← Sleep Tight Stories - Bedtime Stories for Kids
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Cheryl
A Short Message for Grown Ups the new season of mysteries about true histories is here. Max and Molly are back facing off against the Power hungry Pogs, a group determined to rewrite history. With help from Aunt Em and a few surprise guests, they'll travel from Ancient Egypt to 1875 to stop them, using math, history, and a whole lot of teamwork. Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi friends. This summer on sleept Stories, we're bringing you something special. A series of short stories made just for summer, perfect for bedtime road trips or whenever you need a cozy break from the day's adventures. We'd love your help. The series launches in July, so if you have an idea for a story, now's the time to share it. Just reach out to Cheryl or Clark using the email in our show notes, and if we use your idea, we'll give you a special shout out in the episode. Thanks for listening. Hello friends, and welcome to Sleeptight Stories. Red and her friends have actually caught the thief. Red is happy that they have been able to help, but still cannot keep her thoughts away from the coordinates that she will be looking at the next day. The transfer student, volume two, part eight after the police finished taking statements and Mrs. Patterson had been led away, the library became very quiet. Mr. McCaskill gathered the Mystery Club around Mrs. Finkelstein's desk, beaming with pride. Outstanding detective work, everyone, he said. Though I must admit this is the first time one of our cases has involved actual criminal activity. Mrs. Finkelstein wiped her eyes with a tissue. I still can't believe it. Mrs. Patterson seemed so trustworthy. Six months she's been stealing from us. The important thing is that you caught her, the police officer said, closing his notebook. We'll be in touch about recovering the other stolen books. You kids did excellent work. As the officer left, Mrs. Finkelstein turned to the gang with a grateful smile. I can't thank you enough. Not just for catching the thief, but for caring about our library. As a reward, you'll all have special research privileges. You can request access to our rare book collection for legitimate school projects. Really? Charlie's eyes lit up behind his glasses despite his stuffed nose. Just don't make me regret it, Mrs. Finkelstein said with a gentle laugh. Red found herself staring at the drawer where the recovered book had been locked away. Those astronomical calculations in the margins haunted her thoughts. Were they connected to Dr. Hart's research? Had Mrs. Patterson been looking for specific information? Or was it really just about money? You're Quiet, Red, Alexa observed. Everything okay? Just thinking about the case, red replied. About how sometimes people aren't who they seem to be. Makes you wonder who you can really trust, kurt added thoughtfully. The words hit Red like a physical blow. Here she was, surrounded by friends who had just demonstrated perfect teamwork and trust while she harbored secrets that could put them all in danger. Well, we know who we are, rachel said, adjusting her glasses. We're the gang that catches book thieves. The Solving a Mystery Club strikes again, charlie declared, then immediately sneezed. Mr. McCaskill clapped his hands. I think this calls for a celebration. How about ice cream after school? My treat. Can't, red said quickly. I have family stuff this weekend. Family stuff? Rachel raised an eyebrow. What kind of family stuff could interfere with ice cream? Red felt heat rise to her cheeks. Just things to prepare for. You guys should definitely go, though. As they gathered their belongings to return to class, Red's mind kept circling back to those margin notes. Tomorrow she would have her own answers, but tonight she had to figure out how to leave the house without raising suspicion. The countdown continued less than 18 hours until she discovered what Dr. Hart had had hidden in the coordinates. Red pushed through the front door of her house, her mind already racing ahead to tomorrow's expedition. The excitement of catching Mrs. Patterson had worn off during the bus ride home, replaced by nervous anticipation about what awaited her at the coordinates. How was your mystery solving today? Her mother asked, looking up from the kitchen counter where she was chopping vegetables. We caught the book thief, red said, dropping her backpack by the door. It was the substitute librarian. How exciting. I'm so proud of you for working with your friends to solve real problems. Her mother smiled warmly. Speaking of which, what are your plans for this weekend? I thought we might do something as a family. Red stomach tightened. Actually, I'm meeting some friends tomorrow morning for a nature study project for science class. We're supposed to catalog local flora or something. It wasn't entirely a lie. She would be studying nature, just not the kind her mother was imagining. That sounds educational, her mother said approvingly. Where are you planning to go? Just the woods behind the school, red replied, hating how easily the lies came. We're meeting early, around 7. Seven in the morning? Her mother looked surprised. That's quite early for a weekend. Better lighting for photographs, red said quickly. And cooler temperatures for hiking. Blue bounded into the kitchen, already sticky with something unidentifiable. Can I come? I like nature. No, red said firmly. It's a school project for my grade level. You're no Fun. Blue pouted, but he was quickly distracted by the prospect of dinner. After eating, Red excused herself to her room, claiming she needed to prepare for tomorrow's project. Once her door was closed, she carefully retrieved the charm from its hiding place under her dresser drawer. It felt warm in her palm, pulsing gently as if responding to her touch. She spread her supplies across her bed. A sturdy flashlight with extra batteries, a water bottle, energy bars she'd saved from lunch, her notebook, and a small first aid kit she'd found in the bathroom closet. The map app on her phone showed the coordinates were about a 45 minute walk through the forest. Manageable, but she'd need to leave early to be back before her family missed her. Red pulled out the notebook where she'd written down everything from Dr. Hart's holographic message. 47 days, three cache sites. Trust only those who can show you the circle within the circle. The aid has been compromised. Looking at her calendar, she counted the day since the message was recorded. If Dr. Hart had made the hologram recently, before she disappeared, then Red still had over a month left. But what if the recording was older? What if the migration window was approaching faster than she realized? She tucked the charm into the small front pocket of her hiking backpack, making sure it was secure but accessible. Tomorrow she would finally get answers. Tomorrow she would discover what Dr. Hart had hidden at those coordinates. Red set her alarm for 5:30am and placed it across the room so she'd have to get up to turn it off. She laid out her comfortable clothes, suitable for hiking. Dark jeans, a hoodie and her sturdiest sneakers. Everything laid out and ready. As she brushed her teeth, Red caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She looked pale. Tomorrow she would venture into the unknown. Alone. No gang to help her. No safety net, no backup plan. Just her, the charm, the and whatever secrets Dr. Hart had left waiting in the forest. She climbed into bed, but sleep felt impossible. Every sound in the house made her alert. Her mother watching television downstairs, Blue's occasional laugh from his room, the refrigerator humming in the kitchen. Normal family sounds that reminded her how much she was risking by keeping this secret. But Dr. Hart's message had been clear. Trust only those who could show her the circle within the circle. Until she knew what that meant. Until she understood who in the aid could be trusted. She had to proceed alone. Red closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing thoughts. In less than 12 hours, everything would change. She would finally learn what the Martian seeds were and whether Dr. Hart's warnings about the aid were justified. The countdown was almost over. Red's Alarm buzzed at 5:30am with the most annoying sound possible. At least it wasn't one of Blue's tricks. She rolled out of bed immediately, her body alert despite the early hour. She dressed quietly in the clothes she'd laid out the night before, moving carefully to avoid creaking floor, floorboards. The house was completely silent. Even Blue, who normally woke at the slightest sound, remained asleep in his room. In the kitchen, Red left a hastily scrawled note on the counter. Gone early for nature Study project with friends. Back by lunch, Red. She grabbed an apple and a granola bar from the cupboard, adding them to her already packed supplies. The charm pulsed gently against her hip as she shouldered her backpack. Was it responding to her nervousness? Or was there something else? Some approaching alignment or energy that Dr. Hart had programmed it to detect? Red slipped out the back door, careful to engage the lock quietly. Behind her, the morning air was crisp and still, with just a hint of mist rising from the dew covered grass. Birds were beginning their dawn chorus, but otherwise the neighborhood was completely silent. She pulled out her phone to check the coordinates one more time. The forest entrance was about 20 minutes away on foot, then another 25 minutes, hiking to reach the exact location Dr. Hart had specified. She'd planned for an hour and a half each way, plus time to investigate whatever she found there. As Red walked through the empty streets, she heard the distant hum of other early risers driving on the main roads, but her immediate success surroundings felt almost abandoned. The charm grew warmer against her side as she approached the forest boundary. Red paused at the edge of the tree line, looking back at the town where her friends were still sleeping, unaware that she was about to venture into something that could change everything. 47 days, she whispered to herself, Dr. Hart's words echoing in her mind. Trust only those who can show you the circle within the circle. Red took a deep breath of the cool morning air and stepped into the forest. Behind her, the familiar world of school friends and family mysteries fell away. Ahead lay the unknown and whatever secrets Dr. Hart had died protecting. The forest floor was soft beneath her feet, years of fallen leaves creating a soft carpet that muffled her footsteps. Old trees towered overhead, their branches forming a canopy that filtered the early morning light into shifting patterns of gold and green. Except for when they first arrived, Red had never spent much time in Earth's forests. On Mars, the closest thing had been the cultivated gardens in the habitat domes. She followed a narrow hiking trail for the first 10 minutes, checking her phone's GPS regularly to ensure she was headed in the right direction. The coordinates Dr. Hart had provided were precise, but they led to a location well off any marked trail. As Red left the main path and pushed deeper into the woods, the forest grew denser and wilder. Branches caught at her hoody and she had to duck under low hanging limbs. Her vision, better than most others, helped her navigate the dim light, but the alien sounds of the forest rustling leaves, distant bird calls, the crack of twigs underfoot kept her alert and nervous. The charm continued to pulse against her hip, its warmth intensifying with each step. 20 minutes into her off trail hike, Red noticed something odd. The forest was becoming quieter. The bird songs that had accompanied her journey were fading, replaced by an almost unnatural silence. She checked her phone again. According to the gps, she was less than five minutes from the coordinates. The terrain was sloping downward now, leading her into a small valley she couldn't see from the trail above. Red pushed through a thick stand of evergreen trees and suddenly stopped. The charm against her hip had grown so warm it was almost uncomfortable, pulsing in a steady rhythm that seemed to match her heartbeat. Ahead of her, partially hidden by overgrown vegetation and moss, was a structure that clearly didn't belong in the forest. It looked like a concrete entrance built into the hillside, squat, angular, and covered with decades of growth that had almost completely concealed it from view. Red approached slowly, her enhanced vision picking out details that would be invisible to human eyes in the dim forest light. The entrance was sealed with a heavy metal door, rusted but still intact. Strange symbols were etched into the concrete frame. Symbols that looked nothing like Earth languages she'd studied. But one symbol, carved more deeply than the others, made her breath catch. Two concentric circles with a dot in the center. The same symbol she'd noticed in the library. The same circle within circle that Dr. Hart had mentioned in her holographic message. Red pulled the charm from her backpack pocket. As soon as she held it close to the entrance, it began to glow with a soft blue light, pulsing faster and faster until it was almost vibrating in her hand. She reached toward the metal door, and as the charm came within inches of its surface, something clicked. Deep within the mechanism, ancient gears began to turn with a grinding sound that echoed through the quiet forest. The door was opening. Red stepped back, her heart beating fast. Whatever Dr. Hart had hidden here, whatever the Martian seeds were, she was about to discover them. The countdown that had started with the holographic message was finally over. But as the door slowly swung open, revealing only darkness beyond, Red couldn't shake the feeling that someone or something was watching her from the shadows of the forest. Was she truly alone? Or had someone else been waiting for this moment, too? And that is the end of this part. Good night. Sleep tight. Sa. Sam.