← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Hector & Sunny’s Secret Treasure Hunt 🐾 🤫 Bedtime Stories For Kids
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Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original bedtime stories and sleep meditations for kids designed to make bedtime a dream. First into the Koko Club. Tonight we are welcoming Tabby. Then it's a group hug for siblings Arielle, Noah and Liam from Chelsea, Quebec. Oh, you've been fans since our Coco Sleep days, I see. Nice. And we're also waving in Margot who's in North Pole, Alaska. Come in, come in from the cold. I'm thrilled for you all that you've joined tonight in time to hear the latest from our crazy canines, Hector and Sunny. Perfect timing. You also are going to have plenty of fresh stories to listen to without any ads whatsoever. So enjoy, enjoy, enjoy and thank you for subscribing. 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. Hey parents. Now that all of the excitement of Christmas is out of the way, we're starting the new year with something really special. From today until January 18th, new premium subscribers can claim a 30 day free trial and unlock the very best of Koala moon. That's over 500 A.D. free bedtime stories, including every Cappy and Tito episode which is forever exclusive to Koko Club members. Plus, you'll be whisked away on some brand new adventures to Harmony Cove and Moonbeam Heights alongside the previously undiscovered Worlds who of Wonder Jungle and Pillowy Peaks. These immersive subscriber only stories have been created to put your little one right inside the story as they adventure alongside some of their favourite characters. This offer is only available for new subscribers and is only around for a limited time, so be sure to start your free 30 day trial before January 18th. Let's settle into the new year and get cosy with soothing bedtime stories, ad free listening and a little extra magic at bedtime tap to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or head to the link in our show notes for Spotify, Yoto and other players. Sweet dreams. Now then, in tonight's story, Hector and Sunny follow their noses and they end up on a mysterious ship where they soon find themselves swept into an unexpected adventure with a friendly crew of pirates, some of whom you may well have met before. Under starlit skies, they journey toward Harmony Cove where an old map hints at hidden treasure that's long eluded the sailors. Before we join them in the hunt for the mysterious treasure, let's get into bed and get ready to relax with this special meditation inspired by a very special listener named Cora. This one's for you, Cora. Okay, take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. In and out. Now imagine you're lying in a peaceful forest. A flying squirrel shows you how to stretch. Raise your arms up to the sky and give them a little stretch. Next, there's a peaceful cheetah. It curls its tail around you, giving you a warm hug. Then there's a chipmunk showing you belly breathing. Take a slow breath in and breathe out slowly. Lovely. Now I think it's time to begin Hector and Sunny's secret treasure hunt by Luke Prendergast. Shh, sunny whispered softly, glancing back over her shoulder. We need to be quiet. Stop making that noise. Hector paused for a moment with his paw in the air, hovering just a few inches above the wooden deck. Oh, what noise? He whispered back. Your nails keep clicking against the wood, sunny told him. Hector stared at his paw. And then, slowly, as slowly as he could, he lowered it to the deck. Click. It went. He let out a sigh. And now I can hear your breathing, sunny whispered. Now. Hector stopped altogether with a little grin on his golden face. I think it's more likely, he said, that someone will hear your whispering rather than my breathing. Sunny looked back over her shoulder once more and caught her best friend's eye. Then she smiled, too. You're probably right, she said. Sorry. I guess I'm just the teensiest bit nervous. It was no wonder Sunny was a little bit nervous. Hector was a little bit nervous, too. They were, after all, sneaking about uninvited on the deck of a grand and unfamiliar ship. But it was that good kind of nervousness, more like excitement than fear. Every atom of his body was tingling in that old familiar way that told him they were on the scent of an adventure. Yep, he could practically smell it in the air. Just a few minutes before, Hector and Sunny had been walking along the marina, the moonlight shining on the water as though liquid silver had been poured over its surface, when they spotted a ship they'd never seen before. It had a great wooden hull engraved with all kinds of spectacular and mysterious markings, three huge masts from which black sails gently swayed, rippling in an unseen breeze. And on the front of the ship, like a herald, a huge golden star had been painted. It was quite unlike the other ships in the marina. It seemed like it had fallen out of another age altogether, or sailed accidentally from a world of seafaring and swashbuckling and into this plain old harbour. It looks like a pirate ship, hector had said, which had made Sunny let out a low little laugh. There aren't any pirates around these parts, she'd said. You only find pirates in stories. But truth be told, there was something in what Hector had said. The ship did seem like a pirate ship. It was intriguing. So when they discovered the gangplank leading from the deck to the concrete edge of the marina, Sunny and Hector had exchanged the briefest glance before trotting up it and hopping onto the wooden deck. And that was how they found themselves sneaking around in the moonlight aboard this mystery ship. They reached the end of a gangway where the path went two ways. One way led up the side of the ship towards the front, while the other turned right and into the middle of the deck. Which way shall we go? Sunny asked, looking one way, then the other. Hector lifted his nose high in the air and took a great big sniff. That way, he said, lifting a paw and pointing towards the middle of the deck. That's where I smell adventure. They took the path Hector had indicated, creeping in front of the dark and empty captain's cabin. Through the glass they could see all the sailing apparatus, the wheel and helm, the levers and tillers and other strange wooden contraptions that performed a who knew what job. Then they stepped around the side of the cabin and saw right in front of them an open hatch in the deck. A stream of soft golden light shone up through the open hatch, and now they heard the low murmur of a number of voices from below. Now we really do have to be quiet, hector whispered. Together, he and Sunny tiptoed up to the edge of the hatch and peered down. A rickety wooden ladder led down from the hatch, which opened into a large and cosy room in the ship's hull. There were some seats and a mantel over a small crackling fire, and in the middle of the room there stood a table upon which a lantern flickered and burned. And around the table were gathered a crew of, yes, pirates. They were all staring down at something, though what it was Hector couldn't see. There were two captains, a woman with gold hoop earrings in a blue bandana, and a man with a thick brown beard. And there were other sailors too, in breeches, boots and waistcoats, with colourful bandanas round their heads. There was even a parrot who hopped from one of the pirate's shoulders down onto the table and let out a tiny squawk. And then there was the youngest pirate, a boy of 10 years old with a little sword in a scabbard at his waist and intelligent, sparkly eyes. On his shoulder sat a little monkey. The monkey tapped him on the shoulder, pointed at Hector and Sunny, and then the boy said, oh, look, some canine visitors. Oops. They'd been spotted. Reflexively, Hector and Sunny took a step back from the open hatch, but the smile on the boy's face was so warm and genuine and so earnestly did he say, oh, there's nothing to worry about. But they stepped forward again and gave a shy wave. Hello, Sunny said. For truth be told, Sunny was usually the bravest of them when it came down to it. My name's Sunny and this here is my friend Hector. Sorry for sneaking around on your ship. We weren't trying to be stowaways or spies or anything. Only curious. Curious, said the boy with a smile. Good job you're not a pair of cats then. I'm Atticus and this is my mum, Captain Sloane, and my dad, Captain Cliff. They're in charge of this valiant ship, the Starchaser. This here chimp on my shoulder is our first mate. He's called Ace, and this is the rest of the crew. As Atticus the pirate introduced the motley bunch, one by one, they waved or grunted in welcome, or smiled or let out a monkey laugh, and Hector and Sunny said, hello. How do you all do? Come on down, Atticus said finally. We love meeting new friends aboard the Starchaser. Hector and Sunny climbed down the ladder, but they had to go slowly because ladders truly weren't designed for creatures that travelled on four legs. When they got to the bottom, they stood in the lambent light of the lantern amongst the group of pirates who smiled cheerfully down at them. What are you all looking at there? Hector asked, glancing at the table upon which he could now see that a large, ancient looking map was spread. Ah, sighed Atticus's mum, the ship's captain with the gold hoop earrings. She placed her hand on the table and with a wave of her other hand gestured for Hector and Sunny to come and take a look. We found this map many years ago, hidden in an abandoned library in a distant land. It shows the location of buried treasure. Is he here? And she pressed her finger onto a place in the map where there was a large red X marking the spot. The map tells us that the treasure is buried on a beach in a far off world, in a place called Harmony Cove. Hector and Sunny's ears pricked up at the sound of that. They had heard of Harmony Cove before it was not so far from where their old friend Koko the koala lived in Sleepy Forest. But no matter how often we go, captain Sloane went on, we can't seem to find the treasure. It eludes us. From time to time we drag out this old map to inspect it again, as we've done tonight, hoping that perhaps we've read it wrong and that the treasure is elsewhere. But alas, there's nothing wrong with our map reading skills. The map says the treasure's in Harmony Cove, but we just can't find it. What we need is a treasure radar, a magical detector, something that can sniff out exactly where it is. Oh. Sunny let out such an excited little yip that Captain Sloane, Atticus, and the rest of the crew all looked at her. Sorry, she said. It's just. Well, maybe it was good luck. We came onto your ship because there's nothing the two of us do better than sniffing out hidden mysteries. My friend Hector here, he's got the most sensitive nose in the whole wide world. He could sniff out a single chocolate bar buried anywhere on this beach. Hector nodded very seriously. I could, he said. It's true. So, sunny said, glancing from one pirate to the other, why don't we come with you and help you find your buried treasure? Captain Sloane raised a single eyebrow. And you do that to help us? Hector and Sunny nodded. Oh, yes, hector said. Of course we would. It sounds like a real adventure. Captain Sloane studied them a moment or two longer, then broke into a smile that showed her rows of sparkly teeth. Well then, crew, best prepare to set sail. Next stop, Harmony Cove. And so it was that Hector and Sunny found themselves back up on the deck of the Starchaser with their new friend, Atticus the pirate, skimming across the big, wide sea. The sky above them was pitch black, but it glittered with hundreds of thousands of stars and a plump silver moon. Hector thought that if he squinted just right, he could see the shadowy craters on the moon's surface. They were standing right on the front of the ship, the salty breeze rippling through their fur, and down below they could see the ocean, foaming and frothing as the ship's prow slipped through the water, and the dark sea glittered as though it, just like the sky above it, was full of stars. How will we know when we pass from this world into the next? Hector asked. Attica stroked his chin as though he had a beard already. Maybe he'd learnt the gesture from watching his dad, Hector thought. It's hard to explain, atticus said. You won't see anything or hear anything, but you'll feel it. My mum knows exactly the bit of ocean that will let you through like a door. She's the best navigator on the high seas in any world. Everybody says so. Atticus was right. Sometime later, Hector and Sunny both felt it. There was no other way to describe was like every little hair on their whole coat stood up and a shimmery feeling went through their bodies, as though liquid starlight had been poured through them. Atticus grinned at them. You felt that? He asked. Hector and Sunny both nodded. We felt it, sunny said. That means we pass through the door to the other world. Yep, said Atticus. He narrowed his eyes against the breeze and pointed out across the water. Look, he said. Harmony Cove. Straight up ahead. There was a thin slip of white sand in the distance. As the Starchaser got closer, the thin slip grew into a long coastline that seemed to run for miles, with patches of stones and shingle, plains of sandy beach and the tumble of hills and small cliffs behind it. The COVID ran around in a huge semicircle, as though the land were opening its arms wide and welcoming them in for a hug. They were approaching an area of bare and remote sand at the far end of the COVID strewn sparsely with trees and long rushes of hardy grass. Once the ship got as close to the land as it could, Ace the chimp let out a holler and the crew lowered the anchor. Then Hector and Sunny hopped into a little boat with Atticus and his parents to sail the remainder of the distance. The sand was soft beneath their feet when they hopped out, and the waves made a soothing rushing sound against the shore, as though the sea were gently scratching the land's back. Atticus took a long rope attached to the little wooden boat and tied it around a nearby tree so that the boat didn't float away. Meanwhile, Captain Sloane unrolled the map, which she had carried under her arm, and Captain Cliff raised up a lantern so they could see. Captain Sloane's earrings glinted in the light. Hector and Sunny trotted over and peered at the map on the floor. Now, said Captain Sloane. This is where we are. She pressed a finger onto a point on the map where the yellow patch of land met the pale blue expanse of sea. Hector glanced around, saw the shape of the beach, the proximity of a cliff. Yup, he thought. Captain Sloane was right. That was exactly where they were. And here, just here, Captain Sloane continued, moving her finger to the red cross on the map just a few millimetres away. This is where the treasure is buried. Allegedly all of them gazed over the beach towards a patch of sand where a few trees grew amongst some rocks. But we've dug here dozens of times. Atticus's dad, Captain Cliff, sighed. And each time no treasure. Yep, each time no treasure, captain Sloane agreed. But now, Atticus said, we have a secret weapon. We've got our canine comrades with us. That's right, sonny said. Come on, Hector. Don't you think it's about time we helped these pirates find their treasure? Hector's tail was wagging round and around, a golden blur hazing through the night air. I sure do, Sunny, he said, and so the two of them set off, padding across the soft sand. Sunny had her quick eyes narrowed, looking this way and that, watching out for any clues or telltale signs of where the treasure might be buried. She saw the uneven bumps and circular outlines in the sand that marked where the pirates had been here numerous times before digging for the treasure. She saw a shadow which blinked at her, and she realised with pleasant surprise that it was a turtle, its green mottled shell camouflaged in the darkness. She hoped she hadn't woken him up from too sweet a slumber, but just to make sure they didn't disturb him any more, she veered a little in the other direction and refocused her search. While Sunny had her eyes narrowed, Hector had his nose raised in the air. He was sniffing out anything he could smell that might be associated with buried treasure. Mystery, intrigue, secrecy. At the moment, though, all he was getting was salt and seaweed and a faint sweet smell that told him that at some point in the past week or so, someone had been enjoying a chocolate fudge ice cream on this spot of beach, and a melting drop of it had dripped and landed on the floor. But what he couldn't smell quite yet was treasure. But then, as he padded alongside a crumbling wooden boat in which plants and winding flowers had made their home, he caught the scent of something. It was as though a glimmering had begun on the inside of his nose. Hector didn't know any other way to put it. The feeling was an indescribable one, but he knew just what the scent was. It was treasure, and it was coming from that group of trees just over there. Hector and Sunny had been friends for so long that Sunny could probably tell from a mile away with a blindfold on when Hector had caught the scent of something. He moved differently, as though every muscle in his body, like the instruments in an orchestra, were all focused on the same purpose. Over here, she whispered. Hector's found something by the trees. Captains Sloane and Cliff and Atticus, with Ace, the chimp on his shoulder, followed to the clump of trees. You can smell something? Atticus asked. Hector nodded. Its right here, he said. He pawed at the ground at the base of a large tree trunk. But Captain Sloane was frowning. We've dug right here before, she said. But if you can smell something, we'll dig again. So they all worked as a team to dig a hole in the sand at the base of the tree. But even though they dug several feet down, they didn't find anything. No buried chest, no sparkling loot. And when they tried digging a hole nearby, again, they found nothing. And the next time? That's right, nothing again. And the more they dug, the more Hector was getting the sense that something wasn't right. Because if the treasure was buried, the scent of it would have been increasing as they dug down into the sand. But the reality was that the further down they went, the fainter the smell got. It was as though the treasure wasn't below them at all. But Hector gazed upwards into the spreading canopy of the tree, the long dark branches, the dense foliage of leaves and twigs, the glint of metal, of metal. Hey, guys, hector said, his tail wagging around in circles. Look. What's that? Eyes flickered skyward, peering through the darkness. Captain Sloane let out a murmur of disbelief. Is that something up in the tree? She asked. If it is, how do we get it down? Ah, said Atticus. That's just what Ace is for. And just a couple of moments later, Ace had slipped off Atticus's shoulder and was climbing gracefully up the tree, one hand over the other. At the top, he let out a little cry of surprise and called down, treasure's been found. Watch your heads. They all stood back as there was a rustling of leaves from above, and with a gentle thud, a large wooden chest landed on the sand. Captain Sloane shook her head in wonder and looked from the chest to the tree's canopy and back again. How on earth did it get up there? She said. Someone obviously thought they were being smart hiding it there, sunny said with a laugh. We've all heard of buried treasure, but who's ever heard of treetop treasure? Atticus knelt down onto the sand. The treasure chest looked old, the wood fraying and stained with an intricate network of brass metalwork snaking across the top and culminating in a thick clasp. With Hector and Sunny both panting next to him in merry anticipation, Atticus reached out and lifted the clasp. The faces of the pirates of Captains Sloane and Cliff of Atticus and Ace the chimp. And of our daring doggie duo, Hector and Sunny lit up illuminated by the treasure. Gold coins and medallions, cups and glittering jewels. And as if the treasure chest knew just who would find it, a mound of delicious looking dog treats that was really quite some treasure. And so it was that Hector and Sunny found themselves lying in the sand on Harmony Cove with their new pirate friends, munching their way through some well earned snacks while the sound of the waves stroking the shore sounded around them. And the stars on the great black sky twinkled so brightly that they could almost hear them, a kind of far off shimmering. They were tired now, all of them. After their treasure hunt adventure, Hector was the first to yawn. And then came Sunny, then Atticus. And then they were all yawning, stretching their limbs and rubbing their eyes. This sand is so soft and comfy, Atticus said, that it seems the perfect place to rest ahead and catch a good night's sleep. Hector and Sunny couldn't agree more. Already Sunny's eyes were drifting shut and Hector's mind was loosening its grip on consciousness, drifting like an unmoored pirate ship into the land of dreams. And tomorrow, Atticus went on, when the sun's come up, we can sail you back to the marina. That would be lovely, Sunny said. Thank you, both of you. Came the sound of Captain Sloane's rich and bell like voice. Without your help, we would never have found our treetop treasure. You are quite welcome, said Sunny. And Hector added, we should be thanking you too. You've brought us on an adventure. This is one we'll never forget. The greatest treasure was finding new friends like you. There were smiles on all of their faces now, pirates and chimps and canines alike. Good night, they called to each other softly. Sleep tight. And one by one, beneath the soft and tender glow of the moon which shone high above them and with the sand like an endless pillow beneath them, they stretched, turned over, closed their eyes and fell asleep. And all night long the sea whispered its quiet secrets into their ears. And behind their sleeping bodies the treasure chest lay open, jewels sparkling in it like a box of fallen stars. Sam.