Penny And Pickles Unexpected Adventure: Bedtime Tale

This is a bedtime story about two friends, a dog called Penny and a cat Pickles, who go out for a walk and play in the snow and on a snowy island. They meet a Jellyfish in the nearby river, who asks for their help, so they set off on a journey, to the local town and castle, before heading into a forest, seeking a wizard. Along the way, they meet some unusual characters, enjoy the adventure, but most of all, enjoy getting home, being cozy, and drifting asleep into Slumberland.

Transcript

So just take a moment to allow your eyes to close and allow yourself to begin to relax and as you begin to comfortably fall asleep.

I don't know whether you'll fall asleep faster to the sound of my voice or whether it'll be to the spaces between my words.

And as you comfortably drift asleep I'm just going to tell this bedtime story in the background.

And in this bedtime story a cat and a dog are preparing themselves to go out on an adventure and they get their coats on.

They wrap a scarf around their necks to make sure they're going to be warm and comfortable before heading out into the snow.

And once ready the cat and the dog leave the cabin which is situated in a meadow on a snowy island at this time of the year.

As they leave that cabin they trudge through the snow.

The dog bounds and likes to jump and roll on his side tumbling through the snow almost creating a second coat,

A snow coat around him.

Whereas the cat gingerly walks almost on tiptoes as if trying to avoid the snow,

Trying to stand tall above the snow.

And the dog runs and heads along this meadow heading to where the hill begins to slant downwards and slides down that hill.

And then twists sideways to continue the journey down the hill,

Rolling,

Tumbling with his tongue out flapping around before landing in a pile of snow drift at the foot of this hill and then excitedly jumping around at the foot of the hill looking up at the cat who's really taking their time.

So carefully walking down that hill trying to follow the clean area,

The area where there's a small amount of grass now showing as the carpet of snow has been raised and taken down the hill with the dog.

And eventually the cat gets to the foot of the hill and the two of them start following a hedgerow heading towards a nearby river and a bridge that goes over that river.

And the air out here is so crisp,

So fresh.

And the stars overhead twinkle and shine in the sky,

The occasional wispy cloud passing overhead gently illuminated by the moon and at certain times as the clouds pass in front of the moon what looks almost like a circular reverse rainbow illuminates those clouds around that moon.

And as they come to the end of the hedgerow and start walking away from the hedge so they notice how blustery the day actually is when you're unprotected by the hedge.

With a strong crosswind and the cat is sensible enough to walk on the opposite side of the dog to the wind using the dog to protect them from the wind.

And in their mind they're dreaming of better weather,

Of remembering what this area is like when it's much warmer and in this location on this island far north of the planet.

There's a lot of time when it's covered in snow or it's cold and dark but there are some times when there's an explosion of colour,

When the ground is vividly green,

When there are daisies and dandelions pocketed throughout that green land,

When there are bluebells and honeysuckles and there are all sorts of different trees and plants.

And at certain times of the year,

Just for very brief moments,

There'll be an explosion of insects,

Of butterflies and bees taking the opportunity to forage among the plants and then the island reverts back to its black and white state where everything seems to just be shades of grey from the white snow.

Too often having a grey sky and even the trees where you just see the bark seems like dark grey and sometimes even black.

And so they continue pushing on through the wind,

Heading to the bridge over the river,

The dog's fur flapping around,

Its ears waggling around in the wind,

Its tongue waving and flapping.

They arrive at the stone bridge,

Carefully cross that stone bridge and start following a small path down the far side of the river.

And as they follow that path,

So they see something unusual in the water and most of the water is frozen on both sides with just a slight clearing of ice down the centre of the river.

And there's something bobbing up and down gently in the centre of that river,

Something unusual.

And they get closer and as they get closer they notice it seems like it's alive and the dog picks up a stick,

Shakes the snow off the stick,

Heads as close to the ice as he dare go and reaches with that stick to prod whatever it is that's in the water.

And as he prods away,

So he suddenly hears an excitable voice erupt from that thing he's prodding as it rises itself slightly out of the water,

Almost like it was swimming on its front and now it's on its back.

And it says oingo boingo,

Fiddledy dee,

Who's that brave enough to be poking at me?

And the dog's mouth opens and he drops the stick and looks at the cat,

Who just looks back at him with a strange kind of,

I don't know,

Kind of look on its face.

And the dog asks who this is and they say that their name is Mimosasa.

They're a jellyfish made of jelly,

They used to just be jelly.

But then a wizard got annoyed with their attitude,

Found that they were too overbearing,

Too loud and bubbly.

And said she just seemed to be bouncing off the walls everywhere and turned them into a jellyfish and threw them into the river.

And they've been living in this river as this jellyfish ever since.

And they actually quite like it,

Swimming around every day.

They can relax and as they rest,

They smush out and are barely noticed against the water,

Just bobbing gently up and down on the surface.

And they say they have some tentacles that just tickle the surface of the sand beneath them,

Foraging for food.

And they enjoy just swimming up and down lazily,

Normally going where the water takes them,

Rarely putting in much effort,

Listening to conversations.

They can loiter near someone fishing.

And that person,

Happily fishing away,

May catch things that they can then catch themselves and eat,

Because they're very intelligent.

And they say that they perhaps would like to be as they were,

But when they were just a jelly,

All they could do was bounce.

And they would bounce and smush and splat.

And sometimes people would plunge their hands into them and squidge them,

Just for the sensation of squeezing jelly between their fingertips.

And they'd have to then pick all their parts up again,

Smush themselves back together,

Jiggle about a bit.

But it's also fun to sometimes surprise people who come along the edge of the river,

Not expecting that anything else is there.

But they'd like to have the choice to take the form that they'd like to take.

And they ask the names of the cat and the dog.

And the dog says,

I'm Penny.

And this is Pickles,

The cat.

And the jellyfish says it's nice to meet them.

And Pickles says,

Would you like us to try and find this wizard?

Maybe we can encourage them to change the spell they've cast on you.

And the jellyfish says that they'd like that if they can.

To find the wizard,

You have to follow the river until you reach the town and head to the castle.

And in the castle,

They should be able to direct you to where the wizard is now.

And says you'll be able to find me back here when you're done.

And so the two animals settle,

Continuing along the edge of the river.

And as they walk,

So they pass a duck sitting calmly on an egg,

Wrapped up with a little jacket and a hat.

With the side of the hat pulled down over the side of its head and done up in a little bow under its chin.

And they continue on,

The trickling and the pleasant sound and scent of that water beside them.

The wind still blowing on their face.

And they push through that blustery wind.

The cat just thinking how much they would like to be resting in front of a fire,

Back in their cabin.

The dog thinking how they'd like to be playing,

Running around,

Diving into snow.

But instead they're doing this very grown up thing.

Going on an adventure.

And they continue on,

Following this path.

They can see in the distance,

The gentle wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys of the houses in the town.

They cut through the orchard on their way to that town.

Passing the hexagonal apples.

Designed by the farmer here,

Specifically so they stop rolling off of tables.

And they pass out the other side of the orchard,

Down a small,

Narrow country path.

And there's brambles and leaves and grasses all poking out across the path.

But all protected and softened by snow.

And some of that snow falls off,

Like a gentle powdery dusting,

Catching on their fur as they pass.

And there's barely a hint of breeze down this narrow path.

And at the end of the path,

There's a stye for them to cross.

And the dog jumps up and over,

And the cat squeezes gently through.

As they now walk across a path barely visible,

Cutting through a field.

And the night is gradually approaching morning,

As they get nearer and nearer to that town.

And as they near the town,

And then cross the boundary into the town.

They walk along cobbled streets covered in snow.

They can see market traders setting up.

And they cut into the arcade here in the town.

And even though the arcade is open at the front and the back to the elements,

There's still a slight warmth here,

Compared to out on the street.

On the other side of the arcade,

Is the town centre.

And they walk around that town centre,

Smelling the different foods.

Hearing the hustle and bustle of these early morning market traders setting up.

And they find their way round.

And the cat wants to stop and eat.

And the dog is also thinking of their stomach.

But they know they should push on.

So they continue to walk,

Heading out the other side of the town.

And the castle isn't far beyond the other side of the town.

Because this town was built back,

When towns would be built within the grounds of a castle,

Where a castle would be built up high.

And then from that castle,

A town would be formed and a wall would be formed around the town.

And from the castle,

They could see over the town,

Beyond the wall,

And have the best chance of protecting the town if needed.

And they begin to ascend,

Towards the entrance to the castle.

They get to the castle door.

And they sit at the castle door.

And the dog begins to bark to get attention.

And the cat tries to meow.

And as there's no one coming to the entrance to let them in,

The dog stands up,

Leaning on the door.

The cat runs and jumps and climbs up on the dog,

Balances on the dog's forehead,

And uses her claws to stretch herself up the door as high as she can.

Until her claws can just about reach the door knocker.

And then a slight leap manages to grab that knocker,

Push off the door,

And then let go as the knocker bangs on the door and the sound of that bang reverberates through the castle.

And a short while later,

A lock can be heard the other side of the door.

And then the door can be heard to be opened,

And it creaks and sounds so heavy as it slid open.

And both the animals run in.

And the dog runs and instantly jumps up into a comfy chair they spy near an enormous fireplace.

And the ground in here is a stone ground and yet it's warmed by this enormous fire.

And the claws of the cat and dog tap on that stone floor while they move.

And the dog leaps up into that most comfortable chair and relaxes down into that comfy chair.

And that massive crackling fire rumbling away in the fireplace.

The enormous,

Almost triangular looking flume sucking that smoke up and passing it out the top of this castle.

And the cat looks around trying to find who they're supposed to talk to.

But the dog is just wanting to relax deeper and deeper into that chair.

Feeling so comfortable,

And they've walked most of the night and so the two of them are very tired.

And the cat sees someone sitting in another comfortable chair at the far end of a hall and they look very important and dressed very smart.

And so they walk down to that person.

And as they reach that person,

So the person looks up at them and smiles so friendly.

And the cat says that their name is Pickles and this is Penny.

And they're here in search of a wizard.

And they were told that they'd be able to find out where that wizard is.

And they're told that the wizard likes to lead a very isolated life,

They seek solitude.

And so some trek from this town.

You have to go way through the forest.

And it's only when you've passed deep into that forest that you'll find them.

But they'll do almost anything to try and be alone and have peace and quiet.

And Pickles is told that as you both look so tired,

Perhaps you want to spend the night.

And so Pickles heads back to Penny.

And Penny is almost asleep already on that comfy chair.

And tells Penny that they've got a room for the night.

And so Penny struggles to wake themselves up enough to leave the chair.

And very lazily plods along,

Almost as if it's too much effort to be trying to do this moving and walking.

And Penny and Pickles follow someone up to a room.

And they head into this comfortable room.

They settle down under the most inviting quilt.

It's just the right weight and texture.

And just the right temperature.

As they fall asleep deeply and comfortably.

And the next morning,

They awaken to incredibly pleasant smells of food.

Wafting through this castle,

Creeping under the door and tickling their noses.

And it doesn't take Penny long to be up and ready to leave the room.

And Pickles grooms for a little bit longer.

And then they head out of that room.

They follow their noses down to a different room to the one they were in before.

And as they head down to this room,

They can hear someone mumbling and moaning.

Saying about how unappreciated they are.

That everything around here is just pandemonium.

It's all chaos.

Suddenly we have these new guests.

Suddenly there's all these extra people to cook for and extra things to do.

There's never any certainty.

You plan for something.

And then it just changes because someone decides it's going to be different.

And they're having a good old rant to themselves.

And they say that everyone just ignores them when they try and talk to people.

As if they're not even there.

Does everyone just think they're some kind of a robot maid or something?

Just come here,

Do this,

Do that,

Help now.

You need to do this,

You need to do that.

And Pickles finds it amusing.

The rants that people will have when they think no one's listening.

And the smile they put on their face as soon as there's someone there.

And as they walk past,

Pickles looks over,

Smiles and says good morning.

And the person smiles back and says good morning back in the friendliest of ways.

And they know as soon as they've passed the door,

They're going to be just back at it again.

And they head through to a large dining room.

They get shown to two seats,

They sit down at the table.

And some food is placed in front of them.

And Pickles is a little bit more fussy.

And smells the food and tries a little bit before daintily eating that food.

While Penny piles straight in,

Scoffing the food down as fast as they can eat.

And Penny barely notices that there are others here in this dining room.

But Pickles is curious about them.

There seems to be what looks like an elephant with large ears,

But a very young elephant.

And there's a lion that has a strange mane that looks like the petals of a dandelion.

And there's a camel,

And every time it moves,

Its humps undulate.

Which catches Pickles' attention.

And the baby elephant looks over,

Still chewing some food.

And introduces themselves and says,

Hi,

I'm Gumby.

This is Pokey,

Gesturing to the lion.

And this here is Jasper,

Gesturing to the camel.

And Pickles says,

This is Penny and I'm Pickles.

And then the elephant continues.

And Pickles eats and Penny eats and they all eat their food.

And no one talks to each other while they eat.

And as they all finish,

So they all head away from the dining room.

And Pickles asks why the others are here and they say that they just needed a place to stay for the night.

They'd arrived in the town.

And we're told the best place to ask for somewhere to stay is up at the castle.

They're always inviting and friendly.

The elephant says they were just flying by.

They've got large ears that they can flap.

But it's such a blustery day.

They were going off course and it was so hard and so much effort to keep on course.

When they saw this town,

They decided to stop here and see if they could find somewhere to stay until the weather improves.

And Jasper says they've traveled all the way from a distant land.

They traveled on a boat.

They came to this island.

They're looking for somebody who could help them.

Their humps are broken.

They keep jiggling and moving and undulating with each step they take.

And they heard that there's someone who can fix unusual problems like that.

And they too found the weather was too blustery for them and too cold.

So they found solace here in the castle.

And the lion says that they'd interacted with someone in the forest.

They're trying to be friendly.

But all they got out of it was having their mane changed to being like a flower.

And now they have this bizarre craving to sleep inside daffodils while they look like the head of a dandelion.

And Pickles thinks that it sounds like maybe they're all here for this wizard or have met and interacted with the wizard.

Maybe when they interact with the wizard,

They should be a little careful.

Pickles was thinking she doesn't want to have a head looking like a flower.

She quite likes the fur she's got there already.

And after eating their food and resting for a little bit and seeing the sun rise in the castle windows.

Pickles and Penny leave the castle.

And the day is much better than it was yesterday.

The air is still,

The sun shining,

Yet the land is still white.

They head down from the castle,

Walk around the castle to the back of the town.

They leave the town and head towards the distant forest.

And as they walk towards that distant forest,

So they notice that the land is actually starting to shift and change.

And they've never been anywhere near this far before,

Normally just staying near their own cabin.

And heading down to the meadows and the land around there.

And as they're heading towards that forest,

So they notice the snow around a river flowing out from the forest.

Possibly the same river that they passed the other side of the town,

Seems to be more melted.

There's a little bit more grass and the closer to the forest they get,

The warmer the environment seems.

And they realize that the water itself even seems warmer.

Walking into the forest,

They can hear the rustling of the leaves around them,

The sounds of birds and other animals within the forest.

They can hear a distant rumble,

Almost like the sound of thunder.

But they know that the sky is clear.

And they walk along the edge of the trickling water as it bubbles past.

And they can feel without even touching the water,

That the water here is getting warmer and warmer,

As the environment here is getting warmer and warmer.

Until they come to a very small lake that's gently bubbling.

And the land around this lake seems very different from the land outside the forest.

With broader-leaved plants,

And a dampness to the air.

And that dampness is slightly warm.

Whereas if you had that dampness outside the forest,

It would make your face very cold.

And they head through this forest,

And that small lake,

In search of that cabin.

And then they see that there's something resembling a cabin,

Poking through the trees,

And so they head towards that.

As they get nearer,

They can hear some machinery going.

And they see a man with long white hair,

Tie-dye clothing,

And electric blue sunglasses,

Twisting a handle,

And operating some kind of machinery.

And they approach very slowly.

And as they get nearer,

Eventually they get noticed,

And that person stops what they're doing.

Turns to look at them,

And gruffly asks what they want,

Who they are,

Why they're here.

And they say who they are,

They say why they're there.

Penny then asks who this person is and what they're doing.

And they say they're just printing their latest book.

It's a book of spells.

It's a book about the importance of isolation and spells that you can use to help you to find isolation,

To find that stillness in your mind.

And Pickles says that they don't want to be a disturbance.

But they do have people that they want to help.

And this person says that they are the wizard that's being sought.

But why would they want to help?

Anything they've ever done has been to help them.

To be alone.

To get rid of distractions.

They've never really thought of the others,

They've always done what's in their best interests.

And Pickles says about some of the characters they've met at the castle.

And the wizard says that they know each of those people.

They know that lion,

They know the elephant,

They know the camel.

But why would they be interested in helping?

When helping means that they see them even more.

And as they talk,

So the sun begins to set.

And as the sun begins to set,

There's the most musical pleasant sound coming from the forest.

As the crickets begin to play a chorus.

And Penny and Pickles don't give up.

They continue to try to encourage this wizard to help.

And Penny goes off and makes a snow cone for the wizard.

Thinking anyone who dresses in tie-dye and sunglasses in the middle of a forest is probably fun at heart and has a sense of humor.

They did turn jelly into a jellyfish after all.

And they did make the lion's mane look like a dandelion.

They must have some sense of humor and some childish fun qualities.

They don't accept the snow cone.

They just want Pickles and Penny to go away.

And so,

Penny tries running around and chasing his tail.

He tries to have the kind of fun that's normally excited others.

But this just makes the wizard want to get even further away.

And so,

Penny says,

Well,

If I can't excite you,

If I can't get you to have fun,

Do you not at least have a fire and a comfortable place I can sleep?

I like sleeping in comfortable chairs,

Listening to the crackling fire,

Relaxing and just drifting deeper and deeper into my own mind.

And my mind gets very still.

And Pickles says,

I spend about 15 hours a day sleeping,

Dreaming,

Purring,

Normally relaxing on a rug in front of a fire.

And Pickles says,

I also like to be alone a lot.

I'm a very solitary character.

I do my rounds every day.

And then go and rest.

And I decide when I'm with people and when I'm not.

And when people decide they want to be with me,

Normally,

If I don't want that,

I walk away.

And the wizard can relate to this.

He can relate to that stillness,

That desire for peace,

For relaxing.

But Penny says they also like having connection and encountering others and learning.

And Pickles says they like watching others,

Normally from afar,

And figuring out who does what and why.

And likes working out what's going on inside the minds of others.

And the wizard begins to warm to them.

And as that wizard warms to them,

And steps on the floorboards in this cabin,

One of the floorboards creaks and Penny jumps.

And then the wizard comments on the smell.

And looks at Pickles and Penny.

And Pickles says that wasn't me,

That's Penny farting.

Whenever Penny gets nervous and jumps,

It happens quite a lot.

You know when Penny's nervous,

Even when Penny pretends that they're not.

And a gentle smile appears on the wizard's face.

And the wizard heads outside.

And comes back with a snow cone.

And then sprinkles some fairy dust on the top of that snow cone.

And says,

Take that back with you,

That you'll have to be very quick.

And just hand that to each of the creatures that need help.

And they can each just have one lick of that snow cone.

And it'll make changes within them.

On a deep level.

Down in their DNA.

That'll change them,

In their mind and body.

Helping them to develop the life they want and turn back to how they want.

And they'll find themselves back where they want.

Almost like it'll grant them a wish.

But not a wish they consciously think,

But one they just non-consciously know.

But you have to be very,

Very quick.

Because it'll melt if you don't get out of the forest quickly.

And Pickles knows that this is also a sign from the wizard to say,

I've had enough of you being here now.

It's time now to go.

And Pickles asks,

How do we get out of the forest quickly?

And the wizard guides them out the back of the cabin.

And out the back of the cabin is a sundial in a garden.

And what looks like a giant catapult.

And that catapult looks ready to fire.

And the wizard goes over to the sundial,

Twists that sundial.

And while twisting the sundial,

So the catapult twists and moves and directs itself elsewhere.

And he lines it up with where he thinks it needs to go.

He then tells the two of them to climb into the catapult.

And then with a Bunsen burner,

He sets fire to the string that's holding that catapult in place.

And all three of them watch that string as it slowly burns through.

Until suddenly,

It gives way.

And in an instant,

They feel themselves pushed back in that catapult and then fired out.

And they can see an electric blue shining blob in the sky.

They seem to be aiming directly at it.

And they close their eyes as if they think they're about to strike this blue shining blob in the sky.

And then they open their eyes and realize they just passed straight through it.

And they can now see below them that castle.

And they continue flying through the sky,

Now lowering down towards that castle.

And they realize they're aiming straight for a pile of straw.

And they crash down and bounce on that straw and roll off the straw.

And that snow cone is still intact,

With its sprinkles on top.

And they dash to the castle,

Into that castle.

And they're seen flying through the air as if out of nowhere.

And they explain what this snow cone is.

And the lion takes no time at all in running over and licking that snow cone.

And with sparkling light,

Tinkling and twinkling around its neck,

Its mane reverts to a proper lion's mane.

And he swings his head slowly,

Enjoying the feeling of his mane swinging.

And Pickles feels a little jealous,

As she moves her head a bit and has no mane at all.

And she can't help but just have a little touch of that lion's mane.

And the elephant licks the cone,

And changes begin to happen for them.

And the camel licks the cone,

As changes happen for them too.

And the camel starts to fade,

And while fading,

Thanks the two of them for their help.

And as they're fading,

So,

A slight shimmer of a desert can be seen around where they're fading,

As if they're fading back to where they want to be.

And while that cone is not yet melted,

They dash out of the castle,

And dash through the town.

They head along the edge of the river,

Finding their way to the jellyfish.

And Pickles is brave enough to jump onto Penny's back,

And gently dig her claws in,

Just enough to make Penny leap from the side,

Crash through the ice,

And land in the water.

While Pickles bravely holds that snow cone up above her,

Keeping it out of the water,

Until they reach the jellyfish,

And then lowers it down for the jellyfish,

Who absorbs that snow cone.

And then,

The space around the jellyfish within the water begins to sparkle and shine,

As Penny,

A little annoyed with Pickles,

Swims back to the shore.

Pickles jumps off,

Penny braces himself,

And shakes violently,

And then looks all puffed up and fluffy,

But is at least a bit drier now.

And that sparkling,

Bubbling continues in the water.

And then rising out of the water,

Is that jellyfish.

And as the jellyfish rises,

So it turns into a person,

Into a young child,

Who thinks the two animals,

And says that they've been jelly,

And then a jellyfish.

But really all they wanted,

Was to enjoy life as a child.

And that they'll head to the castle,

Where they know they'll be given a place to stay.

And they can take their childlike mindset,

And let themselves grow up how they want to grow up,

And learn in a whole new way.

And Pickles and Penny,

Having been on an adventure they never planned,

Head back to their own cabin.

They head into that cabin,

And as they head into the cabin,

They see a brown paper package wrapped up.

It looks like it must have just been pushed through the pet's flat in the door.

And together they carefully pull on the knot,

Remove the string from around the package,

Open that package,

And inside they find two tie-dye knitted jumpers.

One for Pickles,

And one for Penny.

And a little note that just says,

Thank you for making an old man smile.

And they put their jumpers on.

They settle down in the most cozy spaces,

With Pickles resting in front of the fire,

Penny in the most comfortable chair.

And they drift and float so peacefully,

So relaxed asleep,

Into slumberland.