Hello,
My name is Jacqueline and I am going to read you a bedtime story which I wrote for my granddaughters.
You can listen to this story at any time,
But especially when you want to relax.
So settle down,
Make yourself comfortable and I will begin.
Kelty and the Bluebird Once upon a time in a faraway land lived a little girl called Kelty.
She was a very pretty girl with long brown wavy hair and the bluest eyes you have ever seen.
She was nine years old and lived in a little cottage with her mummy,
Daddy and baby brother Louis.
Their cottage almost looked like a gingerbread house with its fancy roof,
Chocolate coloured walls and pretty flowers of many colours which grew everywhere.
The cottage was situated on the edge of a forest and Kelty loved looking out of her bedroom window every morning.
If she woke early enough she could watch the deer in the garden below enjoying a delicious breakfast of sweet green grass while the tiny rabbits danced between their legs.
It really was a beautiful sight and always brought a smile to Kelty's face.
When she didn't have to go to school Kelty would play or go exploring in the forest with her best friend Duggee.
Duggee was a tiny brown dog with three white paws and a shiny black nose.
He could fit perfectly into the secret pocket Kelty had in her jacket.
She would sometimes hide him in there when they were going on an adventure together.
Duggee loved being with Kelty and he especially loved being snuggled inside her secret pocket.
Here he could feel her heart beating and instinctively knew he had to stay still and quiet.
She enjoyed their adventures because there was always a special treat for him at the end.
Today was Saturday and Kelty did not have to go to school.
She woke up and lay in bed wondering what she could do that day.
Then she noticed a sparkling light dancing through the tiny gap in her bedroom curtains.
She jumped out of bed and opened her curtains wide wondering what was sparkling.
She looked out of her window and saw the sun was shining brightly onto the water in the bird bath.
Sitting on the edge of the bird bath was the prettiest little bluebird.
Every time he took a drink he moved the water with his beak and the sunbeams created a beautiful sparkle which danced across the water.
Today is going to be special Kelty said with a feeling of excitement.
She quickly got dressed into her favourite blue jeans and pink fluffy top and brushed her hair.
Sometimes she put it up into a ponytail but today she decided to leave it down.
Next she made her bed and then went downstairs into the kitchen where her mummy was feeding her baby brother his favourite breakfast of porridge and mashed banana.
Louis cooed happily when he saw his sister and laughed loudly when she tickled his cheek.
Good morning Louis,
Good morning mummy she said as she turned to her mummy and gave her a big hug.
Good morning sweetheart her mummy said as she hugged her back.
Did you sleep well last night?
She asked as Louis waited with his mouth open for another spoonful of porridge.
Yes I did thank you mummy.
Has daddy gone to work today?
Yes he has but he will be home at lunch time.
Just then Kelty saw Dougie come bounding into the kitchen through the dog flap in the back door.
Before she could blink he had jumped into her arms and started licking her face excitedly.
Good morning little monkey Kelty giggled as she squeezed Dougie tightly.
Can I go out to play with Dougie after breakfast please mummy?
Yes you can but only for half an hour as I need you to do some chores before your daddy comes home.
Kelty put Dougie down on the floor and went to the kitchen cupboard.
She gave Dougie a small handful of dog biscuits and then she made herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
When she had finished eating she washed her bowl and spoon and then went upstairs to the bathroom where she washed her face and cleaned her teeth.
She ran back downstairs and grabbed her jacket.
See you soon mummy she said going out of the back door and into the garden with Dougie following behind her.
Kelty looked over at the bird bath and saw that the little bluebird was still there.
She slowly walked over but as she got closer the bluebird flew off into the forest.
Come on Dougie let's follow him.
Kelty started walking into the forest with Dougie close on her hills.
The bluebird flew from tree to tree and seemed to be looking back each time to make sure Kelty was still following.
Eventually the bluebird stopped and looked back one last time before he flew off and disappeared behind an oak tree.
Kelty walked up to the oak tree and was amazed just how big it was.
She held her arms out wide and tried to hug the tree but it was far wider than her arms would ever be.
She went behind the big oak tree where the bluebird had disappeared and saw Dougie was sniffing at the ground just near the base of the tree.
What's there Dougie?
She asked.
He continued sniffing and became very excited about something.
Here boy let me take a look.
Kelty moved Dougie out of the way and knelt down on the ground.
She looked in the area he had been sniffing and could see the tiniest sparkle shining out of the dirt.
She used her fingers to dig around the sparkle and eventually unearthed the most beautiful pink crystal.
It was the size of an egg and the shape of a diamond.
Kelty held it up in the air just as a beam of sunlight shone through the trees and danced on the crystal creating the most dazzling sparkles.
Wow Kelty said as she stared at the crystal.
Look how sparkly this is Dougie.
What a beautiful piece of treasure from the bluebird.
She looked around hoping to see the bluebird but he was nowhere to be seen.
All of a sudden Kelty realised that she had been out for a long time.
Coming up she said come on Dougie we have to get home.
Mummy will be very cross with us for staying out for so long.
She put the pink crystal into the secret pocket in her jacket and started to run out of the forest.
Dougie thought this was fun and ran along beside her yapping excitedly as he went.
Kelty had not realised how far into the forest the bluebird had led her.
By the time she arrived back into her garden she was exhausted.
She walked across the lawn to catch her breath and could see her mummy in the kitchen playing with her baby brother Louis.
Kelty opened the back door and before her mummy could say anything she quickly said I'm sorry mummy I didn't mean to be out for so long.
Hey you've only been gone a few minutes Kelty.
You still have plenty of time to play.
Kelty was shocked to hear this because she knew she had been gone longer than a few minutes but she also knew her forest was magical.
Smiling to herself Kelty went to the cupboard and grabbed a treat for Dougie and an apple for herself.
Then she went back out into the garden with Dougie by her side just in time to see the bluebird fly back onto the bird bath.
I hope you've enjoyed this story.
Thank you for listening.
