A (0:00)

A short message for Grown ups Holiday travel with little ones can be an adventure. Between airport waits and long car rides, it helps to have something calm and engaging ready to go. Netflix Kids Games has games your kids can play without Wi fi, perfect for when you're in the air or on the road. They feature characters like Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and Barbie. And they're educational, too. Everything's fully unlocked with your Netflix membership, so there are no extra costs. You can download shows and movies for offline watching, too. Visit netflixfamily.com traveltips for more ways to make holiday travel easier on everyone. That's netflixfamily.com traveltips Happy travels, friends, Hello friends, and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories. We are going to share a story of a bold tin soldier and his adventures over the next little while. As you are listening, you might hear about some familiar characters in the story. Arnold has asked if he can have some tin soldiers, and his father takes him to the toy store to look. When he gets home, he takes the soldiers out of the box, shows his sister, and plays with them. But this is just the beginning of the Bold Tin Soldier's adventures. The Bold Tin Soldier's Adventures, Part 1The Bold Tin soldier stood straight in his box, sword at his side, watching the girl's hands fold brown paper around him and his men. Through the store windows he could see snow drifting past the streetlights. There you go, the girl said, tying string around the package. One set of tin soldiers. A boy's face appeared above the counter. Can I carry them, Daddy? Careful now, Arnold. Arnold. The captain's painted eyes couldn't move, but something clicked in his tin head. Arnold and come on. A little girl bounced into view. I want to show Mirabel my new Mirabel. That was it. The lamb on wheels had told them about these children back before she'd been sold. They lived next door to Dorothy and Richard, who had the sawdust doll and the white rocking horse. The box jostled. Cold air rushed in as they left the store. Then warmth again. A car engine. More jostling. Then stillness. The lid lifted. Forward march. Arnold's voice boomed. One by one, the boy lifted the soldiers out and stood them in neat rows on the table. The captain got placed at the front, where he could finally look around properly. Bright room. Afternoon sun through windows. The air smelled like cookies and cinnamon. Warm. Safe. The door banged open. Arnold, what did you get? A girl rushed in, dragging something behind her. These are my new soldiers, Mirabel. Daddy took me to the store and I bought them, but the Captain wasn't listening anymore. He was staring at what Mirabel had dragged into the room. A lamb on wheels, woolly and white with a pink nose. And Want to see my soldiers battle? Arnold asked. Oh, no, Arnold. They might get all mixed up. Mirabel pretended to shiver. What if you can't remember which ones are which? The captain stood frozen in Arnold's hand, trying to stay stiff like a proper toy should. But inside his tin heart was racing. That was definitely the lamb. Same wool, same wheels, same way of tilting her head. Arnold divided the soldiers into two groups and started a mock battle, marching them toward each other and making them fall over dramatically. He made sound effects, crashes and clatters so loud that Mirabel covered her ears and ran out, dragging her lamb behind her. When the battle ended, Arnold carefully placed each soldier back in the box. The captain went in last, standing at attention at the front of his men. The lid closed. Darkness. Sir, the sergeant whispered. Where are we? Somewhere good, I think, the captain whispered back. I saw an old friend. The box shifted. Footsteps. Arnold's crossing the room. A door opening. The captain felt himself being lifted, then sat down on a shelf. Good night, soldiers, arnold whispered. The captain waited. Dinner sounds drifted up from downstairs. Later, water running. Arnold's voice. But I'm not tired yet, Mom. Then silence settling over the house like the snow outside. When the house had been quiet for what felt like hours, he heard it. Wheels rolling softly across the floor below. The closet door, which Arnold hadn't closed all the way, shifted open another inch. Captain? A whisper. Are you in there, Ms. Lamb? Can you get down? The captain looked at his men, all standing stiff in their rows. He eased himself to the edge of the shelf and jumped. His tin feet hit the floor with a soft clink. There, the lamb said, rolling in a happy circle. Now we can talk properly. Oh, it's been so long. How is everyone? They talked until the sky started getting lighter. The lamb told him about Mirabel and the house next door. The captain told her about the clown's new silk trousers and how he'd saved him from the gas jet fire. You saved him, the lamb said. Just did what needed doing. The Sawdust Doll will want to hear everything about the store, the lamb said. She misses it sometimes. Can we visit them? Oh, all the time. The children are always going back and forth, you'll see. The captain looked toward the window. Still dark, but a different quality to it now. I should get back to my men. He climbed back up, harder going up than coming down. And when he finally stood back in the box, the sergeant opened one painted eye. Sir? Where were you? Reconnaissance, the captain whispered, Getting the lay of the land. And what did you find, sir? The captain settled back into his spot. I found that we might be home. Morning came, cold and bright. The closet door swung open. Arnold's face appeared, hair sticking up on one side. He lifted the box down and carried it to the porch. The porch boards felt like ice under the captain's tin feet. Frost covered every blade of grass. Icicles hung from the roof like tiny swords. Ready. Aim. Fire. Arnold yelled. Bang. Bang. Bang. That's when the real shooting started. Something hard smacked into the captain's shoulder. A dried bean bounced off and clattered across the porch. Hey. Arnold spun around. Three boys stood at the edge of the yard holding long tin tubes. Bean shooters. Get the tin soldiers. One yelled. More beans came flying. One knocked over the drummer boy. Another hit Mirabel's arm. Stop it. Arnold shouted, but his voice cracked a little. The boys just laughed. Beans rattled everywhere. Patrick. Mirabel's voice went high and desperate. The gardener came around the corner carrying seed packets. He saw the boys, and his weathered face went dark. Be off with you. Patrick charged forward. Leave these kids alone. The boys scattered, laughing as they ran. Patrick walked up to the porch, breathing hard. He knelt down, joints creaking, and picked up the drummer boy who'd fallen. This little fellow took quite a hit, didn't he? Patrick's voice was soft. But he's all right, see? Soldiers are made tough. He handed the drummer boy back to Arnold. Used to have soldiers myself when I was your age, patrick said. Kept them in an old biscuit tin. Played with them every day. He smiled. Still have that tin? Empty now, but I keep it. Arnold looked up at him. Really? Really and truly. Patrick glanced at the captain. That one there. The captain with his sword. He's something special, isn't he? Arnold nodded. Takes more than a few beans to knock down a good soldier, patrick said. He touched the captain's sword very lightly. This here's a proper officer. You take good care of him. I will, arnold said. After Patrick left, they. They brought all the toys inside where it was warm. The kitchen smelled like soup. You two look frozen, Susan, the cook said. Want some cocoa? They drank their cocoa at the kitchen table. The soldier stood in a neat row. The lamb watched with her glass eyes, and the captain thought about Patrick's rough finger touching his sword, about the old gardener's voice going soft when he talked about his own childhood soldiers. Protection went both ways, apparently. That afternoon, the porch was peaceful again. Sun had melted most of the frost. Arnold had gone inside for lunch, leaving the captain and the lamb in a patch of sunlight. Something fluttered down from the bare tree above them. A small brown bird landed near the lamb. It cocked its head, looking at her white wool. Then, quick as anything, it grabbed a beakful and yanked. Ouch. The captain's hand went to his sword. Stop that. The bird let go. Wool dangled from its beak. It hopped back. Oh, your toys, I thought. You look so real in the sunlight. You were hurting my friend, the captain said. His hand stayed on his sword. I'm sorry. I didn't know. The bird looked genuinely distressed. I'm building a nest. My mate is sitting on eggs and it's going to get cold, and we need soft things to keep the babies warm. The lamb's painted eyes went soft. Oh, well, that's different. There are real sheep in the meadow past the woods, the bird continued. They don't mind when we take loose bits. But I saw you out here and thought. The bird made a small chirp. You looked very real. It's all right, the lamb said. I understand about babies needing to be warm, but my wool doesn't come back. I'm not a real lamb. I see that now. I apologize. The bird hopped closer, but carefully. May I keep this one piece, since it's already pulled loose? Of course, the lamb said. Thank you. The bird flew back to its tree, calling down. Good luck keeping warm this winter. The captain slowly moved his hand away from his sword. You didn't have to defend me, the lamb said. It was just a bird. You said ouch, the captain replied. Well, yes, but someone hurts my friends, I do something about it. The captain adjusted his stance. That's what soldiers do, but sometimes protecting means figuring out what's really happening first. The lamb was quiet for a moment. The sawdust doll is going to like you. Inside. A door opened. Arnold's voice was heard. Mirabel, mom says we can go to Richard's house. The front door banged open. Both children rushed out, already pulling on coats. Come on, arm, arnold said, scooping up the captain. Richard's got his white rocking horse out. And just like that they were off the porch, across the yard and next door, climbing different steps, going through a different door into a house that smelled like pine and oranges. They crowded into a big playroom. Richard had a wooden horse there, white with painted black spots, and on a cushion near the window sat a doll in a blue dress, the sawdust doll and the white rocking horse. Arnold set the captain down on the carpet. The Children settled in to play. We'll talk later, the white rocking horse whispered. When they go for snacks. The sawdust Doll smiled at him. Welcome to the neighborhood, Captain. They played for an hour, then, kids, we have fresh cookies. Four children thundered out of the room. The moment they were gone, the white rocking horse turned to the captain. So you're the bold tin soldier, the horse said. The lamb told us all about you. Sounds like you're quite the hero, the sawdust Doll said. I just do my duty, the captain said. Well, your duty just got more interesting, the horse said. Because there's a big dog that lives two houses down. And a bark, loud, close. Through the cracked open window came a huge brown snout, then a whole dog head, then shoulders squeezing through. Well, well, the dog said. Look at all these toys. I think I'll take this doll home. My puppies would love something soft to chew. You will not, the captain said, stepping forward. The dog's huge eyes swung down. What did you say? I said you will not take my friend. The dog laughed. You're just a tin toy. What are you going to do? The captain drew his sword. The blade caught the light gleaming. Please, the captain said. Don't do this. The dog lunged. The captain had no choice. He lifted his sword just enough. The tip barely touched the tender pad of the dog's front paw. Ow. The dog pulled back fast. That stung. I'm so sorry, the captain said. His sword was still up, but his voice shook a little. I really am. But I can't let you take my friend. The dog sat down, lifting his paw. You actually poked me. I had to. The captain's tin chest felt tight. You were going to take the sawdust Doll where she'd be torn. I couldn't just stand there. I didn't think of it like that, the dog said slowly. Here, the sawdust doll said, moving closer. Let me put some cloth on that to help it heal. You'd help me after I tried to take you? Of course, the sawdust doll said. That's what we do. We help each other. She tore a small strip from her dress hem and wrapped it around the dog's paw. There. Better? Better, the dog said quietly. He looked at the captain. I'm sorry. I'll go now. He squeezed back out the window, pulling it closed with his nose. The bedroom was silent. Then the white rocking horse started laughing. Did you see his face? Even the sawdust Doll smiled. That was very brave, Captain. I just did what needed doing, the captain said. Outside, they heard voices. The children were coming back. Everyone scrambled to their positions, and the door burst open. Arnold picked up the captain, turning him in the light. I think my captain is the bravest toy ever made, he said. They played until the light started going gold through the windows, until Arnold's mother called to say it was time to go home for dinner. Outside, the temperature had dropped again. Their breath made clouds. Back at their own house, warm air rushed out when they opened the door. Dinner smells. Something with meat and onions. Arnold carried the captain upstairs to his room. I'm going to build you a fort, arnold said. A really good one. He pulled out blocks. Red ones, blue ones, yellow ones. He built walls and towers. His tongue stuck out a little when he concentrated. There, Arnold said finally, that's your fort. You can guard it. He positioned the captain at the very top of the highest tower. The other soldiers got placed at different levels, some at the gates, some on the wall. You're the lookout, arnold told the captain. You can see everything from up there. If any bad guys come, you'll see them first. Arnold's mother called, Arnold. Dinner. Coming. He looked at his fort one more time, smiled, then ran out, leaving the door open. The captain stood at his post. From up here, he could see the whole room. The window with its view of the darkening sky, the closet where his men would sleep, the shelf with other toys. He could hear the house settling, furnace humming, voices downstairs, the clink of silverware. This morning he'd been new here a few. Now he stood guard over a block fort in a warm house where a boy carefully positioned him to see everything. Wary, Gardiner remembered his own childhood soldiers, where next door lived friends he'd only heard about in stories. The sergeant's voice drifted up from below. Sir, is the post secure? The post is secure, Sergeant, the captain called down softly. Very good, sir. Outside, snow started falling again, soft flakes drifting past the window. Inside, the bold tin soldier stood watch at the top of his fort. His sword gleamed in the lamplight. His metal caught the glow and held it. And everything felt exactly right. Tomorrow there'd be more adventures. Tomorrow Arnold might take him back to Richard's house, or maybe somewhere new. But tonight, right now, in this warm house with snow falling outside and dinner cooking below and his men safe around him, the bold tin soldier was home. The kind of home you find, not the kind you're given, the kind of home you earn. And that is the end of this part. Good night. Sleep tight, Sa.