Hi my little loves and welcome back to Steph and the Sleepytime Crew where big feelings are welcome,
Mistakes are part of the plan and even storm riding dragons have mean voices in their heads sometimes.
Hi there I'm Steph and these sleep stories are made just for you.
They're silly,
A little cheeky and full of heart.
With stories of larger-than-life characters that are oh so relatable,
That help your body relax,
Your mind feel calm and your feelings feel safe and seen.
Each one is a little adventure with characters like Oscar the Owl,
Una the Unicorn and Pip the Panda,
All helping you wind down,
Breathe deeper and feel safe just as you are.
So let's get snuggled in and take a big deep breath in and out.
Let your arms and legs go floppy like spaghetti and let's drift into the land of sleep and stories and get ready to float up into the clouds because tonight's story takes us to a place way above the treetops and above the rooftops.
Even above the tallest skyscrapers made entirely of pasta.
Yeah that's the thing you know.
Tonight we're visiting the skies where a very special dragon lives.
A dragon who rides the wind and plays with lightning and feels,
Well he feels deeply but that's actually his superpower.
This is the story of Nimbus Noah and the battle with the nasty narrator.
So here's the thing Noah's not your average dragon.
He doesn't breathe fire or hoard treasure or even snore like a freight train.
Noah is a Nimbus dragon.
That means he lives in the clouds real puffy floaty marshmallowy clouds.
His wings are super soft like fog and his scales shimmer like early morning dew on the grass and he smells faintly of fresh rain and warm socks.
Noah is also very clever.
He notices everything like when a cloud drifts too close to the Sun and gets all embarrassed and blushy or when a thunderclap sounds just a little bit nervous and Noah doesn't just notice everything he feels everything too.
Happy things,
Sad things,
Confusing things.
His heart is like one big squishy sponge that soaks it all up.
Doesn't he sound magical?
But sometimes when his feelings get big or when things don't go to plan there's this voice that shows up inside his head.
A voice that doesn't belong to his heart or his body or any part of him that's kind.
His name is Noel.
Noel the nasty narrator.
Noel's a bit like an unwanted weatherman who lives in Noah's brain.
He wears a tiny grey suit.
He's very serious.
He carries a clipboard full of complaints and he likes to think that he's very very important.
He has very strong opinions about well pretty much everything.
If Noah knocks over a storm mat in class,
Noel is there.
That was a bit dumb.
If Noah waves at a cloud friend and they don't wave back,
Noel pipes up.
Hmm looks like they're ignoring you.
Even when Noah does something amazing like a triple double quadruple backward forward lightning twirl in flight class,
Noel whispers hmm that was just lucky.
Noah tries to ignore him.
Oh he tries so hard to ignore him.
But Noel,
Well Noel is persistent and he never shouts.
He just quietly drips into Noah's brain like a leaky tap of meanness.
And here's the thing,
Over time Noah's started to believe him.
One windy Wednesday Noah gets chosen to lead the Sky School parade.
It's a big deal,
Like a really really really big deal.
Noah is so proud of himself but also quite nervous.
But he remembers it's okay to be nervous because it means it must be important to him.
All the other dragons will be watching,
Even the head cloud master.
Noah's tummy flutters.
His wings twitch.
He's struggling to take a deep breath.
But Noel is faster than a flash of thunder.
You're gonna mess it up.
Everyone's gonna laugh at you.
You lead a parade.
Hilarious!
Noah's chest tightens.
His storm energy starts fizzing in his tummy.
His wings flap awkwardly.
He tries really hard to smile but his smile feels stuck and a little bit lopsided.
And just before the parade begins,
Noah panics and he flies away.
Up,
Up,
Up.
Higher than he's ever flown before.
Until he finds a lonely little cloud at the edge of the sky.
He lands with a thump and he curls up.
He hides his face in his wings and he cries softly,
Quietly.
The kind of cry that makes the rain fall slowly and gently.
And then a bubble boat floats past.
Inside it,
It's his magnificent friend,
Una the unicorn.
Yeah,
That Una.
You might remember her fabulousness.
She farts rainbows and they smell like candy.
Yeah,
Really.
Una peers over the edge of her boat.
Are you okay,
My floaty friend?
Noah sniffles.
I'm fine.
Una blinks.
No,
You're not.
So Noah tells her about the voice in his head,
About the parade,
The way he used to feel clever but now he just feels like soggy socks.
Una nods.
Oh,
You've got a nasty narrator,
Noah.
Mine was called Beverly,
She said.
Super bossy.
Always wore fancy shoes.
She reaches into her bubble boat and pulls out a soggy old notebook.
Inside it read,
What Beverly says.
You're too slow.
You're annoying.
You mess everything up.
And Una flips the page.
What's actually true,
This page says.
I take my time and that's okay.
I'm thoughtful.
Mistakes are a very important part of my learning.
Noah stares.
What?
You can rewrite your nasty narrator thoughts?
Una grins.
Even better,
Noah.
You can rewrite them and make them ridiculous.
She stands up,
Clears her throat and shouts in a robot voice.
You are a failure,
Una.
They both burst out laughing.
That night Noah flies back to his room.
He takes out his cloud pad and he writes down what Noel said today.
Under that he writes,
You're going to mess up the parade.
Everyone will laugh at you.
You're not good enough.
And then Noah takes a big deep breath,
Breathes it out and in his best robot voice he belts out,
You're not good enough.
He giggles.
Everyone will laugh at you.
He giggles again.
He snores.
He writes a new list titled,
What's Actually True?
I make mistakes sometimes.
Everyone does.
I've been chosen for a reason.
I'm allowed to be proud of myself.
And for the first time in a long while Noah feels lighter.
He feels brighter.
Like a thundercloud that just let all of it out.
The next day Noah shows up for the parade.
Noel still mumbles a bit.
Hope you don't trip.
Noah shrugs.
If I do I'll get back up and I'll probably make it look like a super cool dance move.
Noel tries again.
They're all watching you.
Noah smiles his biggest,
Cheesiest,
Proudest smile.
Great,
He says.
They'll get to see me shine.
And boy does Noah shine.
He leads the parade with a swirl and a loop and a storm sparkle finish that makes even the head cloud master clap with his eyebrows.
Wow.
So my little loves,
If you ever hear a voice in your head that says something mean like you're not good enough or you're stupid.
Take a moment.
Take a big deep breath in and out and say hmm that sounds like Noel or maybe Beverly or maybe stinky little Thor gremlin in a suit.
Then ask yourself,
Is this voice kind?
Is this voice true?
Would I say this to my friends?
And if the answer is no,
Then you get to rewrite the story just like Noah and Una.
Because your brain is your home and you get to decide who lives there.
Let's say this mantra together before we float off to sleep.
Thoughts are just thoughts.
I choose the ones that feel kind.
I am clever.
I am caring.
I am a brilliant,
Beautiful mind.
The stars twinkle quietly and the sky sighs in its sleep.
And you,
My loves,
Just like our animal friends are already halfway to dreamland.
Good night,
My little loves.
Sweet dreams.
Sleep well.
And we'll talk again tomorrow.
