The Secret Language

Summary

Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest — "The Secret Language"
Host: Adam Gidwitz
Episode Date: November 6, 2025

---

Episode Overview

In this "Grimmer"-rated episode of Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest, Adam Gidwitz retells “The Secret Language,” a lesser-known but deeply eerie Grimm-style fairy tale by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth. Joined by an inquisitive group of young listeners, Adam unravels a story about sibling bonds, exclusion, magical danger, and clever teamwork. As always, kid commentary brings laughter, fresh insights, and occasional squeals to this dark and funny adventure.

---

Key Discussion Points & Story Progression

1. Setting the Spookiness Level (00:46-03:14)

• Adam sets expectations for the episode’s “Grimmer” rating, warning there’s no gore but a “bad person” and a “very creepy place.”
• Reassures listeners on how to cope with scary moments: "You know how much weird and gross and scary you’re ready for? You know what you need?" (Adam Gidwitz, 01:36)

2. Sibling Dynamics & Secret Codes (03:14-06:37)

• Introduction to four siblings: three sisters with a secret code, and their little brother who is left out.
• Kids in the room chime in about family fights and their own secret languages/codes.
  • Memorable moment: "Me and this person over here have a code together that we...call it upper be gone..." (Child Listener, 04:01)
• Adam and the kids experiment with reversing words and Pig Latin, echoing the story’s code.

3. Exclusion and Hurt Feelings (06:37-07:57)

• The sisters use their code to talk about their brother, mixing both teasing and affection.
• The brother feels embarrassed, upset, lonely, and runs away behind the house.

4. The Stranger in the Meadow — "Stranger Danger" (07:57-08:36)

• An old lady appears, asking the sisters to thread needles for her.
• Children in the group loudly discuss “stranger danger” and their skepticism (“If someone walks up to you and says, here, take these three needles, I would say, no.” — Child Listener, 08:09)

5. The Spell and The Graveyard (08:36-10:12)

• Threading the needles places the sisters under a magical spell; they must follow the old lady to a graveyard.
• The old lady (revealed to be a witch) brings them to a stone house and makes them her magical helpers.
• Vivid group reactions as Adam describes tombs as “vampire beds” and a “coffin made of stone.”

6. The Peddler and the Sisters' Magic (10:12-14:46)

• A traveling peddler visits and falls victim to the sisters’ new magic, inherited from the witch:
  • Needle threading (eldest sister)
  • Pouring sand from bottle to bucket (middle sister)
  • Resting on a feather bed (youngest sister)
• The combined spells transform the peddler into stone.
• Notable quote: "Rest in peace, buddy.” (Child Listener, 14:14)
• Kids question the witch’s motives: "This witch is just plain mean." (Child Listener, 14:49)

7. The Brother Grows Up and Searches (15:37-18:29)

• The family searches for the missing girls and eventually moves to town; years go by.
• The brother, now grown, dedicates his life to finding his sisters, combing the land for clues.

8. The Graveyard Encounter (18:29-20:23)

• The brother stumbles into the strange graveyard filled with stone effigies—innocent travelers turned to stone.
• The sisters, under the witch’s spell, spot him and quickly communicate in their “secret language,” vowing "We must save our brother.” (20:10-20:23)

9. The Siblings Outsmart the Witch (23:37-31:23)

• The brother is tricked into entering the witch’s home and is passed from sister to sister, each following the witch’s instructions.
• Each sister coughs out a backwards warning—“tonad” (“don’t”)—and the siblings work together non-verbally to foil each spell.
• The boy intentionally fails each magical task until the increasingly exasperated witch demonstrates herself, falling victim to her own magic:
  • She threads her own needle, pours sand, then is coaxed to lie on the bed and say “rest in peace”—turning herself to stone.
• Notable exchange:
  • Child Listener: "You missed the bed, you moron." (30:30)
  • Adam Gidwitz: "The eldest girl said, mother, why don't you show him how to lie on a bed?" (31:07)
• With her spell broken, all the stone figures in the graveyard awaken—including the peddler and others. The family is joyfully reunited.

10. Ending & Reflections (32:26-32:36)

• Light-hearted reflections from the kids on magical and real-life plans for the future (“When I grow up, I’m gonna live with my best friend Hazel. And a cat, a black cat, if I can find it, named Wendy.”—Child Listener, 32:26)
• Adam responds warmly: “That’s a great plan. I love that.” (32:36)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On family fights:
  "I never fight with my sibling."
  "That's amazing. That's very rare." (03:14-03:16)

• On secret codes:
  "It's called ziggleswarp." (04:00, Child Listener)

• Safety advice:
  "Stranger danger. No. If someone walks up to you and says, here, take these three needles, I would say, no." (08:09, Child Listener)

• On dark fairy tale logic:
  "She just wants to, like, decorate her backyard or something... Some people buy, like, plastic flamingos or little gnomes. She kills people and puts them on tombs." (15:15-15:26)

• Sibling solidarity in a crisis:
  "We must save our brother." (20:10, Eldest Sister via secret language)

• Teamwork and cleverness:
  "The old lady grabbed the needle and she showed him how by threading the needle herself." (27:16, Adam Gidwitz)

• Comic kid commentary on magical mishaps:
  "You missed the bed, you moron." (30:30, Child Listener)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Grimmer warning and setup: 00:46–03:14
• Sibling secrets and codes: 03:14–06:37
• The exclusion and hurt: 06:37–07:57
• The witch’s arrival ("stranger danger"): 07:57–08:36
• Spell, graveyard, and captivity: 08:36–10:12
• First transformation (the peddler): 10:12–14:46
• Brother’s quest: 15:37–18:29
• Unlocking the secret language: 20:10–21:02
• Siblings’ plan and witch’s downfall: 23:37–31:23
• Happy reunion and comic reflections: 32:26–32:36

---

Tone & Style

The episode blends Adam Gidwitz’s vivid storytelling, a suspenseful and macabre fairy tale, and lively, often hilarious interjections from the kids (“Rest in peace, buddy!”). The mood swings between laughter and goosebumps, with an emphasis on smart, creative teamwork and a gentle nudge towards being safe and kind.

---

In summary:
“The Secret Language” is equal parts spooky, silly, and smart—a classic fairy tale with a twist, brought to life by a master storyteller and an irrepressible gang of kid co-hosts. Listeners come away with chills, giggles, and a fresh appreciation for secret codes—and maybe, just maybe, a reminder to be kind to siblings.

Transcript

[Child Listener]

Pinna.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Hi, Trustynarrator here, telling you about the funniest podcast you'll ever hear. It's called who's Smarted? And yes, I know what that sounds like. When you listen to who's Smarted, not only will you laugh, you'll also learn as we use jokes, crazy characters, funny sound effects, and interactive games to teach you fun facts, science, and history about everything from your pet cat to the cereal you had for breakfast. Trust me, the trusty narrator, and check out who's Smarted, the most fun you'll ever have. Getting smarter.

[Child Listener]

Pinna.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Hi, my name is Adam Gidwitz. I'm an author. I'm also a storyteller. I like telling all kinds of stories, but I especially like telling grim fairy tales. You may think you know Grimm fairy tales, and you may think that they are sweet and boring, but listen, those tales you heard were the cute, happy little kid bedtime versions of the Grimm tales. The original Grimm fairy tales aren't like that at all. They're weird and sometimes gross and often scary. In other words, they're grim. And I'm about to walk into a classroom and tell one of the original grim, grim tales to a bunch of kids. Do you want to join me? Do you want to hear a grim fairy tale? Let me help you decide on a scale of Grim, Grimmer, and Grimmest. This episode is Grimmer. There's no blood or gore, but the main characters get taken away by a very bad person to a very creepy place. If I get to a part of the story and you start to feel scared or uncomfortable, this is what you could do. You could turn down the volume and count to five, then turn the volume back up. If it still seems like a part you don't want to hear, just turn the volume down and count to five again. You know how much weird and gross and scary you're ready for? You know what you need? Okay, I'm at the classroom door now. There are kids inside waiting to hear a grim fairy tale. So are you coming in? Grim Grimmer Grimace. All right. This story is by Franz Xava von Schoenbert. It's called the Secret Language. Once upon a time, in a small house in a meadow, there lived four children, three sisters and their little brother. They loved each other as siblings do, and they played together as siblings do. And they fought sometimes, because siblings do that, too.

[Child Listener]

I never fight with my sibling.

[Adam Gidwitz]

That's amazing. That's very rare.

[Child Listener]

I'll tell the number of how many times my sister and me have fought. I think We've been fighting since, like, I think more like than 133 times.

[Adam Gidwitz]

That's a lot of fights.

[Child Listener]

Maybe more than that.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Now, the three girls had a secret language, a code that they could speak to one another when they didn't want anyone else to understand them. Do any of you have a secret code that you use either with sibling or friends?

[Child Listener]

Like, I use my Spanish words when I talk to them. Yeah. It's not with my sibling. It's actually with my friends. It's called ziggleswarp.

[Adam Gidwitz]

That's really cool.

[Child Listener]

Me and this person over here have a code together that we. Well, it's not really a code. It's a language. And a couple of people are involved. Like, three of us call it upper be gone. And there's like. And we only forget a few, like, words. One of them is unse, unse, which means hi. And then something for that means I feel like that means hello. Good friend is ah.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Okay. When I was growing up, my brother and I had a secret code, and it would go like this. We would just say words backwards to each other.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

What?

[Adam Gidwitz]

We would say them backwards?

[Child Listener]

Yes, that's Pig Latin.

[Adam Gidwitz]

It's kind of like pig Latin. Pig Latin, you take a letter and you put it at the end and you add an A to it. So mine, we would just reverse all the letters. For example, the word brother in reverse would be ra, torb, rhetorb. Can you imagine how retorb is backwards.

[Child Listener]

Of brother, re, reh torb T O R B R torb.

[Adam Gidwitz]

So that was the same as the three girls code. And the brother wanted to learn it too, but the girls wouldn't teach it to him because he was younger and a boy, and siblings can be that way. And one day, the children were all playing together in the meadow near their home, but the girls kept speaking in their secret code, and the little boy couldn't understand them at all. Then they started to talk about him in their secret code and laughing. Like the older sister would say, ruo.

[Child Listener]

Rhetorv Si irev tros. What does that mean?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Which meant, our brother is very short. And the middle sister would say, ruo rhetorb.

[Child Listener]

C E rev Enough nicol.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Anyone want to try that one?

[Child Listener]

Um, so I think the last word is looking great.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the first words were the same as the previous one.

[Child Listener]

Oh, yeah, brother. Our brother is funny looking.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Nailed it. Which meant, our brother is very funny looking. And then the youngest sister said, oh.

[Child Listener]

Ruo ritorb si loudka y terp y tuk which meant they don't like him.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Which meant our brother is actually pretty cute.

[Child Listener]

Aw, that's so sweet.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Adam Gidwitz]

They weren't saying anything that mean, but just the fact that they were talking about him and he couldn't understand them made the girls laugh. And he. How do you think it made him feel?

[Child Listener]

Upset. Upset.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Upset.

[Child Listener]

Sad, maybe A little lonely and sad?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Yeah, a little lonely and sad.

[Child Listener]

Like embarrassed?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Yeah. And he got so embarrassed and upset and lonely and mad that he ran away.

[Child Listener]

What, like he never. Like he ran away? Like, forever?

[Adam Gidwitz]

No, he just ran behind their house and he sulked, which meant he felt sad. At just that moment, an old lady came walking through the meadow, and she came across the three girls.

[Child Listener]

Oh. The old lady said, I'm so glad I found somebody. Will you please help me? No.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The old lady seemed very upset, so the oldest girl said, oh, don't worry.

[Child Listener]

We'll help you. You're so sweet. I'm trying to mend my clothes, but my eyesight has become so dim and my old hands are so shaky that I can't manage to thread my needles. Would you be so kind as to do it for me?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And she produced from a sewing bag she had around her neck three needles and three spools of thread.

[Child Listener]

I would just say, stranger danger. No.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Stranger danger. No.

[Child Listener]

If someone walks up to you and says, here, take these three needles, I would say, no.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Good call. Good policy. I like it. So each girl took a spool of thread and a needle. And because their eyesight was good and their hands were deft, each easily threaded a needle. And then they handed the needles back to the old lady.

[Child Listener]

You fallen under my spell, silly girls? Now follow me.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And indeed, they could not resist her command. They followed behind her across the meadow, through the woods, and out the other side there was another clearing. But this was not a meadow. It was a graveyard. Filled with dozens of tombs of deadness. Tombs of deadness.

[Child Listener]

I think she's a witch. Why did they listen to an old woman who needs help sewing in the first place? That's peculiar.

[Adam Gidwitz]

It was very peculiar. Who knows what a tomb is?

[Child Listener]

It means like a kind of thing. Like, you know, like in those little vampire movies. Like what vampires sleep in?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Yes.

[Child Listener]

So who knows what tombs are? They're like those vampire beds. And that's sometimes where vampires, if they, like, died or something. Or if they're sleepy, they go in there and then they close themselves in it.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Exactly. So a coffin is usually made of wood, but a tomb is like a coffin made of stone. Exactly. The Girls stared at the tombs, and they wanted to run away, but they could not, for they were under the spell of the old lady. In the center of the cemetery was a stone house. And the old lady brought the girls inside. And she told the girls, now you'll.

[Child Listener]

Live with me and be my magical helpers. Isn't that fun?

[Adam Gidwitz]

The girls did not want to. They begged to go home.

[Child Listener]

Please let us go home. We don't want to stay here. Please let us leave.

[Adam Gidwitz]

But the old lady laughed.

[Child Listener]

Be quiet.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And they could not resist the power of her spell. The old lady gave each girl her own room, and she taught each girl a different spell. She gave the eldest girl a needle and thread. She gave the middle girl a wine bottle filled with sand and a bucket. And she taught the youngest girl a magic word. A little while later, a visitor came to the stone house in the middle of the cemetery. The old lady was watching out the window, and she saw him coming. He was a peddler of pots and pans, selling his wares door to door. Well, he shouldn't have come to this door. When he arrived, the old lady was all smiles.

[Child Listener]

Welcome, fair stranger. Come, come in. Won't you stay a while and meet my three clever and beautiful daughters?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Uh, I just wanted to sell you some pots and pans.

[Child Listener]

Oh, of course. Oh, I'd love to buy some. But first you must meet my clever and beautiful daughters.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Is he really going to meet her kind and clever daughters? No.

[Child Listener]

He's going to die.

[Adam Gidwitz]

So she brought the peddler into the eldest girl's room. And the eldest daughter said, welcome, fair stranger. And then she held up a needle and a spool of thread.

[Child Listener]

Will you help me thread my needle?

[Adam Gidwitz]

You need help threading a needle?

[Child Listener]

Yes. Will you please help me?

[Adam Gidwitz]

So the peddler took the needle and the spool of thread. And he threaded the needle.

[Child Listener]

Now let's go visit my middle sister.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Said the oldest girl. And even if he had wanted to resist, he couldn't, for now he was under her power. So he followed the eldest girl to the middle girl's room. The middle girl had a. Who remembers what? The middle girl had a wine cup.

[Child Listener]

With sand and a bucket.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Yes. Not a wine cup with sand, but a wine bucket. A bucket and a wine wine bottle. The middle girl had a bottle filled with sand and a bucket.

[Child Listener]

Will you help me, fair stranger? Will you pour the sand in this bottle into this bucket?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the peddler said, um. What?

[Child Listener]

Just pour the sand into this bucket.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Why would you want me to do that? But the Eldest sister said, do it. And because he was under her spell, the peddler had no choice. He emptied the sand from the bottle into the bucket. And he became incredibly, irresistibly sleepy.

[Child Listener]

Now let's go visit my youngest sister.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Said the eldest girl. And she brought him to the youngest girl's room. In this room, there was a large feather bed. The youngest girl said, come, you look so sleepy.

[Child Listener]

Lie down on this bed.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The peddler was very sleepy indeed, thanks to the middle girl's spell. But everything that was happening to him was very strange. And suddenly he felt like he should leave this house and leave it now. I think I should. I should just go. But the eldest girl said, lie down. And because he was under her spell, he could not resist. He lay down, and instantly he fell asleep. The youngest girl leaned over him and.

[Child Listener]

Said, rest in peace.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Which is just what the old lady had taught her to say.

[Child Listener]

Oh, no, he's dying.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the peddler turned to stone.

[Child Listener]

What?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Cackle. The old lady. Sorry, I think I scared you.

[Child Listener]

You keep doing that.

[Adam Gidwitz]

I keep doing it, and it keeps working. I love it.

[Child Listener]

Rest in peace, buddy.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Rest in peace, buddy. The old lady had come into the room to admire the girl's handiwork. Then she commanded them to carry the peddler out into the cemetery. They brought his stone body to a stone tomb, and they laid the peddler on top of the lid. And he looked just like a stone effigy, which is one of those statues that lie on top of tombs. Except this was the most realistic stone effigy in the history of the world. Because it's realistic. Because it's real. Exactly right.

[Child Listener]

A real person.

[Adam Gidwitz]

A real person. Exactly right.

[Child Listener]

Wait, if the. Why did the witch do that? Because generally, the witches do something that will benefit them. But this witch is just plain mean.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Plain mean. Is there any reason you can imagine that she would. So he now looks like the most realistic stone effigy in the history of the world. Any reason that you can imagine why she would be doing this?

[Child Listener]

I guess she wants decorative tombs.

[Adam Gidwitz]

She wants decorative tombs? Maybe.

[Child Listener]

Yeah. She just wants to, like, decorate her backyard or something.

[Adam Gidwitz]

She wants to decorate her backyard? Some people buy, like, plastic flamingos or little gnomes.

[Child Listener]

She. Yeah, I kill people.

[Adam Gidwitz]

She kills people and puts them on tombs. The girls were horrified at what they had done, and they wanted to run away, but they could not. They were under the old lady's spell.

[Child Listener]

What's going on with the boy? Does he, like, ever stop sulking and, like, look around for the Girls? Because he's their brother?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Great question. Let's find out. Meanwhile, back at the house in the meadow, the little boy stopped sulking and went to find his sisters. And he couldn't find them anywhere. He ran to his parents, but they didn't know what had happened to the girls either. And everyone became very afraid that something terrible had happened. And that the girls had been kidnapped by evil people.

[Child Listener]

And that's exactly what happened.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The boy swore he would find them, but he was just a little boy. And his parents were afraid that he would be kidnapped too. So they left the house in the meadow and moved into town. And the boy grew up there, sad and lonely, missing his sisters terribly. Each year on his birthday, the boy asked if he could go and find his sisters. But every year his parents said no. They didn't want him to disappear, too. The years went by, and soon the boy had grown into a young man, as boys do. And eventually his parents could no longer keep him at home. He swore that he would go out into the world and find his sisters. He would take no job, no wife, no home. Until he found them. So he set out. He walked and walked and walked. He searched every town he came to, but he did not find them. He searched every forest he entered, but he did not find them. He searched every cave and shack and barn, but he did not find them. The longer he searched, the more discouraged he became. What a foolish task this was. They'd been gone for years. They were probably dead. And even if they were alive, they could be anywhere. And if he saw them, would he even recognize them?

[Child Listener]

No, I don't think he would. Because it's been years. Maybe they turned old or something.

[Adam Gidwitz]

But he did not give up. He had left his parents. He had taken no job, no wife, no home. Searching was all he had. And then one day, he searched the hundredth wood and did not find them. And he came through the other side and found himself in an utterly enormous graveyard. There were hundreds and hundreds of tombs. And on top of each tomb was a stone effigy. Statues of people, as if lying on a bed of stone. The boy approached a tomb and marveled. The tomb effigies were so incredibly realistic. Like a real person captured in stone.

[Child Listener]

Because they are.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Because they are. He looked up. He was surrounded by them. Like a boat in the middle of the sea. What do you think that means? Why are there hundreds of stone effigies in this graveyard?

[Child Listener]

Because now the. The sisters were under the spell. And then they had to introduce the spells to everyone. So then they had to turn those hundred storing fees, and I think now that they forgot who the real mother is.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Maybe so. And then off in the distance, beyond the hundreds of tombs, he saw a small stone house. The boy started for it.

[Child Listener]

I think when the brother comes to the house, they're not gonna recognize him, and they're gonna do the same thing that they did to the pots and.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Pans man inside the house. The old woman, who was an even older woman now, was gazing out her window when she saw the boy coming through her cemetery.

[Child Listener]

Oh, girls, come, come. Look. This will make one beautiful effigy.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The girls saw the boy, and their three hearts dropped down in their three chests all at once. Even though years had passed and he had grown from a boy into a young man, they all recognized him instantly. The eldest girl turned to the others and spoke a language she had not spoken in many, many years.

[Child Listener]

U to some Evas ruo rhetor. What does that mean to our brother?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Something about our brother. You're exactly right. Ooh.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

What do you think?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Oo could be he.

[Child Listener]

We.

[Adam Gidwitz]

We to some. Can you figure out what to some would be? Na can you reverse the letters into some Must. Yes, we must. Evas Save. We must save our brother. And even though the girls hadn't heard that language in many years, they instantly knew what their eldest sister meant. We must save our brother. So they went back to their rooms and waited.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

The holidays are approaching, and everyone knows that this time of year, the sooner you can get things done, the better. For both shoppers and businesses. The best time to score great deals during the holidays is during that Black Friday Cyber Monday weekend. And if you have your own business, whether you've been around the block a few times or this is your first year going through the holiday sale rush, the most important thing you can have is a platform that can handle everything that's about to be thrown at you. This is a crucial time for your business and your customers. And with Shopify, you can be sure that your tools and platform are ready for anything that comes your way. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10% of all e commerce in the US from household names to entrepreneurs who will be participating in their first Black Friday Cyber Monday this year. With everything else going on, you probably don't have time to spend hours poring over every little detail in your online store. That's why Shopify's thousands of templates and tools help you streamline website creation and make sure that your site isn't just aesthetically. Pleasing but functional and easy to use. Shopify's expedited checkout shop pay saves customer information and reduces hassle. And the best part is that it's been proven to boost conversions, meaning you'll see less abandoned carts and more profits. You can also stress less knowing that Shopify's award winning customer support team is on standby 247 to help with any issues that arise, allowing you to get back to your business as fast as possible. This Black Friday. Join the thousands of new entrepreneurs hearing for the first time with Shopify. Sign up for your free trial [e-mail] realm. That's shopify.com go to shopify.com realm and make this Black Friday one to remember.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Did you know that you can listen to Grim Grimmer Grimmest without any ads interrupting the story? Just subscribe to Pinna. Not only will you get to hear me tell these fairy tales straight through the way I tell them to kids, you get access to tons of other awesome original shows and audiobooks, or all ad free. Subscribe to pinna at Pinna FM. That's P I N N A FM and use code GRIM with two M's to get 30% off an annual subscription. And remember, it's not a Smurf. Soon the boy was at the door and the old lady welcomed him with a smile.

[Child Listener]

Come in, come in.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The boy asked what he had asked at every home and tavern and shack and barn in every town and county in the land. I'm looking for my long lost sisters. Have you seen them? And the old lady said, well, I.

[Child Listener]

Don'T think I've seen your sisters, but I do have three clever and beautiful daughters. Would you like to meet them?

[Adam Gidwitz]

But the boy said, I'm looking for my sisters, not your daughters. And he turned to go, no. But the old lady grabbed his elbow and steered him back toward the door.

[Child Listener]

Oh please, you look so tired and sad. Come in, have a rest. A long, long rest.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And she pulled him inside and closed the door. She led him to the eldest girl's room and he froze, dumbstruck. His sister stood before him. She smiled as if she did not know him. He was about to throw his arms wide and rush at her, but something in her eyes made him hesitate. She held out a needle and a spool of thread.

[Child Listener]

Welcome, fair stranger, she said, and the.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Way she said stranger made the boy certain that something was fishy.

[Child Listener]

Fair stranger, will you help me thread my needle?

[Adam Gidwitz]

She handed him the needle and thread, just as the old lady had done to her all those Years ago. The boy reached for them. The girl coughed and as she coughed she said, tenade. The boy stared at her.

[Child Listener]

Oh, excuse me, she said.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The boy moved to thread the needle and his eldest sister coughed again.

[Child Listener]

Tanad.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Now, the boy had never learned his sisters secret language, but he recognized it. He knew that she was trying to tell him something, he just didn't know what. He took the thread and needle from her hands. He licked the thread. He held the needle up to the light. He moved to put the thread through the eye of the needle.

[Child Listener]

Tonight. When do you stop coughing in our guest's face?

[Adam Gidwitz]

The old lady snapped. But the boy was staring at his sister to nod, to nod. What could that mean?

[Child Listener]

And then he reversed the letters and sounds and then got. Don't.

[Adam Gidwitz]

He got it. He understood their secret language after all these years. He licked the thread again. He held the needle up to the light again. He moved to put the thread through the eye of the needle. He missed.

[Child Listener]

A little to the left.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Dear, said the old lady. He tried to thread the needle again.

[Child Listener]

And missed a little to the right.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Said the old lady. He tried again and missed.

[Child Listener]

That was a little high, said the.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Old lady, getting frustrated now. He tried again and again. He missed.

[Child Listener]

What are you blind?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Shouted the old lady. So she grabbed the needle and she showed him how by threading the needle herself.

[Child Listener]

And then she got spelled. I think she forgot about the spell. So now she's getting cursed.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The eldest sister said to the boy.

[Child Listener]

Now let's go visit my middle sister.

[Adam Gidwitz]

They went to the middle sister's room. She was waiting there with a bottle full of sand and a bucket.

[Child Listener]

She said, hello fair stranger. Will you help me? This bottle is very heavy. Will you pour the sand from it into this bucket for me?

[Adam Gidwitz]

He took the bottle from his sister and as he did she coughed t'.

[Child Listener]

Nod.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And he replied, Yakko.

[Child Listener]

Yakko. Okay, it's okay.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the middle sister broke out into the widest smile. She'd smiled in many years. The old lady did not know what was going on, but she did not like it.

[Child Listener]

Go on. Won't you help my poor daughter pour her sand into this bucket?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the boy wanted to say, why on earth would I do that? Because that's a really weird thing to ask a guest to do, right? But he didn't say anything. He just took the bottle and started to pour the sand on the floor.

[Child Listener]

A little to the left, dear.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The boy poured more sand onto the floor.

[Child Listener]

A little to the right, dear.

[Adam Gidwitz]

The boy poured more sand onto the floor.

[Child Listener]

What is the Matter with you?

[Adam Gidwitz]

She shouted. She grabbed the bottle from him and.

[Child Listener]

Said, look, you do it like this.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And she poured the sand into the bucket.

[Child Listener]

I knew it. She's always gonna miss. And then the lady's gonna try, and then she's gonna turn into stone all the time.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And the old lady began to feel very sleepy. The eldest girl said, now, let's go.

[Child Listener]

Visit my youngest sister.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And she took the boy and the old lady, who was looking really, really sleepy, to the youngest girl's room. The old lady said to the youngest.

[Child Listener]

Girl, won't you tug this boy into bed?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And she sounded very sleepy when she said it. The youngest girl said to the boy.

[Child Listener]

Would you like to go to sleep?

[Adam Gidwitz]

And then she added to nod. And the boy replied to nod.

[Child Listener]

E. What's that mean?

[Adam Gidwitz]

Don't.

[Child Listener]

Don't worry.

[Adam Gidwitz]

That's right. But then the boy said, I am very tired and I would like to go to sleep. The youngest sister looked horrified as she watched the boy lie down on the floor.

[Child Listener]

You missed the bed, you moron.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Shut in the old lady. Oh, sorry, said the boy. He stood up, walked to the other side of the bed and lay down on the floor over there.

[Child Listener]

Oh, you missed it again.

[Adam Gidwitz]

She shrieked. So the boy stood up and he lay down under the bed.

[Child Listener]

Oh, you're the dumbest boy I've ever seen in my life. Don't you know how to. To lie on a bed?

[Adam Gidwitz]

The two eldest girls were standing in the doorway watching.

[Child Listener]

The eldest girl said, mother, why don't you show him how to lie on a bed? And the middle girl said, yes, you seem very tired.

[Adam Gidwitz]

And because of the magic spells. The old lady did exactly what they asked. She lay down on the bed, she said to the boy, look how hard was. And instantly she fell asleep. And the youngest girl came and stood over her and said, rest in peace. And the old lady turned to stone. Yes, the moment she did, her spells were all broken. The girls were no longer under her power. And all the stone effigies in the cemetery turned back into people and began to yawn and stretch as if they'd taken the best naps of their lives. And the boy and his sisters threw their arms around each other and headed for home, where they lived happily ever after. The end.

[Child Listener]

When I grow up, I'm gonna live with my best friend Hazel. And a cat, a black cat, if I can find it, named Wendy.

[Adam Gidwitz]

That's a great plan. I love that.

[Child Listener]

Oh, and also, since black cat is unlucky, I might also call him Tornado. Cause tornadoes are unlucky tornadoes are unlucky. Patrick, let's go. The clue is floating away in a hot air balloon. I just need my detective's notebook. Hey, sorry, this is kind of a bad time. Claire and I just found a major clue and now it's airborne. Long story. Anyway, I wanted to let you know know that the parents behind Law and Order have something brand new for families. Our podcast, Patrick Picklebottom Everyday Mysteries. It's full of wild mysteries, surprising clues, quirky characters, and big adventures hiding in small places. Claire and I are solving a new mystery every episode, and we'd love your help. Seriously, we can't crack these cases without. Without you. Patrick, it's heading towards the water tower. Gotta go listen on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts. And bring snacks. Okay, I'm coming. Hey, slow down. Hey, grownups. Mindy here from wow. In the World. The number one podcast for curious kids and their grownups. That's you. And we are so excited to bring the wows of the world to your home with our brand new wow in the World St Stem toys from Wondery Kids and Thames and Cosmos. Channel your inner astronomer with our wow in the World telescope kit. Or zoom in on the tiny wows of nature with our wow in the World microscope and biology kit. You can even tinker like real scientists with our 100 experiments that wow kit. And with every wow in the World stem toy, you unlock access to exclusive audio content from me and my buddy, Guy Raz. There are so many ways to wow. So whether you're shopping for a kid who loves science or one who doesn't just yet, our wow in the World Stem Toys are the perfect gift for your curious kids. Grown ups. Visit tinkercast.comtoys to shop the WOW now.

[Adam Gidwitz]

Grim grimmer Grimmest is a Pinna original production created, written and narrated by me, Adam Gidwitz, author of A Tale Dark and Grim, produced and edited by Kaelin West Associate producer Rebecca Cunningham. Field recording by Julia Martin. Casting and voice direction by Rebecca Cunningham. Sound design and mixing by Kailyn West. Executive produced by Molly Barton and Carly Milori. Production support by Devin Shepherd. Characters voiced by Tria Leong, Rojin Rashidan, Rob Moreeda and Charlotte Wilson Langley. Special thanks to all the kids who joined us in Staten island and Brooklyn for our storytelling sessions. You guys are awesome.