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- [00:01]
Amanda Weldon
Hello. Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's story is called the Wizard's Apprentice, a story inspired by the classic poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 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 oriespodcast. 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. Summer break is here and while kids are excited to hit pause on school, as a parent, you might be wondering how to keep their minds active without killing the summer vibe. Whether your child is trying to catch up, stay sharp or get a head start. IXL can make learning a seamless part of summer. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that fits perfectly into your homeschool routine even during summer. It offers interactive practice across math, language arts, science and social studies. Adapting to your child's level to provide the right challenge at the right time, IXL helps kids stay curious, motivated and confident even outside of the traditional classroom. IXL's interactive practice, step by step video tutorials and easy to navigate layout make it a natural fit for your summer learning goals. No rigid structure here. Whether your child is reviewing third grade math or jumping into sixth grade reading, IXL meets them where they are and lets them move at their own pace. Between the awards, challenges and little moments of celebration, IXL makes it easy to keep learning light and engaging even in the summer heat. Make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and stories. Podcast listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com dragon Visit ixl.com dragon to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.
- [02:02]
Mickey Mouse
Come on everybody, let's go.
- [02:04]
Amanda Weldon
M I C K E Y All.
- [02:06]
Minnie Mouse
New Mickey Mouse Clubhouse plus and oh our friends are here Like Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Minnie, Daisy.
- [02:17]
Mickey Mouse
Hey everybody and me mine Mickey Mouse welcome to the Clubhouse. I'll be right here.
- [02:23]
Minnie Mouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse plus now available on Disney Junior and Disney. Learn more at ondisneyplus.disney.com.
- [02:34]
Amanda Weldon
Thanks. Enjoy the episode the Wizard's Apprentice Once upon a time, in a distant tower, in a distant kingdom, there lived a wizard. He was exactly what you want when you want a wizard. Pointy hat? Check. Flowing robes? You know it. Magic wand, baby. His wand was so magic it practically sizzled when you touched it and a beard. This guy's beard was nearly down to the floor, all of it beautiful snowy white, and he only trimmed it when he started to trip. His name was also properly wizardish, in that it was a little wild, and over the top he went by, get this. Starwolf the Wonder. Yeah, it's a strange name, but you can't deny it's magical as all get out. But Star Wolf the Wonder didn't live alone. Because once upon that same time, in that same distant tower, in the same distant kingdom, there was a distant basement with a distant bed and some all too close spiderwebs. In the bed slept the wizard's apprentice. He was eager to learn, but wasn't exactly what you'd want in an apprentice. His hat. Well, the point was always bent crooked, and half the time he forgot it in his room. Flowing robes. Maybe at one point, but since his last growth spurt, his shimmery blue robes only fell to his ankles, and they frequently had mustard stains that he couldn't quite magic away a beard. He was trying. Honestly, he was, but the beard didn't want to meet him halfway. All he could manage was a thin layer of peach fuzz on his cheeks and the barest whispered hint of a mustache when you looked at it in just the right light. And a magic wand? Forget it. Wands were too powerful for apprentices, especially ones as bumbling as this. At least the apprentice's name was properly wizardish, since he got to pick it himself. He went with the Bastion of Brilliance, thinking it sounded cool and clever and would shorten to Bastion, which is a good, strong name, of course. Star Wolf the Wonder couldn't be bothered to say the long name every time he called his apprentice, and even Bastian grew tiresome, so he eventually shortened it to just the initials Bob. He would bellow, his magic carrying his voice all through the tower, just. Just as clear as if he were standing beside you and Bastian. Bob would spring up from whatever book he was reading to run up the eight flights of cunningly curved stone steps. Yes, Master, he'd say, reaching the top of the stairs, breathing hard. The herb garden is starting to grow weeds. I can't have weeds mixing with my alchemical components. Get out there and take care of it. Yes, Master, Bob would say. And then he'd go outside and spend the afternoon hunched over in the sun, pulling weeds and carting them to compost. It always annoyed Bob that most of his training seemed to consist of manual labor and reading old books, but he really did want to be a good wizard. So he kept at it, even though in his heart he knew if his master wanted, he could weed the entire garden with a single wave of his wand. One day he was reading a book called 101 Magical Ways to Use youe Leg Hair in Spells when he heard a terrible creaking. C C Rash. Followed by the familiar bellow. Bob Starwolf the Wonder bellowed. Bob threw down his book and ran up the winding steps. When he burst into the wizard's room at the top of the tower, he slipped and nearly tumbled down the stairs. Luckily, the wizard waved his wand and gave him a gentle push on the back to keep him upright. Bob looked down to see what he had slipped in and found the entire floor was coated in a slick salmon slime. Salmon like the color, not like the fish. Which is important when discussing slimes, of course. What happened? Bob asked. He made his careful way to the wizard, his steps squelching and slipping. Oh, I was working on a new potion and I got the ingredients wrong, star Wolf, the wonder said. Or maybe my glass had a crack. Did you crack my glass when you washed it? No, Master, said Bob, and he was telling the truth. He had cracked a beaker when he first started, and the wizard had made him glue it back together one shard of glass at a time. It took him two weeks, and he never made that mistake again. Hmph, said Star Wolf in a tone that said, I don't believe you but don't care enough to hear your side of the story. Well, I need to take a trip into town regardless. I'm short of some herbs we can't grow here, and I could use more animal parts from the Swamp Witch. He grabbed his traveling cloak, which looked just as magnificent as his regular robes, and swirled it over his shoulders. I feel like taking a walk, so I'll be a few hours. While I'm gone, I want you to mop up every bit of this mess. You understand me? Bob looked down with horror. The sticky Slurpee salmon slime was covering every inch of the stone. It was even starting to drip down the stairs, slow and thick as honey, but dripping all the same. Yes, sir, bob said without much conviction. He could probably mop the floor clean, but he doubted he could get it done in a few hours. Still, he had to try, or he could get turned into an owl and forced to keep mice out of the wizard's barn. That's what Star Wolf said happened to his last apprentice. He was probably joking, but Bob didn't want to take that chance. All Right. Get to it then, starwolf said. And then, in a puff of smoke, he disappeared. This is really going to stink, said Bob to himself. He squelched his way back to his basement, where he got the mop and bucket and then filled it with water from his sink and trudged back upstairs. The slime was even slimier somehow, and it was fully covering the top three steps. Why can't wizards just make normal messes? He said to himself as he sloshed water onto the floor. Most places people spill water or juice if it's bad, but no, wizards are always spilling potions that stick to your shoes or make your fingernails turn into scales for a week. Or grow feathers in your nose, if you're wondering. Yes, all of those things happened to poor Bob, and it seemed like his luck wasn't getting any better because no matter how hard he mopped, the slime wouldn't come up. He slopped and mopped and finally stopped and dropped into the wizard's chair. An hour of work and all he'd managed to do was clean one tiny section of floor. This is impossible, he said, throwing the mop back into its bucket with a splash. No one could get this clean. Even the wizard would need his wand. Bob trailed off. Even as he complained, he noticed something incredible. The wizard had left his wand on his desk. As long as Bob had lived in the tower, which felt like a good long time now, he had never once seen the wizard without his wand. It would be like forgetting your hands when you left the house. It just didn't happen. Bob looked around, worried the wizard was going to jump out and catch him, but he was totally alone in the tower. He gave me an impossible job, he mused to himself, working up some courage. I basically need to borrow the wand to get it done. He reached out and touched the wand lightly, like it might bite him. The solid wood of it rolled across the desk and came to a stop without turning into a snake or shooting sparks or anything like that. Bob reached out and picked it up, wincing as he did. Still, nothing blew up, and he gave a small smile. The wand. He could feel the power running down his arm like crackling lightning. Finally, it was time to try some real magic. 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 Wondery Kids on Apple Podcasts.
- [11:13]
Mickey Mouse
Come on, everybody, let's go.
- [11:16]
Amanda Weldon
M I C K E wow.
- [11:17]
Minnie Mouse
All new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse plus and.
- [11:21]
Mickey Mouse
Oh Our friends are here.
- [11:22]
Minnie Mouse
Watch Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Minnie, Daisy.
- [11:28]
Mickey Mouse
Hey, everybody. And me, Mickey Mouse. Welcome to the clubhouse. I'll be right here.
- [11:35]
Minnie Mouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse plus, now available on Disney Junior and Disney. Learn more at ondisneyplus.disney.com Focusing hard on.
- [11:45]
Amanda Weldon
The spell he'd read in books a hundred times and failed to cast on his own, he pointed the wand at the mop and gave it a swish. Flick. Twirl. For a moment, nothing happened. And then. Woomph. A dazzling light arced from the wand to the mop, and the mop seemed to leap into the air. A second later, it splashed back to the floor and started mopping all on its own. It worked. Bob cried, nearly falling out of his chair. I'm a wizard. I'm the bastion of brilliance. I am Bob. The mop seemed to feed on his energy, scrubbing the salmon slime with super speed and squeaky suds while Bob kicked back in Star Wolf's chair with a smile on his face. The mop dipped and darted, and soon the floor was so clean you could eat off it. It if you were some weirdo who liked eating off floors, I guess. But then the mop dunked itself back in the water, which seemed to get deeper than before, and kept going. Now it was just slopping water on the clean floor. No. Said Bob. That's enough. Stop. But the mop kept going. Soon the floor was soaking and there was a little waterfall running down the stairs. Oh man, this is bad. Said Bob. But one bad idea follows another. So he picked up the wand and pointed it at the mop again. This time he was going to use a breaking spell to crack the mop in half. If it wouldn't stop, it would have to break. Here we go. Bob said, and then he made a poke and slash motion with the wand. This time it seemed to send a ghostly axe whickering through the air. It chopped through the mop and then thunked into the stone wall, leaving a deep gouge. Whoops. Said Bob. At least the mop stopped. But even as he watched, the two halves of the mop floated back up into the air and started to grow. No. No way. Said Bob as both halves of the mop went pop and became two full mops. Instantly, they both started sloshing water on the floor twice as fast now that there was two of them. In an instant, it seemed the water was up to Bob's ankles and the waterfall trickle down the stairs turned into a raging river. The apprentice watched, amazed and horrified as A small table floated by and tumbled down the eight flights with a crunching noise. Okay, okay, I can fix this. Bob said to himself with the tone of someone who absolutely 100% could not fix it. I just need to get the water out. He grabbed the mop bucket and tried to dump it out the window. He poured and poured and poured. But whatever magic he'd used on the mop worked on the bucket, too. And it seemed to never run out of water. And that was when the mops attacked. They weren't trying to hurt Bob, but mops, especially magic mops, need their buckets, and Bob was in the way. The mops slapped his face and bludgeoned his belly and knocked his knees until he fell backwards and dumped the bucket on the floor, where it let loose a tidal wave of water. Bob saw it surging towards the wizard's priceless bookshelves. Loaded with every timeless tome of magic ever put to pen and paper. He reached for the wand to try one last desperate spell. But the water got it first. Bob could only watch as the wand was washed away by the water and clattered down the stairs. Bob thought he was desperate before, but now he was truly at his wit's end. And he didn't have the most wits to begin with. So it was truly a dangerous place. Without another thought, he scooped the bucket back up and launched himself at the mops. He grabbed onto one and tried to ride it like a witch on a broom until it bucked and shook him off. He ended up splashing down face first into the mop bucket with a glurgle, sending more water across the floor. And that's when the wizard walked in. Starwolf the Wonder had his wand in hand. He took in the scene with a single sweep of his icy eyes and then waved his wand. The mops cracked back together into one. The water ran in reverse, sucking itself up off the floor and flowing endlessly into the bucket until the entire tower was bone dry. Bob sat on the floor next to the bucket, coughing and sputtering and absolutely terrified. Please don't turn me into a tree or something, he said. I was just trying to mop. To his surprise, for the first time since he'd started as an apprentice, Starwolf smiled a great big friendly smile. Apprentice? He said, not calling him Bob for once. I left the wand on purpose. I've been waiting for you to show me a bit of magical aptitude, and now I see it. I what? Asked Bob. But you have to give him a little grace, because he was very confused. A second ago, he thought he was going to be zapped into oblivion. And now it seemed like Star Wolf was happy. All the little jobs you do, the weeding and gluing glass and everything else, I was just giving you worse and worse jobs, trying to make you so frustrated that your magical potential would show. And now you've done it. You not only animated my mop, you did a clever splitting spell and an infinite water bucket and more. Now you're really ready to be my apprentice. Bob was so relieved, so happy, he thought he might cry. Thank you, he finally said. My pleasure. Bastion of brilliance, the old wizard said. Now take this wand again and let me show you how to make the mop really move. And from that day on, Bob, or the bastion of brilliance, was a true apprentice. And in time, he turned into a mighty wizard in his own right. His friends still called him Bob, though. And that was just alright with him. The end. Today's story, the Wizard's Apprentice, was based on the classic poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and written for you by Daniel Hynes. It was edited and produced by Andrew Martin and performed for you 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 oriespodcast or simply tell your friends about us. Thanks for listening.
- [18:22]
Mickey Mouse
Come on everybody, let's go.
- [18:24]
Amanda Weldon
M I C K E Y All.
- [18:26]
Minnie Mouse
New Mickey Mouse Clubhouse plus and oh.
- [18:29]
Mickey Mouse
Our friends are here.
- [18:31]
Minnie Mouse
Like Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Minnie, Daisy.
- [18:37]
Mickey Mouse
Hey everybody. And me, Mickey Mouse. Welcome to the clubhouse. I'll be right here.
- [18:43]
Minnie Mouse
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse plus now available on Disney Junior and Disney. Learn more at ondisneyplus.disney.com.