← Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
Potato & Beans Meet Hector & Sunny 🐱🐶 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. Do you think dreams ever come true? Well, I'm happy to be the giver of good news because tonight's story was suggested by a few of you as your dream story. So give yourselves a pat on the back. Your idea is here. Our crazy chaotic canine companions Hector and Sunny are feeling a little snacktastic and so are heading off on a midnight road trip to the middle of nowhere. Yep, and you know who has an all night diner there, don't you? Indeed. It's potato and beans. Now, if at all possible, it's time to relax. Just climb into bed and wriggle around a bit, perhaps stretch your arms up above your head and stretch your legs out so you're like a starfish for a moment has it stretch. There you are. Now relax and go all floppy. And as you go, all floppy, breathe in and out. In and out. In and out. Lovely. 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 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, just a quick reminder, this is your last chance to kick off the new year with easy, uninterrupted bedtimes. Our 30 day free trial ends this Sunday, so if you haven't joined yet, now's the time to subscribe. Start your free trial before this Sunday and unlock the whole of Koala moon. That's over 500 A.D. free bedtime stories, including every Capi and Tito episode, only available to Koko Club members. Plus you'll be whisked away on our brand new exploration of the Koala Kingdom with adventures to the lands of Harmony Cove, Pillowy Peaks, Moonbeam Heights and Wonder Jungle. These immersive stories have been written to make your little one feel like they're right inside the adventure and are not to be missed. Remember, you must start your free 30 day trial by this Sunday. To claim the offer, tap to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or head to the link in our show notes for Spotify, Yoto and other players. Sweet dreams. It's time to begin. Potato and Beans Meet Hector and Sunny by Susannah McLachlan. One spring evening when the moon was a shining crescent and the stars were covered by wisps of cloud, two dogs were having a sleepover One was a golden retriever with big floppy ears named Hector, and the other was a cocker spaniel with fur the color of butterscotch named Sunny. The two had fallen asleep at 7pm sharp and had been in their dog beds ever since, snoring softly and chomping their chops every now and then. But now the clock struck 12 and Hector stirred at a thundering, rumbling sound. Sunny peeked an eye open too. What was that, Hector? She said. Was it thunder? Hector rolled from his bed and trotted over to the window. There was not a drop of rain nor an angry cloud in sight, just delicate white wisps and a glowing moon. As Hector stood with his paws on the window pane, he gasped to hear the echoing rumble once more. It sounds like it's coming from within the house, Hector said. Sunny nodded. It is coming from within the house. It's coming from your tummy. Hector looked down and chuckled. Oh, he said. I guess I am rather peckish. Hector, sunny said with a grin. You woke yourself up for a midnight sleep snack. Now she thought about it. Sunny realised that she was actually quite hungry too. It felt like ages since they'd had their dinner. And it seemed like ages until breakfast, too. They heard a quiet psst from the window. Hector knew who it would be. Before he turned his head, he could see smell something magical in the air. Sydney, the squirrel was poking his head through the crack in the open window, grinning and munching on an acorn. Hey, do you guys want a midnight snack? He asked. The two dogs nodded. I know somewhere where you can get anything you like, he said. A diner of dreams. Hector and Sunny grinned at one another. It sounded like they were going to go on another adventure. Hector pinched himself to see whether he was dreaming and yelped. Realising that he wasn't, Sydney pointed to a glass door that had appeared in the wall behind them. It had a neon sign hanging on it, which read Open. The dogs whispered their thanks to Sydney and opened the door, excited to see where they might appear. The first thing Hector and Sunny noticed was the breeze blowing in their fur and flapping their ears. They seemed to have found themselves in a huge red car. They were sprawled on a wide back seat and the roof was down, so they had uninterrupted views of the desert around them. The ground was dusty and orange and the sky might have been the bluest blue they had ever seen. The desert was vast and there were orange rocky canyons beyond. Cacti stood up like scarecrows here and there, blurring into the distance. In the front seat was a crab wearing a chauffeur's hat and an air freshener. Hanging from the rearview mirror was emblazoned with a logo for Crab's Cabs. Hey guys, he said. Two potato on Beans's Diner. Is it? The dogs nodded, assuming that this was the right destination. There couldn't be many other diners around here in the middle of nowhere. They relaxed back into their seats and let their tongues loll in the wind. Before too long, a building appeared in the distance marked with a red neon sign. It got bigger and bigger as they drove until they pulled up in its parking lot. Despite it being so far into the middle of nowhere, the diner was bustling. Hector and Sunny said goodbye to the crab and climbed out of the car, out of the heat and into the diner. The booths and chairs were full, all taken by animals and the occasional human, and the tables were laden with delicious looking food. Hector and Sunny stood by the door and took a huge deep inhale. It smelt amazing. A little pot bellied pig was swooping from table to table, delivering food and taking away plates, a whirlwind on roller skates. An octopus was skating on four tentacles and handing out milkshakes and slices of pie with his other four. Every so often a kind looking lady pig would pass plates of food through the service window and ring a little golden bell to indicate they were ready. Behind the counter, two cats were pouring drinks, slicing pie, and squirting whipped cream onto cake. The white cat with the brown splodges called a friendly hello to Hector and Sunny and pointed to two free stools at the counter. These ones are free, she said, wiping her paws on her apron. The dogs paced through the diner, saying hello to anyone who caught their eye on the way and plopped down on the stools. Hello, Sunny said to the closest cat, the round brown one with green eyes. I'm Sunny and this, this is my best friend Hector. Hi, the round cat replied. I'm Potato and this is my best friend, Beans. Beans beamed at the two dogs. Hector grinned back. This is a nice place you guys have here. Thank you, Beans said. It is our pride and joy and our home. Are you just passing through? Hector explained that yes, he supposed they are just passing through. They got here with the help of a magical squirrel and a crab's cab and they were looking for a midnight snack. Potato and Beans, used to a bit of magic by now, smiled politely and said they were happy to have them. They said it wasn't midnight here with the time difference, but they would be more than happy to give them a mid afternoon snack. Sunny said, yes, please, that would be lovely, and the cats handed them a menu. The menu was huge in shiny plastic covered in smiling doodles of flowers and suns and stars. Hector and Sunny browsed the list but looked at each other and shook their heads. I can't pick. It all sounds so good, hector said. You pick, Sunny. Sunny shook her head. I can't possibly pick, she replied. Potatoes said not to worry, they would bring them a surprise. Potato skated over to tell the chef Mrs. Pig, their order, and Beans placed tall glasses of soda in front of them, topped with a scoop of ice cream. Hector and Sunny slurped at their straws and made yummy noises. A new visitor sunk into the chair next to Sunny. It was a dog detective who shook their paws and introduced himself as Detective Hash Brown. Potato and Beans explained that sometimes they helped the detective with his cases. Hector and Sunny raised their eyebrows, impressed. Wear detectives sometimes too, they said. And sometimes we're movie stars or astronauts or babysitters. We like adventures. Potato and Beans grinned, confessing they liked adventures too. The cats and dogs quickly began swapping stories, laughing and joking and high fiving now and then. They were too busy giggling at first to notice when Turnip, the little pot bellied pig waiter, came up with two big steaming bowls of soup. He coughed and once he'd captured the dog's attention, he announced two bowls of the Soup of Dreams. He put one bowl down in front of each dog and explained that he wanted to stick around and hear what it tasted like. You see, the soup tastes differently to each customer. It tastes like their favourite things. See me? Turnip says I taste my Annie's world famous apple pie. That grizzly bear over there, Greta, she tastes honey and sardines. Sunny wrinkled her nose. And that anteater over there? He tastes ant stew. Hector pushes his dish away from him. I don't quite like the sound of those last two, he says. Maybe I'll just have pancakes instead. Try it, bean said, and Potato agreed. You'll like it. We promise. Hector and Sunny each slurped from their spoon and their tails began to wag. Oh, it tastes like. The other animals inched in closer, like they cocked their heads. Like gravy, Hector said. Like gravy ice cream and gravy sandwiches and gravy souffle all rolled into one. Sunny's eyes shone with a happy tear. To me it tastes like the treats my owners give me when I do something good. She says it tastes like their love and it tastes like how it feels when they tell me they're proud of me. Hector and Sunny slurped down their bowls of soup and sit with their paws on their belly, sighing in satisfaction. Please pass our compliments to the chef, they said to the cats. Beans smiled. Would you like to tell her yourself? She asked. Hector and Sunny looked at the kitchen doors from which the most delicious smells were wafting into the diner. Yes, please, they said. They followed the cats into the kitchen, where Mrs. Pig was seemingly cooking a hundred things at once. Mrs. Pig, Potato called. Meet our new friends, Hector and Sunny. Mrs. Pig wrapped the two dogs into a big hug. She smelt of roses and warm cookies. The dogs told her how amazing her soup was and thanked her for their snack. Oh, it isn't me you should thank for that, Mrs. Pig said. It's my magic pot. This, on the other hand, this is all me. Mrs. Pig picked up a deep fried pickle and handed it to Hector. He and Sunny took a bite. It was delicious, tangy and sweet and salty and crunchy all at once. They told Mrs. Pig it was one of the best things they'd ever tasted. What about this? Mrs. Pig asked, giving them each a chunk of apple pie. It's warm and cinnamony and sugary. They nodded in approval, mouths full of crumbs. She had them taste test all manner of things. She gave them Mac and cheese, tasty eggs and fluffy pancakes, sandwiches and chips and dips and fries and burgers. The dog's tummies ended up round and full, and their fluffy chests were covered with powdered sugar and crumbs and slicks of sauce. Coming round the corner, Ozzy the dishwasher laughed. Dudes, you look like you've been in a food fight, he said, clutching his tummy with his tentacles. Sunny nodded. I think Im too full to walk. She giggled. They'll have to roll you out of here, ozzy said. Then he paused. Maybe that's not such a bad idea. Beans picked up on his thought and said she'd be back in a jiffy. Returning into the diner, she came back with a cardboard box and inside were four roller skates. Sunny grinned. She'd been wanting to try on some roller skates since she first laid eyes on Little Turnip. When she entered the diner, the dogs took two skates each and began lacing them on their back paws. Mrs. Pig helped Hector when he got in a tangle and tied his shoelaces together. Soon it was time for them to give it a try. Potato took Hector's front paws and Beans took Sunny's. They carefully skated around the kitchen, pulling the dogs along like shopping carts. Then they said it was time for the dogs to guide themselves. The minute they let go of the dog's paws, they ended up in a heap on the floor, giggling. Hector tried to stand up again, but he couldn't get his feet to stay still and the wheeled boots went back and forth, back and forth until he landed back in a heap again. It was so funny that Sunny couldn't stand up either. She was too busy clutching her stomach and wiping tears away from her eyes. Mrs. Pig showed them very slowly how to skate, one foot in front of the other, very elegantly. Hector tried to mirror her, but his feet moved much faster and he skated into the fridge. Sunny soon began to get the hang of it and actually managed to spin. The cats and pigs and Octopus cheered and clapped. Sunny decided not to tell them she didn't mean to do a spin and actually was just trying to stand still. Eventually the dogs became good enough at roller skating that Potato and Beans didn't need to be waiting with arms out to catch them if they fell, and they skated around the kitchen doing disco dancing the best they could manage. Ozzy turned up the music on the radio and Potato and Beans joined in. After a while, Mrs. Pig went back to her cooking and Ozzy jumped into the bubbly sink to wash a stack of plates that Turnip had just dumped into the rack with a clatter. When Sunny caught sight of Ozzy in his washing up bath, she came to a stop. Do you really take a bath with the washing up? She asked him, eyes shining. That's a clever idea. I don't much like doing the washing up, but I love baths, so maybe I'd do more washing up if I could get in the water with it. Ozzy grinned. You look like you need a bath, actually, both of you, he said. You're still covered in food. Potato laughed. You look delicious, she said. But Ozzy's right. You better have a bath. Ozzy hung down his long tentacles and scooped up the dogs, dropping them in his washing up bath. The two dogs sighed as the warm water wetted their fur. It was like being in the bubbliest of bubble baths, like a steamy Jacuzzi filled with sweet smelling soap. That's my special sea kelp washing up liquid, ozzy said. It's great for your skin. The dog sat back and relaxed in the makeshift hot tub, humming along to the radio and scrubbing pans and plates and bowls with yellow sponges Whenever Ozzy handed them to them, Ozzy taught them a song he sings when he washes up, something about Scrub a dub dubbing set to a rock track. The dogs tried to sing along, but they kept laughing, so they just gave in and listened to Ozzy instead. When the dogs and the pots were all clean again, they hopped out of the sink and Potato and Beans offered to let them borrow their hair dryers. They led the dogs through the diner and up the stairs to their apartment, where each cat picked up a hairdryer and set it on the dogs, blowing their ears back and rippling their fur until they were dry and exceptionally fluffy. Potato asked the dogs if they had to go home yet, and the dogs looked at one another and said no, they weren't tired, they could stay a little longer. Potato suggested that she and Beans take the dogs out to the top of the canyon for their favourite evening activity, watching the sunset. The dogs smiled and agreed, and Beans made a call to Crabs Cabs. Usually the cats travelled by tandem bicycle, but there would be no room for the dogs. Hector suggested they could tie ropes to the back of the bike and be pulled along on their roller skates. But a toot of a car horn outside made Sunny sigh in relief. The cab was here. They wouldn't have to use Hector's wild idea today. Hector and Potato seemed a little disappointed. They'd thought it was a wonderful plan. Potato, Beans, Hector and Sunny piled into the crab's cab, and Beans pointed to the highest point of the canyon and asked the Crab to please take them there. Soon they were climbing up a twisting path in the hillside, past prickly pears and raggedy trees, singing with the sounds of crickets. The sun was beginning to set just as they reached the top of the hill, and the sky around it began to be smudged with pink and apricot. The friends sat on comfy boulders in a circle, inviting their crabby chauffeur to join them. Beans produced a flask from her bag and poured out hot chocolate into mugs, passing them out to the group. As the sun sunk lower and the sky was tinged with more reds and oranges and pinks, the animals looked out over the beautiful desert and smiled. They held paws and claws and said they were happy to spend such a beautiful moment with new friends. When the sun disappeared below the horizon, thousands of stars appeared, two or three shooting across the sky, leaving a shimmering silver trail behind them. They watched the sky for a while before the crab suggested it might be time to head home. The car was quiet as it wound back down the hill and across the plain towards the diner, except for a few sleepy yawns and the occasional pointing out of shooting stars and slow moving satellites. The cab stopped at the diner and Potato and Beans invited the dogs in for supper, but Hector and Sunny said they were too sleepy and couldn't eat another bite. They all hugged one another and promised to visit one another soon, and Potato and Beans stood in the parking lot and waved as the little car zoomed off towards the horizon. As the dogs sped down the road under an endless starry sky, they wished goodbye to the crab and barked three times as they always did to mark the end of an adventure. Before they knew it, they were back in Sunny's living room, dog beds and pillows covering the floor by the fireplace. Wow, that was the best midnight snack I've ever had, hector said. Sunny agreed and said she hoped that she wouldn't be woken by Hector's grumbling tummy again before breakfast. Hector giggled and said, yum, breakfast. His tummy grumbled again, but they were both too tired to mind. Hector curled up in his dog bed and wished Sunny good night. Sunny pulled her own bed nearer to his and placed her paw on his shoulder, wishing Hector the sweetest of dreams. The two dogs drifted back to sleep in their comfy beds, snoring softly and dreaming of a cozy diner far, far away in the middle of nowhere. Sam. Sa.