Latest / Dad’s Bedtime Stories / Sprite Quest #1 - The Wind Sprite
Transcript
- 0:04Speaker 1: Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world.
- 0:08Speaker 1: I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories.
- 0:13Speaker 1: And tonight, we'll be doing a brand new story in
- 0:17Speaker 1: a brand new universe. Let's check out the story suggestion
- 0:23Speaker 1: that inspired it.
- 0:25Speaker 2: Hi, I'm Maury, and I'm eight years old. I would
- 0:28Speaker 2: like to suggest a new series called A Sprite Quest,
- 0:32Speaker 2: so when you wake up, You turn 15, and then
- 0:37Speaker 2: when you woke up, you get dressed, and you go
- 0:41Speaker 2: to a festival outside your house, like a Sprite festival,
- 0:46Speaker 2: I don't know. Then you walk to the festival, and
- 0:51Speaker 2: they ask you to put your hands up to 15-year-olds,
- 0:58Speaker 2: because 15-year-olds can get Sprite license. So you put your
- 1:02Speaker 2: hand up. And they chose you. So you went up.
- 1:07Speaker 2: You had to pick one out of four sprites called
- 1:12Speaker 2: a flame sprite, a reef sprite, a wind sprite and
- 1:16Speaker 2: a vine sprite. And you pick a wind sprite and
- 1:21Speaker 2: then it tells you your power. Its power reduces wind from, like,
- 1:27Speaker 2: air from clouds. Then when you continue on, you ask
- 1:30Speaker 2: it to build a shelter for you. and then you
- 1:32Speaker 2: find a ghost thing. You run to a tree ahead
- 1:37Speaker 2: of the ghost, but it disappeared, and you continue your journey. Thanks,
- 1:42Speaker 2: I love your podcast.
- 1:44Speaker 1: Great suggestion from Rory. Now, I've been thinking about this
- 1:48Speaker 1: suggestion for a while, because I got it a few
- 1:50Speaker 1: weeks ago, and I hope you don't mind if I
- 1:54Speaker 1: added some things to your idea, like different kinds of sprites,
- 1:59Speaker 1: and maybe... I was kind of thinking that in a
- 2:02Speaker 1: world where you get a sprite at a certain age,
- 2:06Speaker 1: that it would choose you in some way instead of
- 2:09Speaker 1: you choosing it. But I hope you like what I
- 2:12Speaker 1: came up with, and I really appreciate the idea. And
- 2:17Speaker 1: we will start with the idea right after a possible
- 2:20Speaker 1: word from a possible sponsor. Get as comfy as you
- 2:25Speaker 1: can in that bed, close your eyes, and imagine yourself
- 2:30Speaker 1: doing What the kid in the story does. Imagine yourself
- 2:37Speaker 1: waking up in the morning. You're excited because today is
- 2:44Speaker 1: a very special day. Today is the day of the
- 2:51Speaker 1: Sprite Festival. Your Sprite Festival. You get dressed, run downstairs,
- 3:00Speaker 1: and Eat your breakfast. When you're finished, your mother approaches. Here, honey,
- 3:10Speaker 1: we want you to have this. She hands you your backpack.
- 3:16Speaker 1: My backpack? Yeah, you might need it. We packed it
- 3:23Speaker 1: with all sorts of extra things. Food, a blanket, spare clothes,
- 3:29Speaker 1: your water bottle, of course. and enough trail rations to
- 3:33Speaker 1: keep you going. Keep me going for how long, you ask?
- 3:40Speaker 1: That depends how often you stop for second breakfast, Dad says.
- 3:47Speaker 1: Beside his foot is his earth sprite, folding its rocky arms.
- 3:54Speaker 1: It has a square nose and bright green eyes. Your
- 4:00Speaker 1: mother has one too, though in her case it's a
- 4:04Speaker 1: flame sprite. It floats beside her cheek, a tiny golden
- 4:11Speaker 1: creature with flickering hair. Earth and flame, two greater sprites
- 4:19Speaker 1: as they call them. And today, you finally have a
- 4:23Speaker 1: chance to find your own. What if I don't get chosen?
- 4:30Speaker 1: You ask. Well, then you keep meeting sprites, your mom says.
- 4:38Speaker 1: The festival is an opportunity, but there are others. And
- 4:44Speaker 1: if I do? Your dad smiles. Well, then plans may
- 4:50Speaker 1: change quickly. That's why we packed you the backpack. How
- 4:57Speaker 1: long did you travel for after getting your sprite? Two
- 5:02Speaker 1: years before I found somewhere that we both wanted to stay.
- 5:06Speaker 1: Nearly three for me, your mother says. Then I met
- 5:13Speaker 1: someone who kept making excuses to repair the road beside
- 5:17Speaker 1: my house. Your father looks down at his sprite. The
- 5:23Speaker 1: road needed work. The little rocky creature nods in agreement.
- 5:30Speaker 1: You laugh and your mother pulls you into a hug. Alright,
- 5:36Speaker 1: go and meet your new friend. You run outside, down
- 5:42Speaker 1: the pathway from your house to the center of the
- 5:45Speaker 1: little village where you live. Everyone's gathered just off to
- 5:51Speaker 1: the side, in the woods beside the village square. The
- 5:57Speaker 1: forest is full of children exactly your age or, well,
- 6:02Speaker 1: at least born in the same year. All of them
- 6:07Speaker 1: carrying backpacks and looking ready to go on a possible adventure.
- 6:14Speaker 1: A cooking sprite sits on a baker's shoulder, sniffing a pie. Nearby,
- 6:20Speaker 1: a girl with a flower sprite sells garlands that bloom
- 6:25Speaker 1: as she weaves them together. If you can imagine something,
- 6:31Speaker 1: there's probably a sprite connected to it. For example, a
- 6:36Speaker 1: cooking sprite gives its friend a remarkable palate. A grass
- 6:41Speaker 1: sprite can make a meadow bend beneath their hands. Those
- 6:46Speaker 1: friendships last a lifetime just like any other bond. But
- 6:52Speaker 1: you imagine standing before a wizard with nothing to summon
- 6:57Speaker 1: except a particularly lovely lawn. You want the sort of
- 7:03Speaker 1: magic your parents have. You want mountains, forgotten towers, and
- 7:11Speaker 1: adventure that takes a long time to explain to others.
- 7:16Speaker 1: At the center of the forest, everyone gathers around an
- 7:21Speaker 1: enormous old oak tree. An elder steps between its roots,
- 7:28Speaker 1: leaning on a wooden staff. A green sprite with fern-like
- 7:33Speaker 1: hair rides on his shoulder. He taps his staff against
- 7:38Speaker 1: the ground. Small flowers open around his feet, and overhead
- 7:45Speaker 1: branches shift aside, letting sunlight spill into the clearing. Obviously,
- 7:53Speaker 1: this elder has a nature sprite, which is another kind
- 7:58Speaker 1: of greater sprite. Welcome, the elder says. Today, you may
- 8:07Speaker 1: meet someone who will share the rest of your life. Sprites,
- 8:14Speaker 1: you see, have magic of their own. Humans, however... carry
- 8:22Speaker 1: an energy within them that we call mana. When a
- 8:27Speaker 1: sprite and a human choose each other, those gifts come together.
- 8:33Speaker 1: Your mana strengthens their magic, and their bond opens the
- 8:40Speaker 1: world of that magic, that understanding, to you. His sprite
- 8:49Speaker 1: reaches down to touch his cheek. As your friendship deepens,
- 8:56Speaker 1: so will what you can accomplish together. One bond is
- 9:03Speaker 1: usually all a person will ever form. Though there are
- 9:09Speaker 1: stories of people who share more than one, but such
- 9:14Speaker 1: friendships are extraordinarily rare. Most people can only bond to
- 9:21Speaker 1: a single sprite, as they only have enough mana for
- 9:28Speaker 1: one connection. Now, for those of you worried about not
- 9:34Speaker 1: being chosen today, please don't worry. Your friend may be
- 9:40Speaker 1: waiting somewhere beyond this forest. The elder lifts his staff.
- 9:48Speaker 1: For those who are chosen, listen to your sprites. They
- 9:54Speaker 1: often lead their bonded companions where they need to be.
- 10:00Speaker 1: perhaps towards adventure, or at least somewhere your gifts are needed.
- 10:08Speaker 1: He smiles at the rows of backpacks. Your parents obviously understand.
- 10:14Speaker 1: They won't expect you back any time soon. They remember
- 10:21Speaker 1: their own beginnings, and they've packed for yours. Your sprites
- 10:27Speaker 1: will take care of you. You should take care of them, too.
- 10:34Speaker 1: Then he turns his face toward the treetops. Sprites of
- 10:41Speaker 1: the world, he calls. Come and meet those who may
- 10:47Speaker 1: become your friends. For a moment, nothing happens at all.
- 10:54Speaker 1: And then, an amber light appears between two roots. Something
- 11:00Speaker 1: shaped like a curled leaf opens two curious eyes. And suddenly,
- 11:08Speaker 1: all around the little clearing in the forest, sprites emerge.
- 11:15Speaker 1: A pebble sprite rolls between your boots. while a creature
- 11:19Speaker 1: made of silver thread drifts overhead. Reach out with your hands,
- 11:26Speaker 1: the elder says, and, more importantly, with your hearts. Let
- 11:34Speaker 1: them feel who you truly are. You raise one hand.
- 11:41Speaker 1: You think of the places beyond your village. The distant hills,
- 11:46Speaker 1: the the rivers that you've never followed before. You imagine
- 11:52Speaker 1: discovering what waits on the other side of the mountains,
- 11:58Speaker 1: and you feel a breeze brush against your palm. You
- 12:03Speaker 1: look up, and a tiny figure floats before you, almost transparent,
- 12:10Speaker 1: with bright eyes and hair that curls like little wisps
- 12:16Speaker 1: of cloud. Its little feet never quite hold their shape.
- 12:22Speaker 1: It studies your face, and it grins. Interesting, interesting indeed,
- 12:32Speaker 1: the sprite says. Hmm, you have more than enough mana.
- 12:41Speaker 1: Then it presses both hands against your fingers. A cool
- 12:47Speaker 1: tingle travels up your arm, and you gasp. Suddenly, you
- 12:55Speaker 1: can feel the air around you. Not just the air
- 13:00Speaker 1: against your skin like, well, anyone could, but the air
- 13:05Speaker 1: that's everywhere. You feel the wind slipping between the leaves
- 13:11Speaker 1: of the oak. You feel a warm current rising from
- 13:17Speaker 1: a nearby rock that's bathing in the sunlight. It feels
- 13:24Speaker 1: more like discovering another part of your body. You start
- 13:30Speaker 1: to move your head back and forth and, well, somehow,
- 13:36Speaker 1: you carry a little breeze with it. You move your
- 13:41Speaker 1: hand and The air moves with it as well. Suddenly,
- 13:48Speaker 1: leaves rise around your body and start spinning around you
- 13:53Speaker 1: in circles. Whoa, you say, and your sprite begins to laugh.
- 14:03Speaker 1: You like the wind, do you? Around you, other children
- 14:08Speaker 1: are laughing too. One is holding a glowing water sprite.
- 14:14Speaker 1: Another is watching tiny little mushrooms appear across a fallen
- 14:19Speaker 1: tree branch. Obviously a lesser sprite. One connected only to mushrooms, but, well,
- 14:28Speaker 1: a beautiful connection nonetheless. You can barely look away from
- 14:34Speaker 1: the little wind sprite above your hand. You can't believe
- 14:40Speaker 1: you have one. A greater sprite. So, it says, are
- 14:48Speaker 1: we gonna go flying or what? You stare at it. Flying? Well,
- 14:57Speaker 1: you've got a backpack. You seem perfectly ready to go somewhere.
- 15:05Speaker 1: Let's go.
- 15:05Speaker 2: How?
- 15:07Speaker 1: How? You ask. The sprite looks at your boots. Well,
- 15:15Speaker 1: the first step is to stop standing on things. That's
- 15:20Speaker 1: not very helpful. You respond.
- 15:25Speaker 2: Really?
- 15:25Speaker 1: It always worked for me. It studies your expression.
- 15:31Speaker 2: Right.
- 15:32Speaker 1: Human. You're new at this. Let me show you. The
- 15:37Speaker 1: breeze gathers around your legs and your heels lift up
- 15:43Speaker 1: off of the ground. Then your toes. You float upward,
- 15:51Speaker 1: your mouth open and hands spread out trying to catch
- 15:55Speaker 1: on to something. Below, the elder looks up and raises
- 16:01Speaker 1: his staff in a farewell tone. The trees sink beneath
- 16:07Speaker 1: your feet, and soon you can see your entire village below.
- 16:12Speaker 1: You're flying. Actually, your sprite says, circling your hand, I'm
- 16:23Speaker 1: doing most of the work. Sorry. Wait, could he read
- 16:29Speaker 1: your mind? Don't be sorry. Just have a go. What
- 16:36Speaker 1: if I fall, you ask? What a silly question. You
- 16:42Speaker 1: are now connected to me, which means you're connected to
- 16:47Speaker 1: the wind, which means you are the wind. And wind
- 16:53Speaker 1: does not fall. It moves, and now you can move
- 16:58Speaker 1: with it. Uh, well, I don't know about that. Just
- 17:06Speaker 1: trust the wind. You and it are one. It will
- 17:12Speaker 1: not let you fall unless you want to fall, of course.
- 17:16Speaker 1: The worst that will happen is you will slowly drift
- 17:19Speaker 1: down to the ground like a leaf. I'm pretty heavy, though,
- 17:25Speaker 1: you say. Maybe. But maybe that does not matter anymore.
- 17:34Speaker 1: You are wind.
- 17:34Speaker 2: Wind.
- 17:35Speaker 1: Let yourself be the wind. Feel the air holding you.
- 17:42Speaker 1: Trust it. It will be fine. You close your eyes
- 17:48Speaker 1: for a moment and there it is. You can feel
- 17:53Speaker 1: the soft pressure beneath your feet and around your body and, well,
- 17:59Speaker 1: even somehow inside you. As if the wind or Air
- 18:05Speaker 1: filling your lungs is part of the wind or air
- 18:09Speaker 1: that's floating around. You imagine yourself lifting upward and, well,
- 18:18Speaker 1: you rise. I did it, you say. Yes, now think
- 18:25Speaker 1: of somewhere you'd like to go. You look toward a
- 18:30Speaker 1: tall pine tree. and the air carries you forward, straight
- 18:36Speaker 1: toward it. You lean left and drift around the tree.
- 18:43Speaker 1: You lean right and circle back. Soon, you're laughing as
- 18:49Speaker 1: you skim above the forest, your sprites swooping alongside you.
- 18:56Speaker 1: You reach forward, and the wind answers. Trees blur beneath
- 19:03Speaker 1: your boots. Your backpack presses against your shoulders as the
- 19:08Speaker 1: air streams around you. Faster? your sprite asks. You grin,
- 19:16Speaker 1: and for several wonderful seconds, you blast across the treetops
- 19:23Speaker 1: at incredible speed. Then, something blue flashes below you, You
- 19:32Speaker 1: twist down to look and suddenly stop. What was that?
- 19:40Speaker 1: What was what? Down there, beside that tree, that blue thing.
- 19:50Speaker 1: The blue thing looks almost like a sprite wrapped in
- 19:54Speaker 1: a cloak of pale mist. Two bright eyes watch you
- 19:59Speaker 1: from beneath its hood. You slow and drift down. Uh, hello?
- 20:08Speaker 1: The figure tilts its head Then it slips off of
- 20:12Speaker 1: the branch and darts between the trees. Hey, wait, you yell.
- 20:20Speaker 1: It looks back. You glance at your sprite. Shall we,
- 20:26Speaker 1: you ask. Its grin widens. Well, we may as well.
- 20:33Speaker 1: You blast after the creature. It flies through the forest
- 20:39Speaker 1: as You fly over the trees above it. You'll have
- 20:44Speaker 1: to get closer somehow, which means... Well, which means diving
- 20:50Speaker 1: down into the trees. A much more dangerous place to fly, obviously, but... Well,
- 20:58Speaker 1: you could use the practice.
- 21:02Speaker 2: Ready?
- 21:03Speaker 1: You ask the wind sprite. Ready, the wind sprite answers.
- 21:10Speaker 1: you command the wind to allow you to drop down
- 21:14Speaker 1: below the tree line. You catch sight of the little
- 21:18Speaker 1: blue creature again and blast forward, this time carefully winding
- 21:24Speaker 1: over branches around trees and, well, doing your best to
- 21:30Speaker 1: dodge everything as the little blue spirit or sprite or
- 21:36Speaker 1: whatever it is continues to dart around in the forest. Soon,
- 21:43Speaker 1: the trees start to, well, disappear, and you blast out
- 21:49Speaker 1: into a, well, a little clearing with a waterfall pouring
- 21:54Speaker 1: down a rocky hillside. The little blue creature rises up
- 22:00Speaker 1: beside it. You slow down at the bottom. looking up
- 22:07Speaker 1: through the glittering spray of water. The little creature blasts
- 22:13Speaker 1: straight into the water and follows the waterfall up and
- 22:18Speaker 1: over the ledge. You rise up in the air, catch
- 22:22Speaker 1: a glimpse of the creature once again, and blast after it.
- 22:28Speaker 1: It follows the river somehow, turning left and right as
- 22:33Speaker 1: it goes and, well, incredible speed you try to follow
- 22:40Speaker 1: after it as quickly as you can blasting through the
- 22:44Speaker 1: air and getting very used to this flying thing it
- 22:50Speaker 1: starts to feel rather natural after all then you come
- 22:57Speaker 1: to a lake and the little creature dives down inside
- 23:02Speaker 1: and disappears entirely You lower yourself down over the water
- 23:10Speaker 1: and scan left and right looking for the little creature. Slowly,
- 23:16Speaker 1: it drifts up in front of you. What are you?
- 23:23Speaker 1: you ask. You already taken.
- 23:28Speaker 2: The.
- 23:30Speaker 1: Little creature says. Then, It blasts away and dives down
- 23:36Speaker 1: into the water. Was that a sprite, you ask? I
- 23:45Speaker 1: don't know for sure. Maybe, or maybe it was a spirit.
- 23:52Speaker 1: Don't worry, though. You already have me. One element should
- 23:58Speaker 1: be enough, shouldn't it? What do you mean one element
- 24:02Speaker 1: should be enough? Oh, nothing. What are you going on about? Well,
- 24:13Speaker 1: you see, you are special. Your mana is very strong.
- 24:25Speaker 1: So strong that you could easily have more than one sprite.
- 24:33Speaker 1: Many more, perhaps, unlike most people.
- 24:40Speaker 2: Really?
- 24:42Speaker 1: More than one sprite? Yes, though, well, you should probably
- 24:50Speaker 1: master one element before moving on to others, and I'm
- 24:55Speaker 1: not sure I like the idea of But, to be fair,
- 25:04Speaker 1: I could tell you were different when I bonded with you.
- 25:10Speaker 1: You could? Yes. It's part of the reason I chose you.
- 25:18Speaker 1: Your energy glowed stronger than anyone else. Huh.
- 25:26Speaker 2: So.
- 25:27Speaker 1: You think that spirit thing might have been another kind
- 25:31Speaker 1: of sprite looking for me? Perhaps. But it is not
- 25:39Speaker 1: time yet. We must continue training with the air and,
- 25:45Speaker 1: to be honest, you are looking tired. The sun starts
- 25:52Speaker 1: to go down and, well, You can't help but admit
- 25:57Speaker 1: that the little sprite is right. You are tired. Should
- 26:03Speaker 1: we head home then, you ask? Head home? That is
- 26:09Speaker 1: a very interesting concept. We could, or we could continue
- 26:19Speaker 1: to go where the wind takes us and make our
- 26:23Speaker 1: home here for now. What do you mean, go where
- 26:27Speaker 1: the wind takes us, you ask? Well, you are bonded
- 26:34Speaker 1: to a wind sprite, and wind sprites enjoy going wherever
- 26:40Speaker 1: we please. Staying in one place is boring. We prefer
- 26:47Speaker 1: to explore new places, find new people, new adventures. People
- 26:56Speaker 1: who could be helped. You could help people, you know.
- 27:01Speaker 1: The power we have together is something that could help many.
- 27:09Speaker 2: Really?
- 27:09Speaker 1: You ask. Really. And the power I feel inside you
- 27:17Speaker 1: could help many more if you, well, find others like me.
- 27:24Speaker 1: But for tonight, I say we rest here. Rest here,
- 27:30Speaker 1: just under the stars? Well, not exactly under the stars.
- 27:39Speaker 1: Let me show you. The sprite leads you down to
- 27:44Speaker 1: the ground, right beside the lake you were recently chased towards, or, well,
- 27:50Speaker 1: chased some strange blue creature towards anyways. You land on
- 27:55Speaker 1: the ground, and suddenly you feel the wind beginning to
- 28:00Speaker 1: move around you, spinning around and around in the shape
- 28:06Speaker 1: of a dome. You can barely see it. It looks
- 28:12Speaker 1: a little like the air around you is shimmering, but
- 28:16Speaker 1: you can feel it. The wind is moving in all
- 28:21Speaker 1: directions at once. different layers of wind, different layers of
- 28:27Speaker 1: movement all spinning around to create some sort of dome-like
- 28:32Speaker 1: structure around your body. What's this, you ask? This is
- 28:40Speaker 1: a wind home. It will keep out the elements and
- 28:44Speaker 1: keep things perfectly comfortable around here. Any creature or, well,
- 28:51Speaker 1: type of weather that tries to hit it will instantly
- 28:55Speaker 1: be blasted away. It's the way we keep ourselves safe
- 29:00Speaker 1: while sleeping. Okay. Well, I guess we have shelter. What
- 29:07Speaker 1: do we do for a bed or whatever? Why would
- 29:12Speaker 1: you need a bed when you are the wind? The
- 29:16Speaker 1: creature asks. Uh... Are you suggesting I just float here?
- 29:24Speaker 1: That is exactly what I am suggesting. Floating takes no effort.
- 29:30Speaker 1: Just lean back and rest yourself on the air. You
- 29:38Speaker 1: close your eyes in alarm. the air to lift you
- 29:42Speaker 1: up once again. Your boots leave the ground. You let
- 29:47Speaker 1: your body tilt backward until you feel yourself resting on
- 29:55Speaker 1: the air itself. The little sprite is correct. It doesn't
- 30:01Speaker 1: really feel like any effort at all. In fact, it
- 30:06Speaker 1: feels very comfortable. When your head feels like it's hanging
- 30:12Speaker 1: a little too low, you just, you know, build up
- 30:16Speaker 1: the air beneath it and it pushes it up to
- 30:19Speaker 1: just the right place, as if you have a comfortable
- 30:23Speaker 1: pillow below you. You close your eyes, and with each breath,
- 30:31Speaker 1: you find your muscles relaxing just a little bit more.
- 30:37Speaker 1: And you sink down deeper and deeper into the, well,
- 30:44Speaker 1: the bed of pure air. With each breath, you let
- 30:50Speaker 1: go of the tension in your muscles. Your arms relax.
- 30:57Speaker 1: Your legs relax, your shoulders drop from your ears, and
- 31:03Speaker 1: your face softens into a nice half smile. And before long,
- 31:11Speaker 1: your mind is wandering off to thoughts of new dreams,
- 31:17Speaker 1: new adventures, and new flights to come. The world is
- 31:24Speaker 1: yours to explore now. And you're, of course, curious about
- 31:29Speaker 1: this possibility of more than one sprite. Good night, everyone.
- 32:46Speaker 2: You Thank you.
- 34:19Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you.
- 37:12Speaker 2: Thank you.
- 37:54Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 38:47Speaker 2: You Thank you.
- 40:45Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 43:28Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you.
- 45:00Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 45:54Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
- 49:27Speaker 1: Thank you. you Thank you.
- 54:59Speaker 2: Thank you.
- 55:40Speaker 1: Thank you.
- 56:34Speaker 2: Thank you.
- 58:33Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you.