← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Hector & Sunny and the Land Of Missing Shoes 🐾 👟 Cozy Bedtime Stories For Kids | Rewind
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Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. If you have a dog at home, tonight's story featuring missing shoes might be quite a familiar experience for you. I am forever wandering around the house in one slipper, asking Sunny what she's done with the other one. She never gives me a good answer. And perhaps, having read this story, perhaps it's not actually her doing it after all. Ok, let's jump into bed and get all relaxed, floppy and cosy. Ready to soon join Hector and Sunny on a mission to return their owner's missing shoes. Take a lovely breath in through your nose and then let it out through your mouth. Do that three more times and see if you can slow down every aspect. The breathing in the hold and the exhaling of your breath. Nice and slow and steady. That's great. You continue breathing like that and I'll get back to the shoes. Before we begin, a quick message for the grown ups. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad free listening unlock four bonus stories per month and much, much more. You can join Koko Club. Subscribe in Just two taps via the link in the show notes. But now here's a quick word from our sponsors. It turns out these shoes are being whisked away into the land of the missing shoes by two of that land's master shoe hunters. Let's see if our puppy pals can track the shoes down and bring them back home. It's time to begin. Hector and Sunny in the Land of Missing Shoes by Luke Prendergast. One of Sunny the spaniel's absolute favourite reasons she liked visiting her friend Hector's house was the enormous box of toys that his family kept for him. The box was truly ginormous. It was filled with all kinds of fun objects to play with. Milk bones and balls, squeaky rubber ducks and knotted ropes to play tug of war with, Frisbees and bits of old leather to tuck their teeth into. Whenever Sunny went to visit, she and Hector would run over to the box, give a little bark to announce that they wanted to have some fun. And then a member of Hector's family would come over and tip the box over for them. There you go. They'd say. You can play to your heart's content with whatever you can find in this box. Chew away. Just make sure you never chew one of our shoes. That was Hector's family's only rule. Never, ever, under no circumstances, chew on one of their shoes. And if Hector and Sunny were to be honest, sometimes that was a pretty hard rule to follow. Because if there's anything that all dogs can agree on, it's that shoes are absolutely, irresistibly chew worthy canvas trainers and leather boots, high heels and sandals for a dog. It was as though every single tantalizing shoe you saw was just calling out to be chewed on. And yet, in spite of the temptation, Hector and Sunny respected the rule. And they never, no matter how much they wanted to, played with one of the human shoes. Which was why it was so very strange when one day in early spring the family's shoes started going missing. They started with a lowly trainer. Then the next day one of Hector's mum's work shoes, a fancy one made out of black patent leather, suddenly disappeared. Then the day after that, it was one of his dad's welly boots. Something was truly afoot. Now you two, Hector's dad said to Hector and Sunny one afternoon when a third shoe had gone missing. Is it you who's been taking our shoes? Maybe you couldn't resist and you've taken them and squirreled them away somewhere. Come on now, fess up. But Hector and Sunny just looked at him with their big honest eyes and shook their heads. They hadn't taken them, they absolutely promised. And just by looking at them, Hector's dad had to believe them. They were innocent. He stroked his chin in confusion and wandered away, muttering to himself. Its rather odd, Hector mused to Sonny on the third afternoon after the welly boots disappearance. All of a sudden these single shoes are disappearing from the house. And worst of all, agreed Sunny, they've even contemplated the possibility that we've been taking them us. She said this in a kind of low grumble that showed just how disgruntled she was. But at the same time she was looking out of the corner of her eye at a pair of brown leather loafers which were looking particularly tasty right about now. But she wouldn't have a chew of them. A promise was a promise. The two canine pals agreed that something really ought to be done. It was true that they wanted to clear from their names any trace of suspicion, but more than anything, they just wanted to find out where all of Hector's family's shoes were disappearing off to. And so they concocted a very cunning plan. The missing shoes had been disappearing from a long shoe rack that sat in the kitchen by the back door of Hector's house so that the family could slip them on and off when they went into the back garden. Whoever was pinching the shoes, they agreed, would have to be taking them from there. And so they decided the next day to lie in wait in the pantry with the door just ajar so that they could spot anyone who was going anywhere near the rack of shoes. And this is just what they did. Late the next morning, Hector and Sunny snuck into the pantry, pulled the door almost entirely closed, then lay down, their heads resting on their paws, waiting to see what would happen. They were waiting some time. The minutes ticked past, then the hours. Hector began to yawn. Sunny's back legs went a bit numb and she had to rearrange herself to get rid of the pins and needles. Both of their bellies started grumbling hungrily. In fact, they'd been waiting for so long that Sunny was close to opening her mouth and telling Hector that it was probably for the best that they called off their plan when, with a creak, the back door inched open. Suddenly they were both very quiet. A cold ribbon of anticipation and excitement unravelled in their stomachs as they watched as not one but two creatures crept into the kitchen. They were dogs, but they were not dogs that Hector or Sunny had ever seen before at the park or on their dog walks, or from time to time at the dog groomers where they went to get their coats shampooed and their nails trimmed. One was a poodle with a big mass of blue hair on his head and at his neck and in a fluffy poof on his tail. The other was a Doberman with patches of black and brown all over her coat. The poodle looked around and seeing that the coast was clear, gave a nod to the Doberman who tiptoed forward, seized a bright red high heeled shoe from the shoe rack, and then they crept back out the way they'd come in. Hector and Sunny looked at each other wide eyed with surprise. What do we do? Hector said, feeling a little startled after all that waiting. He can't quite believe the shoe thieves have shown up. Well, quick, whispers Sunny. We've got to follow them. We can't let them get away. And so Hector and Sunny pushed open the pantry door and skittered across the slippery kitchen floor, swivelling on their paws to leap out of the back door and into the sunlit back garden. There they go, Sunny whispered so as not to draw attention to themselves. Hector could see them. The poodle and Doberman were running down to the other end of the garden. Where are they planning on going? Hector asked. There's only the garden wall down there and they'll Never be able to jump over it. Hector's right. At the end of his garden, a tall red brick wall separates Hector's family plot from the garden of the neighbour behind. And it's so tall that even a big dog like that Doberman wouldn't be able to jump it. Well, that's a good thing, Sunny told him as they pattered down the garden. They'll have nowhere to go, and then we'll be able to ask them what they think they're doing with your owner's shoes. The poodle and the Doberman reached the wall, the top of which was grown over with shining ivy leaves, its tendrils clinging to the brickwork. The dogs came to a halt before it. See, says Sunny, there's duck. Then, rather peculiarly indeed, the poodle lifted a paw and with a single claw, tapped one of the bricks in the wall three times. Hector and Sunny stop in their tracks because, to their utter amazement, the wall gives a little shudder and a perfect door appeared in it. The door had not been there a moment ago, and nor had either of our canine pals ever seen it there before. But suddenly, there it was, swinging open and letting the poodle and Doberman slip through it. Come on. Cries Sunny, who could never resist the opportunity for adventure. We've got to follow them through it. And bounding to the end of the garden, she and Hector leaped for the door in the red brick wall and snuck through it. Just as it clicked shut behind them on the other side, they found themselves panting for breath. Ho ho. Sunny sighed, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. That was close. Sure was, Hector agreed. Then he looked about and let out a whistle through the side of his lips. Wow. Have you ever seen anywhere like this, Sunny? Sunny looked up and was startled to discover that in coming through the door in the red brick wall, they had ended up in a world quite unlike any they'd ever seen before. They stood on a patch of grass on the edge of a little village. But the strange thing was that everything in that village appeared to be made out of shoes. There were a clutch of small houses, but these houses were made out of extraordinarily big boots with doors and windows cut into the leather and smoke from a chimney piping steadily from a hole in the top. There were a network of little lanes, and on these lanes figures could be seen driving. But they weren't driving cars. They were driving huge roller skates with seats fitted inside and exhaust pipes stuck to the back. And right beside them was a signpost that was made out of A tall high heeled shoe with a banner on top, and that banner read Shoe Town. What a weird and wonderful place, Sunny said after she'd taken it all in. Then she said, come on, we better go and investigate. Don't forget we got some robbers to catch. And so Hector and Sunny trotted down the lane, being sure to take care that there were no shoes on wheels skidding in their direction. And as they walked through the village they saw many strange things. They saw a postman get out of his big red boot of a car and post his letters, which were wrapped up tight in miniature ballet pumps. And they saw a group of young foxes playing football in their garden, except instead of a ball they were kicking a rubber sandal. They even saw a mother goose pushing her babies round in a pram made out of a bright pink trainer. At last they passed a very pretty looking house. It was a welly boot that had been decorated with daffodils and daisies, outside of which a field mouse in a bright blue dress was serving tea. Hello, she said, spotting them. I haven't seen you around here before. That's because we've just arrived here, Hector explained. We've never been before. Well, well, said the field mouse, brushing her hands on her skirts. Welcome to Shoe Town. If you've just arrived, you must join me for tea. Hector and Sunny thanked her kindly and took a seat at a table. But when the field mouse started making the tea, they couldn't help but exchange a look of quite some befuddlement. Because instead of teacups there were a series of little shoes, perfect leather pumps in many different colours. And instead of brewing her tea in a teapot, the field mouse was brewing it in a brown leather boot. Here you go, she said, and she poured steaming hot tea out of the boot and into the little shoes. Delicious, she added, picking up a yellow shoe herself and taking a deep sip. Nothing better than a lovely cup of Lapsang shoo song a little nervously, for they'd never drunk out of shoes before. Hector and Sunny lifted their own to their lips and were pleasantly surprised to discover that the tea was delicious, sweet and smoky all at the same time. After they'd all enjoyed their cup of tea, the field mouse turned to them with a look of merry satisfaction on her face and said, so what brings the both of you to Shoe Town? Clearing his throat, Hector explained that the two of them had arrived in Shoe Town through a door that had appeared in the wall at the end of his garden. They had been following two dogs, a poodle with bright blue Fluffy hair, a black and brown Doberman who they had unfortunately now lost. Oh. Cried the field mouse. You're talking about Fluffy and Flex. They're the two most prized and beloved members of Shoe Town. Shoe Hunting Brigade, you know. Sunny wrinkled her nose. Shoe Hunting Brigade? She repeated. What's that? Oh, my, oh my. The field mouse laughed. You two really are new around here, aren't you? And leaning across the table of shoes and steaming tea, she explained that the whole of Shoe Town, in fact all of Shoe Land, depended on the Shoe Hunting Brigade for its shoes. Everything in this place was run off shoes. Shoes were the building blocks, the energy source, the lifeblood of the entire land. They used shoes for everything. They simply couldn't live without them. And it was the job of those selected to be in the Shoe Hunting Brigade, brave and dedicated animals with steely hearts and sharp noses to go out sniffing for shoes, and when they found them, to bring them back to Shoe Town. Without the Shoe Hunting Brigade, she concluded, Shoe Town wouldn't even exist. And those two dogs? Hector asked. They're in the brigade? Oh, yes. The field mouse nodded, giggling. They're the very best of the brigade. The poodle's called Fluffy, and the Doberman, she's called Flex. She's his partner. There's no one in all of the Shoe Hunting Brigade who can hunt quite as many shoes as Fluffy and Flex. They're pretty famous. And do you know, hector went on, where we can find them? Oh, for sure, said the field mouse. They live in a big cowboy boot at the end of the lane. You can't miss it. It's bright purple and it's got a lot of tassels. But before you go and find them, have another cup of tea. Once they'd finished another cup of tea with the field mouse, Hector and Sunny said their goodbyes and set off down the lane. True enough, just as the field mouse had said, it wasn't long before they spotted a huge purple cowboy boot all decorated in leather, stars with tassels hanging down from the top. Here we are, said Hector. Now, sonny, how are we going to get our shoes back from them? Hmm? Well, sunny replied, lifting a paw to knock on their door, I suppose the best thing to do is just ask. When the door to the purple cowboy boot opened, Hector and Sunny found themselves face to face with the Doberman, whose silky fur sparkled in the light. Well, she said, hoo, hoo, hoo, have we got here? Then she turned over her shoulder and called out, hey, Fluffy, it's those two dogs who were following us out in the real world. There was the sound of paws padding across the floor, and then the poodle with his bright blue hair appeared behind the Doberman. So I see, Flex. So I see, he said. Well, hello you two. How d' ye do? We sniffed you following us right back in that garden there. So you managed to slip through the door in the red brick wall, did you? Nice job. Very nifty. Now, how can I help you? Hector opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He'd never in his life seen two such cool creatures before, and now it had come the time to speak to them, he found he was rather starstruck. Luckily, Sunny was there to speak instead. Nice to meet you, Fluffy and flicks, she said, being careful to be as polite as possible before telling them her request. We don't mean to bother you, but the thing is, we think that you have a few shoes belonging to Hector's owner, a trainer and black leather shoe and a welly boot too, and, well, we were wondering if we could have them back. Fluffy and Flex exchanged a glance. Well, well, flex said. If I do recall correctly, we do have those shoes in our possession, don't we, Fluffy? And we'd be glad, she added, to give them back. That's good, said Hector, who had suddenly managed to find his tongue. There's just one problem, though. Oh? Said Hector. What's that? The Shoe Hunting Brigade dogs exchanged another meaningful look. Then Fluffy gave a shake of his bright blue head. The truth is, he said, it's getting harder and harder for us to find enough shoes out there in the real world. We don't know what's happening, but humans aren't leaving their old shoes out quite as much as they did. Every month that goes by, there are fewer shoes around for us to hunt. And without the shoes. Sunny, who had been listening intently to what Fluffy was saying, remembered meeting the field mouse. She remembered how she poured her tea from the little tea boot into the little tea shoes, and how she told them just how much all of the citizens of Shoe Town depended upon shoes for their very way of life. Without shoes, sunny repeated, finishing Fluffy's sentence, there'll be no more Shoe Town. Precisely, Fluffy said, and shook his head a little sadly. That did seem quite a predicament. On the one hand, Hector's family missed their shoes dearly and really wanted them back. On the other hand, Shoe Town was in desperate need of shoes, and without them they wouldn't be able to function. Now Hector and Sunny were the ones to exchange a look as they both realised that they had found themselves in something of a bind. But then, just as if a light bulb had turned on, Ping in his head, Hector had an idea. I know what we can do, he said. And he went on to explain his plan. If Fluffy and Flex could return his own shoes, which they still wanted and wore, then he and Sonny, in return would return, could help them find more shoes. They were happy to pick shoes out of the bins when their owners threw them away, or find old ones thrown out when they went for their walks and bring them back and lay them at the bottom of the garden where Fluffy and Flex could find them. While he spoke, Hector could see Sunny's eyes growing big and sparkly as she began to see how his plan might work. When he was done, they looked at Fluffy and Flex. Well? Sunny asked, do you think that could work? Fluffy and Flex, in the doorway of the big purple cowboy boot, exchanged one final look. Then they both smiled. Sounds like a plan, they said. That evening, when Hector and Sunny were back at home dozing sleepily by the fire, there came an exclamation from the kitchen. Look at this. Hector's owner cried. Look what I've just found. And he came into the living room carrying three shoes in his hand, a trainer, a black work shoe and a green welly boot. These are the shoes that were missing and I've just found them lying in the shoe rack as if they'd been there all along. He looked down at Hector and Sunny with his eyebrow raised. Do you two know anything about this? Hector lifted his head from his paws and gave a great big yawn. Then he and Sonny looked at his owner with such an expression of sweet innocence that his owner could do nothing else but shrug and say, what a miracle. And wander back off to the kitchen clutching the shoes in his hands. The flames of the fire were flickering and warming the two dogs backs. It had been a long and adventurous day and the warmth from the fire was making them terribly sleepy. But now, as Hector's owner went back, they looked at each other and winked. It sure was going to be fun, they agreed, being the latest members of the shoe hunting brigade.