← Stories Podcast: A Bedtime Show for Kids of All Ages
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Amanda Weldon
Hello. Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's story is called the Hungry Little Bear Girl, an adaptation of a classic German fairy tale written for you by Daniel Hines. We have Stories Podcast merch, available@storiespodcast.com shop. We're also on Cameo for all of your personalized video message needs. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram Stories Podcast. If you send us a drawing of your favorite scene or character, we'll share it on our feed. Now, here's a word from our sponsors. This episode of Stories Podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all in one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just launching a new venture or managing a successful business, Squarespace makes it possible to create a beautiful website and engage with your audience. And Squarespace makes it so easy to sell anything from products to content to time all in one place, all on your terms. With Squarespace payments onboarding is fast and simple. Get started in just a few clicks and start receiving payments right away. It's even easy to invoice clients and create proposals, estimates and contracts, simplify your workflow and manage your business on one platform. Also, Squarespace has integrated SEO tools. Every Squarespace website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto generated sitemap, and more, so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results. Head to squarespace.com for a free trial and when you're ready to launch squarespace.comdragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain, that's squarespace.comdragon for 10% off your first purchase of A website or domain. Thanks. Enjoy the episode. Once upon a time in a little tiny town, in a little tiny forest, there lived a little tiny girl. Her name was Ursula, which means tiny bear girl and it fit her as well as your smile fits your face. She was a round ball of energy and flying hair, always running around the forest and then stuffing her face. At dinner, her parents would ask about her latest adventure and she wouldn't be able to stop eating to talk. That didn't stop her from trying though. How was your day? You have fun in the woods? Her dad would ask. Ursula would reply, spitting food across the table until her mom reminded her to mind her manners. Ursula would forget again before dinner was over, but her parents didn't give her a hard time. She was a good girl, always listened and did well at school, so they were happy to let her be a little wild at home Their only problem, and it was becoming a real concern, was food. They didn't make much money, and it was harder and harder to keep enough food in the house for Ursula's appetite. She truly ate like a little bear, and it seemed that if she kept getting older and bigger and hungrier, she'd eat them out of house and home. Luckily or unluckily, depending on who you ask, everything changed one strange afternoon. It started normally enough. Ursula got home from school and then went to play in the woods behind her house, a sleeve of cookies tucked in one of her pockets. She climbed a big tree and then leapt from limb to limb, pretending she was a sailor trying to get to the top of a sinking ship. When she finally reached the top, she she clung to the trunk with one hand and swung around with the other, looking out over the trees. She wasn't terribly high up, but it was enough that she could see the cheery chimney of her house puffing wood smoke into the air. The perfect place for a snack, she said to herself, sitting on the limb, back against the trunk. She pulled the sleeve of cookies out of her pocket and popped one into her mouth. This is the life, she said, spitting crumbs with every word. Those look tasty, Came a new voice from just above her. Ursula jumped and nearly fell out of the tree. Who's there? She called. Oh, just me, came the voice again. Ursula looked all around the tree and finally spotted the speaker. It was a little tawny owl nestled on a nearby branch and camouflaged with the leaves. It blinked its big eyes at Ursula and gave what could only be an owl smile. I really would love a bite. Ursula looked to the owl and then to her cookies. She loved to eat. But here's the she wasn't greedy. She didn't mind sharing, and since eating made her happy, she figured by sharing, she was making other people happy, too. The talking owl part was a little strange, but Ursula read lots of fairy tales, so she was almost used to that kind of thing. Of course you can have a bite, said Ursula. And more than a bite. She counted up how many cookies she had left, and it was 10. So I have 10 cookies left, and half of 10 is 5, so you can have 5. She took half her cookies and stacked them carefully in front of the tawny owl. The little bird started to eat while Ursula asked it questions about being an owl. It didn't answer, though. Um, Ursula, it said, spitting out a few crumbs. I have to tell you the truth. Um, I'm not really an owl. What? Said Ursula. But you look just like one. What are you, then? I'm one of the Elfin, said the owl, and Ursula gasped. The Elfin were the magic nature folk who lived in the woods. They could change forms and perform magic of all sorts. Wow. I've always wanted to meet one of you. That's so cool. Well, I was here to teach you a lesson about greed, since you're always here eating cookies in the woods. But then you shared with me. I guess you're not so greedy after all. I guess not, said Ursula. I like to share. Well, that calls for a reward, said the elfin owl, hooting happily. She blinked her golden eyes, and a little pot appeared, nestled in the fork of two branches. This is a pot of plenty, she said. It can make all the food you want so your family will never have to worry about being hungry ever again. That's amazing, said Ursula. She picked up the empty pot and peered inside. How does it work? When you want to make food, you say pot. Pot. Cook something hot. And when you want it to stop, again you say pot. Pot. That's all I want. Ursula took the pot and wrapped it carefully in her coat. I'm gonna bring it home and try it now. The elfin owl nodded and stretched her wings. And I better be off. There's a party over in the next city and I need to be there by nightfall. She disappeared in a flutter of wings. It all happened so fast and was so strange that for a moment, Ursula thought she imagined the whole thing. But no. She had the pot glazed and tawny, colored like a dark honey or caramel. She kept it carefully cradled as she climbed down the tree and made her way back home. She set the pot down on the kitchen table and stared at it, a little nervous. Her parents were still out working, which was good, because she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell them about the magic pot yet. She had heard stories that sometimes the elfin gave trick gifts, but she had gotten this one as a reward, so surely it would be safe, right? Well, nothing to do except try it. Pot, Pot. Cook something hot, she said. For a moment, nothing happened, and then she heard a quiet bubbling in the pot. She looked in and saw that it was slowly filling with a delicious steaming stew. As Ursula watched, the stew bubbled up higher and higher until she finally said, pot, pot. That's all I want. Instantly, the stew stopped growing and sat steaming and smelling savory and delicious. Ursula took a bite, just a small one at first, and found it was delicious. She started in with gusto and soon had devoured all there was inside. That night when her parents got home, she showed them the magic pot. She told them the story of how she was generous to the elfinfolk and and how she was rewarded. Her mother and father were skeptical until she showed them pot pot. Cook something hot, Ursula said. Soon the pot was churning and rising with a sweet smelling dough. What is it? Asked her father. I thought you said it made stew. Now it's making cake? Asked her mother. It's making dessert for the dinner. Ursula cheered. She waited until the pot filled all the way to the top and then shouted, pot, Pot. That's all I want. It stopped and she fetched three forks from the cupboard. They all dug in and their eyes went wide with amazement. It was the most delicious, the most melty, chocolatey cake they'd ever had in their entire lives. By the end they were grinning like mad, chocolate stuck in all their teeth and making them laugh at each other. Happily, Ursula's parents congratulated her on treating the elephant so well and they all went to sleep with full bellies and full hearts. But the next day now for a quick ad break. We'll be back with the rest of the story after this. If you'd like Stories Podcast and other favorite kid Podcasts ad free. Subscribe to Wonder Kids on Apple Podcasts. This episode of Stories podcast is sponsored by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all in one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just launching a new venture or managing a successful business, Squarespace makes it possible to create a beautiful website and engage with your audience. And Squarespace makes it so easy to sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your terms. With Squarespace Payments onboarding is fast and simple. Get started in just a few clicks and start receiving payments right away. It's even easy to invoice clients and create proposals, estimates and contracts. Simplify your workflow and manage your business on one platform. Also, Squarespace has integrated SEO tools. Every Squarespace website is optimized to be indexed with meta descriptions, an auto generated sitemap, and more, so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results. Head to squarespace.com for a free trial and when you're ready to launch squarespace.com dragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com dragon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Ursula's parents had gone to work and she was getting ready to head off to school when she had a thought. I really love an after school snack, she mused to herself. And what's my favorite after school snack? I guess it's cookies. Warm chocolate chip cookies with just a little coconut mixed in. I wonder if the pot can do that. She leaned over the pot and thought about her dream cookies as hard as she could. She thought about how they'd be moist and warm, and with the chocolate chips so creamy they'd stick to her fingers. Pot, pot. Make something hot, she said. The pot started to sizzle and steam and smelled absolutely amazing. She peered in and could see the first chocolate chip cookie growing in the pot. Today is a half day at school, she said to herself. If I just let the pot go, then by the time I get home, I'll have so many cookies I'll eat until I pop. She shouldered her bag and headed off to school. Meanwhile, the pot kept making cookies. Thick, beautiful cookies that were loaded full of chocolate chips. Soon they were filling the pot, but that didn't seem to matter. The pot just kept going. Cookies spilled over the top and flumped gently to the table. They piled up in messy heaps until the whole table was full, and then they started to drop to the floor and roll across the room, and the pot just kept going. The table groaned under the weight of all the cookies and then crashed to the ground, legs splaying out like a broken ballerina. The cookies flew into the air and bounced all over, and the pot rolled onto its side into the kitchen. Cookies were rolling out now, and nearly the entire floor of the house was covered, and the pot just kept going. The cookies piled up and up and up. Soon the house was full and the cookies were straining against the doors, pushing at the window glass, making it creak like thin ice. Then, all at once, there was a deafening crash. The windows burst out in sprays of glass, and the doors splintered in an explosion of cookies and crumbs, and the pot just kept going. The cookies spilled into the street of Ursula's sleepy little town. At first, the local dogs tried to feast, but they were put away in their houses. Chocolate is not good for dogs. There was no stopping the wild animals, though. Birds took cookies back to their nest and squirrels stashed them in trees, and the pot just kept going. Finally, the entire downtown was buried in cookies. Work and school were both canceled, and everyone gathered on the edge of town, watching as the wall of cookies slowly swallowed their homes. It's a curse. Someone cried out. We are being cursed to be buried in cookies. It's a wizard. Someone cast an endless cookie spell. The crowd started to argue back and forth until little Ursula managed to push her way through the adults and find her parents. She took their hands for support and then yelled out, stop. Everyone froze and turned to look at the little bear of a girl. Stop. Ursula said again. It's not a curse and it's not a wizard. It's my fault. It's. Well, it's a long story, but I know how to stop it. Then stop it. Cried the crowd. I need to get to my house, ursula said. But it's buried in cookies, said another voice. I didn't say it would be easy, she said, determination in her eyes. I'll need two strong eaters to go with me. Any volunteers? I'll go, said a chef, a hulk of a man in clean white aprons. And me, said Gertie, an old woman whose love of cookies was legendary. I'll even put in my good teeth, she added, swapping dentures. All right, said Ursula. We gotta get to my house and there's about a million cookies in the way. We don't have to eat them all, but we gotta clear a path. You guys ready? Ready, they said. Let's go. Ursula cried, and the three of them dove into the cookies as the waiting crowd cheered them on. Good luck, sweetie. Ursula's mom hollered, and then Ursula was into the cookies. She ate one, and then another, and another. They were the best tasting cookies she had ever eaten. Every bite was amazing, and every bite was another struggling step forward. To one side, the chef was keeping up well, but to the other, Gertie was falling back. Gertie, come on. Ursula cried. We're only halfway there. Lost my dentures. Gertie cried out, falling back under the wave of cookies. I can't gum em fast enough. Go on without me. Ursula had no choice but to press on. She ate cookies and walked over cookies and under cookies, and it seemed the whole world was nothing but cookies. It was a maze. But somehow she finally found her neighbor's mailbox were close. She called to the chef. My house is right over there. They tried to get closer, but they were right near the pot now, and the waves of cookies were too strong. It took every ounce of strength for them to get to her bedroom window. I can't get in, ursula said. There are too many cookies. In you go, said the chef, his strong, beefy hands grabbing her by the belt. Fix this thing. He spun and threw her with all his might. She flew through the window, mouth open and munching cookies. The chef fell back and was buried in the tide. No time to worry about that now. Her stomach was full to bursting like there were cookies from her belly. Like there were cookies from her belly right up to her teeth. But she kept going. Finally, just when she couldn't move another inch, she saw the edge of the magic pot. She started to yell, but she had cookie in her mouth. With one last determined swallow, she coughed up crumbs and shouted, pot, Pot. That's all I want. And just as quickly as it had started, the pot stopped and was still. I did it. Ursula said, laughing. I did it. Ugh. And then she laid back on the floor, holding her stuffed stomach and laughing and groaning. And that's how her parents found her when they finally dug her out of the cookies. And in the end, the town was a little annoyed about all the cookies, but everyone had more than enough to eat so she didn't get in too much trouble. And from that day on, she was a little more careful about her eating because the day she saved the town still made her tummy ache every time she so much as looked at a chocolate chip cookie. The End Today's Story the Hungry Little Bear Girl was an adaptation of a classic German fairy tale written for you by Daniel Hines. It was edited and produced for you by Andrew Martin and performed for your by me, Amanda Weldon. If you would like to support Stories podcast, you can leave us a five star review on iTunes. Check out all of our merch available@storiespodcast.com Shop Commission a special video on Cameo. Follow us on Instagram storiespodcast or simply tell your friends about us. In case you missed it, Dan and I have a new show on Stories rpg. We play games just like Starsworn with all your Max Goodname friends and Gigacity Guardians featuring the brilliant Firefly. Click the link in the episode description or go to patreon.com storiesrpg to get ad free episodes play along games and coloring books. We've already got a bunch of episodes over there so check them out now. Thanks for listening.