0:10

Hello, and welcome back to Koala

0:12

Moon, your podcast of original

0:14

children's bedtime stories and meditations

0:18

designed to make bedtime

0:20

a dream. Today

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we're giving a big, warm Cocoa Club.

0:24

Welcome to Adda from Maine,

0:26

to Elsie from Plymouth, to

0:29

Leilah from Neston, UK, to

0:31

cooper Aged nine, and

0:34

to Ellana Jane from Michigan.

0:37

You're all heroes for subscribing to us

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for the year and hopefully beyond. Thanks

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to families like yours supporting us,

0:45

we can keep writing and perfecting our podcast,

0:48

which reminds me we recently

0:51

received a story idea about a

0:53

ballet dancing duck from an anonymous

0:55

listener, which is coming out soon. We

0:57

really do read everything. If it

1:00

was your idea, tell us your name. Meanwhile,

1:03

Coco clubbers, enjoy all your

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unlocked premium episodes and

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please tell all your friends about

1:09

us. Okay, hands

1:12

up. If you use a toy library,

1:16

I think they're a genius idea,

1:18

and so do our young siblings Katie

1:20

and Bobby. Every time

1:22

they use the library, they open a portal

1:24

into a new adventure. Perhaps

1:27

you recall that they've met dragons in the

1:29

supermarket, dinosaurs

1:31

in the castle, Teddy bears

1:33

in a submarine, even unicorns

1:36

in space. But tonight

1:38

we're shortly going with them to take another

1:40

trip to the Magic Toy Library, where

1:42

they pick a board game and a cuddly

1:45

toy animal. So far, so

1:47

normal, only these

1:50

are enchanted toys, of course, and

1:52

let's see what happens when they get them home.

1:56

Give me a wink if you like board games,

1:59

give me a blink if you like cuddly

2:01

toys. Okay, now

2:04

close both your eyes and smile.

2:06

If you like magic perfect,

2:09

Now it's time to lie back. Keep

2:12

those eyes gently closed and

2:14

see if you can get a teensy bit

2:17

more snugly under your covers. Relax

2:21

your whole body, keep

2:23

your eyes closed as

2:25

I begin the Magic Toy

2:27

Library Cappy Barras

2:30

in the Maize by Alicia

2:32

Ainslie. It

2:40

had been a while since Katie and Bobby had

2:42

paid a visit to the Magic Toy Library.

2:45

School had gotten very busy, and

2:48

they had so many birthday parties

2:50

each weekend that they barely had any

2:52

time to stop. But

2:54

one rainy Sunday, Katie

2:57

and Bobby's mum decided it

2:59

was time for them to pay another visit

3:01

to the library. That sparked such joy

3:03

and imagination in them. Plus,

3:06

their mum needed a new book to read, and there

3:08

was always an excellent selection for her to

3:10

choose from At

3:12

the library. While their mum picked

3:14

out her latest book, Katie

3:16

and Bobby rifled through the toys

3:19

and made their selection. Katie

3:22

picked out a board game and Bobby

3:24

chose a cuddly toy shaped like a

3:26

cappy barra. A kapy

3:29

barra is an animal that looks sort

3:31

of like an overgrown guinea pig, and

3:33

the real ones can be found in South America,

3:36

swimming through jungle ponds and

3:38

napping in grasslands. The

3:41

little kapy barra toy was orange

3:44

and fuzzy, with a big, rounded

3:46

snout and two tiny ears

3:49

on top of its head. It

3:51

had a rotund belly stuffed

3:54

with fluff, and four little

3:56

legs that looked teensy in comparison

3:59

to its big body head. There

4:01

was a very funny looking animal

4:03

indeed, but Bobby loved

4:05

it. With

4:08

their toys in hand, Katie,

4:10

Bobby and their mother returned home

4:13

with their selections while

4:15

mum read her book in her favorite

4:18

armchair by the living room window. Katie

4:21

and Bobby went into the garden to

4:23

inspect their toys further. Katie

4:26

shook the board game box close to

4:29

her ear and heard the pieces

4:31

inside rattle and shake. Meanwhile,

4:35

Bobby affectionately snuggled his

4:37

fluffy Cappy bar A toy. I

4:41

think I'm going to call him fuzzy

4:44

Sam, Bobby announced,

4:46

proudly gazing at his borrowed

4:48

toy. Katie

4:50

didn't respond because she was so

4:52

busy inspecting her game. Choice.

4:56

How do we play your game? Bobby

4:59

asked, holding his cuddly Cappy

5:01

bar A toy close. Katie

5:04

turned over the box and read the

5:06

instructions on the back. She

5:09

read aloud, we

5:12

need to wobble the board to

5:14

direct the marble around the maze

5:17

to reach the pot of gold in the center.

5:21

That sounds fun, Bobby

5:23

declared. It does

5:25

sound fun, Katie agreed,

5:28

before adding with a smirk. Wouldn't

5:31

it be cool if the game came

5:33

to life and we could wander

5:35

around the maze for ourselves.

5:38

Bobby grinned that

5:41

does sound like a fun idea, before

5:45

sighing, but

5:47

do you think that board games from the

5:49

toy library hold magic in them? Too?

5:53

Katie smiled cheekily and

5:56

responded, there's

5:58

only one way to find out.

6:02

She closed her eyes and held

6:04

the board game in her hands. She

6:07

took a deep breath and whispered

6:10

wistfully, I

6:12

wish that this board

6:15

game could grow a thousand

6:17

times bigger so

6:20

that we could play the game for

6:22

real. Excited

6:25

by the prospect of another adventure

6:27

from the Magic Toy Library, Bobby

6:30

chirped in spontaneously, and

6:33

I wished that this toy CuPy Bara

6:36

could grow a hundred times its size

6:38

and come to life too, And

6:41

I wish it could talk. Katie

6:44

and Bobby giggled and watched

6:47

as before their eyes the

6:49

extraordinary happened. Wisps

6:53

of purple and gold glitter

6:55

cascaded out of their two toys

6:58

and floated up into the air. The

7:01

mystical magic coming from the

7:03

toys kept growing and growing,

7:07

until Katie and Bobby could

7:09

barely see anything pass the sparkling

7:12

fog around them.

7:15

Eventually, all the glitter

7:18

evaporated away, and

7:20

Katie and Bobby gasped with

7:22

amazement as they saw what

7:24

had appeared in place of their garden.

7:28

Ahead of them was the entrance

7:31

to a giant maze with

7:33

tall walls made out of swirling

7:36

green, ivy and white

7:39

and red flowers. It

7:41

was a very pretty maze,

7:44

and at the side of the entrance door

7:47

was a wooden sign with the word welcome

7:50

carved into it. Katie

7:53

and Bobby laughed and raced

7:55

towards the entrance to the maize. They

7:58

couldn't wait to get inside.

8:02

I'm so glad it worked, Katie

8:05

professed, approaching the entrance,

8:09

may too. Bobby agreed,

8:12

although, where is my

8:14

Cappy Bara. Bobby

8:16

looked around for signs of his fluffy

8:19

toy, but he couldn't see it

8:21

anywhere. He sighed

8:23

with disappointment and followed

8:25

his sister towards the maze.

8:29

Maybe the toy didn't have magic

8:31

in it this time. However,

8:34

just as the siblings reached the open

8:37

door to the maze, a voice

8:39

from within called out, hell

8:42

dif friends. Katie

8:44

and Bobby stopped in their tracks with

8:46

surprise and watched as

8:49

a friendly face peeped out from

8:51

between the flowery maze walls.

8:54

The huge orange face had

8:56

a long, rounded snout with

8:59

two big nostrils and

9:02

tiny ears on top of its head.

9:05

Bobby gasped and whispered

9:07

excitedly, it's my

9:09

Cappy Barra, the

9:13

giant orange Cappy Barra

9:15

stepped out of the maze.

9:18

Bobby's wish had certainly

9:20

come true. His toy

9:23

had grown a hundred times

9:25

its size, at least. The

9:28

enchanted Fuzzy cappy Bara

9:31

smiled, revealing a

9:33

pair of bucked teeth and

9:35

announced, how dear

9:38

friends, my name is

9:40

Fuzzy Sam, and I'll

9:42

be your guard do the maize today.

9:46

Fuzzy Sam was wearing a little

9:48

red baseball cap on his head with

9:50

a short flag and pole sticking

9:52

out at the top of it. Katie

9:55

assumed this was so that they didn't lose

9:57

him around the maze.

10:00

He was eager to get going and

10:02

explore the winding maze within

10:04

the ivy shrouded walls. Do

10:07

you know the way to the pot of gold,

10:10

she questioned Fuzzy Sam. The giant

10:12

kappy Bara um

10:16

not exactly, Fuzzy

10:19

Sam replied, as the flagpole attached

10:21

to his red cap twirled on the

10:23

spot. Katie frowned.

10:27

How can you be a tour guide

10:30

if you don't know the way around? She

10:33

asked, quite rightly. Fuzzy

10:36

Sam chattered his buck teeth

10:38

in thought and replied, well,

10:42

nobody knows the way around a

10:44

may really do they? That's

10:47

the whole point of a maize.

10:49

They are made for you to get lost

10:52

in, but there's

10:54

always a way out, or

10:57

in this case, away to

10:59

the pot of gold. Katie

11:02

wasn't convinced that Fuzzy Sam

11:05

was going to be an expert tour guide, but

11:07

she was willing to take a chance on him. After

11:10

all, she had followed unicorns through

11:13

space and Teddy Bears

11:15

in a submarine before. Now what

11:18

could be any different about allowing

11:20

a giant cappy bara to guide her

11:22

to a pot of gold. Bobby

11:25

took his sister's hand in his and gave

11:27

it a squeeze. Shall

11:30

we go on another adventuresis?

11:33

He asked. Katie

11:35

smiled back at her sweet younger

11:37

brother, and then looked at Fuzzy

11:40

Sam, their tour guide, and said

11:43

lead the way. Fuzzy

11:45

Sam clicked his feet together delightedly.

11:49

Then the flag on his cap stood

11:51

to attention. Follow

11:53

me, he declared. He

11:56

turned around and walked into the

11:58

maze, with the cure barious brother

12:00

and sister following behind. As

12:05

soon as they all stepped foot in the maize,

12:07

the ground began to slowly shift

12:10

from side to side like

12:12

they were standing on a boat, and

12:14

the ivy walls shimmered around

12:17

them. Fuzzy

12:19

Sam continued to walk on as

12:22

if nothing were happening. He

12:24

seemed totally unfazed by it,

12:27

while Katie and Bobby stood

12:29

still, watching their knees wobble

12:32

like jelly. What's

12:34

happening, Bobby asked

12:37

Fuzzy Sam. The

12:39

giant kappy Bara answered, didn't

12:43

you read the box before

12:45

you started the game? The

12:47

board moves, but

12:50

don't worry. It doesn't do

12:52

it all the time. Sometimes

12:55

it stops for a while. Their

12:58

fluffy tour guide continued to

13:00

trot down the maze path, and

13:03

Katie and Bobby attempted to keep up,

13:05

rocking from side to side and

13:08

sometimes stumbling into the flowery

13:10

walls. Giggling, how

13:12

can barely walk? The floor

13:14

is so wobbly, Bobby

13:16

called out to his sister as he tried

13:19

to walk in a straight line.

13:21

The trick is to move

13:24

with the moving floor. Fuzzy

13:26

Sam recommended, don't

13:29

fight against it, roll

13:31

with the waves. The

13:34

giant kappy Bara expertly

13:36

walked along the corridor as

13:38

cool as a cucumber, never

13:41

falling over or tripping over

13:43

his feet. Once Katie

13:46

and Bobby tried to take his advice,

13:50

As the floor dipped to the left,

13:52

they carefully stepped their feet to the left

13:55

too. Then as

13:57

the floor swayed to the right, they

13:59

wore looked back in the opposite direction.

14:03

The more they practiced it, the easier

14:05

it became, and soon they

14:07

were swaying along with the moving

14:10

ground, just like Fuzzy

14:12

Sam was left to

14:14

right, left to right,

14:17

left to right. You

14:20

see, Fuzzy Sam said,

14:23

it's easy once you get the hang

14:25

of it. After

14:28

a few more moments, the ground

14:30

stopped moving and the maze

14:33

fell still. Oh

14:35

good, Katie said, my

14:38

legs were beginning to get tired. Fuzzy

14:42

Sam chuckled and offered,

14:45

you can climb on my back for a ride

14:48

if you want, but remember

14:51

to hold on. It can

14:53

be a bumpy ride.

14:56

Katie and Bobby liked the idea of

14:58

riding around on a giant kapy

15:00

bara's back, so Fuzzy

15:02

Sam lowered himself closer

15:05

to the ground and the siblings

15:07

climbed aboard. They

15:09

rode Fuzzy Sam all the way

15:11

to the end of the corridor until

15:14

they reached the crossroads. There,

15:17

they came across two different paths,

15:20

veering off in different directions.

15:24

Now which way shall we

15:26

go, Fuzzy Sam asked

15:28

the kids. I

15:30

thought you were supposed to be our

15:32

tour guide, Katie asked.

15:36

Fuzzy Sam replied, I

15:38

am, but remember a

15:41

maze is a maze, and it's

15:43

never the same twice.

15:46

I don't know the way around any better

15:48

than you do. If

15:50

all a guessing game. Katie

15:54

and Bobby observed the two options.

15:57

Each path looked exactly the

16:00

same as the other. It was

16:02

hard to tell which way was

16:04

the right way? Shall

16:07

we do? Iip dip doo,

16:09

Bobby asked Katie, but she

16:12

shook her head. No,

16:14

it's okay, she replied. I

16:17

think let's go to the right. Fuzzy

16:21

Sam clicked his heels together again,

16:23

and the flagpole on his cap span.

16:27

You're the bath, he exclaimed.

16:31

Katie and Bobby rode along on Fuzzy

16:34

Sam's back down the maze

16:36

path to the right and followed

16:38

it for a while as it snaked around

16:40

the maze. Every

16:43

now and then they would round a corner

16:45

which would lead them to another two paths

16:47

to choose from. Each

16:50

time they would pick a new route

16:52

which would lead them onto another path,

16:55

and another path, and another,

16:58

on and on and

17:00

on deeper into

17:03

the maze. From

17:05

time to time, the maze floor

17:07

would wobble and shift, for

17:10

Fuzzy Sam would expertly maneuver

17:12

it like he had done a thousand times

17:15

before. Katie

17:17

and Bobby found it much more

17:19

pleasant to deal with the swaying maze

17:22

from upon Fuzzy Sam's back than

17:24

standing on their own feet. In

17:27

fact, it was quite relaxing feeling

17:30

the room sway from side to

17:32

side. At

17:34

one point, Bobby couldn't help

17:36

but close his eyes and take

17:39

a little nap on their cappy Bara's

17:41

back, much to his sister's

17:43

amusement. But

17:46

as to be expected when wandering

17:48

around a maze, every

17:50

so often, just as

17:53

they thought they were making progress,

17:55

they would reach a dead end. Oh

17:59

dear, we went the wrong

18:01

way, Bobby said.

18:03

The first time they reached the wall blocking

18:06

their path, the

18:09

three of them retraced their

18:11

steps and went a different way.

18:14

However, inevitably, they

18:17

eventually reached another dead

18:19

end, and another dead end,

18:22

and another. It

18:25

feels like we've been wandering

18:27

around the maze for eges,

18:30

Katie laughed as they reached another

18:33

dead end. I

18:36

wonder if we will ever find

18:38

the pot of gold, Bobby added,

18:42

don't worry, my friends, Fuzzy

18:45

Sam said. The pot

18:47

of gold has to be around

18:49

here, somewhere, and we

18:52

will find it. Maybe

18:54

we just need to call for some

18:56

reinforcements. What

18:59

do you mean, Katie

19:01

queried suspiciously. To

19:05

her surprise, Fuzzy Sam

19:07

whistled loudly, and

19:09

the high pitched sound echoed

19:12

through the halls of the Maze.

19:15

Suddenly, the maze floor started

19:17

to quiver and they could all

19:20

hear a rumbling sound. It

19:23

didn't feel like the last couple of

19:25

times when the May's floor wobbled

19:27

and moved, though, something

19:30

felt different on this occasion.

19:34

What's that noise, Bobby

19:36

asked with confusion. It

19:40

sounds like a stampede of elephants,

19:43

Katie commented, now

19:46

quite Fuzzy Sam smiled,

19:49

it sounds more like a

19:52

stampede of cabby barrs to

19:54

me. All

19:57

of a sudden, a herd of

19:59

giant and fluffy cappy baras

20:02

rounded the corner and swept

20:04

towards them. There

20:07

must have been ten of them, and

20:09

they were all as big as Fuzzy

20:12

Sam. Some of them might even

20:14

have been bigger. Howdy,

20:17

my friends, we need

20:19

your help, Fuzzy Sam

20:21

called out, and the group

20:23

of approaching cappy Baras came

20:25

to a halt right in front of them.

20:29

Bobby's mouth fell open

20:31

in awe. He had

20:34

never seen so many

20:36

giant kappy barers before.

20:39

Then again, he had never actually seen

20:42

a giant kapy barra before today. All

20:46

of the kapy Baras had orange

20:48

fur and wore small baseball

20:50

caps on their heads with flags on

20:52

top, just like Fuzzy Sam.

20:56

Each kafy Bara's cap was

20:58

a different color, which made them

21:00

easier to differentiate between. Fuzzy

21:04

Sam introduced Katie and Bobby

21:06

to his friends. There was

21:08

Squeaky Gee in the blue cap

21:11

and Snorty Sal wearing the green

21:13

cap. Fluffy Riz

21:16

wore a purple cap, and

21:18

Chumpy Chuck donned a white cap.

21:21

Incredibly, it turned out

21:23

that all the kappy Baras were tour

21:26

guides for the Maize, so they

21:28

would be the perfect group to

21:30

ask for directions to the pot of

21:32

gold. Katie

21:35

explained to the herd how they were

21:37

looking for the pot of gold to win the game,

21:40

but they had only found dead end after

21:42

dead end so far. Have

21:45

any of you seen the pot of gold recently?

21:49

Bobby inquired hopefully. The

21:52

herd of Kapy Baras mumbled

21:54

between themselves curiously, before

21:57

one wearing a yellow cap and flu

22:00

replied, I saw

22:02

the pot of gold an hour ago, but

22:05

we'll have to hurry if we want to find

22:07

it again. The maze

22:10

regularly moves it to keep us tour guides

22:12

on our toes, Katie

22:15

exclaimed. Then there's no

22:17

time to lose. Lead

22:19

the way. The herd

22:22

of Capybaras cried out in unison

22:26

to the part of gold.

22:29

Then they all clicked their feet together and

22:32

the flags on their caps twizzled before

22:35

they turned around and scurried off

22:37

the way they came. Fuzzy

22:39

Sam, Katie and Bobby

22:42

followed behind. They

22:44

all weaved down corridors,

22:46

taking turn after turn and

22:49

navigating wobbling floors

22:52

until eventually the

22:54

stampedes stopped as they

22:56

reached a big square room

22:59

with a giant bronze pot

23:01

in the middle. Overflowing

23:04

out of the pot were hundreds

23:07

of glittering nuggets of gold. Katie

23:11

and Bobby cheered with success

23:14

and hopped down from Fuzzy Sam's

23:16

back. We've

23:19

found the pot of gold, cried

23:21

Katie, delightedly. We've

23:24

won the game. She

23:27

hugged her brother and they danced

23:29

around with joy. They

23:32

thanked the herd of cappy baras

23:34

for their help. They were

23:36

very grateful. You

23:38

might not have found the pot of gold without

23:41

them. The room

23:43

began to sway again. God

23:47

claim your prize, my friends,

23:50

Fuzzy Sam said with a proud smile,

23:53

tilting his little red baseball cap

23:55

to them. Thank

23:57

you for everything.

24:00

Katie thanked their cappy bar a friend,

24:03

and Bobby gave him a big hug.

24:07

It looked like they would have to

24:09

do the last bit on their own.

24:13

Katie and Bobby stumbled into

24:16

the middle of the room, aiming

24:18

for the bot of Gold, which stayed put

24:20

in the center. The maize

24:23

rocked them from side to side.

24:27

Katie grabbed her brother's hand

24:29

and reminded him what Fuzzy

24:31

Sam had told them earlier. Fuzzy

24:34

Sam had said to move with the

24:36

moving floor, not against

24:38

it. Katie

24:41

and Bobby persevered. Each

24:44

time the floor moved to the left,

24:47

they allowed it to take them with it,

24:50

and each time it rocked to the right,

24:53

they swayed that way too. They

24:57

patiently made their way across

24:59

the room boom together, finally

25:02

reaching their goal in the middle.

25:06

Katie and Bobby stepped up

25:08

to the pot of gold and reached

25:11

inside to each take

25:13

a golden nugget. As

25:16

both of their hands touched the pieces

25:19

of gold, a surge

25:21

of soothing warmth flooded

25:23

through them, and the gold in

25:25

the pot started to glow brighter

25:28

and brighter, until it shone

25:31

so brightly that Katie

25:33

and Bobby had to close their eyes.

25:37

Katie and Bobby felt their bodies

25:39

floating in mid air as

25:41

the magic of the pot of gold

25:43

flowed over them. They

25:46

felt calm and happy and

25:49

a little bit sleepy from all

25:51

the rocking, and within

25:53

a few moments they opened

25:56

their eyes again to find

25:58

themselves back in the garden.

26:01

Like before, the

26:03

maize had disappeared, and

26:05

all that was left behind was

26:08

the board game box on the ground

26:11

and a cuddly Cappy bar A toy

26:13

next to it. Katie

26:17

and Bobby lay down on

26:19

the grass next to their borrowed

26:21

toys and sighed. They

26:25

felt thoroughly exhausted

26:28

after such a wonderful adventure.

26:32

Bobby held the Kappy bar A

26:34

toy to his chest and

26:36

wrapped his arms around it tightly.

26:40

He whispered to the stuffed animal

26:43

sweet Dreams, Fuzzy Sam,

26:47

before quickly falling asleep

26:49

on the ground. Katie

26:52

giggled to herself as she watched

26:55

her little brother fall asleep

26:57

so easily, But

26:59

she she wasn't laughing for long as

27:02

she readily succumbed to the

27:04

pull of sleep. Shortly after.

27:07

She was very tired too.

27:11

She closed her eyes and curled

27:14

up tight, placing

27:17

her hands underneath

27:19

her cheek like a pillow. The

27:23

grass was soft beneath

27:25

her body, and the afternoon

27:27

sun was warm

27:30

on her skin. It

27:34

may have been a long while

27:36

since they had last visited

27:39

the Magic Toy Library, but

27:42

it had been worth the weight. Katie

27:46

drifted off to sleep next

27:49

to her brother, fulfilled

27:53

from another adventure and

27:56

feeling safe in the knowledge

27:59

that anything is possible thanks

28:03

to a sprinkle of magic.