Michelle, who
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: gave an enormous grin. Oh, well done, Coco, Michelle gasped,
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: well done, well done, Well done, well done, Coco repeated,
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: feeling rather baffled. What do you mean well done? I
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: don't mean to be rude, Michelle, but what am I
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  Speaker 1: supposed to have done? Michelle simply chuckled. Oh you'll see,
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  Speaker 1: he said, dusting sand off his stout little legs and
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  Speaker 1: hooking his satchel over his shell as he stood up.
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  Speaker 1: Come on, and with that, the little turtle hurried off
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  Speaker 1: across the sand. Coco followed, and just at that moment,
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  Speaker 1: an almighty shape emerged where the ripple had once been.
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  Speaker 1: It rose up and out of the ocean, the top
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  Speaker 1: of something gold and shiny, breaking through the moonlit surface.
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  Speaker 1: Coco's jaw fell open as more of the golden vessel appeared.
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  Speaker 1: It was enormous, heart pounding. He took in the small
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  Speaker 1: round windows and the tall, gleaming periscope and finally understood what.
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  Speaker 2: He was seeing.
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: Is that Is that a submarine? He asked? It is indeed,
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  Speaker 1: Michel replied, glancing back over his shoulder to grin at
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  Speaker 1: the look of surprise on Coco's face, and we are
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  Speaker 1: climbing aboard. Coco stood for a few seconds, hardly daring
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: to believe his eyes a submarine. Coco watched as the
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: golden vessel drifted towards the wooden jetty, the other moored
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  Speaker 1: boats seeming to move aside as if understanding that this
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: visitor to Harmony Cove was rather special. Coco hurried to
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: catch up with Michelle, and together the two friends made
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: their way to the water's edge. The wooden planks of
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: the jetty gave a friendly creak as they stepped onto it,
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: and the golden submarine rocked in slow, even motions with
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: the tide. Coco paused for a moment, his eyes wide
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: with wonder as he looked at the shining vessel floating
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: on the water. The submarines rounded golden walls were not
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: plaine and smooth as Coco had first thought. As he
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: stepped closer, he noticed delicate patterns pressed into the metal,
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  Speaker 1: beautiful embossed shapes that caught the moonlight and twinkled. There
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: were Muhr people carved along the sides, their flowing tails
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: curling through strands of seaweed, their hair drifting behind them
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  Speaker 1: as if moving in real water. Each figure was carefully
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: detailed with tiny shells, intricate jewelry and bubbles worked into
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  Speaker 1: the design, so that the whole surface looked like a
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  Speaker 1: quiet underwater scene captured in gold. It's beautiful, Coco breathed,
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: And it's all yours, Missill said, for tonight. At least
• 11:04
  Speaker 1: you summoned it, Coco. The Murr people sent it. Coco's
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: eyes grew big and round as Koala moon I summoned it.
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  Speaker 1: He put a quivering hand on his beating chest. Me, Michelle,
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  Speaker 1: nodded you. But how I didn't ask for it? The
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: little koala shrugged, at a loss to understand how someone
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  Speaker 1: as small as him could summon something as big as this.
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  Speaker 1: I didn't do anything, Michelle. Michelle turned to Coco with
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: the same kindly expression he'd warned for the customers at
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: the Lost Property office. You yearned for it, Coco, You
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: wished for it. You longed to go under water and
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: visit the Muh people. And they heard you. Your heart
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  Speaker 1: spoke to theirs. They sent this to collect you. Dazed,
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  Speaker 1: Coco stared up at the periscope, where a tiny lantern
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  Speaker 1: shone in the darkness. The light flickered and danced, touching
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  Speaker 1: the patterns on the submarine. The mermaid shimmered, seeming to
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  Speaker 1: glide along the curved walls as though they were gently
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  Speaker 1: leading the way, ready to guide Coco into their underwater world.
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  Speaker 1: Can we really visit the Murr people, he whispered, Really really,
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  Speaker 1: Michel smiled, really really. The two friends stepped closer to
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  Speaker 1: the submarine, and as they did so, a long metal
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  Speaker 1: ladder appeared out of nowhere, magically lowering from the top
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  Speaker 1: of the golden vessel all the way down to the
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  Speaker 1: wooden jetty, its rungs gleaming softly in the lantern light.
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  Speaker 1: It led to a hatch on the deck of the submarine.
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  Speaker 1: The submarine rocked gently, making the ladder sway. Cocoa eyed it,
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  Speaker 1: feeling nervous. Glad that Michele was going first, he marveled
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  Speaker 1: as his friend placed a confident flipper on the lowest
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  Speaker 1: rung and climbed with ease, the satchel bouncing against his
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  Speaker 1: jade green shell. The lost necklace in the front pocket
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  Speaker 1: gave a little tinkle, as if calling out to its
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: owner wherever they were. When Michele reached the top of
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  Speaker 1: the ladder, he turned and looked down at Ko Ko
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  Speaker 1: with a reassuring smile. Your turn, he said. Ko Ko
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  Speaker 1: took a deep breath, placing a tentative pour on the ladder.
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  Speaker 1: He started to climb, rung by rung, Keep going, Michele said,
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  Speaker 1: peering over the top of the submarine. You can do it.
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  Speaker 1: Co Ko Ko Ko continued upwards, trying to ignore the
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  Speaker 1: swaying motion of the ladder, the quiet creak of the
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  Speaker 1: jetty and the soft lap of water below. At last,
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  Speaker 1: he reached the round hatch, where kowala moon was reflected
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  Speaker 1: on the smooth domed surface. Is that how we get,
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  Speaker 1: Coco asked, As if in reply, the hatch turned and hissed.
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  Speaker 1: With a soft click, It opened of its own accord,
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  Speaker 1: a warm, welcoming glow spilling out from inside like an
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  Speaker 1: invitation to adventure. Michelle chuckled, I assume so, Coco. He
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  Speaker 1: stood aside and held out a flipper after you. Taking
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: a second deep breath, Coco gripped the edge of the
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: round opening and carefully swung a leg over the rim
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  Speaker 1: of the hatch. He peered into the submarine, spotting a
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  Speaker 1: narrow metal ladder leading down to a softly lit cabin.
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  Speaker 1: The faint, steady hum of the vessel was low and comforting,
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  Speaker 1: like a distant purr. He placed a paw on the
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  Speaker 1: first rung of the ladder, testing it carefully, before lowering
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  Speaker 1: himself down step by step. The metal felt cool beneath
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  Speaker 1: his paws, and the round hatch framed a circle of
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  Speaker 1: moonlight that grew smaller as he descended. He was leaving
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  Speaker 1: the world above the water behind. When his feet finally
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  Speaker 1: touched the floor of the submarine. Coco gazed around at
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  Speaker 1: the snug cabin. Polished brass dials lined the curved walls,
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: colored buttons glowed like jewels, and thick glass windows looked
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: out over the dark blue water of Harmony Cove. There
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: was a sturdy wooden table strewn with rolled up maps,
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  Speaker 1: shelves crowded with bottles of shimmering sand, and strings of
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  Speaker 1: pearl shells that glimmered softly along the curved walls. Coco
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: glanced back up at the hatch, waiting eagerly for Michelle.
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: Four green flippers appeared, and soon the turtle was climbing
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  Speaker 1: down the ladder with a soft thud. He reached the
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  Speaker 1: floor beside Coco and looked around the cabin, nodding with satisfaction. Well,
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: then he said, shall we get comfortable. Coco followed Michele
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  Speaker 1: across the cabin, where two wide, cushioned seats had been
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  Speaker 1: placed in front of a large window set into the
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  Speaker 1: golden wall. The glass was thick and perfectly clear, polished
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: until it shone like crystal. The two friends settled themselves
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  Speaker 1: into the seats, then peered out of the window. Their
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: noses almost touching the glass outside, the wooden posts of
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  Speaker 1: the jetty stood tall and familiar in the moonlight. For
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  Speaker 1: a moment, everything was still. Then the floor beneath their
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: feet began to rumble, soft at first, then a little louder,
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  Speaker 1: like the gentle rumble of distant thunder. We're setting off,
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: Coco cried, his ears twitching in excitement. We're about to leave.
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  Speaker 1: We certainly are, Michel replied, fastening about across his lap.
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  Speaker 1: Are you ready for the ride? Coco nodded as he
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: strapped himself into the submarine, gave a small, careful shiver,
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  Speaker 1: and then, with a smooth, steady motion, had eased away
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  Speaker 1: from the jetty. The wooden posts drifted slowly past the glass,
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: followed by the shadowy shapes of the boats bobbing quietly
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: on the water. Cocoa watched every inch of movement, hardly blinking.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: Almost without a splash, the submarine began to sink very slowly.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: The line of the water crept higher across the window,
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: until the moonlight disappeared, replaced by the soft, dim blue
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: of the sea. Bubbles slipped upward past the glass in
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: lazy trails, and the surface of the ocean became a
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: shimmering ceiling far above them. Coco let out a small gasp.
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: We're under the water, he whispered, We're actually under the water. Soon,
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: the sandy bottom of Harmony Cove came into view, Softly
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: lit by the vessel's lamps. Long ribbons of seaweed swayed
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: back and forth, moving in slow, graceful motions, reminding Cocoa
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: of grass blowing in the wind. Back in sleepy forest.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: A school of small silver fish darted past the window,
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: turning in unison so their scales flashed like tiny mirrors.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: One curious fish paused for a moment, hovering near the glass,
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  Speaker 1: as if to inspect the visitors, before flicking its tail
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: and swimming away again. Look at that, Cocoa, Michele said,
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: pointing toward the seabed. Coco leaned forward, pressing his paws
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: against the window. A crab was shuffling sideways across the sand,
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  Speaker 1: its claws raised importantly as it navigated across a cluster
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  Speaker 1: of smooth stones. Nearby, a starfish rested quietly, its arms
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: spread wide like a little sun. Coco's heart filled with
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: bubbling joy. He had watched this world from above he
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: had wondered about it, day dreamed about it, and now
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: he was inside it. He remembered the deep, powerful yearning
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: he had felt, the longing in his chest. How miraculous
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: it was that his wish had been heard by the
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: Murr people in a distant underwater land. And now I'm here,
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: he said, softly, his voice full of awe, underneath the ocean,
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  Speaker 1: and on my way to meet them. With a satisfied sigh,
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: Coco settled back into his seat. As the submarine glided forward.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: It moved across the sandy floor of the cove, carrying
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: them deeper into the calm, mysterious world beneath the sea. Gradually,
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: the seabed began to change. The smooth sand gave way
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: to gentle hills and rocky ridges, dotted with swaying forests
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: of seaweed that rose tall and green like underwater trees.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: Bright fish slipped in and out of the leaves, vanishing
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: and reappearing as if playing hide and seek. Ahead of them,
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  Speaker 1: the water grew darker. It felt hushed and secret, like
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: stepping into a quiet hall where something important was waiting
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  Speaker 1: to be discovered. Strange and beautiful shapes began to appear.
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: It was the stuff Coco had longed to see, the
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: stuff he had dreamed of seeing. Great coral arches shaped
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: like grand doorways, curved overhead, their branches twisting and looping
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: together to make a long, dark tunnel. The submarine passed
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: through it, moving this way and that, navigating the tight
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: corners with ease. It seemed to know where it was going,
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: emerging from the last coralache into a dark section of
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: ocean where caverns shimmered in the darkness. They were filled
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: with treasure, just like co Ko had imagined, piles of
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: smooth jewels, polished shells, and glints of silver and gold
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: that sparkled softly in the dim blue light. In one cavern,
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: pearls that looked just like the one on the necklace
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: glimmered and shone, Who does it all belong to? K Ko,
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: whispered the murr people I expect, Michel replied. Co Ko
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: looked at the front pocket of the satchel, wondering about
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: the lost necklace. Inside the space narrowed, funneling the submarine
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: along a thin path that twisted and turned beneath the waves.
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: The passageway led to a series of underwater caves. Some
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: were small and cozy, tucked into the rock like burrows,
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: while others stretched far back into the shadows. Coco pressed
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: his furry face against the window, his eyes wide and shining.
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: At last, the winding passageway opened into a glimmering stretch
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: of ocean, and Coco felt his breath catch in his
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: Throat the land of the Murry people. He gasped, Look, Michele, Look.
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: There was more magical than Coco could ever have imagined.
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: Buildings rose from the seabed, tall and magnificent. Huge white
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: pillars stood in long, impressive rows, and smooth marble walls
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: gleamed in the light that filtered down from Koala Moon
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: somewhere high above the water. For a moment, ko Ko
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: floated above it all, seeing himself beneath the surface in
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: the golden submarine as mer people drifted around it, their
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: tails flashing silver and turquoise as they moved about their day.
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: And then quite suddenly, the submarine stopped by a wide
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: stone platform. Outside the window, murr people gathered, their long
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: hair drifting gently around their kind, curious faces. With a
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: gentle hiss, the hatch of the submarine unlocked, ko Ko
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: stared at it, suddenly feeling disappointed. In all the excitement,
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: he'd forgotten something rather important. He still couldn't breathe under water.
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: He would never be able to leave the submarine and
• 27:11
  Speaker 1: meet the Muh people. Michele seemed to have forgotten this
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: vital detail too, He was already out of his seat,
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: unfastening his belt and hooking his satchel over his shell.
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: He clapped his flippers together, right, he said, cheerfully. Shall
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: we go and say hello? Coco hesitated, staring down at
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: his fury toes. But how can I, Michel, he asked
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: in a small sad voice. I can't breathe out there.
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: Michelle put a flipper around Coco's soft shoulders and chuckled.
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: You'll see, he said, for the second time that evening.
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: Come on together. The two friends climbed the ladder, Michelle first,
• 28:10
  Speaker 1: Coco following close behind, still feeling rather wary. When Michelle
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: pushed open the hatch, Coco held his breath, but not
• 28:22
  Speaker 1: a single drop of water spilled inside. The ocean hovered
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: above the submarine like a clear, wobbly ceiling.
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: His magic.
• 28:35
  Speaker 1: Coco breathed in amazement. They even chanted the water just
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: for you. Michelle replied, I knew they would. You can't
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: come all this way and stay in the submarine, can you.
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: Dazed but happy, Coco followed the turtle out of the hatch,
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: floating down to the stone platform where the muh people
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: were waiting. He glanced at them shyly. A tall mermaid
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: with green eyes glided forward to meet them, her smile
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: gentle and welcoming. We heard your wish, Coco, she said
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: in a soft, lilting voice. It was a pure wish
• 29:29
  Speaker 1: from a pure heart, and so we sent the submarine
• 29:34
  Speaker 1: to collect you. Coco's cheeks warmed with surprise and pride.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: He looked around at the beautiful, ornate buildings, hardly able
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: to believe he was standing in the land he had
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: dreamed about. The muh people watched him, their eyes bright
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: with interest. Among them, small grew of Muhr children swam
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: in restless circles, whispering and pointing at the visitors. One female,
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: muchild hovered near the front of the crowd, peeking out
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: from behind the others. She caught Coco's eye and waved,
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: and as she did so, Coco noticed a shell bracelet
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: with a pearl pendant twinkling on her wrist, Michelle, Coco said,
• 30:30
  Speaker 1: gesturing at the Muchild. Look that bracelet is identical to
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: the lost necklace. Oh good work, Coco, Michelle replied, sounding delighted.
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: Good work, indeed excitedly. The turtle reached into the front
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: pocket of his satchel before hurrying over to the little Muchild.
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: I believe I have something that may belong to you,
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: he said. The murr people leaned forward with interest as
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: Michele carefully held out the shell necklace on his shiny
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: green flipper. The Muchild gasped my necklace, she said. Michel
• 31:26
  Speaker 1: placed the lost item into the merchild's waiting hands. Found
• 31:32
  Speaker 1: on the beach at Harmony Cove, he said in his
• 31:37
  Speaker 1: steady professional voice, and now safely returned the Muchild beamed
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: hugging the necklace close. Coocho felt a warm glow spread
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: through him, the same pride he'd felt earlier in the
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: lost property office when the lost hat had been returned
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: to the little crab. It was good to do nice things,
• 32:06
  Speaker 1: so very very good. Coco and Michelle stayed for a
• 32:13
  Speaker 1: couple of hours after that, visiting the coral gardens, admiring
• 32:18
  Speaker 1: the tall buildings, and watching the Mr children dart and
• 32:23
  Speaker 1: play among the seaweed. It was everything Coko had hoped
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: for and more. At last, michele rested a gentle flipper
• 32:35
  Speaker 1: on Coco's shoulder. Time to head home, he said kindly.
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: Ko Ko nodded, feeling pleasantly wonderfully tired. Together, the two
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: friends bid farewell to the Muhr people, promising to visit
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: again soon. Wearily, they climbed back into the submarine, the
• 33:03
  Speaker 1: round hatch closing softly above them. Goodbye, Coco called, goodbye,
• 33:12
  Speaker 1: We'll come again soon. The golden vessel eased away from
• 33:18
  Speaker 1: the platform and began the slow, steady journey back through
• 33:24
  Speaker 1: the winding passages and coral arches, leaving the shining city behind.
• 33:32
  Speaker 1: Coco settled into his cushioned seat by the window, watching
• 33:37
  Speaker 1: the deep blue water drift past. His eyelids grew heavier
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: and heavier as the submarine glided smoothly onward. Soon his
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: head tipped gently to one side, and before or they'd
• 34:00
  Speaker 1: even reached the sandy floor of Harmony Cove, Cocoa had
• 34:06
  Speaker 1: fallen fast asleep, dreaming of coral archways, sparkling treasure, and
• 34:16
  Speaker 1: a little merchild with a gleaming pearl necklace smiling. It's
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: the Forest Train by Jane Thomas. Have you ever heard
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: a rustle within a hedge and wondered what little creature
• 34:36
  Speaker 1: is scurrying around inside it? There are whole worlds hidden
• 34:40
  Speaker 1: in the hedges in our towns and countrysides. It is
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: said that if you were to take all of England's
• 34:46
  Speaker 1: hedges and place them end to end, they would wrap
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: around the world ten times over. That's hundreds of thousands
• 34:55
  Speaker 1: of miles of hedgerows, each one packed with flowers and shrubs,
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: beetles and bugs, birds, nests and dens, and burrows and hideaways.
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: When Prickles the hedgehog found this out, which was sort
• 35:11
  Speaker 1: of by accident one day when he overheard his dad
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: talking with their neighbor, mister Burrow, he thought that was
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: one of the most wonderful things he'd ever heard. Prickles
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: had always loved a hedgerow, there where he found purple
• 35:28
  Speaker 1: and plump blackberries, and where he helped his mother reach
• 35:32
  Speaker 1: for the soft white sprays of alderflower, and where he
• 35:36
  Speaker 1: climbed inside and found long loops of sweet scented honeysuckle
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: that his sister made into headdresses and garlands. Also, he
• 35:46
  Speaker 1: shared half his name with Hedgerows, being a hedgehog. The
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: conversation he'd heard between his father and mister Burrow stuck
• 35:56
  Speaker 1: firmly in his mind. Prickles found his mind drifting off
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: in classes school and in the middle of discussions at
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: the dinner table, and even though his eyes would move
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: down the pages of a book, he would realize that
• 36:11
  Speaker 1: he had no idea what had been written at all,
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: and have to start all over again. His mind was
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: completely and utterly occupied by hedges and the worlds within,
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: and so Prickles decided to make a plan. He went
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: through the bookshelves and found what he was after, the
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: Happy Hedgehog camper, pulling it down along with a pile
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: of maps for all of England and Scotland and Wales,
• 36:42
  Speaker 1: and carried them to his bedroom. He spread out the maps,
• 36:47
  Speaker 1: covering almost the entire floor with them, and then sat
• 36:50
  Speaker 1: down right in the middle, on top of where a
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: place called West Yorkshire nestled against East Yorkshire, where all
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: the lines showed him it was very hilly. Indeed, over
• 37:03
  Speaker 1: the next few weeks he planned a route from the
• 37:07
  Speaker 1: far southern corner of England, a wild looking place called
• 37:11
  Speaker 1: Land's End, which seemed very appropriate. All the way to
• 37:15
  Speaker 1: the furthest corners of Scotland. In the north, the headland
• 37:20
  Speaker 1: at the top of the country was called dunit Head,
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: which made Prickles chuckle a little as he put together
• 37:27
  Speaker 1: his plan. He would travel the entire length of the
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: country all the way from Land's End to dunn It
• 37:34
  Speaker 1: Head and be able to say when he reached the
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: end dune It. In fact, Prickles found this so funny,
• 37:42
  Speaker 1: and he laughed so loudly that his father came into
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: his bedroom to see what was going on in there.
• 37:48
  Speaker 1: His father was just about to open his mouth to
• 37:51
  Speaker 1: speak when the words stopped halfway along his tongue. He
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: looked at the masts, now covered in bits of string,
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: and he looked at pins that had been stuck in
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: all the way, and he looked at Prickles, sat squarely
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: in the middle, still shaking with laughter. And finally he
• 38:13
  Speaker 1: looked at the title of the book Prickles held in
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: his hands. And that is why Prickles and his dad
• 38:21
  Speaker 1: ended up on a train in England a few days later,
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: each carrying a backpack filled with useful bits and pieces
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: like sleeping bags and roll mats and head torches and
• 38:34
  Speaker 1: Wellington boots, and headed all the way to Land's End.
• 38:40
  Speaker 1: They were off on an expedition to visit as many
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: hedgerows as possible and see the world's inside. Prickles stared
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: out of the train window and watched as the world
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: rushed by. They rattled over bridges and alongside rivers and
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: next to the ocean, up steep hills and down even
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: steeper ones, and threw tunnels into villages and towns. Hardly
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: any one else went all the way to the far
• 39:14
  Speaker 1: corner of the country, and in fact it was just
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: Prickles and his dad who climbed down. At the last station,
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: they were left quite alone on the platform. Prickles picked
• 39:28
  Speaker 1: up the first map they would use and turned it
• 39:31
  Speaker 1: around four or five times before he finally worked out
• 39:34
  Speaker 1: which was the right way up. He showed his dad
• 39:39
  Speaker 1: their first camp site for the night. As they left
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: the station, they saw a small wooden sign so low
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: to the ground that no people would ever see it,
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: but the perfect height for animals such as hedgehogs. It
• 39:55
  Speaker 1: showed the way to their first stop, Dormice delight dormitories.
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: A few miles away. There was a picture of an
• 40:03
  Speaker 1: acorn carved into the wooden sign, and Prickles and his
• 40:07
  Speaker 1: dad followed the acorn pictures across fields and styles and
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: ditches and streams until they finally arrived at the perfect
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: point on the hedgerow. Prickles pushed his way through the
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: hawthorn entrance and his eyes opened wide. Inside the hedgerow
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: was all but hollowed out. Fireflies sat on every branch
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: and twig, so it was as if they'd stumbled into
• 40:38
  Speaker 1: a golden ball of light. A dormouse sitting on a
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: particularly large acorn beckoned them over, welcoming them to Dormice
• 40:47
  Speaker 1: Delight and asking to see their booking. Prickles rummaged in
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: his bag for the right piece of paper, showing they
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: had reservations for two bunk beds for the night, and
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: the door pointed to a tunnel that weaved its way
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: among the branches of the hedgerow. They had just finished
• 41:07
  Speaker 1: unrolling their sleeping bags and plumping up their pillows when
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: a stoat poked his head into the chamber and invited
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: Prickles and his dad to dinner, and so they followed
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: the stoat deeper and deeper into the hedgerow, until they
• 41:23
  Speaker 1: emerged into the vast dining hall. A menu appeared, and
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: Prickles ran his eyes down the list, pausing at star
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: gazy pie and deciding that sounded like a little slice
• 41:37
  Speaker 1: of magic. His dad ordered a Cornish pasty, showing Prickles
• 41:42
  Speaker 1: how the pastry was folded over and curled and crimped
• 41:46
  Speaker 1: to make a big hunk of a handle on the side.
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: The Cornish miners used to eat these, you see, he
• 41:54
  Speaker 1: explained to his son. There would be meat and vege
• 41:58
  Speaker 1: at one end of the pasty, and and something like
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: apple and BlackBerry at the other end, so your dinner
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: and dessert in one. And then as he finished eating,
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: he took the last bit of pastry and put it
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: down on his plate. This bit you don't eat. The
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: miner's hands would be felthy, so they left that last
• 42:20
  Speaker 1: bit alone. There's an acclover. Prickles carefully noted everything about
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: the pasty in his diary that evening, his large looping letters,
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: also holding reminders of stargaisy pie and scones with strawberry
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: jam and generous dollops of yellow cream. It's surprising how
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: quickly the hedgerows came to be like home. They were
• 42:47
  Speaker 1: so thick and strong that even when the wind blew
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: with all its strength and rain poured from the sky,
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: Prickles was completely snug inside. On the days when the
• 43:01
  Speaker 1: sun threw down its warmth, the hedgerows were cool and calm.
• 43:07
  Speaker 1: Prickles particularly loved the hedgerows that came with little information
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: boards showing how old they were and why they'd been
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: grown in the first place. Near a place called Stratford
• 43:20
  Speaker 1: were hedgerows that had been there since the days of
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: William Shakespeare, and Prickles and his dad followed the signs
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: carefully to find a theater buried deep in the countryside.
• 43:33
  Speaker 1: The theater was lit by a soft green moss that
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: glowed in the dark, and Prickles sat in awe as
• 43:42
  Speaker 1: a group of field mice put on a play called
• 43:45
  Speaker 1: The Tempest, all about a shipwreck on a magical island,
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: where spirits danced and a magician cast magnificent spells. Prickles
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: held his breath and watched in wonder. Some of the
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: bushes are so old they remember the first time the
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: plays were put on, whispered as Stoat and the bushes
• 44:11
  Speaker 1: seemed to rustle around him, as if to say it
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: was indeed true. That's over four hundred years ago, isn't
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: it amazing? And here we are still putting on those
• 44:27
  Speaker 1: same plays. It's wonderful, whispered back Prickles, wondering for a
• 44:34
  Speaker 1: moment if anything he wrote in his diaries might be
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: important enough to be remembered in four hundred years time.
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: He had planned his route carefully to visit some of
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: the finest hedgerows in the country, which means they had
• 44:52
  Speaker 1: to head to a place called Cambridgeshire, to what is
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: called Judith's Hedge, the oldest hedge in the whole country.
• 45:02
  Speaker 1: This hedgerow has been a home to thousands of creatures
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: since it was created over nine hundred years ago. It
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: is older than Windsor Castle, where the Queens and Kings
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: of England have lived for generations, older than most of
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: the churches and cathedrals, older than the castles that still
• 45:26
  Speaker 1: stand on the highest peaks, older than the ancient stone
• 45:31
  Speaker 1: barns that stand in the fields that are marked out
• 45:34
  Speaker 1: by the endless lines of hedgerows. Judith's Hedge was a
• 45:40
  Speaker 1: special place, and Prickles felt that as soon as he
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: pushed past the wild roses that hung around the entrance
• 45:48
  Speaker 1: to the butterfly bed and breakfast where he and his
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: dad would stay that night. A gatekeeper butterfly orange wings
• 45:58
  Speaker 1: with a perfect brown fringe, checked their bookie, and a
• 46:03
  Speaker 1: holly blue butterfly fluttered ahead along the corridors to show
• 46:08
  Speaker 1: them to their room. Hammocks woven from leaves hung from
• 46:14
  Speaker 1: the strongest spider webs. Glowworms wrapped themselves around thick hawthorn
• 46:20
  Speaker 1: stems and lit the way. Prickles followed voices deep in
• 46:26
  Speaker 1: the hedgerow and emerged into a huge hall where moles
• 46:32
  Speaker 1: sat alongside voles, and rabbits perched next to hares, and
• 46:38
  Speaker 1: all were turned towards the front, where an elderly frog
• 46:42
  Speaker 1: wearing a sweeping black cloak and a square, flat black
• 46:47
  Speaker 1: hat was giving a lecture ill find. The frog was
• 46:53
  Speaker 1: saying that hedgerows are invaluable to animals who use them
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: as corridors of safety, ancient passages where they can pass
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: unseen by the outside world. The hegerow from the outside
• 47:11
  Speaker 1: may seem dull and bland, a mass of green and brown,
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: all tangled together, but peer closer and the truth twinkled
• 47:25
  Speaker 1: bright and bald. Prickles found a spare seat and settled
• 47:30
  Speaker 1: into it, captivated by the frog, who walked back and
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: forth across a small stage with his hands behind his back,
• 47:40
  Speaker 1: talking to the room and yet also seeming to talk
• 47:44
  Speaker 1: to himself at the same time. He was wrapped up
• 47:49
  Speaker 1: in his words, building up to a grand finale. All
• 47:54
  Speaker 1: the creatures leaned forwards in their seats, waiting in a
• 47:59
  Speaker 1: growing silence to hear what else the frog could tell them.
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: These worlds within have been a saving grace of wildlife
• 48:11
  Speaker 1: for hundreds of years. The animals nodded. These worlds within,
• 48:19
  Speaker 1: each unique are surely, the frog paused here for dramatic effect,
• 48:27
  Speaker 1: looking up and sweeping his eyes across the animals are
• 48:32
  Speaker 1: surely some of the most magical on earth. The wisdom
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: and sanctuary of the hedgerows are unequaled. Whereever you are,
• 48:45
  Speaker 1: whatever happens, Nature will be there to save and support you.
• 48:54
  Speaker 1: Remember that, my fellow creatures, and you will always find
• 48:59
  Speaker 1: hope and happiness. Prickles felt his spines rise up a little,
• 49:07
  Speaker 1: the same way the hares stand up on a person's
• 49:10
  Speaker 1: arm when they are in the presence of something or
• 49:13
  Speaker 1: someone truly extraordinary. A rabbit next to him whispered, he
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: lectures at Cambridge University. Isn't that something? And Prickles felt
• 49:27
  Speaker 1: terribly important, indeed, in the presence of a frog who
• 49:31
  Speaker 1: had come to speak that evening from one of the oldest,
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: most prestigious universities in all the world. The next stop
• 49:42
  Speaker 1: on the tour of headgerows was in a place called Yorkshire,
• 49:47
  Speaker 1: the bit where Prickles had parked his bottom when he'd
• 49:50
  Speaker 1: spread the maps across his bedroom floor all those weeks ago.
• 49:57
  Speaker 1: A badger welcomed him to the sleepy sto an inn,
• 50:01
  Speaker 1: where all the creatures wore flat caps and seemed to
• 50:05
  Speaker 1: drink copious amounts of tea. Welcome to God's own country,
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: said the badger, smiling proudly as he pointed out the
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: features of the hedgerow. The beds were made of the thick,
• 50:20
  Speaker 1: springy heathers that poured across the countryside in waves of
• 50:25
  Speaker 1: rippling purple. The entrance way was dense with holly, the
• 50:31
  Speaker 1: bright shiny dark green leaves and bright shiny, dark red
• 50:37
  Speaker 1: berries serving as both a beautiful doorway and excellent security system.
• 50:44
  Speaker 1: In one that evening, Prickles ate his first Yorkshire pudding,
• 50:52
  Speaker 1: a huge puff of pastry that had been baked into
• 50:56
  Speaker 1: a bowl and filled with rich, thick gray. In each hedgerow,
• 51:03
  Speaker 1: he noticed the voices of the animals changed. There might
• 51:09
  Speaker 1: be only a few miles between their happy hedgehog campsites,
• 51:15
  Speaker 1: but the accents would be different, and the food would
• 51:19
  Speaker 1: be different, and the flowers and trees and bushes that
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: made up the hedgerows would be different. Prickles carefully wrote
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: everything in his diary, those large looping letters wandering across
• 51:37
  Speaker 1: page after page. All that he saw and heard noted
• 51:43
  Speaker 1: down so he might never forget. But he knew that
• 51:51
  Speaker 1: he would never forget the last few weeks of hedgerows
• 51:56
  Speaker 1: that they saw, Those that rambled across the Scottish Highlands
• 52:02
  Speaker 1: were like no other and filled with sights and sounds
• 52:07
  Speaker 1: that would always be with him. Nessi's Nest was a
• 52:12
  Speaker 1: particularly wonderful campsite, named, of course, after the giant creature
• 52:18
  Speaker 1: that lives in nearby Loch Ness. The sound of the
• 52:23
  Speaker 1: bagpipes reached Prickles long before they entered the hedgerow, and
• 52:29
  Speaker 1: he smiled broadly at the red squirrel who greeted him.
• 52:35
  Speaker 1: The squirrel introduced himself as Callum and proudly posed in
• 52:40
  Speaker 1: his kilt red tartan squares bright against the green of
• 52:44
  Speaker 1: the hedgerow. Prickles's bed for the night was a thick
• 52:50
  Speaker 1: mattress of dark green moss, warm and inviting, but he
• 52:56
  Speaker 1: couldn't resist. Following the sound of the music, a huge
• 53:02
  Speaker 1: hall was cut out into the middle of the hedgerow,
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: and high on a branch, another squirrel played the bagpipes.
• 53:11
  Speaker 1: He squeezed the bag and blew into the mouthpiece, and
• 53:16
  Speaker 1: the notes soared and filled the air with music. A
• 53:22
  Speaker 1: stoat sat nearby with a fiddle, the bow speeding wildly
• 53:27
  Speaker 1: back and forth across the strings. Around the edge of
• 53:33
  Speaker 1: a makeshift dance floor, creatures clapped their hands and stamped
• 53:39
  Speaker 1: their feet, and in the middle others swirled and twirled
• 53:45
  Speaker 1: and danced faster and faster. As the music picked up pace,
• 53:52
  Speaker 1: Prickles and his dad joined in, shouting and cheering along
• 53:57
  Speaker 1: with the others, filling the head with life and laughter.
• 54:04
  Speaker 1: Prickles thought back to the words of the frog, all
• 54:08
  Speaker 1: the way back in Cambridge, how the hedgerows are twinkling
• 54:13
  Speaker 1: with magic, and he threw back his head and cheered
• 54:17
  Speaker 1: with delight as his dad grabbed his hands and swung
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: him faster and faster in a circle. The final days
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: of their tour of the hedgerows were quiet as Prickles
• 54:31
  Speaker 1: thought through everything he had seen on his journey. His
• 54:36
  Speaker 1: legs were so tired he could well believe he had
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: walked around the world ten times, even though if truth
• 54:47
  Speaker 1: be told, they had taken many trains and buses to
• 54:52
  Speaker 1: help them along their way. It would take, he decided,
• 54:58
  Speaker 1: an entire lifetime to know all the different hedgerows and
• 55:02
  Speaker 1: see everything that was hidden inside. He'd loved each and
• 55:09
  Speaker 1: every moment of the trip, and he dragged his feet
• 55:13
  Speaker 1: a little on those last days, not wanting it to
• 55:18
  Speaker 1: come to an end, but knowing that it must done.
• 55:24
  Speaker 1: It Head was the last stop. It was a cold
• 55:28
  Speaker 1: and windy day, with the wind whipping its way all
• 55:33
  Speaker 1: the way from Norway, with the feeling of snow and
• 55:38
  Speaker 1: ice behind it. Prickles poured on his warmest coat and
• 55:44
  Speaker 1: his thickhest socks and buried his feet into his Wellington boots,
• 55:51
  Speaker 1: bending himself into the wind and pushing forwards with each step.
• 55:59
  Speaker 1: His legs were more and more tired. His dad walked
• 56:05
  Speaker 1: alongside him, distracting him by pointing out the thick yellow
• 56:11
  Speaker 1: gorthe all the patches of purple heather, or the birds
• 56:18
  Speaker 1: racing through the sky high above. Prickles imagined the final stop,
• 56:28
  Speaker 1: the Highland hang Out camp sight in the final hedgerow
• 56:34
  Speaker 1: they would see. Scotland had perhaps been the wildest and
• 56:40
  Speaker 1: most wonderful of the places he had seen. There weren't
• 56:45
  Speaker 1: as many hedgerows here, nowhere near as many as when
• 56:51
  Speaker 1: they had started all the way down in Cornwall, where
• 56:56
  Speaker 1: they crisscrossed and climbed over every corner of the countryside.
• 57:04
  Speaker 1: It was late in the evening when they finally approached
• 57:09
  Speaker 1: the headland, and as Prickles stood there, the wind rushing
• 57:15
  Speaker 1: around him, he whispered to himself, done it, and just
• 57:23
  Speaker 1: about found the energy for a little smile. The Highland
• 57:30
  Speaker 1: Hangout was a particularly beautiful hedgerow, or perhaps anywhere would
• 57:38
  Speaker 1: have seemed particularly beautiful that evening. Since Prickles was so very,
• 57:46
  Speaker 1: very tired, he yawned and stretched his way through the evening,
• 57:56
  Speaker 1: and in the morning his father wrapped him in a
• 58:00
  Speaker 1: blanket and carried him, still fast asleep, to the magical
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: train that would whisk them back to sleepy forest. The
• 58:15
  Speaker 1: train raced and rattled its way through the counties, rushing
• 58:23
  Speaker 1: past headerows filled with memories and magic, and Prickles slept
• 58:31
  Speaker 1: soundly beneath his tartan rub, dreaming of all the things
• 58:38
  Speaker 1: he had seen and the worlds he now knew. Now
• 58:44
  Speaker 1: we are sailing into a soft and peaceful sleep. It's
• 58:50
  Speaker 1: the magical hot air balloom by Annabell. Picture.
• 58:57
  Speaker 2: In the village of Lower Staries Skies, where the evenings
• 59:01
  Speaker 2: were soft and the stars gathered low above the rooftops,
• 59:05
  Speaker 2: lived two dogs who were the very best of friends.
• 59:09
  Speaker 2: Their names, of course, were Hector and Sunny. Despite being
• 59:14
  Speaker 2: great companions, the two dogs looked nothing like each other.
• 59:19
  Speaker 2: Hector was a huge golden Retriever with a splendid, shiny
• 59:24
  Speaker 2: coat that glowed the color of sunlight even on cloudy days.
• 59:29
  Speaker 2: Sunny was a confident Cocker Spaniel the exact color of
• 59:34
  Speaker 2: warm toffee. Her eyes were unusually bright blue, clear, and
• 59:40
  Speaker 2: almost glowing, like pieces of sky had been placed gently
• 59:44
  Speaker 2: in her face. The two friends enjoyed many games, but
• 59:50
  Speaker 2: what they loved most was adventures. I don't think there'll
• 59:55
  Speaker 2: be one today, though, Hector yawned one afternoon as he
• 59:59
  Speaker 2: sprawled out in his back garden. It's far too warm
• 1:00:03
  Speaker 2: and snoozy, nonsense, replied Sunny, bounding around the lawn chasing
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 2: after a butterfly. Adventures are hidden all over the place.
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 2: You just need to know where to look. That was true,
• 1:00:18
  Speaker 2: of course, but right at that moment, Hector couldn't be
• 1:00:21
  Speaker 2: bothered to look anywhere. He was lying on a patch
• 1:00:25
  Speaker 2: of warm grass where the late afternoon sunshine had gathered
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 2: in a soft golden pool, and he was daydreaming about gravy.
• 1:00:35
  Speaker 2: It was Hector's favorite thing in the world, and he
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 2: lay quite still for a few glorious minutes, imagining lapping
• 1:00:44
  Speaker 2: it up. Eventually, he let out another loud yawn. Ah,
• 1:00:50
  Speaker 2: it must be time for tea, Sonny, he said, My
• 1:00:54
  Speaker 2: tummy is feeling rather rumbly. There was no reply. Hector
• 1:01:00
  Speaker 2: opened one eye, Sonny, still nothing. Hector chuckled, pushing himself
• 1:01:09
  Speaker 2: up from the warm grass and giving his golden coat
• 1:01:13
  Speaker 2: a shake. He knew exactly what his mischievous friend was
• 1:01:17
  Speaker 2: up to. Sonny loved to hide, especially when she was bored. Sonny,
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 2: he sang softly, Sonny, I'm looking for you. With a
• 1:01:31
  Speaker 2: happy wag. Hector padded across the grass, sniffing out Sonny's trail.
• 1:01:37
  Speaker 2: It led him out of his back garden and along
• 1:01:40
  Speaker 2: the pavement toward the park in the middle of Lower
• 1:01:44
  Speaker 2: Starry Skies. He entered the park, passing through a large
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 2: wrought iron gate, then paused to sniff the ground. There
• 1:01:54
  Speaker 2: it was again stronger, now indicating that Sonny had turned right.
• 1:02:01
  Speaker 2: Tail wagging even faster, Hector followed the trail, which took
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 2: him along a path that meandered through the trees, and then,
• 1:02:10
  Speaker 2: quite suddenly, it stopped right beside a bush. It was
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 2: a rather ordinary looking bush at first glance, round and
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 2: leafy and slightly overgrown, but as Hector stood before it,
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 2: something about it felt different. He tilted his head, examining
• 1:02:32
  Speaker 2: it closely. Sonny, he said, a little more hesitant. Now
• 1:02:39
  Speaker 2: no reply, but a rustle. Hector's ears perked up. Something
• 1:02:46
  Speaker 2: was inside the bush, but was it sunny? He stepped closer,
• 1:02:52
  Speaker 2: eyes narrowing as he tried to catch the faintest hint
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 2: of movement within the leaves. The bush rustled again, a
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 2: little louder.
• 1:03:02
  Speaker 1: This time.
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 2: Hector held very still. Sonny, he whispered and then from
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 2: behind him, from an entirely different bush altogether, there came
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 2: a sudden burst of movement and a joyful bark. You've
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 2: found me, cried an exuberant voice. Hector spun around to
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 2: see Sonny bounding towards him, her long ears flying in
• 1:03:27
  Speaker 2: the air. You've found me, Hector, she said again. But
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 2: it wasn't true, Hector frowned. But I didn't find you, Sonny.
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 2: I didn't find you because I thought you were in there.
• 1:03:43
  Speaker 2: He pointed at the original bush, which rustled again. The
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 2: two dogs shared a meaningful glance. Together, they stepped towards
• 1:03:53
  Speaker 2: the bush, their movements slow and careful. The bush gave
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 2: another small twitch as a glimmer of something bright appeared
• 1:04:03
  Speaker 2: among the leaves. What is that, Hector asked, staring in
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 2: wonder at the flashing colors. Only one way to find out,
• 1:04:14
  Speaker 2: Sunny whispered, and with that the two friends began to
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 2: part the branches to see what was causing the colors.
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 2: It didn't take long to find out. There nestled deep
• 1:04:27
  Speaker 2: within the bush was a shiny, shimmering ball, and like
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 2: any the two dogs had ever seen, its surface glowed
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 2: with moving colors, red s, melting into golds, blues drifting
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 2: into greens, like a rainbow that had somehow curled itself
• 1:04:46
  Speaker 2: into a perfect shining sphere. Hector blinked, well, he said, quietly,
• 1:04:53
  Speaker 2: that is most unusual. Sunny's blue eyes shone even brighter.
• 1:05:00
  Speaker 2: I told you, Hector, she said, her voice quivering with excitement.
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 2: I told you didn't. I adventures are hidden all over
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 2: the place. You just need to know where to look.
• 1:05:13
  Speaker 2: Very carefully. She reached forward and nudged the ball with
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 2: her nose. It rolled out of the bush, then paused.
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 2: Hector reached out a paw to tap it again, but
• 1:05:25
  Speaker 2: the ball quite unexpectedly gave a small, lively bounce, completely
• 1:05:30
  Speaker 2: of its own accord, and then, with sudden, playful energy,
• 1:05:35
  Speaker 2: began to roll away. Sonny barked with delight and gave
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 2: Chase Hector come on. Hector followed at once, his golden
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 2: fur catching the light of the sun as he ran.
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 2: The ball bounced across the grass and then over a
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 2: small brook, then along the path. Each time it landed,
• 1:05:59
  Speaker 2: it seemed to gather to just a little more energy,
• 1:06:02
  Speaker 2: just a little more purpose, as though it knew exactly
• 1:06:06
  Speaker 2: where it was going. It rolled to a stop at
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 2: a hedge, then, with one more playful bounce, disappeared straight
• 1:06:14
  Speaker 2: through it. Sonny skidded to a halt. Hector stopped beside her.
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 2: They recognized this place at once, Sonny, Hector whispered, staring
• 1:06:28
  Speaker 2: at the gap in the branches. Isn't that yes, Sonny replied,
• 1:06:35
  Speaker 2: her voice low and awed the hedgerow portal, the one
• 1:06:41
  Speaker 2: that leads to Sleepy Forest. Hector finished, gazing in wonder
• 1:06:47
  Speaker 2: at the hole in the hedge, where the air flickered
• 1:06:50
  Speaker 2: like the heat rising off warm ground. Sonny took a
• 1:06:54
  Speaker 2: small step forward. Come on, she said, her voice quivering
• 1:06:59
  Speaker 2: with excite. We've got a boar to find, and without hesitating,
• 1:07:04
  Speaker 2: the courageous cocker spaniel leapt forward straight through the shimmering
• 1:07:09
  Speaker 2: gap in the leaves. Hector paused for a moment, thinking
• 1:07:15
  Speaker 2: longingly of the ball of gravy that would be waiting
• 1:07:18
  Speaker 2: for him at home, then followed, hoping there might be
• 1:07:23
  Speaker 2: a snack or two in Sleepy Forest. On the other side.
• 1:07:28
  Speaker 2: Everything was quiet, not an empty quiet, but a deep,
• 1:07:33
  Speaker 2: gentle quiet which wrapped itself around Hector and Sunny like
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 2: a comforting blanket. The trees were tall and graceful, their
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 2: leaves shimmering softly in shades of silver. Green dusk filtered
• 1:07:50
  Speaker 2: through them in slow drifting patterns, making everything feel dreamy.
• 1:07:58
  Speaker 2: The ground beneath Hector and sunny Paws was soft and mossy,
• 1:08:03
  Speaker 2: springing gently with each step as they searched for the ball.
• 1:08:07
  Speaker 2: It must be here, somewhere, Sonny said, turning on the spot,
• 1:08:12
  Speaker 2: trying to make out a flicker of movement among the
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 2: silent green stillness. But there was nothing, no bouncing, no color,
• 1:08:23
  Speaker 2: no trace of the ball at all. Hector's ears dropped slightly.
• 1:08:29
  Speaker 2: It's gone, he said, as his tummy let out a
• 1:08:33
  Speaker 2: large rumble. And I'm hungry. Well, you're in luck, Sonny replied,
• 1:08:40
  Speaker 2: sounding a little surprised, as he gestured at something on
• 1:08:44
  Speaker 2: the path ahead. Look at that, Hector followed Sanny's pointing paw,
• 1:08:50
  Speaker 2: screwing up his eyes as he studied the rectangular shape
• 1:08:55
  Speaker 2: which looked out of place on the forest floor. A basket.
• 1:09:00
  Speaker 2: Not just any basket, Hector, A picnic basket, Sonny replied.
• 1:09:06
  Speaker 2: But where did it come from? It wasn't there a
• 1:09:09
  Speaker 2: moment ago, Who cares? Hector giggled, gazing in wonder at
• 1:09:14
  Speaker 2: the large woven basket. It was made from thick golden willow,
• 1:09:19
  Speaker 2: with smooth leather corners and ropes tied carefully along its sides.
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 2: It was bigger than most picnic baskets, but not in
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 2: a way that felt strange. It was just roomy, as
• 1:09:32
  Speaker 2: though it could hold plenty of delicious treats for a
• 1:09:35
  Speaker 2: grand day out. Hector bounded towards the basket, then danced
• 1:09:41
  Speaker 2: around it, inspecting it from all sides. What do you
• 1:09:45
  Speaker 2: think is inside? He asked, as Sunny sniffed at the corners, sandwiches, sausages.
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 2: Sonny suggested gravy. Hector cried, unable to bear the suspense
• 1:09:58
  Speaker 2: a moment longer, versed quickly then took an almighty run up,
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 2: leaping inside. Sonny followed, jumping inside his friend, and then
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 2: they both peered around the basket, hoping to find food.
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 2: But there was nothing, nothing at all. This is a
• 1:10:18
  Speaker 2: picnic basket, isn't it, Sonny asked, as if in reply,
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 2: the basket lurched. Of course, it's a picnic basket, Hector replied.
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 2: But the basket gave a second, unmistakable wobble. Hector Sonny
• 1:10:35
  Speaker 2: said in a low astonished voice. I think I think
• 1:10:40
  Speaker 2: the basket is getting ready to take off. Hector shook
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 2: his head firmly. No, Sonny, no, it can't be. That
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 2: would be ridiculous, he replied. But just at that moment,
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 2: the basket lifted up. It rose up and up. The
• 1:11:03
  Speaker 2: forest floor disappeared from view, the trees fell away, and
• 1:11:08
  Speaker 2: the sky itself opened wide and glowing, like an invitation
• 1:11:13
  Speaker 2: that was impossible to resist. We're flying, Hector gasped, We're flying, Sunny.
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 2: Above them, something vast began to unfold, something they hadn't
• 1:11:28
  Speaker 2: seen until this very moment, A great, magnificent rainbow colored balloon,
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 2: attached to the basket by thick, strong ropes. A hot
• 1:11:40
  Speaker 2: air balloon, Sunny cried as she clung to the rim
• 1:11:43
  Speaker 2: of the basket, her long ears fluttering in the breeze.
• 1:11:47
  Speaker 2: It's a hot air balloon, Hector. Hector planted his paws
• 1:11:51
  Speaker 2: carefully beside her and looked up at the balloon, which
• 1:11:55
  Speaker 2: continued to unfold, stretching wider and rounder as if filled
• 1:12:00
  Speaker 2: with warm air. Its colours shimmered in the fading light,
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 2: deep ruby red, melting into sunset orange, then glowing gold,
• 1:12:11
  Speaker 2: then drifting into soft greens, loose and violets. The colors
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 2: did not sit still. They rippled and flowed across the
• 1:12:22
  Speaker 2: fabric like a living rainbow. Hector threw back his head
• 1:12:27
  Speaker 2: and filled his lungs with cool, evening air. This, he said,
• 1:12:33
  Speaker 2: letting out a large, happy sigh. Ah is the most
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 2: remarkable way to travel, and our most remarkable adventure yet,
• 1:12:44
  Speaker 2: Sonny replied. And then the two dogs looked at each
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 2: other and started to laugh. It was a warm, bubbly
• 1:12:53
  Speaker 2: sound of pure joy. Below them, sleepy forests spread out
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 2: like a great green blanket stitched together with silver threads
• 1:13:03
  Speaker 2: of moonlight. The tall trees, which had seemed so enormous
• 1:13:07
  Speaker 2: on the ground, now looked tiny from above. Cottages shone
• 1:13:12
  Speaker 2: among them, their windows glowing warm and golden. As night
• 1:13:18
  Speaker 2: began to settle in, Sonny leaned over the side of
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 2: the basket, careful to hold on tightly. Hector, look, isn't
• 1:13:28
  Speaker 2: that Coco's house? Sure enough, cozy cabin appeared among the trees,
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 2: a soft curl of smoke twisting out the chimney. Through
• 1:13:38
  Speaker 2: the window, Hector and Sunny could just about make out
• 1:13:43
  Speaker 2: the tiny figure of Cocoa. The koala padding across the
• 1:13:47
  Speaker 2: wooden floor in his fluffy pajamas, carrying a bedtime story
• 1:13:52
  Speaker 2: beneath one arm. In the next window, his little sister Kira,
• 1:13:57
  Speaker 2: was brushing her teeth at the sink, Standing on tiptoe
• 1:14:00
  Speaker 2: and peering into the mirror with great concentration. She paused
• 1:14:05
  Speaker 2: to rinse her round cheeks, puffing out like little balloons.
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 2: Hector and Sunny traveled onwards through the darkening night. Moonlights
• 1:14:16
  Speaker 2: billed from the heavens in long silver ribbons, and the
• 1:14:20
  Speaker 2: stars blinked awake one by one, quiet and watchful above
• 1:14:26
  Speaker 2: the treetops. Soon, sleepy forest was replaced by snow pillowy peaks.
• 1:14:33
  Speaker 2: Hector exclaimed, look Sunny. From their perch high in the
• 1:14:38
  Speaker 2: hot air balloon, Hector and Sunny gazed down at the
• 1:14:42
  Speaker 2: snowy land far below. Mountains stretched out in every direction,
• 1:14:48
  Speaker 2: rising and folding into one another like a row of
• 1:14:52
  Speaker 2: enormous pillows. Each peak was wrapped in thick, fluffy snow
• 1:14:58
  Speaker 2: that sparkled gently in in the fading light, as if
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 2: someone had sprinkled a dusting of tiny stars across the tops.
• 1:15:06
  Speaker 2: Above the mountains, the night sky began to glow with movement,
• 1:15:11
  Speaker 2: soft ribbons of color unfurled across the darkness, twisting and
• 1:15:17
  Speaker 2: waving like long silken scarfs. The lights shimmered and danced
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 2: so gracefully that neither dog spoke for a moment. They
• 1:15:28
  Speaker 2: simply watched, their eyes wide with wonder. The sky is
• 1:15:34
  Speaker 2: painting pictures, Sunny whispered softly. Hector leaned carefully over the
• 1:15:40
  Speaker 2: edge of the basket, his ears lifting with curiosity. A
• 1:15:45
  Speaker 2: paper white Arctic fox bounded across the landscape below, nearly
• 1:15:50
  Speaker 2: invisible against the snow. It leapt high into the air,
• 1:15:55
  Speaker 2: then disappeared, nose first into a drift, popping back out
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 2: again a moment later, as if it was searching for something.
• 1:16:05
  Speaker 2: Maybe he's trying to find a friend, too, Hector chuckled,
• 1:16:09
  Speaker 2: recalling the very start of their adventure. How funny to
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 2: think that all of this had begun with a game
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 2: of hide and seek. As the balloon floated away, the
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 2: mountains began to fade. The land below softened and changed,
• 1:16:27
  Speaker 2: the sharp white peaks giving way to pale cliffs that
• 1:16:32
  Speaker 2: hugged a long stretch of sandy shore harmony cove. Sunny gasped,
• 1:16:38
  Speaker 2: isn't it beautiful? Hector? In the gentle glow of Koala moon.
• 1:16:44
  Speaker 2: The cove looked calm and peaceful, as though it had
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 2: been tucked carefully into the curve of the land for
• 1:16:51
  Speaker 2: safe keeping. The sand stretched smooth and pale along the shoreline,
• 1:16:57
  Speaker 2: and the ocean shimmered like polished silver beneath the moon,
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 2: as gentle waves rolled towards the beach, quiet and steady,
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 2: as if the sea itself were breathing in its sleep.
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 2: Each time a wave curled and broke, bright trails of
• 1:17:18
  Speaker 2: blue light danced across the water. A small fish jumped
• 1:17:23
  Speaker 2: from the sea and left a glowing ribbon behind it,
• 1:17:26
  Speaker 2: as though it had drawn a line of starlight through
• 1:17:29
  Speaker 2: the dark. Out in the bay, a tall ship rested
• 1:17:34
  Speaker 2: peacefully on the twinkling water. Its dark sails rippled lazily
• 1:17:40
  Speaker 2: in the warm sea breeze, and a golden star on
• 1:17:44
  Speaker 2: its mast caught the moonlight flashing now and then like
• 1:17:49
  Speaker 2: a friendly signal across the waves. The ship rocked slowly
• 1:17:54
  Speaker 2: from side to side, steady and unhurried, as though it
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 2: too were settling down for the night. High above the cove,
• 1:18:04
  Speaker 2: the great balloon drifted peacefully through the dark blue sky,
• 1:18:09
  Speaker 2: its colours glowing faintly in the light of Koala moon,
• 1:18:15
  Speaker 2: soft reds, warm oranges, gentle greens, and cool blues shimmering
• 1:18:23
  Speaker 2: together like light reflected on the water. The colours seemed
• 1:18:28
  Speaker 2: brighter now, clearer, in the silver glow, each shade flowing
• 1:18:34
  Speaker 2: gently into the next. Hector rested his paws on the
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 2: edge of the basket and slowly lifted his gaze upward.
• 1:18:44
  Speaker 2: He stared at the glowing canopy for a long moment,
• 1:18:49
  Speaker 2: something about the colours tugging at his thoughts. I've seen
• 1:18:55
  Speaker 2: colours like that before, he murmured, his voice low and pensive.
• 1:19:00
  Speaker 2: Sannie followed his gaze, watching the colors ripple across the
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 2: balloon's surface. They are very pretty, she said, like a
• 1:19:09
  Speaker 2: rainbow that forgot to go to bed. Hector nodded, but
• 1:19:14
  Speaker 2: his brow remained slightly furrowed. He kept staring, studying the
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 2: colors carefully, a quiet feeling of recognition beginning to grow
• 1:19:25
  Speaker 2: inside him. The pall he whispered, and as if in response,
• 1:19:31
  Speaker 2: the balloon gave a small, gentle dip down. It floated,
• 1:19:36
  Speaker 2: then slowly back up again, then down once more, and
• 1:19:41
  Speaker 2: slowly back up. Sannie's paws shifted slightly to keep her balance.
• 1:19:48
  Speaker 2: Her tail gave a small wag of surprise. What's going on,
• 1:19:53
  Speaker 2: she asked. Hector turned towards his friend, his brown eyes
• 1:19:58
  Speaker 2: full of amazement. It's the ball, Sonny, the rainbow ball.
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 2: He pointed at the glowing colors above their heads, the
• 1:20:07
  Speaker 2: same colors they had chased across the grass, the same
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 2: colors that had rolled and bounced and led them through
• 1:20:15
  Speaker 2: the hedgerow portal into sleepy forest itself. The ball became
• 1:20:21
  Speaker 2: the balloon. Sunny for a moment, everything grew still, The
• 1:20:28
  Speaker 2: night air hushed, the stars seemed to lean a little closer.
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 2: Sonny's mouth opened as she looked up at the balloon,
• 1:20:39
  Speaker 2: then back at Hector. The ball became the balloon, she
• 1:20:44
  Speaker 2: repeated softly. Yes, Hector replied, I'm certain of it. As
• 1:20:50
  Speaker 2: the two dogs shared a look of awe. The balloon
• 1:20:54
  Speaker 2: gave one last bounce, then began its descent down. It
• 1:20:59
  Speaker 2: flowed down and down, floating slowly, peacefully through the moonlit
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 2: sky toward the land below. It wasn't Harmony Cove, It
• 1:21:15
  Speaker 2: wasn't even pillowy peaks. Somehow, the balloon had returned the
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 2: sleepy forest as if it had traveled the whole of
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 2: Koala Kingdom in a few gentle bounces lower. They floated
• 1:21:32
  Speaker 2: lower and lower, past the tops of the tall trees,
• 1:21:38
  Speaker 2: through branches dusted with silver moonlight, until at last, with
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 2: the softest whisper of movement, the basket touched the ground.
• 1:21:50
  Speaker 2: The landing was so gentle it felt like settling onto
• 1:21:55
  Speaker 2: a pillow. The balloon hovered above them for a moment,
• 1:22:00
  Speaker 2: then slowly, very slowly, began to shrink. The colors folded inward,
• 1:22:08
  Speaker 2: the shining surface grew smaller, rounder, simpler, until with one
• 1:22:16
  Speaker 2: final quiet shimmer, the balloon became a rainbow colored ball
• 1:22:21
  Speaker 2: once more. It gave a tiny bounce on the grass,
• 1:22:26
  Speaker 2: then another soft bounce, then rolled gently away from the basket,
• 1:22:32
  Speaker 2: moving across the moonlit clearing with slow, sleepy hops. Hector
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 2: and Sunny padded after it, their paws making soft rustling
• 1:22:43
  Speaker 2: sounds in the moss. The ball rolled towards the hedge
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 2: that bordered Sleepy Forest, the very hetch that contained the
• 1:22:52
  Speaker 2: secret portal where their adventure had first begun. The leaves
• 1:22:58
  Speaker 2: rustled gently as the ball passed through the portal back
• 1:23:02
  Speaker 2: into lower starry skies. Hector and Sunny followed finding the
• 1:23:08
  Speaker 2: ball quite still on the other side, shining in the moonlight.
• 1:23:14
  Speaker 2: For a moment, the two dogs simply stood together, listening
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 2: to the quiet of the night. Then Sunny stepped forward
• 1:23:24
  Speaker 2: and gently picked up the rainbow ball in her mouth.
• 1:23:29
  Speaker 2: Home time. Hector asked, and Sunny nodded. The two friends
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 2: set off back through lower starry skies. The village was
• 1:23:41
  Speaker 2: calm and sleepy, wrapped in a peaceful hush. Little cottages
• 1:23:47
  Speaker 2: lined the narrow lanes, their windows glowing with warm golden light.
• 1:23:54
  Speaker 2: Soft lamp light pulled onto the cobbled streets, and the
• 1:23:58
  Speaker 2: air smelled faintly of toast, bedtime cocoa and the last
• 1:24:03
  Speaker 2: embers of evening fires. Not a sound stirred except the
• 1:24:10
  Speaker 2: gentle click of their paws and the distant hoot of
• 1:24:14
  Speaker 2: an owl keeping watch over the rooftops. Every now and again,
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 2: the magic ball gave the tiniest sparkle, almost like a
• 1:24:25
  Speaker 2: knowing wink. Finally, the two dogs reached their street, as
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 2: reassuringly familiar as it always was. Sonny stopped and lowered
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 2: the ball onto a patch of soft grass. The two
• 1:24:41
  Speaker 2: friends looked at one another, both feeling tired and amazed.
• 1:24:47
  Speaker 2: After such a long and magical day. Good Night, Hector,
• 1:24:53
  Speaker 2: Sonny said, with the gentle wag of her tail. Good Night, Sonny,
• 1:24:58
  Speaker 2: Hector replied. Sunny nudged the ball toward him, and Hector
• 1:25:04
  Speaker 2: picked it up carefully. Then the two dogs parted ways,
• 1:25:10
  Speaker 2: each heading towards their own cozy home beneath the light
• 1:25:16
  Speaker 2: of Koala moon. Hector's house sat at the far end
• 1:25:20
  Speaker 2: of the lane, with a small wooden gate and a
• 1:25:23
  Speaker 2: garden that smelled of lavender. He pushed the door open
• 1:25:28
  Speaker 2: with his nose and padded inside his tired paw, sinking
• 1:25:34
  Speaker 2: gratefully into the warm rug. The house was quiet and welcoming,
• 1:25:41
  Speaker 2: just as it always was at the end of a
• 1:25:44
  Speaker 2: long day. Waiting for him in the kitchen was the
• 1:25:49
  Speaker 2: most wonderful sight of all, a large bowl filled to
• 1:25:55
  Speaker 2: the brim with warm, glossy gravy. Steam curled gently upward,
• 1:26:02
  Speaker 2: carrying the rich savory smell through the room. Hector's tail
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 2: wagged with deep satisfaction. At last, he murmured happily. He
• 1:26:15
  Speaker 2: tucked in at once, lapping the delicious gravy until his
• 1:26:21
  Speaker 2: tummy felt warm and full and wonderfully content. Every lick
• 1:26:28
  Speaker 2: made his eyelids grow a little heavier, and soon a
• 1:26:33
  Speaker 2: cozy sleepiness spread through his paws and up to the
• 1:26:37
  Speaker 2: tips of his golden ears. When the bowl was empty,
• 1:26:42
  Speaker 2: Hector gave a satisfied sigh and carried the rainbow ball
• 1:26:47
  Speaker 2: carefully to his bed. He turned in slow, sleepy circles,
• 1:26:54
  Speaker 2: fluffing the blanket just the way he liked it, then
• 1:26:58
  Speaker 2: lowered himself down with a soft, happy groan. He placed
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 2: the ball beside him, close enough to touch. Outside, the
• 1:27:12
  Speaker 2: stars shimmered over lower starry skies, and Koala moon cast
• 1:27:19
  Speaker 2: a calm silver glow through the window. Hector curled his
• 1:27:25
  Speaker 2: tail around his paws, his breathing slow and steady, the
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 2: warmth of the gravy still lingering in his belly. With
• 1:27:36
  Speaker 2: the rainbow ball resting at his side, he closed his
• 1:27:40
  Speaker 2: eyes at last, ready for sleep and whatever gentle adventure
• 1:27:47
  Speaker 2: tomorrow might bring. Sonny had been right. Adventures are hidden
• 1:27:55
  Speaker 2: all over the place, You just need to know where
• 1:28:00
  Speaker 2: to look. The Sleepover Club by Jane Thomas.
• 1:28:07
  Speaker 1: This is a pretty special bedtime story because tonight, for
• 1:28:12
  Speaker 1: the first time, you're going to visit Tammy's house. She
• 1:28:17
  Speaker 1: is the pointy nosed, big bottomed fluffball of a wombat,
• 1:28:22
  Speaker 1: and she goes to the Kooko Barrikindi with Cuddle and Kevin,
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 1: and along with Harry the hedgehog, the one with the
• 1:28:28
  Speaker 1: glasses that slip down his nose when he sneezes, they
• 1:28:32
  Speaker 1: make up the crew of the Sleepover Story Club. Just
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 1: like all the others, Tammy gets to play hosts three
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 1: times a year when they meet on the first weekend
• 1:28:43
  Speaker 1: of every month. If you think Cuddle gets excited by
• 1:28:47
  Speaker 1: the chance to have her friends around, Tammy takes it
• 1:28:50
  Speaker 1: to a whole new level. The others love going there too,
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 1: because Tammy's house is Wow. It's really very special. Wombats
• 1:29:01
  Speaker 1: live in burrows where they have multiple front doors and
• 1:29:04
  Speaker 1: multiple chambers, all linked together deep underground. Glow worms and
• 1:29:10
  Speaker 1: jars of fireflies are used to light the rooms and passageways,
• 1:29:14
  Speaker 1: and Tammy and her family gather the softest moss to
• 1:29:18
  Speaker 1: cover all the floors. Since Tammy's uncle is something of
• 1:29:22
  Speaker 1: an artist, they're lucky enough to have walls lined with
• 1:29:26
  Speaker 1: paintings of the outside world, each a perfect work of
• 1:29:30
  Speaker 1: art painted on a piece of bark and hung with
• 1:29:33
  Speaker 1: the help of a reed. It's easy to spot a
• 1:29:36
  Speaker 1: one bat burrow once you know what you're looking for,
• 1:29:39
  Speaker 1: Because besides all the front doors and these in the
• 1:29:43
  Speaker 1: case of Tammy's home, are painted all colors of the rainbow,
• 1:29:47
  Speaker 1: there are usually at least two little black stovepipes emerging
• 1:29:52
  Speaker 1: from the ground. One of these leads down to the snug.
• 1:29:57
  Speaker 1: All wombats love a snug a room where they can
• 1:30:00
  Speaker 1: curl up together in the evening and light the fire
• 1:30:03
  Speaker 1: and settle down in the softest, coziest chairs and tell
• 1:30:08
  Speaker 1: each other's stories and play board games. That's another one
• 1:30:12
  Speaker 1: bat fact. They love board games, especially scrabble. One bats
• 1:30:18
  Speaker 1: and words go together like cheese and biscuits, fairies and
• 1:30:23
  Speaker 1: magic dust, and strawberries and cream. The other stovepipe leads
• 1:30:29
  Speaker 1: down to the kitchen. Tammy's mother loves nothing more than
• 1:30:33
  Speaker 1: to bake. Then she has a huge stove that takes
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 1: up almost an entire wall in her underground kitchen. There
• 1:30:40
  Speaker 1: are four separate ovens in there that do four different
• 1:30:44
  Speaker 1: things all at the same time. So while she will
• 1:30:47
  Speaker 1: have six or seven pots bubbling importantly on top, a
• 1:30:51
  Speaker 1: cake will be baking in one section and potatoes will
• 1:30:55
  Speaker 1: be roasting in another. Tammy loves sitting on a stool
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 1: in the corner of the kitchen and just watching her
• 1:31:02
  Speaker 1: mother at work. Her apron that is white at the
• 1:31:05
  Speaker 1: start of the day becoming stained with the purple of
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 1: blackberries and the shiny brown of gravy and the yellow
• 1:31:13
  Speaker 1: of saffron as the day goes on. Tammy spends the
• 1:31:18
  Speaker 1: whole of her day getting her bedroom ready to share
• 1:31:21
  Speaker 1: with her friends. Her family love having visitors, so they
• 1:31:26
  Speaker 1: have a whole pile of those air mattresses spare, and
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 1: Tammy pumps with her foot until she is quite red
• 1:31:33
  Speaker 1: in the face, blowing up three extra mattresses. She has
• 1:31:38
  Speaker 1: a huge cavern of a room with a ceiling so
• 1:31:42
  Speaker 1: high she wouldn't even reach it if she bounced on
• 1:31:44
  Speaker 1: a trampoline. Hanging from the center of the very top
• 1:31:49
  Speaker 1: of the domed room is a chandelier that she can
• 1:31:53
  Speaker 1: raise and lower with a chain, and she lights a
• 1:31:56
  Speaker 1: hundred yellow candles while it's lowered, and then slowly lifts
• 1:32:02
  Speaker 1: it back to its point high high in the room. Next,
• 1:32:08
  Speaker 1: she gathers up piles of blankets and pillows and cushions
• 1:32:12
  Speaker 1: and covers, pushing her way through the corridors and hardly
• 1:32:17
  Speaker 1: able to see where she's going, feeling with her feet
• 1:32:20
  Speaker 1: along the soft covered moss floor until she knows she's
• 1:32:24
  Speaker 1: by the door to her room. She falls onto the
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 1: nearest mattress with a big soft puff of feathers flying
• 1:32:34
  Speaker 1: up into the air, catches her breath for a while,
• 1:32:37
  Speaker 1: just lying there in that huge mound of warmth and coziness,
• 1:32:42
  Speaker 1: and then gets to work making the beds ready for
• 1:32:45
  Speaker 1: her friends. She reaches for three pieces of her favorite
• 1:32:50
  Speaker 1: bark taken from a rainbow eucalyptus tree, and carefully writes
• 1:32:55
  Speaker 1: their names, cud All, Kevin, Harry, and then gently places
• 1:33:02
  Speaker 1: the bark on the three pillows. With the three beds
• 1:33:07
  Speaker 1: ready and the candles all lit on the chandeliers and
• 1:33:11
  Speaker 1: extra jars of fireflies hung from the walls, Tammy goes
• 1:33:15
  Speaker 1: to the kitchen and checks on her mother's phantasberry cake.
• 1:33:19
  Speaker 1: Phantasberry's are extremely hard to find, but wombats have a
• 1:33:24
  Speaker 1: special secret way of tracking them down and it's their
• 1:33:28
  Speaker 1: absolute favorite kind of cake. Just as she places the
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 1: slices of cake on her desk in her room, the
• 1:33:37
  Speaker 1: doorbell rings, the one that plays music that announces someone
• 1:33:41
  Speaker 1: has knocked on the blue front door, and Tammy bustles
• 1:33:44
  Speaker 1: her way along the corridor to greet her friends. They're
• 1:33:49
  Speaker 1: all standing outside, huge smiles on their faces and backpacks
• 1:33:55
  Speaker 1: on their backs. Harry with a big blob of something
• 1:33:59
  Speaker 1: that looks suspiciously like gum, holding his glasses together because
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 1: he accidentally sat on them yesterday when he was trying
• 1:34:06
  Speaker 1: to find them. Cud Ale can't stop herself from reaching
• 1:34:11
  Speaker 1: out to touch the jars of fireflies. Everything is so
• 1:34:16
  Speaker 1: magical down here in Tammy's burrow. There's the warm, safe
• 1:34:21
  Speaker 1: smell of slightly damp earth, and a quick sniff as
• 1:34:26
  Speaker 1: she passes the kitchen confirms that Tammy's mom has made
• 1:34:30
  Speaker 1: them much love and hasberry cake for them. They all
• 1:34:35
  Speaker 1: poke their heads into the snug to say good night
• 1:34:38
  Speaker 1: on their way through, seeing Tammy's mom and dad, brother
• 1:34:42
  Speaker 1: and sister, Granny and Grandad all playing a game that
• 1:34:47
  Speaker 1: has the make up meanings of unusual words, and they're
• 1:34:51
  Speaker 1: right in the middle of laughing about a particularly funny
• 1:34:55
  Speaker 1: answer that Granny won. Bat put on her paper and
• 1:34:59
  Speaker 1: then the in Tammy's room and Kevin, the last one in,
• 1:35:04
  Speaker 1: closes the door behind him. Each of them rushes to
• 1:35:09
  Speaker 1: their bed, reading the carefully painted bark signs to find
• 1:35:14
  Speaker 1: the right one, and each of them tucking themselves beneath
• 1:35:18
  Speaker 1: the blankets. Harry's glasses fall off in the rush, and
• 1:35:23
  Speaker 1: Cuddle has to help him find them. Finally, Tammy reaches
• 1:35:29
  Speaker 1: for the story blanket. It's been in her family for generations,
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 1: and whenever it's her turn to host the Sleepover story Club,
• 1:35:38
  Speaker 1: she's allowed to use it. The story blanket is a
• 1:35:43
  Speaker 1: patchwork quilt made from a whole series of letters and pictures.
• 1:35:49
  Speaker 1: The idea is that someone points to three different things
• 1:35:53
  Speaker 1: on the blanket, and then someone else has to make
• 1:35:56
  Speaker 1: up a story using those three things. If they choose
• 1:36:00
  Speaker 1: a letter, it's free choice for the storyteller, so if
• 1:36:04
  Speaker 1: they're given a d they might tell a story about
• 1:36:07
  Speaker 1: a duck, or a dodo, or even a doormat. Since
• 1:36:13
  Speaker 1: it's Tammy's place, she gets to be the first to
• 1:36:16
  Speaker 1: pick the three things from the story blanket. She challenges
• 1:36:20
  Speaker 1: Cuddle to tell a story that includes a train, a flag,
• 1:36:26
  Speaker 1: and something with the letter q Q. Says, Cuddle, that's
• 1:36:32
  Speaker 1: a really hot one. Let me see, I could have
• 1:36:38
  Speaker 1: a quail or a quarrel, or a queue. A story
• 1:36:44
  Speaker 1: about a really long queue or a quiz. Now, I've
• 1:36:50
  Speaker 1: got it. I know what I'll use. Kevin looks at
• 1:36:55
  Speaker 1: her with his head on his side, thinking for a moment.
• 1:37:00
  Speaker 1: I bet I know what you're going to use, he
• 1:37:03
  Speaker 1: says with a smile. Cuddle grins at him. You'll just
• 1:37:09
  Speaker 1: have to wait and see. She sat and told them
• 1:37:13
  Speaker 1: a story that actually she'd heard a long time ago
• 1:37:17
  Speaker 1: from her father. It was all about an elephant who
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 1: drove a train, one of those old ones, a steam
• 1:37:24
  Speaker 1: train that puff puffed their way importantly through the countryside.
• 1:37:29
  Speaker 1: The engine of this train was a shining forest green
• 1:37:33
  Speaker 1: with brass fittings, and every morning, before the train set off,
• 1:37:39
  Speaker 1: the elephant would polish it until he could see his
• 1:37:42
  Speaker 1: trunk looking back at him. The train took the same
• 1:37:47
  Speaker 1: route every day, leaving from the little village of Edelweiss
• 1:37:52
  Speaker 1: and puff puffing its way up a mountainside. People would
• 1:37:57
  Speaker 1: take the train because they got the most extraordd reviews
• 1:38:00
  Speaker 1: from it as it wound its way up up the
• 1:38:04
  Speaker 1: highest mountain in the world, which everyone thinks is called Everest,
• 1:38:09
  Speaker 1: but actually to the local animals, it's called never Rest
• 1:38:14
  Speaker 1: because it actually just keeps on going to the top
• 1:38:17
  Speaker 1: of the sky and beyond. The forest Green train passed
• 1:38:22
  Speaker 1: through fields and villages and eventually reached the Mounting Kingdom,
• 1:38:28
  Speaker 1: a place where a palace made from silver and ice
• 1:38:32
  Speaker 1: rose with pointed towers far above the ground covered in
• 1:38:36
  Speaker 1: the deepest, whitest snow, And on this day, for the
• 1:38:41
  Speaker 1: first time ever, the elephant could see a bright blue
• 1:38:45
  Speaker 1: flag on the platform of the Mounting Kingdom. A blue
• 1:38:50
  Speaker 1: flag meant he needed to stop as somebody wanted to
• 1:38:54
  Speaker 1: get on, and he poured on the brakes with a
• 1:38:57
  Speaker 1: squeal and a screech, and all all the passengers peered
• 1:39:01
  Speaker 1: out of the windows, holding their breath to see who
• 1:39:05
  Speaker 1: might get on the train from the palace made of
• 1:39:08
  Speaker 1: silver and ice. The train came to a stop, and
• 1:39:13
  Speaker 1: a very smart man in a very smart black suit
• 1:39:16
  Speaker 1: and a black hat that shone and gleamed to match
• 1:39:20
  Speaker 1: the Forest Green train came and talked to the elephant,
• 1:39:24
  Speaker 1: who nodded solemnly as he listened. A team of rabbits
• 1:39:30
  Speaker 1: as white as the snow, only noticeable because they had
• 1:39:34
  Speaker 1: the bluest, brightest eyes and the pinkest, perkiest noses, came
• 1:39:40
  Speaker 1: rushing out after a wave of the arm by the
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 1: very smart man in the very smart black suit, and
• 1:39:47
  Speaker 1: between them they rolled a carpet made from the petals
• 1:39:51
  Speaker 1: of the reddest roses, each as soft as velvet, and
• 1:39:57
  Speaker 1: the rabbits disappeared, bounding down the platform and tucking themselves away,
• 1:40:03
  Speaker 1: and the Queen appeared. Nobody needed to be told this
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 1: was the Queen. It was just clear for all to see.
• 1:40:14
  Speaker 1: She wore a dress that sparkled and shone. It floated
• 1:40:19
  Speaker 1: around her, white and wavy, as soft as a cloud,
• 1:40:24
  Speaker 1: and diamonds danced from every fold. A cloak seemed to
• 1:40:30
  Speaker 1: dance behind her, and those who looked closely could see
• 1:40:35
  Speaker 1: the cloak was made from ten thousand butterflies, dancing and
• 1:40:40
  Speaker 1: flying together. Her crown glinted in the sunshine, and into
• 1:40:47
  Speaker 1: the train, the Queen came, sitting herself down beside the
• 1:40:53
  Speaker 1: people in their ordinary shoes and ordinary clothes. Their ordinary
• 1:40:58
  Speaker 1: hats sat on their ordinary heads, and they hardly dared
• 1:41:04
  Speaker 1: breathe as the Queen smiled at them and then turned
• 1:41:08
  Speaker 1: to look out of the window. With a wave from
• 1:41:13
  Speaker 1: the very smart man in the very smart black suit,
• 1:41:18
  Speaker 1: the elephant knew to start the train again, and once
• 1:41:21
  Speaker 1: more they were off, puffing their way high high into
• 1:41:27
  Speaker 1: the sky to the very top of Neverest Mountain. Cuddle
• 1:41:33
  Speaker 1: pauses telling her story. What happens at the top of
• 1:41:38
  Speaker 1: the mountain, asks Karen. Does the queen go back down
• 1:41:43
  Speaker 1: to the mountain Kingdom, asks Tammy, Or does she get
• 1:41:49
  Speaker 1: off at the top? Asks Harry. I believe, says Cuddle slowly,
• 1:41:58
  Speaker 1: that when she gets to the very top, which is
• 1:42:04
  Speaker 1: right at the edge of the sky, the butterflies that
• 1:42:09
  Speaker 1: were her cloak all come together to form a carpet
• 1:42:12
  Speaker 1: beneath her feet, and they fly away with her into
• 1:42:15
  Speaker 1: the dark of the night. She travels all the way
• 1:42:20
  Speaker 1: to Neptune, the planet of ice. Harry whispers to himself,
• 1:42:28
  Speaker 1: the god of the sea, and then he has to
• 1:42:32
  Speaker 1: explain that Neptune is named after the Roman god of
• 1:42:36
  Speaker 1: the sea, and so it makes sense that the queen,
• 1:42:40
  Speaker 1: who lives in the mountains and is the queen of
• 1:42:44
  Speaker 1: the Mountain Kingdom, would travel to visit her friend, who
• 1:42:48
  Speaker 1: is the god of the sea. They are all quiet
• 1:42:52
  Speaker 1: for a while as they imagine boarding the forest Green
• 1:42:56
  Speaker 1: train and seeing the queen and the palace made of
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 1: silver and ice. And then Kevin points to the story
• 1:43:05
  Speaker 1: Blanket and says it is his turn now, and everyone
• 1:43:10
  Speaker 1: laughs because Kevin is always the impatient one who wants
• 1:43:13
  Speaker 1: to get going, and Tammy tells him right. She has
• 1:43:18
  Speaker 1: a challenge for him. She's going to show him three
• 1:43:22
  Speaker 1: things on the blanket and he has to guess which
• 1:43:26
  Speaker 1: book she's thinking of. Tammy thinks for a while before
• 1:43:32
  Speaker 1: making her decision. Then she has an Aha moment and
• 1:43:37
  Speaker 1: starts looking about to find the three pictures she needs.
• 1:43:43
  Speaker 1: First of all, she finds an elephant. It is made
• 1:43:47
  Speaker 1: colorful and bright with sequins sewn into the little square
• 1:43:52
  Speaker 1: of patchwork quilt. Next, she finds a bunch of flowers.
• 1:43:58
  Speaker 1: They are delicately made. Whoever created this square took hours
• 1:44:03
  Speaker 1: and hours creating the most tiny, intricate flowers, all piled
• 1:44:09
  Speaker 1: together in a flower bed. And finally she locates the
• 1:44:15
  Speaker 1: picture of a key. It's an old key, one of
• 1:44:19
  Speaker 1: those that's very heavy and looks as though it has
• 1:44:22
  Speaker 1: been around for over a hundred years. Kevin screws up
• 1:44:28
  Speaker 1: his face and thinks, and I know this story. He asks.
• 1:44:36
  Speaker 1: At last, an elephant, a bunch of flowers, and a key.
• 1:44:46
  Speaker 1: Tammy nods her head. Harry's the first to get it
• 1:44:51
  Speaker 1: gasping as he puts his paw over his mouth. Oh
• 1:44:54
  Speaker 1: I don't, I don't, he says, and then goes bright
• 1:44:58
  Speaker 1: red as everyone turns to look him. Cuddle leans over
• 1:45:03
  Speaker 1: and gives Harry a high five. She's also screwing up
• 1:45:07
  Speaker 1: her face trying to think the elephant isn't really an elephant,
• 1:45:13
  Speaker 1: Harry whispers in her ear. She looks at him curiously,
• 1:45:19
  Speaker 1: wondering what that means. I mean, whispers Harry, it represents something,
• 1:45:27
  Speaker 1: but the story doesn't actually have an elephant in it.
• 1:45:32
  Speaker 1: It takes a moment, but then Cuddle gets it too.
• 1:45:37
  Speaker 1: Oh clever, she says, smiling across at Tammy. Kevin is
• 1:45:45
  Speaker 1: now the only person in the room who doesn't know
• 1:45:47
  Speaker 1: the story, and it's driving him crazy. Cuddle tells Harry
• 1:45:54
  Speaker 1: to give him the clue too. An elephant that isn't
• 1:45:58
  Speaker 1: really an elephant?
• 1:46:02
  Speaker 2: What do you see?
• 1:46:04
  Speaker 1: Asks Tammy at last, pointing at the flowers. It takes
• 1:46:09
  Speaker 1: a while of running through things until Kevin uses the
• 1:46:13
  Speaker 1: word garden and Tammy stops him. She now moves on
• 1:46:19
  Speaker 1: to the picture of the key. Kevin talks about keys
• 1:46:23
  Speaker 1: and unlocking things and finally finally uses the word mystery.
• 1:46:32
  Speaker 1: You're really close, says Tammy, and Cuddle and Harry bounce
• 1:46:38
  Speaker 1: up and down, desperate to tell him the answer and
• 1:46:41
  Speaker 1: trying really hard to hold it in the secret garden,
• 1:46:47
  Speaker 1: shouts Kevin, and Cuddle collapses on her bed, quite out
• 1:46:51
  Speaker 1: of breath, and they all cheer him. I love that story,
• 1:46:58
  Speaker 1: says Kevin. I see now the elephant is India, isn't it?
• 1:47:06
  Speaker 1: Because Mary starts in India, and then there's the key
• 1:47:10
  Speaker 1: to find the hidden garden, and then Colin is made
• 1:47:15
  Speaker 1: better by the garden, isn't he. Tammy climbs out of
• 1:47:19
  Speaker 1: bed and reaches for the phantasberry cake, sharing the thick
• 1:47:25
  Speaker 1: soft slices around her friends. They all try their best
• 1:47:30
  Speaker 1: not to drop crumbs, not only because they don't want
• 1:47:33
  Speaker 1: to make a mess, but because every last crumb is
• 1:47:37
  Speaker 1: so good it deserves to be eaten. And then it's
• 1:47:42
  Speaker 1: Harry's turn to tell a story, and Cuddle picks out
• 1:47:46
  Speaker 1: pictures of a little wooden rowing boat and a fountain
• 1:47:50
  Speaker 1: pen and the letter v V exclaims Harry, that's a
• 1:47:58
  Speaker 1: really hard one, but explains Cuddle, you are brilliant at
• 1:48:05
  Speaker 1: telling stories, so you can do it. Come on, Harry,
• 1:48:09
  Speaker 1: a boat, a pen, and a letter V.
• 1:48:13
  Speaker 2: What do you have?
• 1:48:16
  Speaker 1: Harry thinks for a moment, and then he begins the
• 1:48:20
  Speaker 1: other three settling down under their blankets. Harry's voice is
• 1:48:27
  Speaker 1: soft and lilting, and Kevin closes his eyes just for
• 1:48:32
  Speaker 1: a moment, you understand, so he can better see the
• 1:48:36
  Speaker 1: pictures in his mind that Harry will describe. Cuddle glances
• 1:48:42
  Speaker 1: across at Keaven and smiles, and she decides to do
• 1:48:46
  Speaker 1: the same thing too. Harry always has such lovely images
• 1:48:51
  Speaker 1: in his stories. As much as she loves looking far
• 1:48:55
  Speaker 1: far above her at the chandelier with a hundred candles,
• 1:49:00
  Speaker 1: she wants to see his story in her mind's eye.
• 1:49:04
  Speaker 1: And Tammy, looking over at her friends, sees what they've done,
• 1:49:09
  Speaker 1: and she does the same thing, snuggling down onto her
• 1:49:13
  Speaker 1: soft feathery pillow, curling up tight in a ball, and
• 1:49:18
  Speaker 1: closing her eyes. As Harry talks, he closes his eyes too,
• 1:49:26
  Speaker 1: so he can better see the things he is describing.
• 1:49:30
  Speaker 1: He takes his friends away on an adventure. They start
• 1:49:36
  Speaker 1: in the far south of Vietnam. He is used up
• 1:49:40
  Speaker 1: the awkward letter V early in his story and is
• 1:49:43
  Speaker 1: pleased with himself. Lynn is a young girl working in
• 1:49:47
  Speaker 1: a rice field. The rice field is the brightest, newest
• 1:49:52
  Speaker 1: green you can imagine, and there are staggered fields floating
• 1:49:58
  Speaker 1: down the side of a mountain like steps. White birds
• 1:50:03
  Speaker 1: with long legs walk slowly and steadily through the rice fields.
• 1:50:09
  Speaker 1: Lynn is walking along the low mud walls that run
• 1:50:13
  Speaker 1: along the edge of the terraces, her bright red dress
• 1:50:17
  Speaker 1: shining against the green. She follows the path that winds
• 1:50:23
  Speaker 1: until it reaches a waterfall cascading from far above, and
• 1:50:29
  Speaker 1: on this warm, beautiful day, she dives into the turquoise
• 1:50:34
  Speaker 1: pool below. Lynn lies on her back and closes her eyes,
• 1:50:41
  Speaker 1: listening to the sound of the water falling, and when
• 1:50:45
  Speaker 1: she opens them, a boy is sitting on a rock
• 1:50:49
  Speaker 1: looking at her. They chat for a while, then play,
• 1:50:54
  Speaker 1: splashing in the water and talking about imaginary dreams and
• 1:51:00
  Speaker 1: stories they'd heard and all kinds of things. It's the
• 1:51:05
  Speaker 1: most fun either of them have ever had. Then, whilst
• 1:51:10
  Speaker 1: Lynn lays back and floats in the water, the little
• 1:51:15
  Speaker 1: boy sits on his rock and writes, scribbling on a
• 1:51:19
  Speaker 1: piece of paper. When he sees Lynn watching him, he
• 1:51:24
  Speaker 1: jumps up and rushes away, leaving the pen and paper behind.
• 1:51:30
  Speaker 1: Lynn climbs out of the pool and pulls her long
• 1:51:34
  Speaker 1: dark hair together, squeezing it to release the water. She
• 1:51:40
  Speaker 1: shakes her hands until they're dry, and then lies on
• 1:51:44
  Speaker 1: the rock to dry her dress, carefully picking up the
• 1:51:48
  Speaker 1: piece of paper the boy has left behind. You are
• 1:51:53
  Speaker 1: the most beautiful, clever and kind person I've ever seen, reads,
• 1:52:01
  Speaker 1: smiling to herself. One day I will marry you. Lynd
• 1:52:07
  Speaker 1: sits up and looks the way the boy ran, but
• 1:52:11
  Speaker 1: she cannot see him. He's quite gone. She turns the
• 1:52:16
  Speaker 1: piece of paper over and sees an address on there,
• 1:52:20
  Speaker 1: but it is for a place far far away in
• 1:52:24
  Speaker 1: the north of her country. Over the years, Lynn meets
• 1:52:29
  Speaker 1: many boys and then men who want to marry her too,
• 1:52:34
  Speaker 1: but she never forgets the boy by the waterfall that day,
• 1:52:39
  Speaker 1: And then one day she decides she will find him.
• 1:52:45
  Speaker 1: She walks through the fields of green all the way
• 1:52:49
  Speaker 1: to the coast, where she finds her little wooden boat.
• 1:52:54
  Speaker 1: Lynn asks if she can borrow the boat, and the man,
• 1:52:59
  Speaker 1: struck by her beauty and soft smile, says that of
• 1:53:03
  Speaker 1: course she may. He places silverfish in the boughs of
• 1:53:07
  Speaker 1: the boat, something for her to eat as she goes,
• 1:53:11
  Speaker 1: and Lynn spends weeks, rowing slowly up the coast of
• 1:53:16
  Speaker 1: her country. She rises and falls gently with the waves,
• 1:53:23
  Speaker 1: and watches dolphins dance behind her, and sees shoals of
• 1:53:28
  Speaker 1: silverfish leap from the water and then dive into the
• 1:53:33
  Speaker 1: ink blue depths below. And finally she reaches the northern
• 1:53:40
  Speaker 1: tip of Vietnam, and she pulls the boat onto a
• 1:53:44
  Speaker 1: golden sand beach. It is evening and she is warm,
• 1:53:50
  Speaker 1: so warm, so she walks back into the sea, wearing
• 1:53:56
  Speaker 1: her red dress and floats on her back in the water,
• 1:54:00
  Speaker 1: looking up at the stars beginning to light up the sky.
• 1:54:06
  Speaker 1: As she leaves the water, she looks across at a
• 1:54:10
  Speaker 1: man on the rocks who is watching her. He walks
• 1:54:14
  Speaker 1: over to her and bows his head. You are the
• 1:54:18
  Speaker 1: girl from the waterfall, he says, He were, and still
• 1:54:24
  Speaker 1: are the most magical person I've ever seen. Harry opens
• 1:54:32
  Speaker 1: his eyes to look at his friends, and he sees
• 1:54:36
  Speaker 1: that they are all fast asleep, smiles on their faces,
• 1:54:42
  Speaker 1: and he likes to think that his lullaby has sent
• 1:54:45
  Speaker 1: them to sleep. And then he himself yawns a yawn
• 1:54:52
  Speaker 1: that reaches to the very tips of his prickles, and
• 1:54:57
  Speaker 1: he curls up once more to think about the rest
• 1:55:02
  Speaker 1: of his story, and so Harry falls asleep, imagining how
• 1:55:10
  Speaker 1: the boy and the girl found each other again, and
• 1:55:15
  Speaker 1: how the world has a plan for all of us,
• 1:55:19
  Speaker 1: and how wonderful that plan is, if only we're brave
• 1:55:23
  Speaker 1: enough to follow the signs and the stars and let
• 1:55:28
  Speaker 1: the magic happen. The Sleepy Farm by Susannah mcgloughlin. It
• 1:55:40
  Speaker 1: was a crisp, starry evening at Puddlefoot Farm, so Farmer
• 1:55:44
  Speaker 1: Now poured her scarf up around her ears, before sliding
• 1:55:48
  Speaker 1: each of her wooly socked feet into a wellie boot
• 1:55:51
  Speaker 1: and stepping out into the fresh air. At her heel
• 1:55:54
  Speaker 1: as always was Bonnie the sheep Dog, her blue bandana
• 1:55:58
  Speaker 1: slightly skewith, showing off the white diamond tuft of fur
• 1:56:02
  Speaker 1: on her chest. Farmer Now was going to meet Farmer
• 1:56:07
  Speaker 1: Clyde in the empty field on the far side of
• 1:56:09
  Speaker 1: Puddlefort Farm, which she was prepping for the arrival of
• 1:56:13
  Speaker 1: some new visitors. It was about to be the new
• 1:56:17
  Speaker 1: home of a whole pack of Lamas and our packers
• 1:56:20
  Speaker 1: who were moving from a farm far away. They had
• 1:56:23
  Speaker 1: been traveling all day and would be arriving in a
• 1:56:26
  Speaker 1: couple of hours. When the moon reached its highest spot
• 1:56:29
  Speaker 1: in the sky. There was just enough time left in
• 1:56:32
  Speaker 1: the day for the two farmers to put the finishing
• 1:56:35
  Speaker 1: touches on their new cozy barn. Nell strode across the farmyard,
• 1:56:41
  Speaker 1: whispering good night to Doodledoo, the Cockrell, who was just
• 1:56:45
  Speaker 1: hunkering down to sleep in the coop by the farmhouse door.
• 1:56:48
  Speaker 1: He had to be upright and early, after all, to
• 1:56:51
  Speaker 1: announce the new day. It wasn't just doodle Dooo. Most
• 1:56:56
  Speaker 1: of the animals were bedding down for the night and asleep.
• 1:57:00
  Speaker 1: He quiet had fallen over the fields, barns and gardens.
• 1:57:05
  Speaker 1: Nell's boots crunched over the gravel as she headed to
• 1:57:09
  Speaker 1: the track where Nightlight the tractor was waiting for her.
• 1:57:13
  Speaker 1: The little glow in the dark tractor appeared to have
• 1:57:17
  Speaker 1: drifted off into a snooze, engine rumbling gently as he snored,
• 1:57:23
  Speaker 1: now cooled his name and Nightlight awoke, blinking his headlights
• 1:57:28
  Speaker 1: and lighting up the path ahead of him. Farman Nelle
• 1:57:31
  Speaker 1: chuckled and climbed aboard. She patted the seat next to her,
• 1:57:36
  Speaker 1: which Bonnie hopped up into, curling her tail tight around
• 1:57:40
  Speaker 1: her body and looking out through the front window. Nightlight
• 1:57:45
  Speaker 1: rumbled to life, and his huge wheels began to turn
• 1:57:49
  Speaker 1: as they began to trundle down the dusty track. In
• 1:57:54
  Speaker 1: the field to the left, a few little white clouds
• 1:57:57
  Speaker 1: dotted the grass, but most of the sheep were curled
• 1:58:01
  Speaker 1: up in the yellow glow of their cozy shed, Curled
• 1:58:04
  Speaker 1: up in the beds of golden hay. In the cow shed,
• 1:58:09
  Speaker 1: big brown cows, black and white splodged cows, and orange
• 1:58:14
  Speaker 1: shaggy ones began to nestle down into their beds, miniature
• 1:58:18
  Speaker 1: versions of themselves snuggling in at their sides. Farm and
• 1:58:23
  Speaker 1: Nell reached over to pat Bonnie's head and scratched absent
• 1:58:27
  Speaker 1: mindedly between the sheep dog's ears as the glowing tractor
• 1:58:31
  Speaker 1: headed on through the fields of corn and cabbages towards
• 1:58:36
  Speaker 1: the furthest reaches of Puddlefoot Farm. As usual, night Light
• 1:58:42
  Speaker 1: would stop when they reached a fence, and now would
• 1:58:45
  Speaker 1: climb down, unlock the latch and let it swing open onwards.
• 1:58:50
  Speaker 1: Night Light would trundle, and then he'd stop again. Nell
• 1:58:54
  Speaker 1: would swing the gate closed and climb back into her
• 1:58:57
  Speaker 1: comfy seat behind the steering wheels, so that onward they
• 1:59:01
  Speaker 1: could go once more. Before long they reached the yard
• 1:59:05
  Speaker 1: with a ginormous dilapidated shed which was to become the
• 1:59:10
  Speaker 1: Lamas and our Packer's new home. Seeing it, though Bonnie gasped.
• 1:59:17
  Speaker 1: The shed wasn't dilapidated anymore. It was splendid. Farmer Clyde
• 1:59:23
  Speaker 1: had seen to that. He had been working on it
• 1:59:25
  Speaker 1: for days, mending the thatching on the roof, patching up
• 1:59:30
  Speaker 1: the wood beamed walls, and painting them a shiny pillar
• 1:59:34
  Speaker 1: box red. Now he was oiling the hinges on the
• 1:59:38
  Speaker 1: big double doors so they didn't squeak when he threw
• 1:59:41
  Speaker 1: them open to welcome their new guests. Farmer Nell gave
• 1:59:46
  Speaker 1: Farmer Clyde a big high five and congratulated him on
• 1:59:50
  Speaker 1: all his hard work paying off the barn. Looked wonderful,
• 1:59:54
  Speaker 1: she told him, simply wonderful. Farmer Clyd gave her a
• 2:00:00
  Speaker 1: proud grin. Thank you, Nell, he said, But I'm glad
• 2:00:05
  Speaker 1: to have you here for the finishing touches. We've got
• 2:00:09
  Speaker 1: plenty to do before our new friends get here. Nell
• 2:00:13
  Speaker 1: peeped inside the shed. He was right, it was still
• 2:00:18
  Speaker 1: totally empty. Not to worry, she said, we'll have it
• 2:00:23
  Speaker 1: as cozy as can be. In no time they'll be
• 2:00:27
  Speaker 1: tired from their journey. Farmer Clyde said, so we should
• 2:00:32
  Speaker 1: start by making them their beds. That was going to
• 2:00:36
  Speaker 1: require hay, and a lot of it. So the two
• 2:00:41
  Speaker 1: farmers climbed aboard Nightlight the tractor and headed out into
• 2:00:46
  Speaker 1: the adjacent field. There, lit up by the moon, were
• 2:00:51
  Speaker 1: big round bales, like little golden moons themselves, sitting peacefully
• 2:00:57
  Speaker 1: in lines across the grassy field. Near the fence. At
• 2:01:03
  Speaker 1: the field's entrance sat a big rectangular trailer. Farmer Clyde
• 2:01:08
  Speaker 1: hopped off of Nightlight the tractor and waited at the fence,
• 2:01:12
  Speaker 1: whilst Farmer Nell directed the tractor back to click into
• 2:01:16
  Speaker 1: place and connect to the trailer. Farmer Clyde secured the
• 2:01:21
  Speaker 1: equipment together, grateful for Nightlight's cozy glow lighting up the mechanism.
• 2:01:27
  Speaker 1: Then Nell drove Nightlight out across the field to the
• 2:01:31
  Speaker 1: first hay bale. It was huge, about as tall as Nell,
• 2:01:37
  Speaker 1: and the two farmers both had to heave it onto
• 2:01:39
  Speaker 1: the tractor, together, counting to three and hauling it up
• 2:01:44
  Speaker 1: and into the cab. Then back they trundled to the
• 2:01:48
  Speaker 1: animal shed They used the mechanism on the trailer to
• 2:01:53
  Speaker 1: tip its bed up and up until the hay bale
• 2:01:58
  Speaker 1: rolled down it like a slug landing on the grass.
• 2:02:03
  Speaker 1: Then they repeated the whole exercise three times more until
• 2:02:08
  Speaker 1: there was a mountain of hay in front of the shed.
• 2:02:11
  Speaker 1: Our packers and lamers l like a lot of space,
• 2:02:14
  Speaker 1: so there was a lot of ground that needed covering.
• 2:02:19
  Speaker 1: Our packers and lamers also liked things very clean, so
• 2:02:24
  Speaker 1: Nell and Clyde each grabbed a broom and started sweeping
• 2:02:28
  Speaker 1: until the inside of the shed was spick and span.
• 2:02:32
  Speaker 1: Then they took shiny pitchforks and began spearing lumps of
• 2:02:37
  Speaker 1: hay and spreading them across the shed. It was hard work,
• 2:02:42
  Speaker 1: but satisfying and peaceful. Farmer Nell loved the rustle of
• 2:02:47
  Speaker 1: the hay, and Clyde found great peace in watching how
• 2:02:51
  Speaker 1: with every sweep of his fork, one less patch of
• 2:02:55
  Speaker 1: floor was visible, and there was one more place for
• 2:02:59
  Speaker 1: a sleepy anna to rest its hooves. When the whole
• 2:03:04
  Speaker 1: shed was carpeted in yellow straw, Farmer Nell and farmer
• 2:03:08
  Speaker 1: Clyde rested on their pitchforks and admired their handiwork. Lit
• 2:03:14
  Speaker 1: up by the golden lanterns that swung from the beams.
• 2:03:18
  Speaker 1: The hay shone and glowed beautifully. The new arrivals would
• 2:03:23
  Speaker 1: be very pleased now. Something else our packers and lamas
• 2:03:28
  Speaker 1: liked was to be well groomed. They grew a huge
• 2:03:33
  Speaker 1: abundance of fur, which is why they're so incredibly cuddly.
• 2:03:38
  Speaker 1: But that means they need a good haircut every now
• 2:03:42
  Speaker 1: and again so they don't get too hot or turn
• 2:03:45
  Speaker 1: into a cloud of fur and float away. That's why
• 2:03:49
  Speaker 1: the farmers decided to create a grooming station in one
• 2:03:52
  Speaker 1: corner of the shed. Clyde had already made a cabinet
• 2:03:57
  Speaker 1: with a large mirror and lots of draw to store shears, brushes,
• 2:04:03
  Speaker 1: nail files and the like, and Nell had sounded the
• 2:04:06
  Speaker 1: whole thing down and painted at a deep midnight blue.
• 2:04:11
  Speaker 1: It had been sitting on a sheet of newspaper all
• 2:04:14
  Speaker 1: day drying, and now was time to bring it in.
• 2:04:19
  Speaker 1: They carried the cabinet to the perfect spot and placed
• 2:04:23
  Speaker 1: it under a window so the lighting would be good
• 2:04:26
  Speaker 1: and they could make sure they sheared every last bit
• 2:04:29
  Speaker 1: of fur and didn't leave any shaggy patches. Farmer Clyde
• 2:04:35
  Speaker 1: hoped the alpacas wouldn't mind if he borrowed some of
• 2:04:38
  Speaker 1: their shorn wool for his knitting. It was ever so
• 2:04:42
  Speaker 1: warm and so fluffy. He made a mental note to
• 2:04:45
  Speaker 1: ask them when the time came. Lamas and alpacas loved
• 2:04:51
  Speaker 1: to explore, so they would spend most of their free
• 2:04:54
  Speaker 1: time grazing in the fields, going for hikes across the
• 2:04:58
  Speaker 1: farm and out in sleep forest. But the farmers wanted
• 2:05:02
  Speaker 1: to make sure they had things in the barn to
• 2:05:05
  Speaker 1: play with in case of a rainy day, so they
• 2:05:09
  Speaker 1: brought a big wicker box and filled it with fun
• 2:05:12
  Speaker 1: things two toys mostly, and a few balls to kick
• 2:05:17
  Speaker 1: around too. Finally, Farmer Nell climbed a ladder with Clyde
• 2:05:23
  Speaker 1: standing below and holding it steady, and hung the special
• 2:05:27
  Speaker 1: barn friendly fairy lights they'd ordered from the postman. They
• 2:05:32
  Speaker 1: wrapped the twinkling lights around the beams on the top
• 2:05:35
  Speaker 1: of the shed and then stuck glow in the dark
• 2:05:38
  Speaker 1: stars in any empty spaces left. Climbing back down the
• 2:05:44
  Speaker 1: ladder and looking up, Nell had the impression that she
• 2:05:48
  Speaker 1: might be looking at the night sky itself, like the
• 2:05:52
  Speaker 1: lamas and alpacas would have seen in their native mountains
• 2:05:56
  Speaker 1: of Peru. Nell clapped her hands. It's perfect, she said.
• 2:06:03
  Speaker 1: Clyde agreed. The two farmers loaded any stray tools or
• 2:06:09
  Speaker 1: equipment back into the tractor, and then paused, Do you
• 2:06:15
  Speaker 1: hear that? Nell said? It was the quiet rumbling of
• 2:06:20
  Speaker 1: a truck heading up the road towards them. Farmer Clyde grinned,
• 2:06:26
  Speaker 1: I think I do, he said. Clyde and Nell opened
• 2:06:32
  Speaker 1: the huge gate that led into the field to make
• 2:06:35
  Speaker 1: room for the vehicle, and then watched as the two
• 2:06:40
  Speaker 1: yellow headlights grew larger as their new friends drew ever
• 2:06:44
  Speaker 1: nearer to their new home. With a sleepy series of beeps,
• 2:06:50
  Speaker 1: the truck reversed into the field and the driver, a
• 2:06:54
  Speaker 1: good friend of theirs from a far away farm called
• 2:06:58
  Speaker 1: Farmer MacDonald, opened up the back door. Ten funny little
• 2:07:04
  Speaker 1: faces peered curiously out at them. Some had curly hair
• 2:07:10
  Speaker 1: in tufty puffs between their ears, some long fringes that
• 2:07:15
  Speaker 1: stopped at their long brown eyelashes. Some were cream and
• 2:07:19
  Speaker 1: some were brown. Some were splodged with all kinds of patterns.
• 2:07:25
  Speaker 1: Some were tall with long necks like giraffes. Some were
• 2:07:30
  Speaker 1: shorter and sweet as can be. They all had little
• 2:07:34
  Speaker 1: goofy smiles. The farmers welcomed their new friends, and as
• 2:07:40
  Speaker 1: soon as farmer MacDonald finished unfurling the ramp, there was
• 2:07:43
  Speaker 1: a clacking of hoofs, and the herd made their way
• 2:07:47
  Speaker 1: down onto the field. A few of them started munching
• 2:07:51
  Speaker 1: on the long green grass. They loved grazing, and one
• 2:07:55
  Speaker 1: larmer muttered secretly to another that this grass was the
• 2:07:59
  Speaker 1: best she ever tasted. Farmanell and Clyde looked over the herd.
• 2:08:06
  Speaker 1: There were six out packers and four lamers. Not everyone
• 2:08:10
  Speaker 1: would be able to tell the difference straight away, but
• 2:08:13
  Speaker 1: the farmers were professionals. They knew that you could tell
• 2:08:17
  Speaker 1: them apart. Because lamers are a little taller. They have
• 2:08:21
  Speaker 1: longer faces and longer ears that are shaped like bananas,
• 2:08:25
  Speaker 1: curving up to the sky. Our packers' faces are a
• 2:08:30
  Speaker 1: little more smushed in, and they have little pointy ears
• 2:08:33
  Speaker 1: that point straight up like arrows. The lamer's fur was
• 2:08:37
  Speaker 1: a little coarser too. Far Meanell loved the lamers the best,
• 2:08:42
  Speaker 1: so she headed over to a tall white one and
• 2:08:45
  Speaker 1: held out a hand in offering. He blinked placidly, and
• 2:08:50
  Speaker 1: Nelle knew that meant she could come and stroke his
• 2:08:53
  Speaker 1: neck gently. The llama leant into her hand and closed
• 2:08:58
  Speaker 1: his eyes. She could tell he was sleepy. Farmer Clyde
• 2:09:03
  Speaker 1: was more of an alpaca fan, so he approached one
• 2:09:07
  Speaker 1: of the short, curly haired little fellows and slowly gently
• 2:09:11
  Speaker 1: gave her a little pat She nuzzled against him enthusiastically,
• 2:09:16
  Speaker 1: with surprising force in her strong, swooping neck. The farmers
• 2:09:22
  Speaker 1: led the herd over to their new shed and opened
• 2:09:26
  Speaker 1: the doors. They swung open smoothly, with not a squeak
• 2:09:31
  Speaker 1: nor a squeal. Farmer Clyde smiled proudly. The llamas paused
• 2:09:38
  Speaker 1: as the golden lights spilled out into the night from
• 2:09:42
  Speaker 1: between the open doors. The field was silvery and dark,
• 2:09:47
  Speaker 1: lit by stars and moonlight, but inside it glowed orange
• 2:09:52
  Speaker 1: like a fireplace, like a beacon beckoning the herd in
• 2:09:56
  Speaker 1: towards their beds. One by one, the animals clipped and
• 2:10:02
  Speaker 1: clocked their way into their new home. They dispersed across
• 2:10:07
  Speaker 1: the hay, choosing their sleeping places, settling down into the
• 2:10:12
  Speaker 1: comfiest patches they could find. Farmer Nell went to night
• 2:10:18
  Speaker 1: light the tractor and poured from the back seat a
• 2:10:21
  Speaker 1: big basket filled with red, shiny apples a treat for
• 2:10:26
  Speaker 1: the sleepy lamers. Farmer Clyde collected a stack of silver,
• 2:10:31
  Speaker 1: shiny bowls from his pickup truck and a huge bottle
• 2:10:35
  Speaker 1: of water. The two farmers were to go around the barn,
• 2:10:40
  Speaker 1: introducing themselves to each new friend and giving them their
• 2:10:45
  Speaker 1: water bowl and snack. The only thing was though, each
• 2:10:49
  Speaker 1: water bowl needed to be labeled, and so far the
• 2:10:53
  Speaker 1: animals hadn't been named. The farmers started in the far
• 2:10:58
  Speaker 1: corner of the barn, where the large white male lama
• 2:11:02
  Speaker 1: was resting. Nell sliced a big red apple and offered
• 2:11:07
  Speaker 1: him the pieces. The lama yawned, then began to chomp,
• 2:11:13
  Speaker 1: smiling as he tasted the sweetness of the fruit. Farmer
• 2:11:19
  Speaker 1: Clyde laid down his water bowl and asked Nell what
• 2:11:23
  Speaker 1: she thought they should call him. She looked into the
• 2:11:26
  Speaker 1: lama's big, clever eyes and said she wanted to call
• 2:11:31
  Speaker 1: him Wilbur, since he looked like a distinguished gentleman. Farmer
• 2:11:36
  Speaker 1: Clyde wrote Wilbur on the side of the bowl with
• 2:11:39
  Speaker 1: a marker pen and filled it with water. Next was
• 2:11:44
  Speaker 1: a lady lama who was peachy colored with a cloud
• 2:11:47
  Speaker 1: of perfect curls like bubbles cascading around her ears. This
• 2:11:54
  Speaker 1: one looks like a lady I see at the hairdressers
• 2:11:57
  Speaker 1: in the village, Nell said, so we should name her
• 2:12:01
  Speaker 1: after her. This is Doris. Farmer. Clyde wrote Doris on
• 2:12:07
  Speaker 1: the bowl and filled it with water. Nell sliced an
• 2:12:12
  Speaker 1: apple and fed it to Doris, who chewed happily. Next
• 2:12:17
  Speaker 1: was an outpacker, much smaller than the last two, who
• 2:12:21
  Speaker 1: was dark brown and shaggy, with a sweet smile and
• 2:12:24
  Speaker 1: bottomed teeth that stuck out further than the top ones.
• 2:12:29
  Speaker 1: I think we should call this one Chewy, Clyde said,
• 2:12:33
  Speaker 1: cause he looks like Tobacca, you know, star wars. Nell
• 2:12:38
  Speaker 1: giggled and offered Chewy his chunks of apple. Clyde wrote
• 2:12:43
  Speaker 1: on the bowl and poured water into it. Two our
• 2:12:48
  Speaker 1: packers were on the next big mound of hay, a
• 2:12:51
  Speaker 1: mummy and a baby. The mummy was toffee brown and
• 2:12:55
  Speaker 1: the baby was white with brown splotches. Tommy was smiling
• 2:13:01
  Speaker 1: peacefully at the farmer's but the baby was already asleep,
• 2:13:06
  Speaker 1: curled into her side. It was tiny, about the size
• 2:13:10
  Speaker 1: of a labrador, and it had skinny little legs like stilts.
• 2:13:16
  Speaker 1: Nell stroked the mummy's wooly neck. Well done, mamma, she said,
• 2:13:22
  Speaker 1: baby's dreaming already. I think we should call the mamma Coffee,
• 2:13:28
  Speaker 1: Nell said to Clyde because of her color, and then
• 2:13:32
  Speaker 1: her baby can be called cream.
• 2:13:34
  Speaker 2: Get it.
• 2:13:36
  Speaker 1: Clyde chuckled, writing the names on the bowls as Nell
• 2:13:40
  Speaker 1: offered Coffee her apple. The next animal was a lama
• 2:13:45
  Speaker 1: who was tall and tufty, white and black and covered
• 2:13:49
  Speaker 1: in spots like a dalmatian. Well, she has to be Dotty,
• 2:13:56
  Speaker 1: Clyde said, stroking the friendly lama. NI to meet you, Dotty.
• 2:14:02
  Speaker 1: Dotty munched her apple sleepily before lowering her neck and
• 2:14:07
  Speaker 1: sinking into the straw. Next another lama with thick orange fur.
• 2:14:15
  Speaker 1: I think this one looks like a marmalade, Nell suggested,
• 2:14:21
  Speaker 1: and the two nodded resolutely. That sounded perfect. Onto the
• 2:14:27
  Speaker 1: bowl it went, and Marmalade slurped up his drink before
• 2:14:31
  Speaker 1: he even blinked at the apple. Next to Marmalade was
• 2:14:36
  Speaker 1: an now packer with long, stringy white hair like a mop.
• 2:14:41
  Speaker 1: When she munched, her hair swung side to side. How
• 2:14:46
  Speaker 1: about tulip, Clyde suggested. Nell said that was very delicate
• 2:14:52
  Speaker 1: and ladylike and would suit this outpacker perfectly. In the
• 2:14:58
  Speaker 1: far corner, cuddled together with two our packers, one black
• 2:15:03
  Speaker 1: and one white. When Nell sliced an apple for the
• 2:15:07
  Speaker 1: first she shared it with her friend, and then when
• 2:15:11
  Speaker 1: she sliced one for the second, they shared that too.
• 2:15:16
  Speaker 1: These two will be inseparable, I can tell, Nell said,
• 2:15:21
  Speaker 1: Let's give them a pear name. Clyde ran through a
• 2:15:25
  Speaker 1: few chalk and cheese, sun and moon, bacon and eggs.
• 2:15:31
  Speaker 1: Nell giggled aw about Matcheu and Peachew. Clyde offered, Oh,
• 2:15:38
  Speaker 1: I like that, Nell said, Matchew and peach you. Clyde
• 2:15:45
  Speaker 1: gave them two bowls, but knowing they would share, wrote
• 2:15:48
  Speaker 1: both names on both bowls. Nell stroked each sleepy our packer.
• 2:15:55
  Speaker 1: Then they moved over to the door of the stable,
• 2:15:58
  Speaker 1: tiptoeing so as not to awake any of the animals
• 2:16:01
  Speaker 1: that were already sleeping. They each leaned on the door
• 2:16:06
  Speaker 1: frame and peered in at their new friends. Doris was
• 2:16:11
  Speaker 1: yawning and settling down to sleep. Chewey was already snoring.
• 2:16:18
  Speaker 1: Coffee had wrapped her neck protectively around Cream, and they
• 2:16:23
  Speaker 1: were both sleeping deeply. The last animals awake, were breathing
• 2:16:29
  Speaker 1: deep and blinking slowly, as if they too were only
• 2:16:35
  Speaker 1: minutes away from dreamland. Welcome home, everyone, Farmer Nell whispered,
• 2:16:43
  Speaker 1: We're so happy to have you here. Good night, my
• 2:16:49
  Speaker 1: new friend, Farmer Clyde whispered. They pulled the doors to
• 2:16:55
  Speaker 1: and Farmer Clyde strolled over to his truck and now
• 2:17:00
  Speaker 1: headed to her glow in the dark tractor nightlight rumbled
• 2:17:04
  Speaker 1: to life and blinked on his headlights to take Farmanelle
• 2:17:09
  Speaker 1: back to the cozy cottage. Bonnie, the sheep dog, who
• 2:17:14
  Speaker 1: had been sleeping in the passenger seat, stirred away and
• 2:17:19
  Speaker 1: moved her chin to rest on Nell's lap. The stars
• 2:17:24
  Speaker 1: shone gently across the fields of cauliflower and corgettes. The
• 2:17:30
  Speaker 1: moon twinkled against the glass of the greenhouses where plump
• 2:17:34
  Speaker 1: tomatoes slept, and there was not a peep of sound
• 2:17:40
  Speaker 1: to be heard. No lowing of cows or braying of donkeys,
• 2:17:47
  Speaker 1: no bleating of sheep, meowing of cats, or cockadoodling of cockrells.
• 2:17:55
  Speaker 1: The farm was well and truly sleepy. Farmanell stepped out
• 2:18:02
  Speaker 1: of night light and patted the tractor in thanks as
• 2:18:06
  Speaker 1: he rumbled back to life and made his way to
• 2:18:10
  Speaker 1: his own sleeping quarters for the night. She crossed the
• 2:18:15
  Speaker 1: courtyard and stepped into the farmhouse, where the warmth of
• 2:18:19
  Speaker 1: the kitchen kissed her cheeks. She pulled off one welly boot,
• 2:18:25
  Speaker 1: then too, and put a pot of milk to warm
• 2:18:29
  Speaker 1: on the stove, making enough for there to be a
• 2:18:32
  Speaker 1: cup waiting for farmer Clyde when he finished his last
• 2:18:36
  Speaker 1: jobs and came in later. In went some chunks of chocolate,
• 2:18:42
  Speaker 1: and as the hot chocolate came together, Farmanell brushed out
• 2:18:47
  Speaker 1: her hair and put on her softest pajamas. Before long,
• 2:18:54
  Speaker 1: she found herself with a belly full of hot chocolate,
• 2:18:59
  Speaker 1: with a clean face and clean teeth. Nestled in a
• 2:19:03
  Speaker 1: pile of pillows under a heavy woolen blanket. Bonnie the
• 2:19:09
  Speaker 1: sheep dog was sleeping at her side. She watched her
• 2:19:14
  Speaker 1: for a moment, stroking her soft forehead and smiling to
• 2:19:20
  Speaker 1: see her paws twitch as she herded sheep. In her dreams,
• 2:19:26
  Speaker 1: Farmanelle looked out of the window at the starry sky
• 2:19:31
  Speaker 1: and thought of all the animals sleeping under their own
• 2:19:35
  Speaker 1: starry sky in the red barn out in the furthest field.
• 2:19:42
  Speaker 1: She hoped they were comfortable. She knew that they would
• 2:19:46
  Speaker 1: be with thoughts of all that the next day would bring,
• 2:19:52
  Speaker 1: of long walks across green fields, of the clip clop
• 2:19:57
  Speaker 1: of lama hoofs, and the soft us of our Pacifi farm,
• 2:20:03
  Speaker 1: And now nestled into her bed and fell soundly asleep.
• 2:20:12
  Speaker 1: We are drifting towards dreams, now, the happiest, loveliest dreams
• 2:20:19
  Speaker 1: you've ever dreamt. We're calm and cozy, Your breathing is relaxed.
• 2:20:27
  Speaker 1: Then you can feel that lovely weight of the blanket
• 2:20:31
  Speaker 1: keeping you safe and warm. Aren't you comfy? You are
• 2:20:38
  Speaker 1: so warm and cozy, so sleepy. As you drift into dreams,
• 2:20:48
  Speaker 1: count all the things you're grateful for. Let yourself fill
• 2:20:54
  Speaker 1: up with all of the little moments that made you
• 2:20:57
  Speaker 1: smile today. See the faces of the people that made
• 2:21:03
  Speaker 1: you laugh. Think of the things that challenged you. Think
• 2:21:11
  Speaker 1: of the things you learned and the practice that meant
• 2:21:15
  Speaker 1: you'll be a little bit better to morrow than you
• 2:21:18
  Speaker 1: were to day. Think about how warm and cozy and
• 2:21:25
  Speaker 1: sleepy you are here in your bed. What a day
• 2:21:31
  Speaker 1: you had. Wonderful things lie ahead for you too. You
• 2:21:38
  Speaker 1: will have wonderful adventures to morrow. And the next day
• 2:21:43
  Speaker 1: and the one after that. The whole world is waiting
• 2:21:50
  Speaker 1: for you. But there's no rush. There's nothing more to
• 2:21:56
  Speaker 1: do to day. All that's left for to day is rest, deep,
• 2:22:03
  Speaker 1: cozy sleep. The most beautiful of dreams are waiting for you.
• 2:22:10
  Speaker 2: Now.
• 2:22:11
  Speaker 1: That's why you're drifting off gently into dreamland. So keep
• 2:22:18
  Speaker 1: breathing slowly, Let yourself get toasty warm, let your eyelids
• 2:22:26
  Speaker 1: stay heavy, and know that you are safe. Remember that
• 2:22:32
  Speaker 1: you are smart, you are brave, you are kind, and
• 2:22:38
  Speaker 1: you are loved. Think it to yourself.
• 2:22:44
  Speaker 3: I am smart, I am brave, I am kind, I
• 2:22:53
  Speaker 3: am loved.
• 2:22:56
  Speaker 1: You are a dream. When tomorrow comes, you'll face it
• 2:23:01
  Speaker 1: with a smile because you are smart, brave, kind and loved.
• 2:23:09
  Speaker 1: Because you are you, uniquely wonderfully you. What kind of
• 2:23:19
  Speaker 1: dream are you drifting towards tonight? You can dream however
• 2:23:25
  Speaker 1: you want, because your imagination is as wide as the universe.
• 2:23:32
  Speaker 1: What will you find in tonight's dream? Maybe you'll see
• 2:23:37
  Speaker 1: your favorite characters. Is that Hector and Sonny over there?
• 2:23:44
  Speaker 1: Maybe you'll visit the moon where there's mice eating cheese
• 2:23:49
  Speaker 1: in the craters. Maybe you'll walk through sleepy forest where
• 2:23:56
  Speaker 1: Coco the Koala is strumming his pink ukulee on the
• 2:24:01
  Speaker 1: banks of sleepy River. Let your imagination take you away.
• 2:24:09
  Speaker 1: Your dreams are all yours, and you deserve the sweetest
• 2:24:16
  Speaker 1: dreams of all because you are brave, You are kind,
• 2:24:25
  Speaker 1: and you are loved. You are brave, You are kind,
• 2:24:33
  Speaker 1: and you are loved, and you are wonderfully uniquely you. You
• 2:24:43
  Speaker 1: are a dream. And it's time to sleep. Tucked up
• 2:24:49
  Speaker 1: in your bed, breathe slowly and melt into your bed.
• 2:24:56
  Speaker 1: Isn't it warm and soft and cozy. It's time to rest.
• 2:25:05
  Speaker 1: Take deep breaths in and out, and let yourself relax
• 2:25:12
  Speaker 1: as you say goodbye to the day. Let your body
• 2:25:18
  Speaker 1: get even heavier, Let your whole body go floppy. Drift
• 2:25:28
  Speaker 1: deeper into sleep with every breath, and say good night.
• 2:25:37
  Speaker 1: Remember tomorrow will be a good day because you have
• 2:25:44
  Speaker 1: a big card. You are a good friend. You believe
• 2:25:51
  Speaker 1: in yourself. You know there's nothing better to be than yourself.
• 2:26:01
  Speaker 1: It's okay to get things wrong, It's okay to ask
• 2:26:06
  Speaker 1: for help. You can do whatever you set your mind to.
• 2:26:13
  Speaker 1: Be proud to be different, Be proud of your achievements,
• 2:26:20
  Speaker 1: Be proud of yourself. You are a good learner, You
• 2:26:26
  Speaker 1: are a good listener. You are a good example to others.
• 2:26:33
  Speaker 1: You are valued, you are loved. You are sleepy. So
• 2:26:44
  Speaker 1: drift off now, little one. Let the dreams take over
• 2:26:52
  Speaker 1: as you sleep. Let your dreams take you to magical
• 2:26:57
  Speaker 1: lands and far away places. Remember there's no room for
• 2:27:03
  Speaker 1: worries in your dreams. Just magic. It's a magic place
• 2:27:11
  Speaker 1: where anything can happen, anything you want. It's a place
• 2:27:18
  Speaker 1: of positivity and light. Let positivity soak into you and
• 2:27:26
  Speaker 1: fill you up. Imagine it as a golden light traveling
• 2:27:34
  Speaker 1: from the tips of your toes to the top of
• 2:27:38
  Speaker 1: your head. Imagine that wherever the light touches you fills
• 2:27:44
  Speaker 1: with happiness. Imagine that the light makes you feel calm.
• 2:27:54
  Speaker 1: You're wrapped in a warm, cozy glow within your soft,
• 2:28:00
  Speaker 1: toasty blanket. Hasten that