The Curious Kitten: Bedtime Tale

This is a bedtime story about a small kitten called Ruby. She dreams about hearing a sound upstairs. She investigates that sound and discovers a bat in the loft. The bat sends her on a quest. Ruby meets three beagles who are the keepers of the book of knowledge. Ruby finds a chamber containing a magical tree with a single passionfruit. She eats the passionfruit before resting on a bed and drifting into a deep reverie.

In the reverie, she meets a white horse called Basic Lee, who always takes the simplest option to a solution. She rides Basic Lee on a stream of bubbles up into a land in the clouds. Ruby heads to a tower and meets an invisible being who says they are invisible because too many people have stopped believing in them. Ruby helps the being.

After helping the being, she heads back through the experience and awakens by the fireplace, before heading to bed and drifting peacefully 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 drift 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 little kitten named Ruby is resting in front of the most comfortable cozy fireplace.

Ruby's lying on a thick furry rug snuggled down the warmth of the fire gently brushing her back soothing her deeper and deeper into the most pleasant reverie.

The gentle sounds of the crackling fire,

The dancing of the orange light through her eyelids,

As it gently illuminates corners of the room.

The slight airy sound as the smoke rises up the chimney place and Ruby continues to just relax and drift and dream and she begins to purr so softly and gently as the dream forms into the most pleasant experience and in this reverie Ruby imagines walking through the home she knows so well,

Climbing the stairs,

Having to really stretch up,

Oink her front legs over the step,

Scramble with her back legs pushing them up onto the step and jump up get her front legs over the next step,

Oink herself up as she scrambles with her back legs pushing her body up onto that step and she does that for each step all the way to the upstairs of the house and hear upstairs the noises from downstairs,

A far fainter that distant sound of the fire gently crackling away,

A distant dancing orange glow barely reaching the upstairs and she wanders down a corridor,

There's a long comfortable rug down this corridor and different rooms branching off from the corridor,

Some bedrooms,

A bathroom and a study full of books and she heads through to the study and in the study the shelves of books seem to tower above her all around the walls and in this room it's so peaceful,

The sound is so muted,

The air feels so still and calm and next to a desk is a small cat bed and she climbs onto that squishy cat bed,

Has a sense of turning around and resting in that bed and while she rests in that bed,

So she starts to hear a curious sound,

She hears the sound of some tiny squeaks and the sound almost like birds flapping and her ears prick up with curiosity and she looks around,

More scanning with her ears than her eyes,

Trying to pinpoint the sound,

She finds herself looking up towards the ceiling and as she looks up towards the ceiling so she realizes the sound must be coming from the loft and so she heads back out into the corridor,

Examines the corridor and there's a small narrow table against one wall and on that table there's a vase,

A couple of pots and some flowers and next to the table there's a small and comfortable chair,

No one ever really sits in this chair,

It's more for decoration,

Just the aesthetics of the property.

Ruby thinks the idea was that perhaps people would use it to put shoes on and off if they came out of their bedroom and were about to go out,

They'd have a chair,

They can just sit in quickly,

Put their shoes on,

Head down the stairs and straight out of the front door,

But the family that lives here generally leaves their shoes by the front door,

So none of them seem to use the chair.

And along the wall a little further,

There are some shelves connected to the wall with some small knickknacks on those shelves and over the other side on the far wall is a picture in a frame attached securely to the wall and so Ruby has an idea,

She looks around and she can see that the string of the loft hatch is hanging down in the center of the ceiling and so she scrambles up onto the chair,

Jumps up and just about manages to make it onto the table,

Weaves her way around the items and then jumps up at the shelf and then wiggles her bum a little before leaping across to the picture,

Hanging on to the top of the picture,

Shimmying along that picture frame and once she's in line with the cord attached to the loft hatch,

She lifts up her back legs,

Pulling them up as high as she can,

Pushes off the picture,

Lets go of the frame,

Twists her body in the air,

Keeps her eyes locked on the string,

Claws out,

Catches the string and hangs from that string and after just a moment the hatch above her gently swings down open and when it reaches a certain point,

A ladder begins to descend from the hatch and she makes a long drop back down to the floor,

As the ladder reaches the ground,

She walks around to the steps of the ladder,

Scrambles up onto the first step,

Has to jump to reach the second step,

Scrambles onto that step,

Jumps to reach the third step and proceeds to jump and scramble her way all the way to the top of the ladder and into the loft and once in the loft she looks around and this loft is kept so tidy and so clean and she can hear that sound and sees a strange creature flying around and she approaches underneath that strange creature,

Looking up with curiosity and asks it what it is and it flies down and lands hanging upside down on the underside of a shelf,

Swinging gently back and forth at the same height as Ruby and explains that they're a bat and they don't normally visit this property,

There's a small window into this loft and it was left slightly ajar and they'd found their way in,

But they'd heard that there was a kitten here who was highly curious and enjoyed adventures and so they said that the elders would like to meet with the kitten and this small bat which is so furry and delicate,

Explains where the elders are and how to find them and hands Ruby a small map Ruby tucks the map into her collar and the bat flies away and heads back out that window,

Ruby descends the steps down that ladder,

Gathers up a few items in a small bag and Ruby has her own coat,

Normally the humans who live here will put the coat on her but she knows how to do it for herself and so she puts the coat on herself with the bag attached to the back and wearing this coat makes her back arch very slightly strangely and makes her walk a little strange at first while she gets used to it and she heads to the cat flap at the back of the kitchen,

Walks through that cat flap and out into the night time and as she walks into the back garden she can smell the scent of the beautiful flowers,

She can see the way the moon's light casts its silvery glow across the landscape and how blue the landscape looks late at night and Ruby has remembered the beginning of the route following the map and so she heads through the garden rushing through the tall grass,

Squeezing under the hedge at the end of the garden and out into the fields beyond and while walking through these fields she can hear crickets rubbing their legs together she can hear the occasional sound of birds and something about this space out here at this time of night feels so peaceful and calming and as she continues walking across the fields so she gets further away from the hedge,

Further away from the trees that were dotted around near the hedges into the open fields and so the sounds of birds gradually faded and the sounds of crickets gradually faded and there was just that faint sound of the breeze blowing through the fields the gentle rustling and she continued to walk and the bright moon overhead appeared to have a halo around it as the finest clouds passed in front and it almost looked magical and on reaching the far side of the fields,

Ruby turned down the path and it was a dirt track that was almost like two grooves and a tuft of grass down the middle and the track was compacted mud and some loose chalk and she walked enjoying the environment along this track,

Finding her eyes gazing all around her at the stars in the sky,

At the beauty of the moon at the softly moving silhouetted trees and plants around her and after a while of walking she finds her way to a crossroads and can see the signposts,

An old gnarly wooden signpost with a few different directions and she checks out the map,

Looks back at the signpost and knows which way to go and so she follows the correct route now heading away from farmland,

All those fields,

Towards open meadows where wildflowers grow free where deer graze and rabbits can be seen jumping around,

Gnawing at grasses and darting into their burrows and she continues following this meadow until she starts to hear the soft sound of flowing water,

Way off in the distance she refers back to the map and can see that the route she has to take follows the side of a lake and then the stream that leads into that lake and she places the map away again and walks along towards that sound of water and can see the lake as it appears in the distance its surface sparkling like a million diamonds as the moonlight dances and skips across the water and as she gets near to the lake she hears the splashing of a duck bathing,

Sees the sight of a swan sleeping just gently floating,

Its legs just beneath the water,

Moving slightly as if to help keep the swan in position and along the edge of this lake a tool reeds that are rustling as the waves gently lap towards the shore and she heads along this lake,

Follows the lake round,

Heads over a small stone bridge that crosses the beginning of the stream and continues to walk along the other side of the stream,

Almost walking with a slight skip at the pleasure of being out in this environment,

How calming and deeply relaxing it is and after quite some time of walking,

Ruby reaches a point where she has to turn off down another track and she follows this track towards a building in the distance and it's a small stone building which looks important,

It looks like more of a house but not as much as a palace or a castle and it seems a little bigger than a house but not much but something about it seems important and she arrives at that building,

Walks up to the large wooden door,

Does her best to knock on the door and she can hear some movement the other side of the door and then she can hear some locks unlatching and then the door gently opens and she sees a beagle standing the other side of the door who invites her in and she heads in and the beagle closes the door behind her and like her own home there's a fireplace gently burning in the corner of the room there's the most comfortable rug resting on the floor and there are three beagles standing in here and they introduce themselves as the elders and they show ruby through to what looks like a vast library and in the heart of the library there's a book on a table which seems to almost be humming with knowledge and looks like it's almost sparkling with magic and they guide ruby all the way to that book,

They carefully open the book and they begin to reveal secrets of knowledge and wisdom to ruby and it feels like it takes hours for them to reveal those secrets but as they approach the last page ruby can see that different travelers have written in the book and they ask her to write something down,

Something personal,

Something she would like to achieve,

Almost like a commitment to herself and so ruby writes that down on the page,

Signs her name and the book is closed and with that one of the elders hands her a small scroll and tells her this scroll will give her instructions to fulfill a quest before heading home and so she takes that scroll she's asked if she would like to stop for a while and have some refreshments as she's already been on a long journey and so she sits with the elders and enjoys a drink and some food and some good company and after that drink and food and good company,

Feeling full and satiated and deeply calm and relaxed she says goodbye to the elders,

Leaves the building,

She looks at the scroll,

Reads the instructions and marks her new destination on her map and she has to follow a winding road to the most beautiful spring before following another path to where she's going and so she follows that path,

Heading deeper and deeper into the landscape,

Following the map,

Often from memory,

While gazing around enjoying nature she continues wandering and drifting and dreaming through the landscape until she notices a random elderberry bush and knows that's the point,

To turn slightly off this path and she'll be cutting through some woodland but there's another path she'll be finding the other side of the woodland and she cuts into this night time woodland,

The moonlight only occasionally managing to penetrate the canopy overhead,

The shards of silver light dancing as the wind blows a breeze and the leaves gently rustle and she continues on this serene journey,

With a deep sense of peace and harmony and a connection to this world around her and she finds her way out the other side of the woodland to another path which she follows and she continues following that path to a fresh water spring,

The smell of that water smelling as fresh as it looks and she follows that spring as the water flows towards a seashore and it's quite a walk she has to make through this landscape,

Heading towards that seashore and it feels like many hours before she even starts to hear that faintest sound of waves lapping onto the shore and she can see as she approaches over undulating meadows following this stream,

The faintest hint of the ocean in the distance being able to just about make out where the ocean is and where the sky touches that ocean and she arrives at the ocean,

Walks through the softest golden sand,

Can hear the sound of the ocean waves as they lap on the shore and pull some of that sand back before lapping back on the shore again and she walks along the edge of the water,

There are points where the undulating meadows blend straight down to the seashore and the sand and other points where there are small cliffs and as Ruby explores the cliffs,

She finds a cave she's looking for she lights a torch and heads into that cave,

Hearing the way the sea echoes in the cave but the further she walks into the cave,

The more distant the sea sounds and as she walks,

So this cave passage opens out into a cave chamber and in the heart of the chamber is a glowing,

Sparkling tree and it's such a delicate looking tree with a narrow trunk,

Symmetrical branches,

Most beautiful leaves,

Sparkling with magic,

Glowing with it's own light and on this tree is a single fruit and she approaches that tree,

She takes that passion fruit from the tree and as instructed in the note she was given,

She takes a bite of that juicy passion fruit and then another and another until the passion fruit is all gone,

She then follows the instructions that she's to go and lay on a certain bed in this chamber and the bed looks like a stone slab with the most comfortable blankets on top,

She climbs up and rests down and finds her eyes wanting to close and as her eyes close,

So she feels herself drifting and floating deeper and deeper into a reverie feeling so calm and comfortable,

So deeply relaxed and as she drifts deeper and deeper into this passion fruit fuelled reverie it's as if her eyes open in a new land where she's in a room in an old wooden cottage and the furniture in this room is singing and dancing and there's a woman here singing and dancing with that furniture and she can see through the windows,

The sun is shining and it looks like such a beautiful day and outside is a white horse and she feels compelled to go outside and meet the horse and so she heads over towards one of the windows which is open climbs up and out of the window,

Jumps down the other side and heads over to the horse and this horse which is almost glowing with how white it is introduces themselves as basically,

They always take the simplest option to a solution and they say that they've been expecting Ruby to appear here,

They've been waiting they gesture for Ruby to climb up onto their back and basically a Ruby then walk off from the cabin before basically begins to trot and then the trot turns into a canter and Ruby holds on tight and as the canter turns into a gallop,

So bubbles seem to form around basically's feet and basically takes off into the air riding on a bed of bubbles leaving a trail of bubbles behind galloping through the air above this magical and unknown landscape and basically takes the easiest route they can up to a land in the clouds,

Lands on the clouds,

Slows down to a trot then a walk and approaches an ivory coloured tower glowing in these clouds and comes to a halt at the entrance to the tower and tells Ruby you need to head in there to see the person you're here to see and Ruby dismounts,

Heads up to the grand door,

Knocks on that door and the door softly opens and Ruby walks in and the tower seems to be empty but Ruby can hear someone talking to them and she looks around to try and work out who's talking and where from and discovers this person is invisible they're invisible because people forgot who they were,

People stopped believing in them and when people stopped believing they faded away and they want Ruby's help to be visible again and they explain that people have stopped believing in love that there are some lands where people do but there's a threshold,

A tipping point where when a certain number of people stop believing in you it's as if you just become invisible but you're not allowed to try to change people's minds yourself but Ruby being a curious kitten has the ability to help to touch the hearts and minds of many and the invisible person asks Ruby to head over to a ruby red rug in the corner of this room,

Asks Ruby to put on the magical mittens to rest down on that rug,

Cross her legs,

Close her eyes and begin to drift into a meditation where she'll project herself into the minds of all those who've stopped believing in love and to influence their dreams so they dream of having a kitten like Ruby,

Playing with Ruby feeling Ruby rest on their lap purring while being stroked and so Ruby settles down on that rug,

Closes her eyes,

Drifts into a meditation imagines her mind and body relaxing,

Then imagines her consciousness gradually stretching out and she can see threads of connection between herself,

Her consciousness and all those who've stopped believing in love she projects herself into their minds while they sleep,

They begin to dream of having a kitten as a friend,

A kitten that shows them love that enjoys having their belly stroked,

Having their back stroked,

Stroked behind the ear,

That will rest on their lap giving out the most healing purrs and as Ruby projects herself into the minds of those people,

So she sees those people's cheeks turning slightly red and warm,

Colour coming back to their memories love coming back to their heart and one by one,

Each of those people has like a burst of light and colour as love forms back in their life and once each one has love back in their heart,

So Ruby drifts from the meditation,

Awakens in that palace,

Can see before themselves the most beautiful friendly looking creature they thank Ruby for all her help,

They hand her a gift that's so precious it goes unspoken,

Then she leaves the palace she rides basically on those bubbles back down to that cabin,

She heads back into the cabin,

Falls asleep in the cabin,

Awakening in that chamber she leaves the chamber and walks along the beach,

Something about the way she walks now is lighter than it was before,

Something within her has changed,

As has the world around her and she really takes her time to find her way back,

Until she drifts into the deepest of sleeps and wanders and meanders through the stages of sleep before awakening on that rug in front of that fire and after awakening on that rug in front of the fire,

She decides it's time to settle down somewhere else,

She feels things here have shifted,

Like somehow this entire dream sequence was deeply meaningful so she finds a new spot to settle down in,

Somewhere a little cooler than by the fire,

She settles back down and so easily and effortlessly she drifts and floats,

Peacefully asleep into slumberland sleep

Reviews

Loving this story. Have fallen asleep twice so I’ll be listening again!!!thank you.