← Sleep Tight Stories - Bedtime Stories for Kids
Sleep Tight Stories - Bedtime Stories for Kids
The Transfer Student Vol.2. P.20 👽 (Bedtime story series)
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A Short Message for Grown Ups Parents We've all had those times when the whole family is off on their own screens. Wouldn't it be great to find something active and fun that everyone agrees on? Families everywhere are discovering Next Playground, an active gain system where your body powers the play. No controllers or wearables, just natural 100% motion driven fun. Fly with how to Train youn Dragon, Dance with Barbie, Pop Bubbles in Gabby's Dollhouse, or Master Moves with Kung Fu Panda all from your living room. Even better, Next Playground is totally kid safe. No ads, no in app purchases and no mature content. Just good clean fun to bring family together this fall. Want to learn more? Visit nextplayground.com and that's nexplayground.com to explore active family gaming today. A short message for grown ups Looking for a fun way to keep the Bluey fans in your home busy with imaginative screen free play? The Bluey Supermarket Playset is here, standing over 15 inches tall and packed with surprises across three levels of fun. Inspired by the episode Kids, this set comes with exclusive Bluey and Bingo figures, including Bingo holding her Lollipop. There's a real working escalator, a rooftop cafe, and even an intercom with 24 different sound effects your kids will love. With over 15 play pieces, shelves to explore, carts to fill and stickers to decorate, your little ones can recreate favorite scenes or or invent new ones of their own. It also works with all your other Bluey figures for even more imaginative adventures. The Bluey Supermarket Playset is available at all major retailers. Hello friends and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories. Each week we share a few shout outs and birthday wishes for listeners who help support the show. It's a small way we say thank you and it always makes us smile. Hello to Rainy Grace and Willow Rose. Mommy and Daddy love you so much and are so proud of you. You're doing great in school and soccer. Happy 6th birthday to Margie in Huntsville, Alabama. We love you so much and watching you grow is a greatest joy from Mommy, Daddy and all your Animal family. Happy 4th birthday Rocky sue in Edwardsville, Illinois. Reagan and Mommy are so proud of what a big girl you have become, but you will always be our baby. Happy Birthday to Aydin from Mama, Baba Yasha, Grandma and Grandpa. We love watching you explore the world with your endless curiosity. You are the love of our lives now and forever. Shout out to one of our biggest fans, Harrison from Austin, Texas who just turned double digits at the end of August. Your brother Benny and Mom wish you the best 10th birthday ever. Happy 8th birthday Holly from Kansas City on October 5th. We love you more than words can say and are so grateful for your kind heart, silly humor and creative mind. We're so proud of you and can't wait to see all the amazing things you'll do this year. Love Mom, Dad, Jack and Monty. Happy 8th birthday to Amelia Kohler in Bismarck, North Dakota. Your sister Imogen and Mom and dad are so proud of the wonderful big sister, daughter and friend you are. Happy 9th birthday to Eli on October 1st. Mom, dad and Bo feel so lucky to have you and we love you. Happy Birthday Sahira from London in the UK. We hope you have a great 8th birthday and we love you lots Mommy and Daddy. To Meena, our kind hearted girl who deeply loves everything from the dirt to the moon. Have a wonderful ninth birthday. We love you and are so proud of you. From Oma, Appa, Boo and Junebug's Angel, Happy 10th Birthday to Rowan from Singapore. We love to hear how brave you are being at school and Taekwondo and we are all very proud of all the effort you are making. Keep up the great work. We adore you. From Mommy, Daddy and Sadie and Happy Birthday to Aditi who's turning 8 on October 2nd. Hope you have the best time at your K Pop Demon Hunters party and enjoy every moment with your grandparents who are visiting from India. Happy Birthday to you all and thank you for supporting the show. If you'd like to support our podcast and enjoy ad free episodes, unlock bonus stories and so much more, you can join SleepType Premium. Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes now on to our story. Red and the gang are all looking forward to solving a normal mystery after Mr. McCaskill tells them what has happened and asks for their help. Their thinking maybe doing this will make Agent Torres think they are just regular students after all and they're not doing anything else. The Transfer Student Volume 2, Part 20 the Gang Meets at the athletic storage room right after school, ready to start their first normal mystery in what feels like forever. Red's actually looking forward to a case that doesn't involve underground chambers or government conspiracies, just good old fashioned detective work about a missing woodchuck costume. She used to think these were kind of boring in the past, but after the past few days, boring should be good. Mr. Rodriguez is waiting for them with his massive ring of keys and a slightly bemused expression on his weathered face. Still can't believe you kids want to spend your afternoon looking for a missing costume he says, jingling through his keys to find the right one. But Mr. McCaskill says you're the best detectives in the school, so who am I to argue? Red's about to reply with something cheerful about school spirit when she notices something that makes her enhanced Martian senses go on high alert. There at the far end of the athletics hallway is Agent Torres. He's walking slowly past the trophy cases with a clipboard, looking very official and very much like he's trying to overhear their conversation without being obvious about it. Just doing our part for school spirit, red says, making sure her voice carries down the hallway. She shoots meaningful looks at her friends while smiling brightly. We love solving mysteries that help our fellow Woodchucks. Charlie catches on immediately and nods enthusiastically. Yeah, go Woodchucks. Woody is super important to Woodchuck morale, smooth Blue whispers, but he's grinning. Mr. Rodriguez unlocks the storage room and flicks on the overhead lights, revealing a cluttered maze of sports equipment, old uniforms, and boxes of supplies that probably haven't been touched since the school opened. 23 years I've been working at this school, he says, shaking his head as he leads them inside, and I've never seen anything like this. A missing mascot costume, Paw prints, Mysterious scratching sounds. It's like something out of one of those detective shows. My wife watches. Red glances back towards the hallway and catches a glimpse of Agent Torres pretending to study a display about the wrestling team's championship history from 1987. He's definitely listening. Well, she says cheerfully, we'll get to the bottom of this mystery in no time. How hard can it be to track down one missing woodchuck? Famous last words, she thinks to herself. Mr. Rodriguez leads them into the utility tunnels through a maintenance store that Red hadn't noticed before. Despite walking past, it does dozens of times. The tunnels are narrow and dimly lit, filled with pipes and electrical conduits that hum softly in the darkness. Be careful down here, Mr. Rodriguez warns, his voice echoing off the concrete walls. These tunnels connect to several parts of the school, and it's easy to get turned around if you don't know where you're going. As they start following the paw print trail deeper into the tunnel system, Red can't shake the feeling that this whole situation is way too convenient. A missing mascot right when they need a distraction from their real investigation. Paw prints that lead to an obvious trail through tunnels she didn't even know existed. It's like someone wanted them to follow this exact path. Mr. Rodriguez? She asks casually as they duck under a low hanging pipe. Has anyone else been asking about these tunnels lately, like any adults? Funny you should ask, he says, pausing to adjust his flashlight beam on the trail of first tufts they're following. Last week there was a man with some kind of official badge asking about building security. Said he was doing a safety inspection for the school board. Red's heart starts beating faster and she notices Charlie stumble slightly ahead of her. He wanted to know all about the tunnel system, Mr. Rodriguez continues, completely unaware of the bomb he's just dropped. Where it connects, how someone could move around school without being seen, and which areas students have access to. Very thorough guy. Did he give you a name? Alexa asks, though Red has a sinking feeling she already knows the answer. Torres, I think. Agent Torres. Something like that. Nice enough fellow. Very professional. Asked a lot of questions about student activities, too. Which groups had access to which areas of the school? What kind of projects you kids work on? The gang exchanges alarmed glances in the dim tunnel light, but they keep moving forward, following the increasingly obvious trail of woodchuck costume fur. That's very thorough, rachel manages, her voice slightly strained. Red's mind is racing. Agent Torres has been mapping the school's tunnel system. He knows exactly where they're going right now, probably better than they do. But why? What's the point of leading them on this elaborate underground treasure hunt? As they continue deeper into the tunnels, Red whispers to Charlie, you don't think this whole mascot thing is connected to, you know, the other stuff? I'm starting to think everything is connected to the other stuff, charlie whispers back, his newly clear sinuses allowing him to actually whisper properly for once. This is definitely a setup, Red's sure of it. But maybe the best way to handle a trap is to walk into it knowingly and turn it to their advantage. They emerge from the tunnels behind the maintenance shed, and immediately the chittering sounds guide them toward a cluster of old stories. Storage containers. What they find is both absolutely adorable and deeply suspicious. There's definitely a family of raccoons living in an elaborate nest made from Woody the Woodchuck's fur and stuffing. The baby raccoons are beyond cute, tumbling around and playing with pom poms like the world's most adorable crime syndicate. One of them has somehow gotten a tiny woodchuck ear stuck on its head like a hat. But there are also clear signs that these aren't your average dumpster diving raccoons. Look at this, rachel says, pointing to a neat arrangement of opened food containers near the raccoon nest. Premium cat food, fresh fruit. And are those Organic gluten free crackers. Someone's been feeding them, Kurt observes, crouching down to examine the setup. And not just table scraps. This is like raccoon fine dining. Charlie's examining the nest itself with scientific fascination, his glasses reflecting his phone's flashlight. The construction is way too sophisticated for raccoons working alone. See how the costume pieces are woven together in layers. And look at this drainage system to keep rain out. Someone definitely taught them advanced nest building techniques. Red's putting the pieces together and the picture getting clearer makes her stomach clench. Agent Torres maps the tunnel system Last week, raccoons suddenly become master costume thieves. This week we get recruited to investigate today, which keeps us busy and makes us look like normal students solving normal school problems. But why go to all this trouble? Blue asks, gently moving a baby raccoon that's decided his shoelaces are fascinating. What's the point of an elaborate raccoon heist? Distraction and surveillance, alexa says grimly, scanning the area around the storage containers. Think about it. We're following a trail that Torres knew knew we'd follow through tunnels he's already mapped to a location where. She trails off, her eyes focusing on something behind Red's shoulder. Where what? Charlie asks, following her gaze. Where we're being watched, Red finishes quietly spotting the small camera mounted discreetly on the maintenance shed. It's pointing directly at where they're standing, and from the angle it has a perfect view of the entire raccoon operation. The raccoons continue chittering and playing, completely oblivious to their human drama surrounding their luxury accommodations. The adult raccoons seem genuinely happy with their upgrade to premium nesting materials, and the babies are having the time of their lives with their new toys. So what do we do? Rachel asks, instinctively lowering her voice. The raccoons are real. The costume is definitely shredded, and we're definitely being filmed. We solve the mystery exactly like we're supposed to, Red says, making a decision and raising her voice back to normal volume. We negotiate with the raccoons, we relocate them, we recover what's left of Woody and we report back to Mr. McCaskill. But we also play along with being watched. Play along how? Kurt asks. Red grins, feeling that familiar thrill of turning someone else's plan against them. We give Agent Torres exactly the kind of show he's expecting. Normal kids solving a normal mystery, completely distracted from anything actually important while secretly knowing we're smarter than he thinks we are. Charlie adds with satisfaction. Exactly. Time for some Oscar worthy raccoon negotiations. What follows is possibly the most elaborate animal diplomacy session in the history of middle school. And since they know they're being filmed, Red decides to make it as convincingly normal and silly as possible. Okay, team, she announces loudly enough for the camera to pick up. Clearly, Operation Raccoon Relocation is full, officially a go. Charlie, you're our expert on animal behavior. Alexa, you're in charge of logistics and supply management. Rachel, document everything for our official report. Charlie, getting into the spirit of performance, approaches the raccoon family with exaggerated scientific seriousness. Based on my extensive research, he declares, adjusting his glasses. Importantly, raccoons are highly intelligent creatures who respond well to fair trade negotiations and mutual respect. Your extensive research? Blue whispers, trying not to laugh. I watched three YouTube videos during study hall and read two Wikipedia articles. Charlie whispers back, then continues loudly, the key is offering them something better than what they already have. While acknowledging their legitimate claim to the current nesting materials, the negotiation process becomes increasingly ridiculous. They try offering the raccoons crackers from the cafeteria. The adults show mild interest, but the babies are more excited about the crinkly wrapper. They attempt to explain property rights using hand gestures and simple words. The adult raccoons seem deeply skeptical of the entire concept of human ownership. Charlie tries speaking to them and what he claims is universal animal language, which mostly involves chirping and clicking sounds that make the babies curious but clearly confuse the parents. I don't think that's a real language, rachel says, dutifully taking notes. It's a work in progress, charlie replies defensively. The real breakthrough comes when Kurt discovers that the raccoons are absolutely fascinated by her collection of sparkly hair ties. The moment she pulls out a bright purple one that catches the afternoon light, all six raccoons freeze and stare like she's just revealed a magical treasure. Okay, that's definitely not normal raccoon behavior, alexa observes. But it's working, Kurt says, slowly approaching the nest with the hair tie held out like an offering. Look, guys. Trade shiny pretty thing for costume pieces. Within minutes, she's established the first recorded human raccoon barter system in school history. One sparkly hair tie equals approximately three handfuls of of woodchuck fur. A glow in the dark scrunchie gets them half the costume's stuffing. And when she produces a hair tie that actually has tiny bells on it, the adult raccoons practically throw the costume's head at her feet. This is actually working, Alexis says, genuinely amazed as they slowly recover pieces of woody while the raccoons examine their new treasures with intense fascination. But the real breakthrough comes when Blue, who's been quietly observing the family dynamics, starts making soft chittering sounds that actually seem to mean something. The adult raccoons perk up immediately and respond with their own complex series of chirps and chatters. Blue, what are you doing? Red asks, impressed despite herself. I think I'm telling them we found them a better place to live, blue says uncertainly. At least that's what I'm trying to say. Having enhanced hearing is really helpful for picking up language patterns, even animal ones. To everyone's amazement, the raccoons actually seem to understand. The parents gather their babies and, after carefully collecting their new hair tie treasures, follow Blue toward the woods behind the school, where they'd earlier scouted out a natural hollow that's even more sheltered than their storage container setup. I cannot believe that actually worked, charlie says, watching the raccoon family explore their new home with obvious approval. I can't believe we just successfully negotiated a real estate deal with woodland creatures using hair accessories, rachel adds, still scribbling notes frantically. Red grins at the camera. She knows she is being watched. Let Agent Torres think they're just weird kids who can talk to animals. It's definitely better than him knowing the truth about what they're really capable of. An hour later, they're back in Mr. McCaskill's classroom with the recovered remains of Woody the Woodchuck and a completely truthful but strategically incomplete report of their investigation. Raccoons, Mr. McCaskill says, shaking his head in amazement, exactly as Red predicted he would. I have to admit, that wasn't on my list of suspected culprits. They were very professional about it, rachel says, showing him her detailed sketches of the crime scene. Clearly planned the whole operation from start to finish. Though we suspect they may have had some help getting into the storage room initially. Mr. McCaskill raises an eyebrow. Help? What kind of help? Red chooses her words very carefully, knowing that everything they say here will probably make its way back to certain interested parties. Someone's been feeding them premium food and may have shown them how to access the building's tunnel system, but they seem to genuinely love the costume materials for nesting purposes. Interesting, Mr. McCaskill says thoughtfully. Any idea who might have been helping them? Not yet, alexis says smoothly. But we're keeping our eyes open for anyone who seems unusually interested in raccoon welfare or school security systems. Charlie, playing his part perfectly, adds with cheerful enthusiasm. Plus, we got to meet some very cute baby raccoons. And Blue discovered he can communicate with them, which is probably going to be really useful for future animal related mysteries. I didn't know we had any students with animal communication skills, Mr. MacAskill says with genuine amusement. It's all about listening to patterns and having really good hearing, blue explains, which is technically completely true. While missing the points about his enhanced Martian genetics entirely, Mr. McCaskill examines the shredded costume pieces they've recovered. Well, this definitely can't be repaired in time for Thursday's game against Queen Charlotte, but thanks to your detective work, at least we know what happened. Principal Burke will be relieved to learn it wasn't a prank by rival schools or some kind of theft ring. As they pack up their things, Mr. McCaskill pulls red aside while the others are organizing Rachel's notes. You know, he says quietly, for a relatively simple missing costume case, you all seem to approach it with unusual thoroughness, almost like you were expecting it to be more complicated than it initially appeared. Red meets his eyes, steadily wondering how much Mr. McCaskill actually sees and understands about what goes on around this school. After some of the mysteries we've solved around here, we've learned to look for the story behind the story. Sometimes a missing mascot really is just raccoons wanting better nesting material. But sometimes, sometimes there are layers you don't see at first, Mr. McCaskill finishes knowingly. Good instincts keep developing. Those. Walking out of the classroom, Red feels genuinely proud of how they handled the entire situation. They solved the actual mystery, helped relocate a family of raccoons, recovered what could be recovered of the costume, and maintained their cover as normal students. But more importantly, they now know for certain that Agent Torres is actively surveilling them and trying to manipulate their activities. The game is definitely getting more complex, but fortunately, so are their skills at playing it outside the school. Safely away from cameras and listening devices, the gang finally allows themselves to process what really happened during their raccoon investigation. So we're all agreed that was way too convenient to be a coincidence, right? Alexa asks, shouldering her backpack as they walk toward the bus stop. Totally red confirms. Agent Torres maps the tunnel system last week. Raccoons suddenly become master costume thieves this week, and we get recruited to investigate right when we need a distraction from our real work. But the raccoons were actually real, charlie points out, still slightly amazed by the whole experience. And they really did love that costume. So either Torres somehow found a way to train woodland creatures or. Or he just made it possible for the raccoons to get the costume, knowing that any investigation would probably involve us since we're the school's unofficial Mystery solving team, Rachel finishes. Blue's been unusually quiet during their walk, clearly thinking hard about something. You know what really bothers me about this? The timing. This whole thing happened right after our quarry mission, like someone knew we'd successfully retrieved something important and wanted to distract us from actually using it. Red feels a familiar chill run down her spine. Which means Torres might know more about what we found at the quarry than we originally thought. Or, Kurt suggests thoughtfully, maybe someone else is watching Torres. Watch us. What if the good agents Meridian mentioned arranged the raccoon situation to give us cover for acting like normal kids? It's a confusing thought. Layers of surveillance and counter surveillance involving a middle school mystery about Woodlawn creatures and sparkly hair accessories. Either way, red says, making a decision as they reach the bus stop, we learned something really important today. We're definitely being watched. But we can use that to our advantage. If Torres thinks we're just normal kids who solve silly mysteries about missing mascots, he won't expect us to be doing anything actually important. So we keep playing the part, Alexa agrees. Keep solving school mysteries, acting like typical students, giving him exactly what he expects to see while secretly working on the refugee situation, Charlie adds quietly. Exactly. And if any more suspiciously convenient mysteries pop up around here, we'll know to look for the hidden agenda right from the start. As their buses pull up, Red can't help but smile. Today they saved a mascot costume, successfully negotiated with raccoons, and outsmarted a government surveillance operation. Not bad for an afternoon. Sometimes the best way to solve big mysteries is to solve small ones really, really well. And that is the end of this part. Good night, sleep tight.