← Listen To Sleep - Quiet Bedtime Stories & Meditations
Listen To Sleep - Quiet Bedtime Stories & Meditations
Budi, Rudi, and the Cat at the Gate - A Cozy Bedtime Story About Friendship
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- [00:01]
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Hey, it's Eric. Before we begin tonight's episode, just a quick reminder. You're about to hear a few ads that help to support Listen to Sleep. If you'd rather drift off without them, you can join Listen to Sleep plus and get every episode ad free plus bonus stories and meditations. Just go to ListenToSleep.com and click on Support to learn more.
- [00:30]
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- [02:35]
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Hey there friends, It's Eric and I am so glad that you are here with me tonight. The idea for this evening's story comes from a longtime listener who lives all the way over in Germany. They asked if I could spin a tale about a girl and her little Jack Russell terrier who meet a cat and set out on some adventures together. Well, I just loved that request. It's the kind of simple, tender beginning that feels like it could have wandered straight out of a dream or a children's book. The kind of story where friendship grows in unexpected ways and where the journey is as much about learning to listen and care as it is about where the path leads. So tonight we'll join Boody and her dog Rudy as they open the blue gate of their garden and discover a new companion, a quiet cat named Lilo. And together they'll find that sometimes the best adventures begin when we make room in our hearts for someone who isn't quite like us, and we learn that our differences can be just another way of belonging. And if you're looking for more stories and meditations to help you sleep, you can search and listen to more than 400 episodes of Listen to Sleep@listentosleep.com and they are all free. While you're there, make sure you join my email list because I'll send you a few gifts to help you rest even more deeply. Like a sleepy audiobook, download a couple of peaceful recordings of the creeks near my cabin and a soothing guided meditation. It's also a great way for us to stay in touch because you can just hit reply to any of my emails if there's something on your mind. It's all@listentosleep.com and there's a link in the show Notes let's take a deep breath in and out. Just letting go of the day, Feeling the weight of gravity pulling you deep down into the matt and another deep breath in and out. Nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to be. This is your time. Quiet time. One more deep breath in with me and out. If you get tired while I'm reading to you, that's okay, just let yourself drift off. Booty Rudy and the Cat at the Gate In a quiet German village where gardens leaned into each other like neighbors sharing secrets, lived a girl named Boody. She was not very tall and not very small, but she had a way of walking that made the air soften around her. If you followed her steps, you would almost always find her dog, a Jack Russell named Rudy, hopping along like a spark on a string. Rudy had ears that seemed to listen in four directions at once and a tail that spoke more quickly than his mouth ever could. One evening, when the sun folded itself into the hills and the apple tree in the garden drew its shadow long, Boody and Rudi were sitting by the blue wooden gate. It was Rudi's favorite place. He could watch the street beyond, sniff the breeze and wonder about every sound Boody liked the gate for a different reason. She liked how it felt like a question. How big was the world beyond the garden? Was there something waiting just beyond the latch? She didn't mind, not knowing the answer yet. For Boody, sitting with a question was a kind of peace. That evening, the air was still enough to notice small things. The hum of a beetle, the creak of a shutter, the rhythm of Rudi's breathing. Then came a sound neither of them expected. A soft mew, so gentle it seemed to come from the night itself. Rudy bolted up to his feet, tail up like a flag. He barked once, then stopped because the sound didn't really seem threatening. It was more curious. Careful. Boody put a hand on his back. Let's listen first, she whispered, though whispering wasn't needed. Listening had already filled the air. The mew came again from the other side of the gate. Rudy's paws tapped with impatience, but he stayed put, quivering with questions. Boody leaned closer, her fingers on the latch. She paused, as she always did, to feel her breath in, out. The moment always grew a little larger when she noticed it. She lifted the latch. The gate opened with a sigh, and there, sitting as though she had been waiting all along, was a cat the color of smoke and cream. Her tail curled like a question mark, and her eyes held more night than the sky above. Rudi's nose twitched, and he gave a small growl, not unfriendly, more like the sound a kettle makes when it's not sure if it should boil. The cat blinked slowly, which in cat language means, I'm not here to fight. Udi crouched down. Hello, she said, though most of the hello was in how. Gently she placed her hand on the earth. The cat stepped forward, one paw, then another, never rushing. Rudy stiffened, then relaxed when Boody stroked his back. The cat slipped past the gate and sat beneath the apple tree. She mewed once more, softer now, as if to say, may I stay awhile? Rudi tilted his head. He didn't quite understand, but he understood enough. He sniffed the ground near her, circled once, and finally lay down, eyes watchful but no longer sharp. Boody smiled. You can stay, she said, as much to Rudi as to the cat. The garden grew still again. The three of them sat in the twilight, girl, dog and cat breathing together without trying. The apple tree dropped one leaf at their feet. It turned once, like a compass, then came to rest. Boody noticed the leaf, and then she noticed the moment, noticing her back. Sometimes beginnings are small like that, just a sound at a gate or a leaf. Choosing where to fall. The cat blinked again, her eyes softer now. Rudy sighed, and his tail thumped once against the grass. Lilo, boody whispered, as though the name had always been there, waiting. The cat's ears twitched and she seemed to agree. The sky deepened. Stars arrived one by one like careful guests, and under the apple tree a circle had formed. Boody, Rudy, and Lilo. It wasn't a circle drawn in lines or fences, but in breath and in the quiet kind of welcome that makes strangers feel at home. The garden, once small, had grown wide enough to hold them all. The morning after Lilo's quiet arrival, the garden felt different. The air seemed to listen more carefully, and even the butterflies seemed to pause a little longer on the apple branches before flitting off. Boody woke early, with Rudi already sniffing around the blue gate, as if checking that the cat had not disappeared with the night. But Lillo was still there. She sat on the stone step, her paws tucked neatly beneath her chest, her eyes half closed, as though she had been awake for hours watching the light change. Rudi barked once, sharp and uncertain. He was not sure if she was a guest or an intruder, and his heart bounced between the two. Easy, boody said, resting her hand on his back. Let's notice before we decide. So they did. Rudy sniffed the air, drawing in the scent of fur and dew. Boody listened to the way Lilo's breath moved. It was a soft rhythm that matched a gentle breeze. The garden itself seemed to lean toward stillness, waiting to see what would happen. Lilo opened her eyes fully and blinked slowly, once, twice. It was not a command or a warning. It was simply what it was, a blink that said, I see you and I am here. Rudi stepped forward, his nails clicking lightly on the stone. His body quivered with the urge to chase, but he remembered the softness in Boody's hand. He sniffed at Lilo's paw. She did not move. He sniffed again. Then, satisfied, or perhaps just out of questions, he circled once and sat down, though his tail continued to wag like a small metronome. That's better, boody said, smiling. Breakfast came next. Boody set down Rudy's bowl, then placed a saucer with a little milk next to Lilo. The cat leaned forward, lapped once, then sat back with perfect poise. Rudi slurped noisily and finished too quickly, then looked longingly at the saucer. Boody tapped his shoulder and said, yours is finished. Hers is hers. Rudi sighed but obeyed. Lilo's whiskers twitched, amused. After breakfast, they sat Beneath the apple tree. The sun was climbing, but the grass was still cool with night's memory. Rudy rolled onto his back, legs in the air, an open invitation. Lilo tilted her head, puzzled. Then she padded closer, tapped his paw with hers, and retreated again. Rudy righted himself and barked a friendly bark. This time Lilo's tail curled. Not high, not low, just enough to show interest. See, Boody said softly. Different shapes, same play. The day grew warm and the garden seemed to hum. Boody leaned against the tree and let her eyes close for a moment. She breathed in and out, following the way the air cooled her nose and warmed her chest. She felt Rudi's steady presence on one side and after a pause, Lilo's light weight pressing against her other knee. The three of them sat like that, and the garden seemed to widen again, as if there were more space inside stillness than in all the roads of the village. It was Lilo who first looked beyond the garden wall. Her ears twitched toward the meadow where the tall grass swayed like green waves. A breeze carried the scent of clover and something else, a faint ringing, almost like a bell under a blank. Boody opened her eyes and followed Lilo's gaze. Rudy was already standing, tail stiff with curiosity. An adventure, maybe, boody said. The word seemed to hang in the air, both invitation and question. Rudi barked twice and pawed at the gate. Lilo flicked her tail, her eyes bright. Boody rose, brushed the grass from her dress, and set a hand on the gate. She waited, breathing once, twice, until the moment felt ready. Then she opened the gate and the three of them stepped out together. The path was wide and edged with wildflowers. Rudi bounded ahead, then stopped to wait. Lilo moved with quiet grace, her paws silent on the earth. Boody followed between them, listening to the rhythm of their steps, the bright energy of one, the careful patience of the other. Different, yes, but not apart. The path from the village soon gave way to a mountain trail lined with tall grass and buttercups. The morning sun was soft on their shoulders, and every breeze carried a new story, one of wild mint, another of damp soil, another of distant hay drying in a field. Rudi darted ahead, nose twitching, ears flopping like two little flags. He was all movement, all questions. Each rustle in the grass was a mystery that demanded his attention. A beetle, a butterfly, a shadow. He wanted to chase them all. Lilo, on the other hand, moved with deliberate slowness. She padded close to the edge of the path where the grass was thickest and paused. Often when she stopped, it was not from Fear. But from listening, her ears turned toward sounds Boody and Rudi could barely notice. The wing beat of a sparrow, the hum of bees inside clover, the whisper of grass bending under its own weight. Two ways of traveling, boody murmured. Quick eyes and quiet ears. Rudy barked once, as if to agree with his own style. He dashed forward and leapt over a patch of nettles, turning back proudly as if to say, this is how you do it. Lilo remained where she was, tail curled neatly around her paws, waiting until the breeze shifted. She stepped around the nettles gracefully, as though the earth had shown her a secret path. Boody followed them both, smiling. Different, but not wrong, she said to the path itself, to the sky, to anyone who might be listening. The three came to a low stone wall, the kind that had been there longer than memory. Moss covered its top, and lichens painted it with pale circles. Rudy scrambled up at once, nails clicking, tail wagging furiously as he surveyed the meadow beyond. Up and see. His whole body seemed to shout. Lilo did not rush. She leapt lightly, her paws landing so softly that the moss seemed undisturbed. From her perch she looked not far, but deep into the tangle of grasses and the flight of a butterfly just inches from her whiskers. Udi climbed more slowly, resting her palms on the stones as if thanking them for their steadiness. She sat between dog and cat, feeling the warmth of their bodies close to hers. From there she could see the meadow stretch, wide and bright with birch trees standing in a loose circle at its heart. It was then the faint bell sound came again, clearer this time, a note so small it might have been imagined. Yet it tingled in the air and seemed to hum in their chests. Rudi jumped down first, ready to race toward it. His paws tore a path in the grass, but after a few strides he stopped, ears back, and looked behind him. He waited. Boody touched the wall, then followed, her steps measured. Lilo landed last with a fluid grace and padded forward without hurry. The three of them moved as a kind of rhythm now, Rudi's bursts of energy, Boody's steady pace, and Lilo's slow attentiveness. As they walked, Boody noticed how each of them saw what the others missed. Rudi spotted a rabbit darting at the edge of the field. Lilo noticed the rabbit's trail, the soft bend of grass where it had passed. Boody, walking between them, noticed both and the way they fit together, the quick and the quiet, the leap and the pause. They reached the birch circle. The trunks stood like slender guardians, their White bark etched with dark lines that looked almost like smiles. Sunlight flickered through the leaves, dappling the ground with patches of light. The air there felt cooler, as if the trees themselves were breathing. Boody sat cross legged in the center, inviting the others with her stillness. Rudi circled twice before curling against her knee, his panting slowing. Lilo slipped into a sunbeam. Her body stretched long and elegant, eyes half closed. For a time, they were simply there. The meadow hummed with bees. The birches whispered in the wind. The bell sound returned, soft and far away, yet it seemed to echo inside them. Boody placed her palm on the grass. Every way of moving has its gifts, she said softly. Quick can show us the road. Quiet can show us the details. Together we see more than we ever could alone. Rudy side rolling to one side, content. Lilo purred so faintly it sounded like the wind itself. And for a while, the three of them let the meadow hold them. Different creatures, one circle, listening for the bell. From the birch circle, the path sloped downward, leading toward the far edge of the meadow, where a brook widened into a slow stream. The water glimmered in the afternoon light, carrying reflections of clouds, like boats drifting downstream. Rudi saw it first and barked with delight. He dashed to the edge, paws scattering pebbles, and leapt onto a flat rock in the middle. The splash of his landing sent ripples across the water. He wagged his tail furiously, proud of his bravery. Lilo did not share his enthusiasm. She stopped short of the bank, her paws planted firmly on dry earth. Her whiskers trembled. Water was not her friend. It was too changeable, too quick, too wet. She sat down and wrapped her tail tightly around herself, her eyes wide and unblinking. Booty crouched between them, the cool grass pressing into her knees. She felt the pull in two directions, Rudy eager to leap across, and Lilo anchored by unease. She closed her eyes for a moment and let her breath steady her. In, out. The stream burbled on, unconcerned. When she opened her eyes, she smiled softly. We can listen to the water first, she said. So they did. Rudy cocked his head, puzzled but willing. Lilo twitched her ears, her body still tense, but she listened. The brook spoke in small syllables. Taps on stones, whispers around moss. A gentle rush where it narrowed. It was not angry. It was simply being itself. Boody placed her hand on a flat stepping stone near the bank. Let's go together, she said. Each in our own way. Rudy bounced ahead, testing the stones with his fearless leaps. He nearly slipped once, but caught himself, shaking the water from his paws with a snort. Of laughter. His energy lit the way, showing which stones were safe. Buddy followed more slowly, her sandals finding balance on the rocks. She held her arms wide, steady as the birches had been. When they reached the middle, she turned back. Lilo was still on the bank, tail curled, eyes wary. Come, boody said gently, one paw, then another. We'll wait. Lilo placed a paw on the first stone, then drew it back. She tried again. The stone was damp, but it held. She paused, breathing fast, her whiskers quivering. Rudy barked encouragement from his rock, tail wagging against it like a little drumstick. Lilo blinked at him, uncertain, but Boody's calm presence steadied her. Slowly, carefully, she stepped to the next stone, then another. When she reached the rock where Boody and Rudi waited, Boody crouched low and touched her hand to Lilo's shoulder. Brave doesn't always mean fast, she whispered. Sometimes it means steady. Lilo blinked slowly, and her body softened. Rudy wagged so hard he nearly toppled into the water. Together they crossed the final stones and reached the far bank. Just as they did, the sky shifted. Clouds began to gather thick and gray, and a cool wind rustled through the meadow. Within moments, rain began to fall, first a sprinkle, then a shower. Rudy barked at the drops, snapping at them as if they were playful insects. He bounded in circles, delighted by the change. Lilo hunched, her fur, spiking, her ears flat against her head. She darted beneath the branches of a low willow for shelter. Boody joined her, kneeling beneath the green canopy where the rain drummed softly on the leaves. Rudy darted back and forth, torn between playing in the rain and staying near his friends. Different again, boody said, smiling at them both. One of us dances in the rain, one of us waits it out. Both are ways of being with the storm. She closed her eyes, letting the patter of drops become a lullaby. Sometimes the world asks us to be still. Sometimes it asks us to leap, and sometimes it just asks us to sit and listen. The rain softened after a while, thinning to a mistake. Rudi returned, damp and panting, and flopped onto the grass with a satisfied sigh. Lilo shook her fur and stretched, easing back into her graceful calm. Together they stepped from beneath the willow, the meadow shining silver with raindrops. The faint bell sound drifted once more through the air, clearer now, as if the storm had wrung it awake. Boody looked at Rudi, then at Lilo. Shall we follow? Rudi's tail wagged. Lilo blinked slowly, and side by side they walked on their differences, not walls but doors into a Wider world. The path bent back toward the village as the afternoon stretched into evening. The rain had left the air cool and clear, and the meadow sparkled with droplets that clung to every blade of grass. Each step made the world glimmer. Rudi trotted ahead, nose low to the ground, following scents freshly stirred by the storm. He darted left, then right, always returning to glance back and make sure Booty and Lilo were near. His paws left little prints in the softened earth. Lilo moved more carefully, placing each paw with deliberate grace, her tail flicking as she surveyed the shimmering meadow. She did not mind being behind. From where she walked, she could see everything. Rudi's zigzag joy, Boody's steady pace, and the way the light slid slowly toward night. Boody followed the path between them, her hands brushing against wet grasses that left cool kisses on her palms. She breathed deeply, feeling the damp earth beneath her feet and the freshness of the air filling her chest. At the far end of the meadow, the old stone wall appeared again, glowing faintly in the fading light. They climbed it together, Rudy scrambling up noisily, Lilo leaping with elegant silence, Boody lifting herself with a soft laugh. From the top, they looked back across the fields. The birches stood like silver friends. The willow leaned gently over the brook, and the meadow stretched wide and patient, as though it had been holding them all along. The faint bell note came once more, a sound small enough to miss but impossible to ignore. It seemed to ring inside each one of them. Rudy's quick heart, Lilo's quiet patience, Booty's steady breath. They climbed down the wall and followed the path back toward the village. The roofs of houses began to appear, their chimneys just beginning to puff evening smoke. Windows glowed warmly as lanterns were lit. The world was folding itself toward rest. When they reached the blue garden gate, Boody paused. She placed her hand on the wood, damp from the rain, and let the moment settle. Rudy danced impatiently at her heels, eager to be home. Lilo sat beside her, tail curled neatly, waiting. Without hurry, Boody opened the gate. It sighed the same way it always did, but this time it felt like a welcome. Inside, the apple tree stood with its branches heavy from the rain, drops sliding down like tiny stars falling earthward. The grass smelled sweet and fresh. The garden felt larger than before, as if it had stretched to hold all that the three of them had found together. Rudi bounded to his favorite patch of grass, rolled happily, and barked once for good measure. Lilo walked with quiet dignity to the stone step and sat, her eyes soft in the fading light. Boody settled into a dry spot beneath the apple tree, leaning against its trunk. And then, one by one, they found their places around her. Rudy curled at Boody's feet, his sides rising and falling with a tired rhythm. Lilo crawled up into her lap, paws tucked under her chest, her tail wrapped neatly around. Boody placed a hand on each of them, her palms warmed by their nearness. The first star appeared overhead, then another. Boody spoke softly, her words as much for herself as for her companions. We are different, but we belong together. Quick eyes and quiet ears, leaps and pauses. Fear and courage. All of it matters. All of it belongs. Rudi stirred in his half sleep, thumping his tail once in agreement. Lilo blinked slowly, her eyes half closed, then purred the sound as gentle as rain on leaves. The garden grew quiet. The night wrapped around them, not as something to keep out, but as something to rest. Inside, the blue gate stayed ajar, not forgotten, but welcoming, like an open heart. Boody closed her eyes, listening for the bell. It was still there, faint and steady, ringing inside her chest. Not a sound for ears, a sound for being. Rudy sighed. Lilo purred. Boody breathed. And in that small circle under the apple tree, three different lives had become one. Gentle rhythm, quiet enough for sleep, strong enough for friendship. Wide enough to hold them all. Good night.