This episode marks the end of Season 1 of A Carefully Built Pretend. Thank you so much for listening and supporting my work, I look forward to bringing you more original stories when we pick up with Season 2 in a few months.

Today we’ll be reading a story called Elliot Under Glass. 

Have you ever looked deeply into a snow globe and wished with all your might that you could go inside? Maybe it’s a snow globe with a dashing unicorn, flowers laced in its flowing mane and tail. Or perhaps it’s a holiday snow globe with a jolly Santa surrounded by his elves and a mountain of toys. Or maybe it’s one of those snow globes that someone brought back from a trip, with the Empire State Building or the Eiffel Tower inside. You give it a shake and watch the glittery snow swirl around and fall gently toward the bottom, dreaming you could be taken away to the magical space inside the snow globe.

Now what if I told you that sometimes... well, at least one time... there was someone inside the snow globe wishing they could get out?! You don’t believe me, do you? Well, let me tell you the story of Elliot Under Glass...

A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Music and Stories brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a story called Elliot Under Glass. 

Have you ever looked deeply into a snow globe and wished with all your might that you could go inside? Maybe it’s a snow globe with a dashing unicorn, flowers laced in its flowing mane and tail. Or perhaps it’s a holiday snow globe with a jolly Santa surrounded by his elves and a mountain of toys. Or maybe it’s one of those snow globes that someone brought back from a trip, with the Empire State Building or the Eiffel Tower inside. You give it a shake and watch the glittery snow swirl around and fall gently toward the bottom, dreaming you could be taken away to the magical space inside the snow globe.

Now what if I told you that sometimes... well, at least one time... there was someone inside the snow globe wishing they could get out?! You don’t believe me, do you? Well, let me tell you the story of Elliot Under Glass...

Are you ready? Here we go!

No one is quite sure how Elliot got inside the snow globe. Some say he was put in there when a mystical creature cast a spell on him, others say he grew from a seed or grain of sand, others think maybe he hatched out of an egg. Whatever the case, Elliot had never known a day outside of the snow globe. He wasn’t completely alone in there, he had a doll, a toy train, a plate of cookies, and a glass of lemonade. But the one thing he didn’t have, was a real friend.

Tony loved Christmas. Every year he would spend the weeks leading up to the holidays pouring over the Sears toy catalogue, circling all his favourite things. That Christmas, Tony got a new sled, a Batman colouring book, a chutes and ladders board game, and his very own hair comb. “There’s one more gift under the tree, Tony,” his grandpa had said, “I think it’s for you!”

Tony had scurried to the tree and gently lifted the small, rather heavy box. There was no tag on it. “Who is it from?” he asked. He looked around at the grownups in the room, but none of them seemed to know. Tony shrugged and tore off the paper. Underneath was a plain brown cardboard box. Tony carefully pried it open and lifted the object out. “It’s a snow globe!” he shouted, giving it a shake then holding it up to the light to peer inside.

“Dad is this your doing?” Tony’s dad asked Tony’s Grandpa. Tony’s grandpa shook his head no and shrugged his shoulders. “Well son, I guess we’ll just chalk this one up to Santa!” he said, smiling.

“I love it!” said Tony, running up to his room to find the perfect spot for his gift. The snow globe found a home on top of his dresser next to the bed. Every night before bed he would lay down and hold it up above his head, peering at the boy inside as the glittery snowflakes fell around him. The boy inside was sitting cross-legged on the floor, a doll, toy train, plate of cookies, and glass of lemonade by his side. I wonder what your name is...thought Tony one day. 

“It’s Elliot!” shouted the boy. Tony was so shocked he almost dropped the snow globe on the floor. He had seen a film at the movie theatre last year with his dad where the toys could talk, and move. But... that wasn’t real... was it?

“Hello Elliot, I’m Tony,” he spoke into the glass at the top of the snow globe. He leaned back and looked down. The boy in the snow globe, Elliot, was waving at him. “It is real!” he whispered in disbelief. Tony leaned in to take a closer look. “Elliot, you’re so lucky! You get to eat cookies, and drink lemonade, and play all day!”

Elliot shook his head, sending a mass of glittery snowflakes swirling around him. “No!” he shouted, barely audible through the glass. The truth was, Elliott dreamed of the world outside the snow globe. He dreamed of the cozy bed with the cowboy comforter, or of running barefoot outside and feeling the blades of grass poke between his toes, or splashing in a backyard pool, or a bathtub filled with bubbles up to his chin! In the beginning he loved cookies and lemonade... but now he wanted to try new things! Pizza, popcorn, chocolate-dipped strawberries!

“What do you mean, no?” asked Tony, unable to understand why anyone would want to turn down an endless supply of cookies. In the snow globe he wouldn’t have to go to school, he wouldn’t have to take a bath or brush his teeth every night, or listen to his sister boss him around. He wouldn’t have to wear the uncomfortable button up shirts his mom made him wear on special occasions, and he wouldn’t have to sit through any of Aunt Janet’s boring holiday parties. The more he thought about it, the more life inside the snow globe sounded great!

“It’s not as wonderful as you think,” said Elliot, as if reading his mind. “Cookies and lemonade are fun for a while, but I only have two toys to play with, and I don’t have a bed, I have to sleep on the floor. This glittery snow gets stuck in my hair and in my clothes. I never get to hug anyone, or make new friends, or travel and explore new places. 

Tony sat and thought about it for a long time. Maybe Elliot was right, life outside the snow globe wasn’t so bad. He had been on that trip to Mount Rushmore with his classmates last year, and he sure did have a comfy bed with puffy pillows and sheets that had cowboys on horseback racing across them. He got to go to birthday parties, and play on the softball team, play tricks on his dad for April Fool’s day, compete in the spelling bee, go trick or treating for Halloween... he got to do a lot of fun things when he really stopped to think about it.

“Okay Elliot, how do we get you out?” he asked. He squinted at the boy in the snow globe and saw him shrug. 

“I really don’t know,” replied Elliot, I’ve always been in here, I don’t know how to get out.

“What if we try wishing really hard?” suggested Tony. The two of them squeezed their eyes shut tightly and silently wished with all their might. After a few minutes they opened their eyes and looked around, but Elliot was still under the glass of the snow globe.

“Maybe we need to cast a spell, or break a curse, like what a witch or wizard would do!” suggested Tony. He packed the snow globe in his backpack and rode his bike to the library to do some research. He found a Freedom Spell in the book the librarian had brought him. He copied it down in his very best handwriting and biked home. Tony and Elliot repeated the spell word for word, three times, just in case. But still, Elliot was stuck under the glass, glittery snow in his hair.

“Maybe we need to take the snow globe apart and let you out that way!” suggested Tony. At this Elliot looked a little worried, but gave a small, nervous nod. Tony raced downstairs to his mom’s tool kit and grabbed a screwdriver. He turned the snow globe over and tried to figure out which screws held which pieces together. After a few tries he finally flipped the snow globe right-side-up and peered down at Elliot with a glum look on his face. “I’m sorry Elliot, I don’t think it’s doable, the glass is glued to the bottom part, so the water won’t come out.” Elliot looked sad, but mostly he looked dizzy and nauseous from being upside down for so long.

Tony and Elliot eventually gave up on freeing Elliot from the snow globe and just enjoyed their new friendship. Tony would tell Elliot stories about his adventures in the outside world, and Elliot would tell Tony tall tales he’d made up while sitting within the confines of the snow globe. 

One day, Tony’s mom told him to clean his room, reminding him that his grandmother was coming to visit. Tony’s grandma would go on and on about how messy and irresponsible he was if he didn’t clean his room before she arrived. Tony made his bed and put his clothes and toys away. He hurriedly passed the vacuum back and forth on his rug, then fluffed his pillows and watered his cactus, Bruce, named after Batman’s alter ego Bruce Wayne. “Grandma’s here!” shouted his mom, sending Tony into a flurry. He hadn’t dusted yet! He grabbed the duster from the hall closet and clumsily ran it across his desk, the shelves where he lined up his toy cars and figurines, and finally scrambled to his dresser. He turned his head to look toward the door when he heard his grandmother’s voice downstairs, and suddenly heard a loud CRASH at his feet!

Tony’s heart sank. He knew what the crash was before looking down at the puddle and broken glass. He heard his mother’s footsteps rushing up the stairs. “Tony are you okay?! What was that noise?!” She panted from the doorway.

Tony was too heartbroken to reply right away. He took a few deep breaths before answering. “My snow globe fell off the dresser. It’s broken,” he told her. 

“Oh honey, I’m sorry, I know how much you loved that snow globe. We’ll find you a new one,” she said, putting a comforting arm around him. “Why don’t you come downstairs and ask Grandma to make you a hot chocolate while I clean up,” she said, guiding him toward the door.

Tony was about halfway done with his hot chocolate when a terrible thought occurred to him. What would happen to Elliott now that the snow globe was smashed?! He left his mug on the counter and raced upstairs. “Mom! Mom!” he shouted, taking the stairs two at a time. “Mom, wait! You can’t throw it away!” he cried. 

“Oh, honey it’s too late, that broken glass was dangerous. It was lucky timing, just after I put the bag in the trash the garbage truck came to take it away.”

Tony sank to the floor, riddled with guilt. What would become of Elliot then, trapped inside a plastic bag on a garbage truck?

“Don’t worry buddy, like I said, we’ll find you a new snow globe,” said his mother in a comforting tone.

“But that snow globe had Elliot inside!” cried Tony, unable to stop the tears from falling down his face. His mother’s brow furrowed for a moment, like she was wondering who Elliot was, but she didn’t make a fuss, and just held Tony in her arms until he’d cried out all his tears, then helped him get into bed for a nap.

As time went on Tony moved on from the tragic end to the snow globe, but he never forgot about Elliot. Years and years went by. Tony grew up and moved away, went to college, and got a job that took him overseas. He was walking down a street in a small English town one day, when he crossed paths with a man who looked familiar. He stopped and looked at the man. The man stopped and looked at him. They squinted at one another. Finally, the man smiled and said “It’s so nice to see you here on the outside, Tony. You were right, it is a big, beautiful world!” Then he winked at Tony and walked away. Tony stayed very still for a moment, trying to sort out his thoughts. Then something on the ground caught his eye. He bent down to take a closer look. There was a trail of something on the sidewalk, shining in the rare English sun. Tony reached down to touch it and some of it stuck to his finger. He took a closer look and smiled. Glittery snowflakes. 

“Elliot!” he shouted, spinning around, but the man was already gone. Tony continued his walk home, the grin never leaving his face. As he passed the local gift shop, he noticed the window display featured a snow globe with a family of puppies and two smiling children. 

“Honey, I’m home!” he shouted to his wife as he walked through the door. “I have a surprise for you!” His wife walked in from the backyard excitedly, her curiosity piqued. He handed her a brown carboard box wrapped in bright yellow paper with an orange bow. She hurriedly unwrapped it and looked at him quizzically as the glittery snow swirled around the puppies and children.

“I’m going to tell you a story. I know it will seem hard to believe, but I promise you, every word is true. You see when I was a boy, I got a snow globe for Christmas...”

From across the street, a man watches through their window. He slips a cookie out of his coat pocket and takes a small bite. He smiles as he watches the woman unwrap the gift, then lifts off his hat, and shakes a few flakes of glittery snow out of his hair before placing it back on his head and continuing on toward his next adventure.

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story, and remember the old saying, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence! That just means it’s good to take a look at what we have and remember to be grateful for it, other’s lives, or toys, aren’t always as perfect and easy as they may seem from the outside.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, pretending, and living your very own amazing life, and I’ll be back very soon.

 This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Today we’ll be reading a story called “Is Your Name Camilla?”. This story is a little bit like a puzzle, or a guessing game. Our friend Harriet Hedghog is trying to find her sister’s friend, Camilla. Will you figure out which animal Camilla is before Harriet does? Let’s get reading to find out!

A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Music and Stories brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a story called “Is Your Name Camilla?”. This story is a little bit like a puzzle, or a guessing game. Our friend Harriet Hedghog is trying to find her sister’s friend, Camilla. Will you figure out which animal Camilla is before Harriet does? Let’s get reading to find out!

Are you ready? Here we go!

Meet Harriet Hedgehog. Harriet loves wearing mittens, putting bows in her hair, and playing with her rainbow beach ball.

Harriet has a sister named Hillary Hedgehog. Hillary is rather sad today because she has lost her friend, Camilla. 

“Don’t worry, I will go find your friend Camilla!” says Harriet. She puts on her shoes, and her favourite mittens and heads out the door.

First, I will look in the park! she thinks. At the entrance to the park she sees a little grey mouse! “Excuse me, Mouse” she says, “is your name Camilla?”

“Why no!” says the mouse. “My name is Mozza because I LOVE mozzarella cheese! But I know someone named Camilla, and she has HUGE eyes!”

“Oh, thank you, Mozza!” replies Harriet, and she keeps walking. Ahead of her she sees the county fair. That seems like a good place to look for Camilla. She walks by the Ferris wheel and the carrousel, and suddenly sees a large brown horse. “Why, this horse has big eyes!” cries Harriet. “Excuse me, horse, is your name Camilla?” she asks.

“Nay!” says the horse, “My name is Wind because I can run like the wind. But I know someone named Camilla, and she has big feet!”

“Thank you, Wind!” shouts Harriet, running toward the zoo. Harriet follows the winding path around the different enclosures, and suddenly sees a kangaroo. Now, kangaroos have big eyes AND big feet! thinks Harriet. “Excuse me, kangaroo, is your name Camilla?” she asks.

“Not at all!” the kangaroo replies. “My name is Pocket because I have a pocket on my belly. But I know someone named Camilla, and she has no tail!”

“Oh, thank you, Pocket!” says Harriet, hurrying toward the forest. Harriet is running so fast she runs right into the paws of a lynx. Lynx have big eyes, AND big feet, AND they have no tail! thinks Harriet. “Excuse me, lynx, is your name Camilla?” she asks, untangling herself from its paws.

“So sorry dear, but it’s not. My name is Moonlight because I love to play in the moonlight. But I know someone named Camilla, and she has no fur!”

“Oh, well, thank you, Moonlight,” says Harriet, following the path through the woods. Suddenly she hears a strange sound... “Oooo – oooo – ooooo”. What could it be...?

“An Owl!” cries Harriet. “Of course! Owls have no fur, only feathers! They have big eyes, AND big feet, AND no tail!” Harriet quickly climbs the tree and finds the owl on a branch. “Excuse me, owl, is your name Camilla?”

“Whooooooo?” says the owl. “No, my name is Dinnerplates, because I have such big eyes! But I know someone named Camilla and.... she’s just around the corner!”

“Wonderful! Thank you so much, Dinnerplates!” shouts Harriet over her shoulder as she scrambles down the tree. She rushes down the path and comes to a small pond. Sitting on a lily pad in the pond is a lovely, smiling frog. The frog has big eyes, AND big feet. She has NO tail, and NO hair – she is all green! 

“Excuse me, frog,” says Harriet, “is your name Camilla?”

“Why yes!” says Camilla “How may I help you, dear?”

“My sister Hillary is very sad! She couldn’t find you earlier and she’s quite worried!”

“Then, we’d best hurry home!” says Camilla, hopping off the lily pad and swimming to meet Harriet at the edge of the pond.

The pair race home to find Hillary, who gives Camilla a big hug the moment they walk through the door. Hillary turns to Harriet and asks, “Did you have a hard time finding Camilla?”

“Not at all!” replies Harriet, “and I made some wonderful friends along the way!” 

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story, and remember, it’s okay to ask for help if you need it.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, and pretending and I’ll be back very soon.

This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Today we’ll be reading a story called That Time I Didn’t Listen. Do you ever have those moments where someone warns you about something, but you kind of want to find out for yourself? Or maybe you don’t quite believe them? This is a story about moments like those, and what our storyteller learned from them.

A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Music and Stories brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a story called That Time I Didn’t Listen. Do you ever have those moments where someone warns you about something, but you kind of want to find out for yourself? Or maybe you don’t quite believe them? This is a story about moments like those, and what our storyteller learned from them.

Are you ready? Here we go!

The first time I didn’t listen I was making Rice Krispie Squares with my mom. We put a pot on the stove and melted some butter, then added some marshmallows to it and melted those too, then we mixed in the cereal, and it was a big gooey, sticky, sweet mess. My mom took the pot off the stove. I turned to look at the burner, it was a pretty, bright orange colour. “Don’t touch the hot stove, you’ll get hurt,” said my mom. “It’s so pretty,” I thought “I’ll only touch it a little bit,” I thought. I reached out my forefinger and placed it down on the bright orange burner. “Owwie owwie!” I shouted, popping my finger into my mouth as the burning pain shot up my arm. I took my finger out of my mouth and looked down at it. My skin was bright red and a big ol’ blister was forming. Even the Rice Krispie Treats didn’t make me feel better. I told myself next time my mother warned me about something I would listen.

The next time I didn’t listen I was chewing bubble gum. I love bubble gum. Well, I used to love bubble gum. I would chew it and chew it, then I would pull some of it out of my mouth and twirl it around my finger and my father would say “One of these days you’re going to get bubble gum in your hair!” and I would roll my eyes and twirl my gum around my finger some more then pop it back in my mouth and keep chewing. One day I was at school chewing my gum and twirling it around my finger when the boy sitting behind me let out a loud sneeze - ATCHOO! I was startled and quickly turned my head around to look at him. Before I knew it, I had bubble gum in my hair. I pulled and pulled on it but no matter what I did it was stuck. I ran to the restrooms and tried to clean it off with water and a paper towel, but it was stuck. I put a hat on to hide the gum in my hair for the rest of the day. When I got home my father took one look at me and said “I told you so!”. He then got the scissors and cut the gum out of my hair. I looked very silly for a few weeks until my hair grew back. I told myself that next time my father warned me about something I would listen.

The next time I didn’t listen I was pushing the shopping cart around the store while Grandpa and I were doing groceries. I was only a little bit taller than the shopping cart; my eyes were just above the handle. After a while I got a bit bored, and hungry, so I licked the handle of the shopping cart. “Oh dear,” said my grandpa, “shopping carts are covered in germs, you really shouldn’t do that.” I rolled my eyes and thought “What does he know? I don’t see any germs!” and kept licking the shopping cart handle with defiance. A few days later I woke up feeling very icky. “I think you caught a bug!” said my mom as she was looking at the thermometer. I missed my best friend’s birthday party because I was stuck in bed with a fever and a sore throat. I told myself, next time Grandpa warned me about something I would listen.

The next time I didn’t listen we were on family vacation and staying at a hotel. The hotel had big, long, straight hallways with gray and beige carpeting. The hallways looked like racetracks, and I went racing down them every time we left our room. “You really shouldn’t run down the hallways, it’s disruptive for the other guests and you could fall and get hurt,” said my older sister. “She’s just jealous because I’m faster than her,” I thought as I flew down the hallways at top speed. I zoomed past the elevators, the vending machine, the door to the pool... the room numbers were all a blur as I raced by. Out of the blue, I tripped on my own feet and fell to the ground, my face rubbing against the carpet as I crash-landed in the hallway. I sat up and placed a hand on my cheek, red and raw from the rug burn. A door opened and a lady looked out at me. Once she saw I wasn’t terribly hurt she shook her head in disapproval and closed her door. I was SO embarrassed. I told myself, next time my sister warned me about something, I would listen.

The next time I didn’t listen it cost me. I was in my room when my grandma came to grab the dirty clothes. “You should check your pockets before putting your clothes in the laundry bin,” she said. I was in the middle of a really hard level on my video game, so I said “Mhmm” and handed her my laundry bin. What’s the big deal if I check my pockets or not? A few hours later I was going to meet my friend at the convenience store to buy some sticker packs. I checked my desk for my allowance money. I could have sworn I left it there! I looked everywhere but couldn’t find it. “Grandma, have you seen my allowance money?” I asked. “I sure have,” she said, “I saw it fall out of the dryer when I was gathering the clean clothes, you must have left it in your pocket, and it got washed. Unfortunately, it got ripped in the process, so you won’t be able to use it to buy your stickers,” she added. I had to call my friend and tell him I couldn’t meet up at the convenience store today. Then I told myself the next time Grandma warns me about something I will listen.

That wasn’t the last time I didn’t listen. But as time went on, I learned that the people who love me weren’t trying to be bossy or annoying or jealous, they were just trying to help and keep me safe. I also discovered that mistakes are how we learn. All those times I didn’t listen, and had something bad happen because of it, I never did those things again. I never got gum in my hair again, or touched a hot stove again, or left money or other things in my pockets again or ran down a hallway again. I made other mistakes, but I learned from those too. Mistakes turned out to be precious gifts, and so is the wisdom of others, and I learned to treasure both.

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story. Remember, people who love you are only trying to help, and even if you listen to them, you will still make mistakes, but that is how we learn!

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, pretending – and being a good listener – and I’ll be back very soon.

This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Today we’ll be reading a silly story called Wrong Answers Only! Now, I’ll need your help for this story to work. I’m going to read it to you, but every time I pause, I want you to answer the question – but here’s the tricky part, I don’t want you to give me the right answer, you have to make up a silly answer of your own! Then I’ll include my silly answer too. I promise we’re all going to have a lot of fun!

A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Music and Stories brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a silly story called “Wrong Answers Only”. Now, I’ll need your help for this story to work. I’m going to read it to you, but every time I pause, I want you to answer the question – but here’s the tricky part, I don’t want you to give me the right answer, you have to make up a silly answer of your own! Then I’ll include my silly answer too. I promise we’re all going to have a lot of fun!

Are you ready? Here we go!

What sound does a cow make?  Gobbledy Gobbledy Gobbledy Gook

What sound does a truck make?  Boop Boop Boop

What does a blanket sound like? *Hand Claps*

What sound does a toaster make? Caw! Caw! Caw!

What does a baby sound like? DeeDoo DeeDoo DeeDoo

What sound does a sheep make? Vroom Vroom!

What does a mountain sound like? Mooooooo!

What sound does a telephone make? Bladbladbladbladbla

What does an ant sound like?  *Foot Stomping*

What sound does a rock make? Swish Swoosh Swish Swoosh

What sound does a house make? EEawww EEawww

What sound does a tire make? Teeheeeheeeheeeheeeee

What does a houseplant sound like? *Fish Sound*

What does ice sound like? Cockadoodledoo!

What sound does hair make? Bloop Bloop Bloop

What do flowers sound like? GRRRRRAWR!

What sound does a chicken make? Beep Beep! Beeeeeeeeeep! Beep Beep!

What does a tree sound like? Tick Tock Tick Tock

What does a thunderstorm sound like? SHHHHHH!

What do socks sound like? Squeak Squeak Squeak

What does the ocean sound like? Meow Meow

What does a carpet sound like? *Tongue Clicking*

What do you sound like?  ...Well I think that just might be the best sound of all!

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you

I hope you enjoyed this story, and remember, it’s fun to think outside the box, to make up your own answers, to be different and unique, and most importantly, it’s okay to be wrong, that’s how we learn! I hope you had fun with me today.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, pretending – and learning – and I’ll be back very soon.

This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Today we’ll be reading a story called Black Dog Waiting. Did you know that black dogs are often the last ones to be adopted at animal shelters? This is a story about a black dog who had to wait a long time to learn about home and love.

A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Music and Stories brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a story called Black Dog Waiting. Did you know that black dogs are often the last ones to be adopted at animal shelters? This is a story about a black dog who had to wait a long time to learn about home and love.

Are you ready? Here we go!

There’s a black dog waiting by the side of the road. She doesn’t remember much about her life before. There wasn’t much of a life to remember, I suppose. She spent every day outside, tied to a short rusty chain. Sunny days, windy days, rainy days, stormy days, snowy days... days and days and days.

One day, her chain got so rusty it broke. The black dog walked and walked and walked. She eventually found a road and sat for a while watching the cars go by. Big cars, small cars, clean cars, dusty cars, noisy cars, fast cars... Eventually the black dog god tired, and she curled up in the dirt to sleep. She slept in the sun, the wind, and the rain as cars drove by her on the dusty old road.

One day, a truck stopped nearby. The black dog lifted her head, too tired and hungry to stand up. Two people got out of the truck and started walking toward her. One of them had a rope... the dog thought the rope looked like a chain, the chain that she had been tied to for days and days and days. The black dog got sad. The two people got closer. The black dog got scared. The two people tied the rope to her collar. The black dog started to shake. The people pulled on the rope until the black dog stood up, and they lead her to the back of their truck and put her inside. Then the truck and the people and the black dog drove down the dusty old road.

When the truck stopped, the dog was led into a building. The black dog was confused, she had never been inside a building before, she had never seen a floor before. She was brought to a room with rows and rows and rows of cages. Every cage had a dog, and every dog was sad, scared, and worried. The black dog was put in the cage at the end of the row. Then the black dog got sad, scared, and worried too.

Day after day after day people came to look at the dogs in the cages. First the puppies got out, then the cute small fluffy dogs got out, then the young hunting dogs got out, then the big, beautiful dogs with the lush fur got out. Every time a dog got out, another dog came in. Then when that dog got out, another one came in. But the black dog never got out. Day after day after day people came and took a dog, and day after day after day the black dog stayed in her cage at the end of the row.

Finally, one day, the black dog heard a small voice ask “What about this one?”. The black dog lifted her ear a little. It sounded like the voice was nearby. “I like this one!” said the small voice. This time the black dog lifted her head. “Are you sure?” asked a big voice. “Yes, I’m sure,” said the small voice. The black dog stood up and turned around, and she came face to face with a child. The black dog had never seen a child before. The child smiled. The black dog had never seen a smile before. The child reached into the cage and gently scratched the top of the dog’s head. The dog’s tail started wagging. The black dog thought maybe she’d wagged her tail before, but she wasn’t sure.

A person came by with a rope, and the black dog began to shake. The child sat next to the dog and told her everything was going to be okay. The black dog leaned her head on the child and felt something... something warm, something good, something safe. The black dog was feeling trust, for the very first time.

The black dog was led to the car and sat in the back next to the child. She looked out the window and saw trees and houses and fences and people and other dogs. The car finally stopped, and the black dog was brought to a new building. Once inside the child walked with the dog and showed her some new things. 

“This is your bed,” said the child. The black dog wasn’t sure what a bed was, but it sure looked comfortable.

“This is your food bowl,” said the child. The black dog wasn’t sure what a food bowl was, but it sure would be nice to not feel hungry anymore.

“These are your toys,” said the child. The black dog had never seen toys before, but they sure looked fun

“This is your home,” said the child. The black dog had never had a home, but it sure felt safe.

“I love you,” said the child. The black dog had never felt love before, but it sure felt good. I love you too, thought the dog.

The black dog watched as day after day the small person grew, and the family laughed, and cried, and loved. They loved on sunny days, on windy days, on stormy days, and on all those days the black dog was comfortable, fed, happy, warm, and safe.

One day, the family brought home a new black dog. When they came in the door, the new black dog looked sad and scared and worried. The old black dog wagged her tail and walked with the new dog. 

“This is your bed; you will be comfortable” she said. “This is your food bowl, you will be fed,” she said. “These are your toys, you will have fun,” she said. “This is your home, you will be safe,” she said.

The new black dog wagged its tail, maybe for the first time, then curled up on the soft, cozy bed and fell asleep. The old black dog curled up next to him and whispered, “This is your family, you will be loved.”

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story. Remember to take the time to look at the creatures and people who often get overlooked, there is a treasure inside each and every one of them, just like there is a treasure inside you.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, pretending – and being kind – and I’ll be back very soon.

This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Today we’ll be reading a story called Mr. Pebbles. It’s a tale about a cat and a fish, and how they became the best of friends!

A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Music and Stories brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a story called Mr. Pebbles. It’s a tale about a cat and a fish, and how they became the best of friends!

Are you ready? Here we go!

Mr. Pebbles in his goldfish bowl

Doesn’t like to do what he’s told

He flips and flops about trying to see

A lovely cat named Miss Mallory

One day he flip and flopped until he

Flew right out of his tiny little sea!

Miss Mallory ran away from Mr. Pebbles

That rebel with the orange scales

And permanently puckered lips

That scare Miss Mallory out of her wits!

She meows “Go away you silly fish!”

And indeed, one day, he disappeared with a SWISH!

He had accidentally jumped in the toilet, you see

And off went Mr. Pebbles shouting “Wheeeee!”

For a few weeks we had peace at home,

Then one day we got a call on the phone

“I have a fish here” said the man on the line,

“He says that he’s yours, and he sure ain’t mine!

I’ll be glad to drive him, just give me your address”

At this our scaredy feline began to pace with distress

The kind man came by and dropped off the fish

And back in his bowl he went with a SWISH

Mr. Pebbles wasted no time at all

Trying to jump out to pay Miss Mallory a call

“Oh Mr. Pebbles” I said with a sigh,

“Miss Mallory is rather afraid of your eyes,

And also your mouth, and your scales, and fins,

In fact she’s afraid of everythin’”

“But please don’t be sad, don’t worry one bit!

I’ll be your friend; I think we’re a good fit!

Your orange scales match my orange hair,

That’s one thing that we have in common right there!”

Mr. Pebbles swam ‘round and gave it some thought

“A friend would be nice, and like it or not,

The lovely Miss Mallory wants nothing to do,

With me, but luckily, now there is you!”

And that is how Mr. Pebbles and I came to be

And soon our friendship included all 3

Miss Mallory got over her fears, you see!

Not right away, but eventually...

After the cat let go of her fears

She grew to hold Mr. Pebbles quite dear

The 3 of us laugh, and smile, and play

Each and every single day

And that, my dear, is the story I have

Of a friendship between me, a fish, and a cat

I’ve told the whole thing, and we’ve reached the end

Of how me, Mr. Pebbles, and Miss Mallory

Became the very best of friends.

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story, and remember, it’s great to be friends with people and creatures that are different than you, you just have to make a little effort to find things you have in common.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, and pretending, and I’ll be back very soon.

This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Today we’ll be reading a story called The Moonlight Parade. It’s a story about friendship, love, loss, and change.

A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Music and Stories brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a story called The Moonlight Parade. It’s a story about friendship, love, loss, and change.

Are you ready? Here we go!

Many years ago, in a place like many places, with fields and trees and the occasional house, was a farm with many horses.  The horses raced around the fields; tall, short, old, young, light, dark.  

One of those horses, rather young and rather dark, was very special.  She was special because she was kind, gentle and smart.

Nearby lived a girl, rather young and rather tall.  Every day she would ride her bike down the dirt road, wind blowing her hair into tangles, just to see the horse.  The girl was also kind, gentle and smart.  

They would stand in the fields for hours.  The girl would talk and the horse would listen, the girl would sing and the horse would doze off, and sometimes the girl would lean on the horse and they would just stand in silence.

At dusk, when all the other horses would run across the fields like their wild ancestors, the horse would shield the girl from their pounding hooves, and they would both watch the parade as the moon came up.  

Day after day, night after night, the girl and the horse would stand and watch the moonlight parade.

Over time, the girl started coming every other day, then once a week, then the visits became fewer and fewer until the girl stopped visiting at all.  

She had grown up and moved to a place like many places, with tall buildings and cars and the occasional tree.

The horse grew up too, and became a mom.  She taught her foals to be kind, gentle and smart, and all of them grew up to be very special horses.  

But at dusk, when the other horses started their parade, she would watch and wonder what happened to the girl.

Far away, in a small city house, the girl had also become a mom.  She taught her baby to be kind gentle and smart.  

She kept busy every day, but at dusk she would look out her tiny window at the rising moon and remember the field, the parade and the horse.  Night after night she thought of the horse and wished she could stand with her and talk, and sleep, and sing.

Many years later, on a warm and sunny day, the girl came back to the place with the fields and the trees… and the horse.  The girl had grown older, her hair was getting grey and she spoke more quietly, but that day she had a sparkle in her eye.  

The girl walked to the field and called the horse’s name.  The horse had grown older, her mane was tangled and she walked more slowly, but when she heard the girl’s voice she also got a sparkle in her eye. 

They spent some time standing very close.  The girl talked and the hose listened, then she sang a little song and it was time to go. 

They both felt very sad, and as the girl walked away the horse whinnied a loud, proud and heavy-hearted goodbye.

Years went by and the horse thought of the girl and the girl thought of the horse.

One night, the horse was very tired and lay down to sleep.  

But as the moon started to come up, and the horses started their parade of pounding hooves, the horse lifted her head, shook her mane, and got up to join them.  She ran and ran in the field with the other horses.  

As the moon rose higher and higher she ran faster and faster, so fast she lifted into the night sky and raced into the girl’s dream.  

The girl was very happy to see the horse, young and proud, running like the wind.  She dreamed they were standing in the field and, just before she woke, the horse whinnied one last goodbye.

The next day, the girl gathered her family and drove to the place with the fields and trees.  Things had changed a lot since she had been there as a child; the dirt road had been paved, the bikes had rusted, some of the houses were gone and others had been built.  

But the biggest change of all was that the horse was no longer in the field.  

In her place was a foal, rather dark and rather tall, and very kind, gentle and smart.  

The girl had brought her son, and the foal looked at the boy, and the boy looked at the foal.  

They walked to the field and stood together.  The boy talked and the foal listened, the boy sang and the foal dozed off, then the boy leaned on the foal and they stood in silence.

At dusk, as the moon started to rise, the foal stood guard as the other horses started their parade. 

The girl stood watching, and for just a brief moment she saw the horse; running and jumping and kicking her feet in the air, and the girl smiled.  

The horse stopped and looked at the girl, then her loud whinny echoed through the fields as she faded away, 

and the moonlight parade continued…

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story. Remember, losing something or someone we love is very hard, but we can always find a piece of the still in our minds, in our hearts, and in the things they’ve done to make the world a better place. 

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, pretending – and thinking of those you love – and I’ll be back very soon.

This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Today we’ll be reading a silly poem called “ Emma Eats Strange Things”. It feels good to just be silly sometimes, doesn’t it? To just have a laugh for no reason at all? To make things up that don’t make sense? That’s what today is all about – just being silly and having fun.

A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

Music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Stories and Music brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a silly poem called “ Emma Eats Strange Things”. It feels good to just be silly sometimes, doesn’t it? To just have a laugh for no reason at all? To make things up that don’t make sense? That’s what today is all about – just being silly and having fun.

Are you ready? Here we go!

Emma eats strange things

She eats cake with lizard wings

She eats frozen onion rings

And eats salad with flies that sing!

Emma eats strange food

She eats chairs when she’s in the mood

She eats her dolls when they are rude

And eats her cereal with glue!

Emma eats strange meals

She likes munching on high heels

She eats banana soup with eels

Without removing the banana peels!

Emma eats strange snacks

At school she likes to eat her backpack

At home she eats her mother’s coat rack

She’s even been known to eat thumb tacks!

Emma eats strange things

She’ll swallow almost anything!

She’ll taste just about everything!

She just won’t eat the food I’m cooking…

 Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this poem. I like to take a little time each day to make up a silly story in my head, and just think about it and smile, or even laugh out loud, just for a moment. It can make a hard day feel a little better – go ahead and try it sometime! And if you can’t invent your own story, you can always come back here and listen to this one.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, and pretending – and being silly! – and I’ll be back very soon.

 

This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Today we’ll be reading a story called The Day the Sun Fell. It’s a story about working together to complete something that would be impossible if we were working alone.

A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Music and Stories brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a story called The Day the Sun Fell. It’s a story about working together to complete something that would be impossible if we were working alone.

Are you ready? Here we go!

The Day the Sun Fell

The girl came to the field one day and saw the most incredible thing.

The sun had fallen from the sky and landed in the valley. The girl tried to lift it by herself, but soon realized it was impossible to do it on her own. She called her friend, and he came running. The girl and the boy tried to lift the sun back up into the sky, but they could not do it on their own.

The girl and the boy ran to the village, and soon all the villagers had gathered to help. They tied ropes around the sun and tried to pull it up the mountain, but they could not do it on their own.

The villagers called to all the people of the land, and they came with their drums. They beat their drums and they stomped their feet as they danced in circles. The sun started to bounce up and down in time with the music.

Soon, word had spread around the world that the sun had fallen from the sky. Dragons flew from the East, they used to villagers’ ropes to pull the bouncing sun into the sky. 

The people from the North used their song to send the winter wind. It blew over the mountain and pushed the sun higher up into the sky.

The people from the South gathered in the desert and they danced in a big circle, moving faster and faster, until a sandstorm lifted into the air! The sandstorm blew over the mountain to join the north wind, and together they pushed the sun up – up – up!

The people from the West stood on the beach and cheered as loudly as they could. Their shouts created huge waves in the ocean. The waves curled up toward the sky, the water mixing with the sand and wind, and gave the sun a push as it took one final bounce and landed back in its place in the bright blue sky.

The people cheered and cheered. The people from the East with their brightly coloured dragons, the people from the North with their windy song, the people from the South with their swirling sand, and the people from the West with their crashing waves. The sun smiled down on them all, proud and happy that the everyone in the world had worked together to put things right. 

The girl and the boy sat on the outskirts of their village in the valley, and watched as the sun set behind the mountain. It waved goodbye as it went down, and they heard it say it would return tomorrow.

Behind them they heard a loud crash.

The girl and the boy turned around, and saw the most incredible thing. There, a few paces away from where they sat, plopped on the lush green grass of the valley, was the moon.

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story. Remember, sometimes trying to do something alone can seem impossible, it’s okay to ask for help. Working together to get something done can make it a lot easier, and a lot more fun.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, and pretending – and helping others – and I’ll be back very soon.

This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Get ready for a funny, silly, INTERACTIVE episode!

Today we’ll be reading a silly story called “Repeat After Me”. I’ll need your help for this story to work. I’m going to read it to you, but every time I pause, I need you to repeat what I said. I promise we’re all going to have a lot of fun!

This podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Support Melissa on Patreon - http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

Music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Stories and Music Courtesy of Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a silly story called “Repeat After Me”. Now, I’ll need your help for this story to work. I’m going to read it to you, but every time I pause, I need you to repeat what I said. I promise we’re all going to have a lot of fun!

Are you ready? Here we go!

Repeat after me:

My favourite smell is ...  rotten bananas!

I am the LOUDEST... sneezer in the world!

I really love to visit... the bathroom!

My favourite song is... the song that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friend!

I always win 1^st place in.... the burping contest!

I love to wear... clown underwear!

I am the fastest... at taking my time!

I really enjoy... stepping in dog poop!

My favourite food is... fried worms... with a side of boiled cabbage in peanut butter... with soggy bread on top!

When I sing I sound just like... a very old, angry goat!

My favourite colour is... green like a booger!

Being silly and laughing out loud... feels great!

Learning can be... both hard AND fun!

I have many... talents

I am a good... friend

It’s okay to have... a bad day

It’s okay to feel.... sad or mad

This is going to be... a really great day!

The... End!

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story, and remember, being silly for just a few minutes can completely change your mood! If you’re having a bad day, you can come back to this silly story, or make up your own, and it should help turn things around.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, and pretending – and being very, VERY silly once in a while! – and I’ll be back very soon.

This podcast features original music by Cannelle and is brought to you by Things with Wings productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing. I’m Melissa Oliveri. Thank you for listening.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Brought to you by: Phaeton Starling Publishing and Things with Wings Productions.

Author/Producer: Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Join Melissa's Patreon for early access to podcast episodes, music downloads, and more: http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Cannelle on Instagram: @cannelle.music

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Pssst! Over here! Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!

Are you ready? 1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a story called “When The Night Came”. It’s a story about things that can seem scary until we take the time to get to know them better.

Are you ready? Here we go!

“Mama, could you tell me a story?” Asks the boy

“Why, of course!” replies Mama, “Which story would you like to hear?”

“Tell me the story about when the night came,” says the boy. 

Mama smiles. “Okay,” she says. She settles into the rocking chair and places a blanket on her lap. The boy fluffs his pillow and pulls his quilt up to his chin in preparation, then waits quietly for his mother to begin.

“When I was very young, I lived in the big city. At night, the world outside was lit up by streetlights, traffic lights, headlights, neon signs... it was almost as bright as day. Then the time came, when I was just about your age, for us to leave our apartment in the city and move to a house in the country. The day we arrived I was very excited; the house was surrounded by fields of tall grass, and there were woods nearby, and     a small pond, an old barn behind the house, a shed... so many new things to check out! I spent the whole day exploring, and I had so much fun, until the night came...

 When the sun finally went down, the world outside was the darkest dark I’d ever seen. I looked out my bedroom window, and I couldn’t see anything at all! I opened to window to squint out at the night, and at first I thought the world outside was very quiet, but when I listened more closely I heard the strangest, scariest sounds! In the city the sounds were loud, and I always knew what they were – cars honking, sirens, construction trucks... here in the country, I didn’t recognize any of these eerie sounds.

Every night I would sleep with a light on and close my curtains, afraid of what was lurking outside. But one night, our dog, Maggie, slipped out the door and disappeared into the darkness. I ran right out behind her without even thinking about it. Maggie was my best friend, you see. I ran and ran straight into the darkness, calling Maggie’s name. Finally, I stopped, and my heart started pounding. Mama and Papa were upstairs watching TV, they didn’t know I was outside. I was alone. Alone with the dark. Alone with the night. 

I stood very, very still then, frozen in fear, when suddenly I saw it. Just beyond my reach, a small greenish yellow light blinking on and off, then another, and another... suddenly they were everywhere, staying low to the ground. I’d never seen anything like it, it was magic! Fireflies! I watched them for a while, and realized they were dancing, and their music was the sound of crickets and frogs singing a night song. They had their own special language, and I wondered what stories they were telling each other. I felt like singing and dancing along with them... I could feel the cool wet grass under my bare feet as I began moving in circles, twirling my arms in the air. I heard a new sound then, an echoing Hoooo Hoooo... it was the most beautiful sound in the world, as soft as a feather!

A breeze picked up, and I heard the tree leaves make a noise like the ocean... whoooooooosh, swish.... the wind blew away the clouds and I felt a spotlight shine down on me. This was my time to shine, my moment on stage! “Hooooo! Hoooo!” I sang in my night voice, waving my arms around like a night bird, dancing in circles like a firefly, keeping the beat with the music of the crickets and frogs as the moon cast its silver light on the top of my head. The world looked so different under that gentle, shimmering light that coated everything like a soft blanket. The dew on the leaves glistened like diamonds, the shadows danced as the trees swayed back and forth in the breeze.

I was startled out of the celebration by the sound of jingling dog tags. Maggie! I had all but forgotten about her! “Hello old friend, were you enjoying the night circus as well?” I asked, ruffling the fur on the top of her head. In the moonlight I could see her smiling, and I realized then that she knew all along... She knew how beautiful the world got, when the night came.

 From that moment forward I was no longer afraid of the dark. The night creatures became my friends, the dark swaying trees my protectors, the hooting owl my duet partner and the crickets and frogs my backup band. The fireflies my ballet chorus, the dew on the leaves my precious jewels... and after that, there was never a better time of day, than when the night came.”

Mama leans back in the rocking chair. Her eyes are closed, and she has a soft smile on her face.

“Mama?” asks the boy.

“Yes, my love,” says Mama, her eyes still closed.

“Could you take me with you to the night circus sometime?” he asks.

Mama opens her eyes and ruffles the hair on top of the boy’s head, “I would love to” she answers. She stands up and drapes the blanket on the back of the rocking chair, then walks to the window and stands very still for a few minutes, looking out. Finally, she waves to the darkness on the other side before closing the curtains.

“Sweet dreams, my darling,” she whispers to the boy before turning off the lights. She smiles as darkness takes over the room and whispers one last time “Good night”.

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story, and remember, sometimes when something is new or different, or we don’t know a whole lot about it, it can seem really scary. Just take a step back, take a deeper look, learn more about it, ask questions, try to see things from a different angle, and I promise it won’t seem nearly as scary as it did before.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, and pretending – maybe even wave to the night creatures before you go to bed – and I’ll be back very soon.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations

Brought to you by: Phaeton Starling Publishing and Things with Wings Productions.

Author/Producer: Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com

Join Melissa's Patreon for early access to podcast episodes, music downloads, and more: http://www.patreon.com/melissaoliveri

Melissa on Instagram: @the.mop.pod

Melissa on Twitter: @melissaoliveri

All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com

Cannelle on Instagram: @cannelle.music

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

Pssst! Over here!

Take my hand, I’ll take you to a  Pretend Land!

Are you ready?

1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!

Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!

Today we’ll be reading a story called “My Darling, My Darling, won’t you eat your peas?”. It’s a story about a child who is way more interested in eating treats than healthy foods, but in the end we learn it’s all about how you look at things!

 Are you ready? Here we go!

 

“My darling, my darling, won’t you eat your peas?”

“But mommy, I can’t! I’ll get wobbly knees!

I’ll eat all my carrots with chocolate and cheese,

But mommy, please don’t make me eat all those peas!”

“My darling, my darling won’t you eat your celery?”

“But mommy, I can’t! My chest will get hairy!!!

I’ll eat all my onions with syrup and berries!

But mommy, please don’t make me eat all that celery!”

“My darling, my darling won’t you eat your spuds?”

“But mommy, I can’t! I’ll start hiccupping suds!

I’ll eat all my mushrooms! I’ll even eat mud!

But mommy, please don’t make me eat all those spuds!”

“My darling, my darling, won’t you eat your green pepper?”

“But mommy, I can’t! I’ll turn green like a booger!

I’ll eat all my eggplant with icing and sugar!

But mommy, please don’t make me eat that green pepper!”

“My darling, my darling, won’t you eat this cake?”

“Oh mommy, I’d love to! I love what you bake!

Oh yum! It’s delicious! Seconds I’ll take!”

“I don’t think I’ll tell him it’s zucchini cake!”

Thank you for being here my friend, it’s so nice to spend a little bit of time with you!

I hope you enjoyed this story, and remember, any food can be delicious, it’s all about how it’s prepared, and sometimes, you just have to give it a few tries before you learn to like it.

Until next time, keep imagining, dreaming, and pretending, and I’ll be back very soon.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/thoughts-right-now/donations