Ziggy (2:39)

Get me from Disney and Pixar.

Abby (2:40)

Yes, it's really happening.

Ziggy (2:42)

He'll go where no one has gone before.

Abby (2:45)

Welcome to the Communiverse. This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen.

Kelly (2:50)

This is the bathroom.

Ziggy (2:52)

Disney and Pixar's Elio. Rated PG. Parental guidance. Suggested only in theaters June 20th.

Kelly (2:58)

Heya sleepyheads. I'm Kelly, the host of Koala Shine, the perfect daytime adventure show for long car journeys, school runs and lazy Sunday mornings. I'm popping up here on Koala Moon because I've heard you want more Koala Kid stories, and I'm here to deliver. Beep beep. Special delivery. Koala Shine is a tiny bit different from koalamoon and as it's designed for daytime listening. So after a great night's sleep with a story from Abby, you can have a big old stretch and tune into Koala Shine, joining your favorite characters on crazy adventures around the world with new episodes every Friday. We'll follow Hector and Sunny on a daytime safari, explore the big city with Munchie the raccoon, and visit the circus with Super Soul. You'll also hear cool facts, jokes and learn about the world we live in. Plus, there's a chance for your voices to be featured on the podcast too. Koala Shine offers mindful fun entertainment on the move designed to spark curiosity. Search KoalaShine now on your favorite podcast platform and be sure to hit follow so that finding your next adventure is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Hope to see you there, Koala Shine.

Elliot (4:14)

If you take a moment to think about it, there are thousands of questions that could be asked every single day. Where do rainbows come from? How do stars hang in the night sky? Is the moon really made of cheese? Some people keep these questions inside, wondering.

Luke (4:35)

About the answers for hours or days.

Elliot (4:38)

Or even years, until suddenly, there it is.

Luke (4:42)

The answer.

Elliot (4:44)

It may appear in the pages of.

Luke (4:45)

A book or in a lesson at.

Elliot (4:47)

School, or perhaps the answer just comes.

Abby (4:50)

Up in conversation and then it can.

Elliot (4:53)

All be filed away in the brain.

Luke (4:55)

One less mystery in the world.

Elliot (4:59)

But there are other people who like to ask questions because they want answers straight away. And nobody in the history of people has ever asked more question than little Ziggy. Leave Ziggy alone in a garden for five minutes and he will have a thousand new questions to ask about why daisies have yellow centres but white petals, or why clouds are sometimes soft and billowing and other times dark and heavy. Ziggy visited a beach once with his family and he spent the whole time asking them questions. Why weren't waves all the same sizes? Why were there shells on this part of the beach but not that part of the beach? Why did some of the Shells have extra holes in them. Why could he hear the sea if he held a shell up to his ear? Why was some seaweed so smooth and green and slippery, and other seaweed was brittle and hard and brown? How did crabs dig perfectly round holes to escape into? And why were seagulls so very, very loud? It was supposed to be a relaxing.

Abby (6:14)

Day at the seaside, but his whole.

Elliot (6:17)

Family was exhausted by the time they.

Luke (6:19)

Got in the car to come home.

Elliot (6:21)

Ziggy had asked more questions than ever. They knew the answers to some of them, but after a few hours they had run out of ideas. The family had once visited Scotland, a wild place with purple heather mountains reaching up to the sky. Ziggy watched from a train window as the world whisked by, asking questions about kilts and cows, lakes and valleys and why people from Scotland sounded different to.

Abby (6:55)

The people from England?

Elliot (6:57)

His mother could answer that one. Its just a different accent, dear, she told him, thinking that this was the end of the matter. They still speak the same language.

Abby (7:11)

Yes, said Ziggy. But why?

Luke (7:16)

Why do they have a different accent?

Elliot (7:20)

I think it's because people came from.

Luke (7:23)

From lots of different places to live.

Elliot (7:25)

In England and Scotland a very, very.

Luke (7:28)

Long time ago, and they brought different.

Elliot (7:31)

Accents with them, replied his mother, quite pleased with her answer that had made her remember history lessons from many years before. Ziggy was almost satisfied, but then he asked, why did they bring different accents? Why doesn't everyone just sound the same? And Ziggy's mother threw her hands in the air and surrendered. Ziggy's older brother turned the question round on him and asked Ziggy why he needed to know at all, and Ziggy.

Luke (8:07)

Stuck out his tongue and said, just.

Elliot (8:09)

Because, folding his arms crossly and staring glumly out of the window again. It was on a day when Ziggy was home from school with a bad cold that everything changed. The house was almost completely empty.

Abby (8:28)

There was the cat, George, who lay.

Elliot (8:31)

Asleep on a cushion in a shaft of sunlight. There was the dog, Toby, who, after a morning of chasing balls and sticks and leaping in and out of the river, was also taking a nap curled up at the end of Ziggy's older brother's bed. And there was Ziggy's mother, armed with a pile of papers that reached from her waist to her chin, and she was heading to her office.

Luke (9:00)

I'll be right here if you need me, she whispered to Ziggy as she.

Elliot (9:04)

Left him curled up on the sofa beneath a mountain of soft blankets. Just, you know Try not to need me for a while, she added, eyeing up the mountain of papers. Ziggy lay on the sofa and looked out through the window into the garden.

Luke (9:24)

The family lived in a cottage quite.

Elliot (9:27)

In the middle of nowhere, and almost the whole of the wall of the living room was made of glass. It meant that it almost felt as if the garden was really inside the house. Sometimes in the spring, Ziggy could watch the pink and white blossoms appear on the trees, and he often hoped there would be a soft breeze come through that would cover the ground in the pink petals and for a few days at least, change the colour of the lawn from green to pink. In the summer, Ziggy could watch the birds and butterflies as they fluttered between the different flowers. In the autumn, he watched as the green on the trees turned to yellows and oranges and reds, the dried up leaves forming little piles at the base of trees. This was Toby, the dog's favourite time of the year, when he would run through the piles and kick them up behind him, a glorious golden wake of leaves flying into the air as he ran. But now it was winter and Ziggy looked out onto a cold garden with no leaves on the trees and no flowers showing off their bright colours. It made him feel colder just to look at it, and he snuggled a little deeper into his blankets. He had only been there a few minutes, but already he had a thousand questions to ask. On a couple of occasions the questions were so important that he almost leapt up and marched over to his mother's office. But he remembered the huge pile of papers she'd carried in there and the tired look on her face. For the first time in his life, Ziggy managed to keep the questions to himself. He clenched his fists and pushed his fingers into his palms, closing his eyes tight and hoping that he could keep all the questions inside. When it became almost unbearable all of five minutes later, Ziggy knew he had to do something. He climbed out from under the blankets, pushing his feet into the soft slippers his mother had left next to the sofa and pulling on the heavy blue jumper that was extra snuggly. He went to his bedroom and rummaged around, looking for something to keep his mind off all the questions he wanted to ask. And finally he found the answer. With a smile. Ziggy returned to the sofa armed with a box of paints and a pad of paper. He didn't particularly like looking at the cold and wintry view outside the window, so instead he decided to paint what he would like to see. At first Ziggy painted the garden as it would look in the summer. He remembered the way the purple wisteria draped itself along the wall, hanging with heavy purple cascades. He knew just where to put the roses, their deep red petals the colour of love. And along the side of the old stables, he added hanging baskets that spilled over with purples and pinks and whites and yellows, all the colours pouring almost to the ground in their excitement to be seen. Ziggy was really quite happy with his painting. But then he wondered, just for a moment, what it would be like if he added in something that wasn't really.

Luke (13:23)

Meant to be there.

Elliot (13:25)

He thought about it for a while and then picked up a pot of brown paint. And carefully, with his tongue sticking out at the corner of his mouth for extra concentration, added a horse looking over the wall and admiring the scene. He quite liked it, but then wondered why the horse would look over in the first place, so had to paint in the answer to that, by adding a carrot into its mouth. The bright orange carrot looked just fine. But then Ziggy realised that the carrot had to come from somewhere too. So he added himself, standing in the garden and holding some more carrots. That wouldn't do either. So then he had to create a whole extra bed in the garden where carrots grew. And because it didn't make sense that the family only grew carrots, he added a whole load of other vegetables in there. By the time he was done adding raspberry canes and BlackBerry bushes, the picture had become, if he was being honest, more than a little chaotic. There was paint all over the place, spilling this way and that and running into other paint. And in some places the paper was so heavy with paint it almost had a hole in it. Ziggy decided to start again. Only this time he wouldn't just paint the garden. He tapped the paintbrush against his teeth and thought about what he would most like to see. His little sister always talked about the fairies that lived in the forest, so he decided to paint those for her. First he painted the tall trees with big round trunks and branches heavy with green. Next, he took some of the brightest colours in his box and added the fairy doors to the bottom of the trees. Because everyone knows that's where fairies live, after all. He took the smallest brush he had and carefully added door handles and door knockers and letterboxes. Then he shut his eyes tight and tried to imagine what a fairy looked like. But try as he might, all he could see when he closed his eyes was a family made of gingerbread Ziggy shrugged and reluctantly accepted that this is what was meant to be seen in the picture, and he added little gingerbread families around the scene. He put one family walking along with a tiny gingerbread baby in a push chair and wondered where they might be going. So then he had to add a play park to give them something to go and visit. He painted in a bright red slide and some bright yellow swings and a bright blue roundabout. Ziggy completed the picture by adding a school and a bakery and a greengrocer and a cafe with colourful tables and chairs outside, and leaned back to admire his work. The same thing had happened as with the first picture. He had put so much paint on the page that it had all started to get a little chaotic. Everything poured into everything else, and it was hard to tell what all the parts were supposed to be anymore. What was worse this time the paper was so wet with paint it had two holes in it, not just one. Ziggy sighed and went over to the kitchen, putting his paintings on the counter next to the sink. All the questions he wanted to ask were getting caught up in the paintings. He realised that if he just painted something to look nice, he wasn't that bad. But it was when he started trying to have it all make sense that it went a bit wrong, and he added far too much. Ziggy settled back down on the sofa, determined to paint something that was simple this time. He sucked the end of his paintbrush and thought about what he could do that was nice and easy. He thought about the sky at night and how little silver and gold stars hung themselves against a sheet of black, and how the moon was sometimes full and round and sometimes just the faintest sliver of a crescent. He thought of the time he and his brother had gone to the top of the nearby hill one night and lain on their back in the soft grass and looked at the stars for hours. This would surely be an easy thing to paint, he decided, and there were no questions to ask. So he pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and covered it in black paint. He went right to the edges of the paper and made sure he used the blackest of black paints he could find. Ziggy remembered the way the paint in his last two paintings had spilled into each other, and he decided not to make the same mistake for a third time. So he blew on the black paint and he shook the paper in the air and waved it back and forth, waiting for the paint to dry before he would add anything else. When he was quite sure the Black was completely dry. He picked up the special gold pen he'd been given last Christmas and added little stars. He then decided to add the moon and set about creating the finest slice of moon he could. Just a little bit of a crescent. And then the paintbrush slipped and he reluctantly accepted. It would have to be a half moon that he painted instead, and it was nearly perfect. Just added the final finishing touch when the brush slipped again and Ziggy realised he would need to paint a full moon after all, with all the stars and the moon hanging in their rightful places in the sky. Ziggy stepped back to look at his picture.

Luke (20:31)

He was a little annoyed that he.

Elliot (20:33)

Hadn'T managed to paint the perfect crescent moon. And looking at it now, he thought the moon looked more than a little empty. Perhaps he should add something to the big golden disc in the sky, he thought. What about a mouse? Mice like cheese, and the moon is, as everyone knows, made of cheese. The mouse became, of course, a whole family of mice. And then Ziggy needed to work out how the mice had got to the moon in the first place. So he added a rocket too. It seemed a shame for the rocket to only be going to the moon, so Ziggy carefully added some planets for them to go and visit as well. Before he knew it, the same thing had happened to this painting as the other two. There was absolute chaos on the page, with multiple rockets disappearing into all corners of the universe and planets swirling colourful hula hoops around their middles. The family of mice had expanded more than a little, and he had hedgehogs on one planet and badgers on another. He tried to paint camels on one, but the necks had gone wrong. So a little group of giraffes hung out on what was meant to be Jupiter. As Ziggy wondered whether he would ever be able to paint something decent, his mother emerged from the office. Ziggy looked up and saw that it was now quite dark outside, and somehow the entire day had disappeared in a whirl of paint brushes and wild ideas. His mother yawned and stretched, shaking the working day out of the ends of her fingers and the ends of her toes. She walked over to the kitchen and looked down at Ziggy's paintings, and he went over to join her, carrying the third picture of the night sky. Goodness, she said at last. You have been busy. Ziggy shuffled his feet.

Luke (22:54)

Theyre not that good, are they?

Elliot (22:57)

He said at last. Well, dear, they're certainly colourful, his mother said, smiling. Did you enjoy painting them? Ziggy nodded. His head, even though they weren't very good at all. He'd had a lovely time imagining everything. Are these giraffes? His mother asked, pointing to the long necked creatures on the purple planet.

Luke (23:27)

Ziggy nodded.

Elliot (23:29)

Why are there giraffes in space? She asked. Ziggy shrugged. Because the camels went wrong. The explanation made sense to him and his mother raised an eyebrow. Of course, dear. And why were there going to be camels on the planet? Because it's one of the planets, closer to the sun, and camels like hot places, ziggy explained as his mother tucked him into bed that night. She gave him an extra tight squeeze. As long as you like doing the paintings, you keep doing them, she said to him, telling him to forget the comments his father and brother and sister had made. Even the dog had barked when he'd seen the paintings, backing off with the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. The cat had hidden behind the sofa and refused to come out. Ziggy curled up in his bed and snuggled his way under the blankets. He fell asleep thinking of all the things he would paint the next day, dreaming of the purple heather mountains he'd seen in Scotland and the waves pulling themselves back and forth across the sand and wondered how he could show the sounds of the shingle in his picture. He wondered how he could share the.

Luke (25:06)

Soft whoosh of an owl's wings as.

Elliot (25:09)

They swept through the night sky, or the feel of a summer breeze brushing across his face, or the scent of cherry blossom floating in the air. And over the years Ziggy painted and painted and painted. Almost every day he painted something, practising and perfecting each and every scene that poured from his imagination. And I wish I could say that this little boy grew up to be one of those famous artists with pictures in galleries and people queuing up to buy his masterpieces and hang them on their walls. But even after years of painting, Ziggy still asked too many questions. In his pictures he still let the paint spill from one scene into another, the washes easing across the pages. He never did learn that it didn't matter if the gingerbread family had nowhere to go, or how a mouse made it onto the moon, or why a horse would look over a wall, and it didn't matter, because every night Ziggy would climb into his bed and be asleep in moments, because he had found something that made him happy and that, it turns out, is the most precious thing in the world. Every night his head would touch the pillow, and after he tucked the blanket under his chin.

Luke (26:54)

He breathed in and he breathed out.

Elliot (26:59)

And he was once more buried deep in his dreams.

Abby (27:20)

This is Go to Sleep, Little Foxes By Elisha Ainslie.

Bea (27:31)

It was a cool night in Sleepy Forest. The sun had already set and the moon was beaming brightly in the sky. The trees rustled with the motion of the wind as it passed through, and faintly in the distance, you could hear the cooing of an owl. All of the woodland creatures were starting to wind down for the evening. The rabbits were burrowing down into their warm beds in the tunnels, and the birds were nestling up tight into their luxurious nests. The bears were cuddled up in their cosy caves, and the bees had fallen silent as they slept in their hives. The parents told pleasant stories to their children, to whisk them off to sweet dreams or sang them darling lullabies to ease them into their slumber. Some of the parents rocked their young to sleep, while others simply slept next to their babies. Meanwhile, one mother despaired over her children's inability to drift off. Her Mother Fox sighed with exasperation as she watched watched her two young cubs tumble around and frolic in the grass together. She'd been trying to coax them into their warm den for over an hour, but the defiant little foxes refused to listen. Go to sleep, little foxes, she implored her two sons. But the rambunctious pair wouldn't listen.

Luke (29:22)

We have too much energy, one of.

Bea (29:25)

Them declared as he leapt on top of his brother and playfully wrestled him to the ground. Oh dear, oh dear. Mother Fox tutted, shaking her head from side to side. She was tired of trying to force her mischievous sons to go to sleep. She had too much to do. At night. The adult foxes would venture outside of their dens in search of food for the next day. If she didn't go out tonight, then they would all be very hungry the next day, and she would have to wait for nightfall yet again to go out. It was becoming increasingly difficult for her to do her job, but without keeping watch over her sons. Foxes are animals of the night, you see. They are nocturnal creatures, so they are accustomed to roaming around the forest when the sun sets and night comes. Foxes don't have the best eyesight, so they communicate with each other by sound and scent. That is why they are so perfectly built for living in the dark and enjoying the nighttime. They can find their way in the dark using simply their ears and their noses. When her sons were young, Mother Fox had no problem with getting them to sleep at night while she went out foraging when they were babies, they needed as much sleep as possible, and they only woke up to eat and drink before drifting back off to sleep. But now that they were getting bigger, they were acquiring more energy and were wanting to stay up later and later. Each night she was finding it more and more of a struggle to get them to go to sleep than ever. The two little fox brothers were called Arlo and Louis. Arlo and Louie. Both had bright red fur with white chins and chests and black paws upon their feet. They had black button noses on the ends of their pointed snouts, and they had big triangular ears on the top of their tiny heads. Their red fur was so soft and fluffy that other animals in the forest often referred to them as little fluffy red clouds. Although now that they were getting older, their mother referred to them as little fluffy red storm clouds. They were becoming tougher to handle. Each day, Arlo and Louis continued to play with each other around the forest clearing. Ignoring their mother, they jumped over logs and bounced off the sides of tree trunks. They ran through flower beds and pushed their way through bushes in their quest to chase one another. Their energy seemed to be endless, and Mother Fox didn't know what to do. Eventually, Mother Fox sighed and said to her disobedient sons, fine, you win. If you won't go to sleep, then so be it. I am going to go out and find us some food for tomorrow. If you two want to continue playing, then you can do so. But just make sure that you are back in the den by sunrise. Arlo and Louie jumped with glee. This was the first time that their mother was allowing them to stay up late to play, and they couldn't wait. They watched their mother trot off into the forest, leaving them behind to do as they pleased. This is so exciting, expressed Arlo to his brother. What shall we do with our first night of freedom? Louis tilted his head and thought. He wiggled his button nose and twitched his whiskers, then suggested, well, we haven't been outside of our den before, so we need to explore the forest. Good idea, Arlo replied, before adding, I wonder what other animals we'll meet in the forest. There must be so many other creatures we can play with. The roguish foxes looked at each other with a sparkle in their eyes and grinned. They ran away from the grassy clearing outside their den and sped through the trees out into the night. They were in high spirits and enthusiastically ran further away from home and out into the forest. After about 10 minutes of mindless running, the little foxes came to a halt. They glanced around in confusion. Everywhere looked the same to them. In each direction they turned. All they could see were trees. Trees for miles. Ambushes. They lifted their heads up to the sky and all they could see were the branches and the leaves and the twinkling stars in the night sky, accompanied by the half moon. I haven't seen anyone around. Arlo pouted disappointedly. Louis harrumphed and sat his bottom down on the ground. Me neither. He sighed. Where is everybody? All of a sudden they heard a shushing sound.

Luke (36:14)

Shh.

Bea (36:15)

Came the voice. They looked around for where it had come from, but they couldn't see anything. Did you hear that? Louis whispered. Hello? Is anyone there? Arlo called out into the forest.

Luke (36:35)

Shh.

Bea (36:37)

Came the sound again, but even louder this time. The brothers looked around, confused. They couldn't see anyone, but they couldn't have been imagining it. They tried calling out again to see if anyone responded, and they were delighted when they finally got a response. Please, will you be quiet. A hushed voice came from above. They lifted their heads back up to the sky and saw a pair of tiny eyes looking down at them from one of the tree branches. It was a bird. Harlow and Louie were very pleased to see the bird, but the feeling didn't appear to be mutual. The bird seemed a tad annoyed. My children are trying to sleep and you two are being very loud, the bird continued. Shouldn't you be in your own beds by now? Louis puffed out his fluffy chest proudly and responded. We are too grown up for bedtime. Our mother said. We are allowed to stay up all night. The bird furrowed its brow and shuffled its feathers. Well, that might be so for you nocturnal foxes, but for the rest of us, we sleep at night, the bird retorted. Please go to sleep, little foxes, and keep the noise down. On its final word, the bird hopped off along the tree branch and back towards its nest. Arlo and Louie shrugged their shoulders nonchalantly. They would just find somewhere else to go play if the bird didn't want them around. With a swish of their bushy tails, they raced off again through the trees. The deeper into the forest they got, the more interesting the wilderness became. There were larger, brighter flowers dimmed in the darkness, and they came across a stream trickling through. They stopped to grab a drink of fresh water before wandering further up the bank. Hey, Arlo, watch this. Louis giggled. As Arlo turned around to face Louis, he felt a splash of water land across his face. His fur was soaking wet, and when he opened his bewildered eyes again, he saw that his impish brother was stood in the shallow part of the stream. He had splashed him. Arlo sprang forward and and used his paw to splash water in his brother's direction. The wave of water washed over Louis and they both laughed elatedly. The playful duo splashed each other to and fro, soaking their fluffy hair through. This was an enthralling new activity that they hadn't discovered before. Playing in the stream was even more fun than playing in the grass. Just as they were both covered from head to toe in water, they heard a bark. They glanced over to the other side of the stream and saw a funny looking creature that they hadn't seen before. A rotund rodent with short, spiky brown hair stood on the other side of the stream with its hands on its hips. It had two long buck teeth peeping out from its mouth and had a large flat tail behind it that tapped and padded impatiently against the muddy bank. Excuse me. The odd creature hissed across the water. What do you think you are doing? You are making an awful racket and it's disturbing my children. Harlow and Louie looked sheepish and apologised. They didn't realise that anyone else was around. They were too caught up in their entertaining game to notice. What are you? Arlo queried innocently, not realising how blunt his question was. The beaver folded its arms and fumed. I, young fox, am a beaver. Hasn't your mother ever introduced you to one before? Arlo shook his head bewilderedly and explained, no, no she hasn't. This is our first night away from our den. The beaver raised its eyebrows and calmed down upon hearing this. In that case, I can understand why you might be confused. The beaver tutted. But let me teach you something, little foxes. The beaver informed Arlo and Louie that whilst they were animals of the night, most other creatures are not. When the sun sets, most animals go to sleep so that they can rest and wake up rejuvenated and ready for the next day when the sun rose. If they didn't get their much needed sleep, then they would become cranky and impatient all day, beavers included. So, the beaver concluded, I suggest you go to sleep, little foxes, or move on and find somewhere else to play your childish games. Then the beaver span around and gave its tail one last hard thump against the ground before returning to its lodge and its family. We'd better go find somewhere else to play, louis remarked. I don't fancy being scolded by a beaver again. Still dripping wet, the brothers climbed out of the stream and shook their bodies from side to side to dry off Then they galloped off further upstream. They were learning a lot about the forest and what it contained. On just their first night of freedom, they had met two new animals and learnt a bit about the way things were in the wilderness. They had discovered the joys of playing in water and now they were purposefully looking for new ways to have fun in the forest. Eventually, they came across the entrance to a large cave. They couldn't see anything inside. It was pitch black. Hello. Arlo called out into the dark cave. He waited to see if anyone responded, but he heard nothing. I don't think anyone is in there. He reported, turning back to his brother. Louis stepped further into the cave and called out hello. As he did so, the sound of his voice reverberated around the cave walls creating an echo. Hello. Hello. Hello. The sound of his voice repeated, fading out with each repetition. Arlo and Louie's eyes grew wide with wonder.

Elliot (45:51)

Wow.

Bea (45:53)

They both chimed and then heard their voices echo again.

Abby (45:59)

Wow. Wow.

Luke (46:02)

Wow.

Bea (46:05)

They turned to each other and cracked up. They fell about laughing so hard that they held their stomachs. Their euphoric laughter echoed around the cave. This is amazing. Louis rejoiced, chuckling as the word amazing continued to bounce off the stone walls. Shall we go further inside? Arlo nodded his head eagerly and they started to tiptoe further into the cave but were stopped by a squeaky voice. I wouldn't recommend going in there if I were you. The meek voice recommended. A family of bears lived there and I don't think they will be too impressed by your noisy shenanigans. Arlo and Louis paused. They knew what bears were and they knew that they didn't want to get on the wrong side of a mother bear. They turned around swiftly and scampered back out of the the cave. Once safely outside, they stopped by a tree to catch their breath. They noticed a blur of movement come from the mouth of the cave and fly through the air. They heard the fluttering of wings and looked up. Above them, hanging from a branch upside down, was another unusual creature. They had never seen anything like it before. The topsy turvy creature spoke to them in the same small voice they had heard in the cave.

Kelly (48:11)

Phew.

Bea (48:13)

I'm glad we're out of there. I wouldn't want to be around when mother bear comes looking for who woke up her sleeping cubs. The creature chuckled. Arlo and Louie looked back at the cave and instinctively ran further away as far as they could until they could no longer see it. The cap sized creature followed them and perched on another branch overhead. Nobody else understands what it's like to be nocturnal. The small black creature sighed. What are you? Arlo asked curiously. Why, I'm a bat, of course, it replied proudly, expanding its wings to the sides while still hanging head over heels from the tree. Arlo explained that they had never seen a bat before or even heard of one. The bat was very kind and didn't judge them for their lack of knowledge. Instead, the bat was delighted to be able to teach them a thing or two. The bat added, it's hard finding anyone to play with when you're nocturnal. Everyone else wants to sleep at night and we have to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake them up. But all I really want to do is fly and play to my heart's content. Arlo and Louie smiled and offered kindly, why don't you play with us? The bat looked ecstatic and let go of the tree branch to hover in the air. I would love to do that, the bat replied. The three fun loving animals spent the next hour playing around the forest. They tried to be as quiet as possible to not disturb anyone else, and they chased one another round and round in circles. The bat flew through the air, soaring high and diving low whilst the two little foxes dove under and bolted over objects on the ground. They had a rollicking good time all together. After a while, Arlo and Bluey found themselves starting to get slower and slower. They had less energy and were finding it harder to keep up with the bat that flew so easily through the air. Their little legs were starting to ache and their eyes were beginning to droop. Louis let out a little yawn and Arlo followed suit. The bat flew lower to the ground and back to them. Why aren't you keeping up? The bat inquired inquisitively. Louis yawned yet again. I'm tired, he answered. Me too, piped up Arlo. The bat looked over the two young foxes and smiled. They looked absolutely worn out from all the fun they had been having. Go to sleep, little foxes, the bat comforted them in a hushed voice. I'll lead your way home. Arlo and Louie sleepily followed the bat through the trees and back to their den. They walked sluggishly slow and fought to stay awake to make it back to their mother. Upon sight of their den, Arlo and Louis picked up speed and trotted over to the entrance to their den where their mother was waiting patiently. Did you have a good night? She questioned, but Arlo and Louie could hardly get a word out. They were so tired. Without saying a thing they climbed down into the den and curled up in their warm bed. Mother Fox watched them and giggled fondly. They certainly looked like they had enjoyed their night, and she had a feeling she wouldn't have to force them to go to sleep now. She was sure that within seconds they would be gently snoozing and snoring away in their comfy bed. Mother Fox turned back to the bat and thanked it for guiding her sons home and keeping watch over them. It was my pleasure, the bat assured her. They will sleep well now. Mother Fox laughed. Oh, of that I'm very sure, she agreed. The bat flew off back out into the night sky, and Mother Fox crawled into the den. As she expected, Arlo and Louie were snuggled up close to each other, fast asleep. She watched their bellies rise and fall with their breath and heard their sweet sighs of contentment. Nuzzling up close, she wrapped herself around her beloved sons protectively and closed her eyes. There were some battles she was willing to fight with her children, but not tonight. Tonight they had learned their lesson all on their own and had a lovely experience along the way. As Mother Fox began to drift off to her own relaxing land of sleep, she looked forward to the night when she could go exploring with her little foxes. The future, too.

Abby (55:57)

This is the Concentration Crustacean Meditation by.

Luke (56:02)

Luke Prendergast Good evening, everyone. It's been a long day, but now we're in bed and ready to enjoy a long and rejuvenating sleep, so our bodies have plenty of energy to fuel us through tomorrow. That's what sleep is so important for. So settle down now and close your eyes if you want to.

Abby (56:32)

Tug the covers up around you so.

Luke (56:34)

You'Re nice and warm. Or fluff up your pillow to make sure you're super comfy. Now give your arms and legs a big stretch, and your toes and fingers too. Stretch and release. Feel all your muscles sigh with relief as the day's tension floats away. You can try that again if you like.

Elliot (57:02)

Stretch.

Abby (57:04)

And Release.

Luke (57:09)

Today's meditation is all about the the art of concentration, which lots of people find difficult to do sometimes. So we're all going to start by thinking of something that's given us a.

Abby (57:23)

Lot of happiness today.

Luke (57:25)

Maybe it's something you did at school, something you saw, or some time you spent with a friend or a member of your family. Hold that thought gently in your mind as though you were giving it a soft hug. Don't grip it too tightly. Just hold it there in a tender embrace. Well done. Let the happiness of that memory linger inside You Cozy as a mug of hot chocolate. Now let's practice our deep breaths together. Take a breath. Big deep breath in. And then slowly let it out again. A big breath in. And slowly let it out. Breathe in and out.

Bea (58:24)

Once more.

Luke (58:25)

Breathe in and out. Very good. It's time to meet up with one.

Abby (58:33)

Of our old pals, Zen, the pufferfish.

Luke (58:37)

Who lives in the deep blue sea. There he is, swimming back and forth beneath the waves.

Abby (58:45)

Let's wave. Hello, Zen.

Luke (58:49)

Today, Zen is drifting blissfully through the ocean. His heart feels light and carefree. His tail flaps one way and then the other. From above, beams of sunlight break through the surface, making the water currents glitter and sparkle. Zen passes a school of rainbow fish whose iridescent scales shimmer red, green and orange, yellow, indigo and blue. Hello, Zen.

Abby (59:30)

They all call to the pufferfish as.

Luke (59:32)

They drift past him. Hello, Zen calls back. Below him, Zen can see tufts of dark green seaweed swaying this way and that way, as though rippled by a gentle underwater breeze. From out of the curtain of seaweed emerges an anglerfish with a light on top of his head that lets him see in the dark. The anglerfish points his head in one direction, then another, shining his light across the ocean floor.

Elliot (60:12)

Good day.

Luke (60:14)

Zen calls down, and the anglerfish passes his torchlight through the water in a merry greeting. Soon Zen passes a seal basking in the dappled sunlight at the water's surface. Every now and then, the seal twists over so that the sun can warm first her tummy, then back.

Abby (60:41)

Hello.

Luke (60:42)

The seal waves to Zen with one of her paws. Beautiful day, isn't it? Zen couldn't agree with the seal more. It is a beautiful day, the sea and all the creatures in it seeming calm and at one with the world. Zen swims on through the sunny water until he comes to a large rock. Beneath this rock is a glittering lichen covered grotto, which is the home of one of Zen's friends, a squid named Sid. As Zen passes, he wonders whether Cid is at home, when all of a sudden, Sid himself shoots out of the the hole in the rock that is his front door. For a few seconds, Sid hovers in the water outside his home, seeming to be thinking hard about something.

Abby (61:46)

Then there's a sudden puff of black.

Luke (61:49)

Squid ink clouding the water and he shoots back into his home. How perplexing, Zen, the puffer fish, says to himself. What in all the ocean could Sid be up to? A few moments later, it happens again. Sid erupts from the hole in his rock home, A Cloud of squid ink mushrooming behind him. He hovers for a moment or two inside his home, then just as quickly darts inside again. Hmm, Zen says to himself now.

Abby (62:29)

Hmm.

Luke (62:32)

All the sea creatures do seem to be very calm today. Except that is for Sid the squid. He doesn't seem calm at all. And deciding to go and ask Sid if everything is ok, Zen gives three swishes of his tail and swims up to Sid's door. This time, when he shoots out of his house in a puff of ink, Sid spots Zen. Oh, hello, Zen, he says.

Elliot (63:03)

How are you?

Luke (63:05)

But before Zen can answer, Sid looks distracted and then zooms back inside his home. Zen has to wait until he's popped outside again to say that what seems more important is how Sid is, because he seems to be zipping around and about a lot. Oh, says Sid the squid, you're right. The thing is, I'm trying to do a bit of a clean out of my grotto, but I seem to be suffering from terrible concentration. I keep getting distracted and forgetting what it is I'm doing, which is why I keep coming out here and then.

Elliot (63:46)

Having to go back in.

Luke (63:48)

Sid gives Zen a meaningful look and says, I can't help it.

Elliot (63:52)

I. I just go.

Luke (63:53)

Pew, pew, pew. And as though to prove the point, Sid disappears into his house in a cloud of ink. Zen has to agree. Sid is going. Pew, pew, pew, pew. By the time that Cid returns, though, Zen has had an idea. If Sid needs help with his concentration, Zen tells him he has to meet Lamorna the lobster. Lamorna the lobster, repeats Sid the squid.

Abby (64:30)

Who's that?

Luke (64:32)

Lemorna, Zen explains, is one of the calmest and wisest creatures in all of the seven seas. She's spent all her life honing the art of focus. Lamorne is famous, Zen says. She's the queen crustacean. For concentration, she'll be able to give you a helping hand or claw. While Zen is talking, a smile gradually spreads itself over Sid the squid's face. And so Zen and Sid set off in the direction of the watery corner where Zen knows Lomorna the lobster lives. For the most part, they glide smoothly through the water together. But from time to time, Zen has to do his best not to be shocked when Sid shoots off in a.

Elliot (65:34)

Dark billow of squid ink. Soon they reach a large flat rock.

Luke (65:41)

Rising out of the seabed that forms a circular platform. On this stage, three creatures are seated in a ring. A lobster, a starfish, and a young sea turtle. That's Lamorna. Zen whispers to Sid, pointing At the lobster, he whispers, because Lamorna is clearly concentrating deeply in a meditation. She sits with her back legs folded beneath her. Her bright red pinch sensors press lightly together on her knees. She is very old indeed and clearly very wise. She has long silvery whiskers, as lobsters often do, and many coloured ribbons tied all over her body ripple in the water around her. Zen and Sid watch patiently whilst Lomorna and her friends finish their meditation. Soon Lamorna opens her eyes and smiles. The meditation is over. Zen and Sid swim down to introduce themselves. Welcome. Lamorna greets them in a voice that that is simultaneously sweet as sugar and deep as the rumblings of the ocean itself. How can I help you, Sid? The squid begins to explain his predicament. But halfway through he gets distracted and zips off. Eventually, with Zen's aid, he is able to explain that he's come to see if Lamorna can help him with his concentration. Ah. Sighs Lemorna, clicking her claws together. If you're having trouble concentrating, you've come to the perfect place. This is my crustacean concentration station. A special school inviting all manner of ocean dwellers to come and learn the arts of deep focus. You know, Lemorna adds, looking at Sid kindly, lots of folk find it difficult to concentrate. There are so many distractions in the sea. Do they? Sid replies with a fresh feeling of hope. He thought it might only be he who struggled to concentrate. Oh yes, the mourner says. She sweeps her claw around in a graceful arc. All of my students here find it difficult to concentrate sometimes. But with a little practice it becomes easier and easier. Come with me and meet the other students and that way you can hear their spirit stories. Lamorna leads Sid and Zen over to the starfish, who's lying on her back on the rock, staring up at the shifting blue surface far above. Her bumpy skin has the quality of velvet. Sometimes it looks orange, other times it a deep and golden yellow. She raises one of her five star arms to greet them. When the mourner explains that Zen and Cid are to be the newest students at the concentration station, the starfish seems to blush with joy. Oh, that's wonderful news, she says. The morning school truly is the best place for learning how to set your mind at rest.

Abby (70:19)

Would you like to hear my story?

Luke (70:22)

Zen and Cid tell her that they would be delighted to hear her story. The starfish takes a deep gulp of water and tells them them that one of the most important things about being a starfish is being able to use your suckers. To hold yourself fast to the rocks on the seabed. That's where starfish live, and they need to be there to catch passing bits of food and say hello to all their friends.

Abby (70:57)

But it takes quite a bit of.

Luke (70:58)

Concentration to grip on all the time. But she, the starfish went on, wasn't very good at it. Whenever she lay on the rock, she would get distracted by all the strange glittering things stuck up on the sky, way above the surface of the sea. And then, without realising it, she would just drift off, away from the rock, up through the water. My mum used to say I had my head in the clouds, the starfish says with another blush. But by learning from Lemorna, I've got much better at focusing. And now I don't drift off most of the time. Sid thanks the starfish for telling her tale. It has given him a lot of hope, he says. Now the young sea turtle crawls over to meet them. His shell, which is as green as an emerald, is decorated with seaweed. Would you like to hear my story? He asked asks, a little bashfully. Zen and Sid tell him they'd love.

Bea (72:24)

To hear his story.

Luke (72:27)

The sea turtle tells them that he attends a local ocean school where he learns all kinds of marvellous things, like counting sea shards and grains of sand and how to spell words like crustacean and tortoise. But the problem is, even though he loves his classes at the ocean school and really wants to learn, sometimes the sea turtle has a problem with his concentration. He can't help it. Sometimes he finds his mind, wanders off, and soon enough he's imagining what it would be like to be a flying fish and take a trip to the moon. I'm a daydreamer, the sea turtle says with a nod. And even though daydreaming is a wonderful.

Abby (73:26)

Activity because it's fun to imagine magical.

Luke (73:29)

Things and invent incredible stories, there is a time and a place for everything. And the daydreaming gets in the way of my learning. But Lemorna the lobster has helped me tremendously, and now I can concentrate all.

Abby (73:47)

The way through class.

Luke (73:51)

Zen and Sid thank the sea turtle for telling his story. Sid feels very moved. That's just the kind of help I need too. The water around them is warm. All day. It has been gently heated by the sun, and now small flumes of bubbles.

Bea (74:15)

Float through it and up to the.

Luke (74:17)

Surface to quietly pop. A shoal of pale silver fish glide past slowly, carried on a warm motion current. Well, says Lamorna, the lobster, clicking her claws kindly, as I say You've come to the right place. Why don't you join us for our sunset meditation now? The light is just beginning to fade, and now is the perfect time to free your mind from all distractions and achieve a top crustacean level of concentration. And so all of them gather on the stony platform, sitting in a wide circle. Zen and Sid, Lamorna, the lobster and their new friends, the starfish, and a little sea turtle too. Lemorna tells them to close their eyes and listen to her voice as she guides them through the meditation. Let's join them in solidarity. Let the listen to Lamorna's voice too. Close your eyes, says Lamorna, and let all of the thoughts of the day simply drift away like specks of glitter on the wind. Let your mind relax and loosen in your body. Imagine that your brain is a room full of stuff. Now open the door and let all that stuff tumble away. Good. Now let's begin to practice concentration. Think of something wonderful that happened to you today. Whatever it might be, hold it gently in your mind. This is the most important part of concentration. Don't try to grip things too tightly with your mind, as though you're trying to crush it. Hold it gently and delicately. Sid does as Lamorna, the wise old lobster, says. He pictures the moment earlier that day when he found Zen at his door, offering to help him with his concentration. That was a wonderful moment, for sure. Cede holds it in his mind gently, and after a few seconds he finds himself drifting off, distracted. If you get distracted, says Lemorna, as though reading inside his mind, don't worry. Just take a pause and bring yourself back to concentrating on what you were thinking about before.

Abby (77:57)

Don't get upset with yourself.

Luke (78:00)

Be very gentle with your mind. Sid does as Lamorna advises and brings his mind back to his happy memory. It is as though his memory is a small boat bobbing up and down on the water. And when it begins to drift away from him, all he has to do is pause, pull on a rope, and.

Elliot (78:28)

Draw the boat softly back towards him.

Luke (78:33)

Sid finds that after a few times of losing his concentration and finding it again, it becomes easier. The memory stays in his mind a little longer than it did before. Now, the mourner says, I want you to imagine that your mind is a traveling ball of light that can move.

Bea (79:01)

Anywhere through your body.

Luke (79:05)

You can send it down to the tips of your fingers or to the very ends of your toes. Try it now. Put your mind in your toes. Let it rest gently on the sensations it feels there. The Heat and cold, the feelings of touch. Sid does as she says. He lets his mind wander down the length of of his body, down his limbs, to the very tip of a tentacle, and he holds it there. It is a funny feeling. It is as though his brain is in his tentacle, hovering there, concentrated there. When he gets distracted, the mourner very gently reminds him to pause, take a breath, and then try again, sending his mind down the length of his body. And once again, after a few times of losing his concentration and gently getting it back again, he finds it easier each time easier and easier. At last, Lamorna tells them all to open their eyes. They sit there blinking for a few moments at the bottom of the sea, Lamorna congratulates Zen and Sid on completing their first Crustacean meditation class. What did you learn? She asks. Sid thinks for a moment or two and then tells her that what he's learned is that concentration is not a button you can switch on and off. Instead, it is something that you have to practice gently, and that with each bit of practice, it gets easier and easier. Exactly, says Lamorna, the lobster, smiling at him proudly. Each time it gets a little easier. But it's never perfect. Not for me, not for you, not for anyone. And that's okay, because we don't need to be perfect. We are just a bunch of wonderful creatures in the sea. Lamorna's words fill Sid with a deep sense of gratitude, and he gives her a big hug. Thank you, he says. And with that, Zen and Sid swim away from the crustacean meditation station. Sid yawns, and when Sid yawns, it makes Xen yawn too. They agree that they're both very tired. Up above the gleaming surface of the water, the sun is setting, and all that concentrating has really taken it out of them. It is time for bed. As they swim back to sleep, Sid's home. The little squid feels calm. His zippy distraction seems to have calmed down. He also feels grateful. He remembers how Zen arrived at his house and offered to help him. He remembers the starfish and the young turtle sharing their heartwarming stories. And he remembers Lamorna teaching him about concentration and how it's something you practice over a long period of time. So as he says good night to Zen and goes into his home and tucks himself into his little squid bed, Sid feels terribly grateful. And as he closes his eyes and falls asleep, he whispers a final thank you to all of his friends.

Abby (84:29)

This Isla and the Birthday Party by Alisha Ainslie. Since Isla started at her new school. She had enjoyed lots of new experiences. She had made new friends and learnt new skills. She loved her kind teacher, Ms. Fudge, and she'd started a few after school clubs that she enjoyed going to. It seemed that every week there were new things for Isla to enjoy. One day at the end of school, Isla and her classmates were sitting at their desks with their bags and coats, waiting for the bell to ring to signal it was time to go home. Ms. Fudge had announced earlier that they had a special surprise to receive before the end of today and the class waited patiently to find out what it was. Eventually, a girl in Isla's class called Bea stood up in front of the class holding a pile of little cards. Ms. Fudge explained that Bea had some birthday party invitations to hand out to everyone. The whole class immediately started to chatter excitedly. Everybody loved a good birthday party. When the invitation landed in Isla's hand, she could barely contain her smile. This was Isla's first invitation to a birthday party at her new school. It felt very special. She admired the colourful patterns and read the details on the card. Bea's birthday party was going to be held at the village hall on a Saturday at 11 o' clock. Isla couldn't wait to get home and show her parents.

Elliot (86:16)

After school.

Abby (86:17)

Isla's mother was just as pleased as her daughter about the invitation. Isla's mummy read the details and said, this is very exciting, Isla. We will have to go and buy a present for Bea and as a special treat, you can pick out something at the shop to wear. Isla jumped up and down with excitement. She adored shopping for gifts for people. That weekend, Isla and her mum took her baby brother Freddy to the toy store and they browsed the shelves to find the perfect present for Bea. Isla selected an outdoor game that Bea could play in her garden. She knew that Bea was very sporty, so she thought she would like it. Then they visited the supermarket and Isla picked out a dress from the clothes section. It was lilac with tiny embroidered flowers on it. Isla's mum also bought her a purple ribbon to wear in her hair. By the end of the day, they had everything Isla needed for the party. Now all that was left to do was count down the days. The day of Bea's birthday party arrived and Isla hopped out of bed, ready and raring to go. She dressed in her new dress and her mum helped her plait her hair and tied the ribbon on the end. Then together, they wrapped up Bea's present in shiny silver wrapping paper and Isla signed her name in the birthday card. Isla had been practicing her handwriting and she thought it looked particularly neat if she did say so herself. Isla's mum drove her to the village hall and parked outside the front gate. Yellow and silver balloons were tied to the gate posts and a big birthday banner was pinned to the top of the entrance door with the words Happy Birthday Bea printed across. Isla could hear music playing from inside the village hall and she eagerly jumped out of the car and ran to the door. As Isla stepped inside the hall, the music became louder and she looked around to take in the scene. Bea's birthday party was full of activities. There was a small, white bouncy castle in one corner of the room upon which several of her classmates were giddily bouncing around. On the opposite side of the room was a crafts table where children received glitter tattoos from a grown up and could have their face painted if they wanted. Isla could see her school friend Finley sitting, having his face painted like a tiger. There was a long table set up along the wall near the kitchen which would no doubt soon host a buffet for lunch. And in the middle of the room was the main event, a disco. An energetic, funny grown up was leading a dance routine with children on the dance floor to a song that Isla had heard several times on the radio. Bea's birthday party was in full swing and there was so much to do. So much to do, in fact, that Isla had no idea where to begin. Isla's mum appeared behind her and placed her hand on her shoulder. Wow, this looks amazing, Isla, she said. Why don't you go say hello to Bea and give her her present? Isla gazed around the room to look for Bea. She eventually spotted her bouncing on the inflated castle with pink butterfly wings painted on her face. She was hardly recognisable with her elaborate face paint on. Isla walked over to Bea, carrying the gift carefully and stopped at the foot of the bouncy castle. Happy birthday, Bea, Ida called out meekly. This is for you. She held out the finely wrapped gift and Bea hopped down from the bouncy castle.

Elliot (90:39)

Hi Isla.

Abby (90:40)

Bea shouted over the music. Thank you for my present. I'll put it on the gift table over there so that I can open them all. After the party, Bea swept the present away and Isla was left alone in the village hall. Her classmates on the bouncy castle called her over and asked her to join them, but Isla refused. It looked like they were having a lot of fun, but they also looked like they were bouncing rather wildly and Isla didn't like to bounce too high. Isla walked around the village hall, unsure of what to do. There was so much going on that she felt a little overwhelmed by how busy it was. With too many options to choose from, Ayla retreated into a quiet corner of the village hall to think. She sat down on her own and covered her ears to block out the loud music. She couldn't think straight with the disco blasting in her ears. After a few moments, Isla was joined in the corner of the hall by a boy in her class called Elliot. Elliot had blonde hair, brighter than the sun, and piercing blue eyes behind purple glasses. He was wearing a checkered shirt and denim shorts for the party with a black bow tie under his collar. Elliot held a pair of bulky blue headphones out to Isla and asked, do you want to wear my ear defenders, Isla? I'll wear them when things feel too loud. They might help you. Isla smiled gratefully, took the ear defenders and placed them on her head. Incredibly, as soon as the comfy thick ear pads covered her ears, the noisiness of the village hall faded away and Isla felt like she was swimming underwater. Everything sounded muffled, her heart rate slowed and she could finally hear her own thoughts. Ayla looked around at the party again and felt much better. She could no longer hear the noisy pump of the bouncy castle or the blasting disco beats. Now she was able to focus on the happy faces dancing and playing around the room. She admired the fancy paintwork her classmates had on their faces and noticed how their arms shimmered with glittery stick on tattoos. The buffet table was starting to fill up with lots of delicious food and Isla's mouth watered as she imagined eating it all. All of a sudden, Isla felt peaceful. I was a bit overwhelmed then, she said to Elliot. Now I feel a bit better. Elliot agreed and replied, the ear defenders are very helpful sometimes. That's why I take them almost everywhere with me. I used to struggle in loud places like birthday parties, the cinema and supermarkets, so I would wear them a lot. But now I don't need them as much. I know other ways to make places seem a little less intimidating. Like what? Isla asked Curiously, Elliot perked up at the idea of teaching Isla one of his relaxation methods and he turned to sit opposite her. He instructed her to place her hand on her heart and close her eyes. Ida listened to Elliot's muffled instructions through the ear defenders. He told her to push out all other sounds from her head and listen to her heartbeat. Isla listened closely and she eventually felt it beating softly against her palm. She could ever so slightly hear her pulse in in her ears she listened to her heartbeat. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5678. Elliot then told Ayla to breathe in deeply through her nose and breathe out slowly for as long as she could. As she breathed out, Isla felt like she was pushing all of her thoughts out of her brain. She did it again. She took a deep breath in and then pushed all the air out. She noticed how after a few breaths, her heartbeat seemed to slow. 1.

Luke (95:53)

2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Abby (95:59)

Her heart thudded steadily.

Bea (96:03)

Isla smiled.

Abby (96:05)

She felt so much calmer and better. She opened her eyes and took off the ear defenders. She didn't need them anymore. Thank you Elliot. That really helps, she admitted. Elliot returned to sit next to her and they watched the party together. It looks like everyone is having a lot of fun, isla observed. But I don't really know what to do. Everyone is bouncing very high on the bouncy castle, but I like to jump gently. People have their faces nicely painted, but I don't want that much paint on mine. And I like to dance, but I don't particularly like this song so I don't feel like joining in. Elliot shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal. That's ok, he replied. If you don't like this song and wait for one to come on that you do like, then you can go dance. You don't have to do everything exactly like everyone else. I've learnt that everything is much more fun when you experience it in your own way. It's about what makes you feel comfortable. Isla felt enlightened. She had never thought like this before. She had always assumed that she should follow the crowd and do what everyone else was doing. Why don't we go to the crafts table? It's a little quieter over there, elliot suggested. So Isla and Elliot made their way over to the craft table. While Elliot did some drawing, Isla decided she wanted some face paint. Hi Isla, Bea's mummy beamed as the little girl sat down in front of her. How would you like me to paint your face? I could make you into an animal. Or we could just put some pretty swirls of glitter on your cheeks if you like. Isla remembered how Elliot had mentioned he always thought about how he could enjoy things in his own way when he was unsure. She didn't want too much paint on her face, so she decided to opt for some fancy golden swirls on her cheeks. Bea's mummy painted them on softly and then held up a mirror for Isla to admire herself. Isla grinned. She really liked it and the swirls went well with her party dress. With her face freshly Painted. Isla looked to the dance floor where her classmates were playing musical statues. She liked this game, and the party entertainer leading it was playing one of her favourite songs. Right now, Isla decided that she wanted to join in. She entered the dance floor and boogied with her school friends, swaying her arms and kicking her feet. Each time the music stopped, she froze in her last position and tried not to move a muscle. If she moved even a twitch, then she would be out of the game. Every time Isla froze like a statue, she practiced breathing deeply through her nose. Elliot's breathing exercise turned out to be very helpful and Isla made it to the final two people in musical statues. When the game was over, the dance routines resumed, but Isla didn't feel like joining in with those, so she went back to join Elliot at the crafts table and they did some drawing together. Isla even got a glitter tattoo in the shape of a sunflower on her wrist. At 12 o' clock, it was time for lunch and Bea's parents called all the children over to the buffet. Isla eagerly grabbed a paper plate and picked out the food she wanted. There were mini sausage rolls and cheese squares on sticks, bowls of crisps and plates of cucumber and carrot sticks with hummus. Isla's favourite fruit. Strawberries were in a big bowl and dozens of triangular egg sandwiches were lined up on long tin foil platters. Isla took her food over to the party table and sat down next to Elliot. Isla was enjoying getting to know Elliot better. He was always so quiet at school that she didn't speak to him much, but here at the party, he was fast becoming a good friend. Elliot told Isla that sometimes he preferred to sit on the floor rather than at the table. He said that sitting so close to the ground made him feel centred and safe. Isla decided to try it. For a minute. She sat down on the floor and focused. She placed her hands on the wooden boards and noticed that she felt soothed by the comfort of the earth. Surprisingly, she had to admit that sitting on the floor did make her feel steadier. A part of her wanted to lie down and relax, but she had too much delicious food on her plate, beckoning her back to her chair. All the children enjoyed their food at the long party table and chatted with each other animatedly. As they ate, Isla discovered that Elliot had three older brothers and a dog called Luna. He liked playing basketball with his brothers and had a keen interest in dinosaurs. He could name every dinosaur there was to know. Isla looked up the table to be the birthday girl. She was sitting at the end of the table and was now wearing a gold crown made out of cardboard on her head like she was royalty. With her painted tiger face, she looked like a tiger princess. The Nila giggled at the thought. Once they had all eaten their lunch, the lights in the village hall dimmed and Bea's father carried a big birthday cake out of the kitchen and towards the table. The cake was shaped like a unicorn and had eight candles on top, burning brightly. Everyone started to sing to be and Isla noticed that Elliot, next to her, placed his ear defenders on his head. Everyone sang Happy Birthday and the birthday girl grinned giddily before blowing out her candles and making a wish. Isla decided that she loved birthday parties. Just maybe when it was her turn for one, she might choose a slightly quieter affair. The lights flicked back on and Elliot took off his ear defenders. He commented, oh, that cake looks yummy. I hope we get to take some home with us. Party games resumed and Isla and Elliot were delighted to see that pass. The parcel was next on the agenda. All the children in Bea's class joined in for this game. It seemed that everyone was equally as interested to see what prize lay at the bottom of the many layers of wrapping paper. The children sat in a circle and when the music played, they passed the parcel around. When the music stopped, whoever was holding the parcel got to take off a layer of wrapping paper. Each time the music stopped, everyone fell silent and watched with curiosity to see if this particular layer of wrapping was the last one. Packed into each layer of paper was a little chocolate coin, so they all felt like winners. The parcel was passed around and around in circles, getting smaller and smaller with each stop of the music. Eventually, the parcel landed in Elliot's lap and everyone watched as he ripped off the wrapping to reveal the final prize inside. To Elliot's delight, the prize was a dinosaur jigsaw puzzle. Elliot cheered with excitement and the other children clapped to congratulate him on his win. The rest of the party flew by and before Isla hardly knew it, her mum had returned to pick her up. Isla was disappointed that the party had finished. She was having such a lovely time. Isla said goodbye to Bea and thanked her for inviting her to her party. Before Isla could leave, Bea said she had one more thing for Isla. Bea disappeared into the kitchen momentarily and then ran back out holding a yellow paper party bag. This is for you to take home, Bea declared. Thank you for coming and thanks for my present. I can't wait to open it later. Bea hugged Isla farewell and then returned to the party to continue dancing away. Isla walked over to her mummy and gave her a hug. Did you have a nice time? Her mother asked. Isla said that she'd had a great time and presented her party bag to her mum. Isla's mum gushed, do you think there's any cake in there? Isla peeped inside the bag and sure enough there was a fresh slice of birthday cake wrapped up in a napkin. Yes, there is, Isla replied. Elliot will be so happy. Isla looked back to find her friend and saw him happily drawing back at the crafts table. She caught his eye and waved to him. Her new friend waved right back. Isla pointed to her party bag and gave him a thumbs up to signal that there was cake inside and Elliot smiled the biggest smile he had done all morning. Isla followed her mum out of the village hall to their car where dad was waiting and baby Freddy was sleeping in the backseat. She climbed in next to Freddy and told dad what she had got up to at the party. She showed him her pretty glitter tattoo and explained that she didn't want full face paint, so she just had a few swirls drawn on her face. Dad said he liked it very much and suggested she keep it on forever. Isla giggled cheerfully. She couldn't keep it on forever. It was against the school uniform, but maybe she could keep it on for the rest of the weekend. As dad drove them all home, Isla rested her head against the car window and closed her eyes. She felt as tired as baby Freddy, who was snoozing away next to her. She was glad she had got to know Elliot better today at the party. He was very nice and extremely smart. She liked what he said about always enjoying things on her own terms, and as Isla drifted off to sleep on the car ride home, she decided that going forward she would always remember that mantra.

Bea (109:17)

Sam.