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Koala Moon: Kids Bedtime Stories & Sleep Stories for Kids Podcast
The Alien Who Slept In The Arcade 👽💤 Out of This World Bedtime Stories for Kids
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Foreign hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original bedtime stories and sleep meditations for kids designed to make bedtime a dream. We're welcoming into the club tonight Frances from Launceston in Tasmania. Hiya, Francis. Thanks for joining us. Enjoy all of your ad free listening from now on and the oodles and oodles and oodles of stories in our back catalogue. I wonder who your favourite character is? You can let me know and then I can tell you if you've heard all of the stories because some of our characters have had like 30 so stories at least written about them. I might be exaggerating, but you know, we've done a lot by now. Anyway, tonight's story, we are going to meet up with an alien that we've met before. An alien. It has been a while, so you may not remember him so clearly. He's called Stanley and he's from Potato and Beans Route 66 adventure. He gave them a poster, if you remember saying, we come in peace. Well, anyway, he's back on Earth and this time he's not in the middle of nowhere. He is in a very sleepy somewhere. A sleepy seaside town on the English coast to be precise. And frankly, there's not very much to do there. Silly Stanley has missed his space bus home and he's found himself stranded here for a few more unexpected weeks. Luckily though, Stanley soon finds his way to the Intergalactic Arcade, a space themed games hall. And what better place to while away some time and maybe, just maybe, he'll find some marvellous, unexpected way to phone home, settle into bed, lie back and close your eyes whilst trying to imagine a small village tucked into a slice of land nestled between a tall cliff and the wide blue sea. There are sailing boats in the harbour, there are calling seagulls and there's a faint smell of fish and chips as we join Stanley at his bus stop. This is the Alien who Slept in the arcade by Susannah McLoughlin. 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 Coco Club, subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes. But now here's a quick word from our sponsors, grown ups. If you're looking for a fun new way to bring a little bluey magic into your children's playtime, here's something I think you'll love. It's the Bluey Supermarket playset, made for kids who love imagining and playing just like Bluey. Just like in the show, this three level supermarket is full of imaginative fun with a real working escalator, rooftop cafe and shelves to explore. It includes exclusive figures, Supermarket Bluey and Bingo with her lollipop, plus 15 plus play pieces and 24 sound effects. Even including a working supermarket intercom. Little ones can decorate the store, ride the escalator and make their own Bluey inspired adventures. And the best part, it works with all their other Bluey figures too. Bluey Supermarket playset is available at all major retailers hey Koala Moon listeners, We've got something special for you this month. From September 8th to September 22nd, you can enjoy a 14 day free trial of Koala Moon Premium, our subscriber only world of extra bedtime adventures ad free listening and and magical compilations to celebrate our new subscribers this back to school season, we've gathered some of our most heartwarming school adventures into one cosy collection. Join Isla Prickles, Cuddle, the Puggle, the Jupiter Twins, Coco and more for gentle tales of first days, new friends, exciting trips and everyday school magic. We'll be releasing this collection in September, so it's the perfect time to join and make bedtime calm after busy school days. Tap to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or use the Supercast link in our show Notes for Spotify, yoto and other players to start your free trial and snuggle up with all the stories. Stanley the alien sat on the stone wall at the bus stop, watching the white puffy clouds drifting overhead. He looked for the familiar glint of the space bus on its way to pick him up, but as of yet, all that crossed the vast blue expanse of the sky was a little propeller plane, a human one that did a little loop de loop before carrying on its journey. An older alien, a lady with bubblegum pink hair piled up in a neat twist on top of her head, was also waiting, knitting a scarf in rainbow colours. She smiled as she tip tapped her knitting needles together, though to a human the bus stop would seem just like any other. It was actually the only bus stop on Earth visited by the Intergalactic space fleet, and so it acted as the drop off and pick up point for any aliens wanting to take a holiday in our world. Stanley had just spent seven days on planet Earth, a short holiday, a cultural trip in which he learned all he could about Earthlings. For seven days he'd moved amongst them, the older ones, the young ones, the furry ones with four legs and a tail. He studied them and their habits, throwing frisbees at the park, splashing in the sea, eating all kinds of human foods. It had been a delightful holiday, but now it was time to return home to his mum and dad, who'd clean his washing and make his dinner. Lovely sweet home. The bus was late, but Stanley didn't mind. It was so relaxing sitting here on the wall, listening to the tapping, knitting, watching the poofy clouds. Stanley took out his headphones and popped an earbud in each ear. He had just found out about something the Earthlings called K Pop and now he was obsessed. It was all he could listen to now. When his favourite song came on, he started to mime the choreography, using his fingers to act out the kicks and spins. He closed his eyes in concentration, nodding along to the beat, only opening his eyes three minutes later when he mimed hitting the final pose, making love hearts with his fingers and thumbs. Instead of a stadium of adoring fans, he saw a long yellow spaceship. His ride. It was already being enveloped in pink fog as it rumbled to life, ready to float up into the air. He caught a glimpse of the old lady alien through the window who was settling into her seat and retrieving her knitting as the ship disappeared into the clouds above. Stanley started towards the space bus, waving his arms, but it was too late. He missed it. He missed his bus. It had come and gone. Stanley pulled out his earbuds and put his hands on his hips with a sigh. He was such a silly alien. Like his dad always said. He had one foot in this world and the other in his imagination. He would lose his antennae if they weren't screwed on. Stanley looked at the bus timetable and sighed again. The buses came once every hour, but that was an hour measured by Excelcon 6, his home planet standards, and with the time distortion and all, that meant there wouldn't be another bus in four Earth weeks and his parents wouldn't even realise he was late. Silly time dilation, Stanley said, shaking his head. His mum had told him to bring a transmitter so he could call her for a ride in case something like this happened. But Stanley had told her he didn't need to. Transmitters were bulky and loud. He'd just used an Earth phone whilst he'd been here. Earth phones had games like Angry Birds. They were way better. He sighed, shrugged and sat on the wall. He supposed that in this sticky situation all there was to do was wait. So he did. He tried all sorts to make the time go quicker. First he counted the clouds floating overhead. 1, 2, 3, 4. Then he watched some ants transporting a piece of lettuce along the pavement, a big marching line all working together. He counted the ants. 1, 2, 3, 4. Then when he ran out of things to count, he just sat. Stanley stayed there on the wall, swinging his feet and twiddling his thumbs for an hour or so before realising waiting was no fun at all. So he began to walk. He strolled through the park and across the tennis courts to the leisure centre before passing the cinema and crossing Main Street. He wandered along the seafront, watching the seagulls swooping and drifting across the sky. He wandered past groups of kids eating ice cream and salty chips and the man leading his donkeys back and forth over the sand, giving rides to toddlers. He passed the man who sold doughnuts, sniffing in the sweet smell, and held his breath as he passed the woman who sold fish sticks and crab shells. Stanley wasn't supposed to still be here on Earth, but on a beautiful day like this, with the donkeys and the girls and the doughnuts, surrounded by all these beautiful things, Stanley felt glad that he the sun was just beginning to set when he reached the pier, which meant the signs had just lit up for the evening, shining like beacons and reflecting in the water that lapped the shoreline. There, between the chip shop and the candy store, was an arcade, and decorating its front was a giant neon spaceship. The sign was boinging on a spring as if taking off from the side of the building into the night sky. Stanley gazed up at it and felt a strange kind of homely feeling. The spaceship on the sign was blue like his mum's. Stanley looked at the other signs affixed onto the building. There was a neon alien raising its hands, fingers split in an extraterrestrial greeting. There were dayglo planets and stars, and upbeat electronic music was spilling out into the night from an open door. The words above the door read Intergalactic Arcade. Stanley smiled. This place reminded him of XLCON 6. It felt like home. Stanley shrugged and the little worries that had set in at the bus stop rolled off his shoulders. So what if he had an extra four weeks to spend on Earth? He loved Earth. And maybe if he stayed here at the Intergalactic Arcade, he wouldn't even miss his home cooked dinners or clean laundry. Yes, he thought, this would do nicely. The little alien entered the arcade and found himself immediately wrapped in a whirl of sound and colour. Kids were riding pretend motorbikes in front of gaming screens, riding around racetracks. They were putting pennies into machines, trying to knock prizes into their waiting hands. They were making Pac man gobble white little dots and chase the little octopi away and pushing buttons to make a little frog jump to cross a busy road. Stanley, in his own little bubble, watched from the sidelines, comforted by the smiles and laughter filling the room. A tasty smell wafted from the restaurant in the corner of the arcade and Stanley followed, his nose taking a seat in one of the red leather booths. The mustachioed guy working there in his cap and Star Wars T shirt soon came over and dropped a paper plate in front of him. Aliens eat free, he said with a wink. Stanley grinned. It wasn't often people saw him. He only reached their knees, after all, and people don't tend to notice things they don't believe in. But from the theme of the establishment, he could tell this guy was a fan. On the plate was a thick, doughy slice of pepperoni pizza. Stanley gobbled it down and then accepted another slice and then a third. When the crowds left, the mustachioed worker swept, mopped and closed down the arcade, switching off the video games and lowering the lights. Stay here as long as you want, little dude, he called over his shoulder as he left. And so Stanley had the intergalactic arcade all to himself. Stanley strolled across the slightly sticky carpets, playing a game here and there. He started with a sports game, throwing basketballs through a net, quickly setting a new high score. They played a lot of basketball on XLCON 6. Their national team, the Mighty Comets of XLCON, had just beat the Jupiter Dribblers to win the Milky Way cup after all. Then Stanley played a puzzle game, stacking blocks of peculiar shapes and sizes as they fell from the top of the screen. Next he raced a race car along a rainbow road, picking up mushrooms that gave him ultra speed and dropping banana skins behind him. He got sixth place first, then fifth, then fourth and third twice. Finally he came first, and he did a happy dance to celebrate. He collected the little paper tickets he'd won and decided that tomorrow he'd trade them in for a prize, maybe one of those pens with the fluffy troll on top. Finally, Stanley yawned. It had been a surprising day and suddenly he realised he was pooped. His eyelids felt heavy and his eyes were tired from concentrating so hard on his games. It was time to find a bed. But where? Stanley wandered about for a while, wondering which would be comfier, the restaurant booths or the sticky carpet, until his gaze finally fell on a machine lit up with golden light in the corner. The claw machine. It was full of plushies, big brown teddy bears with button eyes and soft felt noses. They were like a huge cuddle puddle of fluff, all soft bellies and round ears. That would do, Stanley thought. That would do nicely. Stanley headed over to the machine and crawled up through the chute that usually dropped out the prizes. He emerged into the machine and crawled onto the top of the teddy pile. It was as soft as can be. A yawn escaped his mouth as he stretched his arms over his head and sunk into the soft pile of bears. And just like that, he fell into a deep, comfy sleep. Stanley woke up the next morning with his arms wrapped tight around a bear's belly. He felt weightless, supported by a cloud of plushies, and he decided to just lay there a while, just stretching, yawning and listening to the sounds of the sleepy arcade. Soon the Mustachioid worker was back, opening the shutters to let Golden Sunshine in, cleaning and mopping, shuffling around in the morning quiet. Stanley stood up, teetered and tottered over to the prize chute and with a hop slid on his bottom out of the machine, landing perfectly on the carpet. In his hand he held the rolled up tickets he'd won during his late night gaming. Stanley waited patiently until Moustache man opened up the prize booth, then placed his tickets on the desk with a grin. Whoa. Well done, little dude, the man said. You're a top gamer. He counted the tickets who? And gestured to the lowest prize tier. You've got enough for a troll pen or a skipping rope or a bouncy ball. Stanley began to peruse the shelf before his eyes started to wander up to the items that had heftier ticket prizes. If you won 250 tickets, you could get a chess set or a skateboard. 500. Got a mini trampoline or a life sized giraffe toy. 750. Got you a robot dog or a voucher to feed the elephants at the zoo. Finally, 1000 tickets got you. Stanley's mouth fell open. A state of the art Martian transmitter with five channels and two extendable antennae. A transmitter that Stanley could use to call his mum and get a lift straight home. Home where there'd be a warm dinner on the table and his pet snail and other aliens to shoot hoops with. Hey buddy, have you chosen? The man said. Stanley closed his mouth and grabbed his tickets off the desk. Change my mind, he said. Im going for gold. He pointed a green finger at the top prize and the moustached man raised his eyebrows, impressed by his determination. No one's got a thousand tickets before, he said. But if anyone can do it, my Bet's on you. Stanley headed into the arcade, which was slowly filling up with kids. He needed 1,000 tickets. It couldn't be that hard, could it? He started out on air hockey and soon a line of kids was trailing around the arcade. No one could beat him. Stanley's reactions were record fast. As soon as the puck bounced off his opponent's pusher, Stanley was there in the perfect spot, waiting for it. And every hit that he made sent the puck bouncing. Ping, ping, ping, around the table until it slotted into the goal with a satisfying clunk. A lazy ribbon of tickets grew from Stanley's side of the table, curling into a pile on the floor. After he won against the last girl in the line with a whoop and a victory dance, Stanley sat cross legged and counted his tickets. After eight hours, he had won 75 tickets. His grand total was now 100. Stanley was puzzled. All that work, all those wins, and he was only 1/10 on the way to his goal. It'd take 10 days for him to win the transmitter. Stanley sat in his booth eating pizza, resting. To get his energy up. The little alien looked around the arcade. Maybe there was a better way to win tickets, he thought. He wandered around the games, running through the maths in his head. How long each game took, how likely he was to win, how many tickets he could get per win. Nothing seemed to help his mission. There was one shadowy corner in the back of the arcade that Stanley was yet to explore. He had looked pretty empty and unused. Maybe it held old broken games or the ones no one cared to play anymore. He padded over, blinking through the darkness as his eyes adjusted. The bright showy lights didn't reach back here. There, as if it had been left for a hundred years, Stanley found a machine covered in a sheet. He pulled back the sheet, sneezing as dust flew into the air like a cloud of glitter. It was a game, Stanley was sure of it. There was a platform to stand on and big speakers, a screen and buttons to press. There was a big pink button right in the middle. It was emblazoned with the word start. Thinking he had nothing to lose, Stanley stood on the platform and hit the button. A whirr sounded overhead and a disco ball began to spin with a gentle creak. A series of beeps and boops sounded as the machine began to come slowly to life. One spotlight lit up, then another, and suddenly Stanley was in a show. A shimmering disco of multicoloured light began to swim around him and music began to pump out of the speakers as a dancer appeared on the screen, Stanley stared at a melody he knew well. It was K Pop, but not just that. It was his absolute favourite K Pop song. His favourite any song in the whole world. The floor lit up beneath him and the dancer on the screen began to dance. Stanley quickly understood the rules. It was a dance game. He copied the screen, stamping in time, anticipating every move, every twirl, sashay and shimmy. Messages began to pop up on the screen. They said, amazing. You got it. Style swag on point. He didn't miss a single move. Stanley was winning the game. In fact, he thought this game was made for him. He was a K pop idol. He was a star. His fans were cheering for him and his antennae were bouncing, his feet moving faster than the speed of light. When the song came to an end, the machine released a long string of tickets. 100 tickets. That's how well Stanley danced. Stanley scrolled through the list of songs. What would he do next? More K Pop, of course. He danced through every song in the repertoire, never missing a point. A crowd soon gathered to watch, drawn into the gloomy corner, which was now a disco, their faces bathed in flashing lights as they watched Stanley spin, twirl and leap across the dance pad in a green, groovy blur. Word spread fast and passersby were bundled in off the street, the whole town coming together in the Intergalactic Arcade. Not only were people seeing an alien for the first time, but they were seeing an alien who could dance. Stanley, who usually blended in, was gathering more attention than he ever had before. And he kind of liked it. Someone pulled out a phone and snapped a pic. Then someone else did the same. Stanley didn't notice. He was too busy nailing a jump split. But before long, the Intergalactic Arcade was all over the Internet and Stanley was being heralded. The AliendanceKing. Each perfect performance caused another ribbon of tickets to drop into his waiting arms. 200, 400, 600. After what felt like hours, he finally hopped off the machine to hugs and applause. He smiled for selfies, making little hearts with his fingers and thumbs, his signature pose. Someone took his place on the dance mat, bopping away, and the crowds turned to cheer on the new star. When his legs no longer felt like jelly, Stanley stood up, dusted himself off and marched up to the prize counter, a mountain of tickets piled high in his arms. Hey, champ. Moustacheman said that was quite a show. Looks to me like you might have enough for the top prize. Stanley nodded, eyes bright. 1053, he announced proudly, dropping the bundle with a satisfying Rustle moustacheman reached up to the top shelf and retrieved the Martian transmitter. He rooted around for some AA batteries, popped them in the device, and placed it ceremonially in in Stanley's hands. Stanley took it carefully, as if it were made of glass. He felt a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through his chest. He'd done it. He'd won the ultimate prize. Stanley twisted the dial, flipped the antenna, and pressed the biggest button. A soft whir filled the air, followed by a voice crackling through the speaker. Stanley? Sweetie, is that you? Stanley beamed. Hi, Mum. I missed the bus. Of course you did. She sighed. Not to worry, buddy. Do you need a lift? Stanley looked around the arcade. The kids were still dancing, and the girl with big bouncy curls turned to look his way, beckoning him back into the game. He looked at the transmitter. I think I'll catch the bus home, actually, when it comes, he said. I made some friends. I think I want to stay just a little longer, if that's ok. It was, and when he and his mum had hung up the call, Stanley turned back to the arcade, tucking the transmitter into his hoodie pocket and giving it a loving pat as he headed into the throng of laughing kids. That night, Stanley curled up in the claw machine, nestled amongst his pile of teddy bears. Soft, sleepy lights flashed gently overhead the arcade once again packed down and wiped clean for the night. Now it was quiet, but Stanley still had a happy butterfly or two flapping in his tummy as he took deep, sleepy breaths. The butterflies ceased their dancing and Stanley sunk lower into the soft surface beneath him. His belly was full of pizza and his arms and legs were pleasantly tired from a day of dancing. Stanley once again was pooped and very, very happy. The little alien smiled to himself as he drifted into his dreams. Maybe, he thought, maybe he'd try to miss the bus more often. The once noisy dance machine was now all turned off, polished, clean and sleeping. Until tomorrow. Stanley had left the disco ball turning, however, sending soft silver light swimming over the walls and floor of the arcade. You would almost have thought you were underwater. With the gentle undulating patterns shining over the arcade, Stanley dreamt of slowly twisting nebula as the silver light danced against his closed eyelids and he sank deeper into the soft, plush surface beneath him, glow in the dark, stars shone from the ceiling with soft green light, and the soft whir of the aircon filled his alien ears with a quiet, sleepy buzz. Everything was packed away, switched off and sleeping, and so was Stanley, curled around a soft, plump teddy bear, little tummy moving up and down as he sn. There would be plenty of fun to come tomorrow. But for now, sleep, Sam.