0:00

Hello.

0:01

Welcome to Stories podcast.

0:04

I'm your host, Amanda Weldon. Today's

0:07

story is called The Poison Apple,

0:09

a Spellbinders Story, an original

0:11

story written for you by Molly Murphy,

0:14

writer, producer, and composer for

0:16

Dorkdale story time. Tune

0:18

in at the end for more information about Dorkdale

0:20

story time. If you would like

0:23

to support Stories podcast and get every

0:25

episode ad free and week early,

0:27

subscribe to our Wonderry Plus kid speed

0:30

on iTunes or your Apple Podcasts

0:32

app. We wanted to let all of you know

0:34

that we've just launched our official YouTube

0:36

channel at youtube dot com

0:38

slash stories podcast. If

0:41

you've ever wanted to read along with us,

0:43

these videos are just for you.

0:45

We also have Stories podcast merch

0:47

available at stories podcast dot com slash

0:49

shop, and now we're on Camio. Check

0:51

us out over there if you'd like to get a personal video

0:53

message for someone special. And don't forget

0:56

to follow us on Instagram at stories podcast.

0:58

If you send us a drawing of your favorite scene

1:00

or character, we'll share it on our feed.

1:03

Now here's a word from our sponsors.

1:05

Hey

1:08

grown ups. This one's for you.

1:10

When you're hiring, you're supposed to

1:12

leave no stone unturned. But

1:14

how do you actually do that? Easy.

1:17

Partner with one powerful stone turner.

1:20

You need indeed. Indeed

1:22

is the hiring platform where you

1:24

can attract, interview, and hire

1:27

all in one place. Hate

1:29

waiting? Indeed's US data

1:31

shows over eighty percent of Indeed

1:33

employers find quality candidates whose

1:35

resume on Indeed match as their job

1:37

description, the moment they sponsor a

1:39

job. Something we love

1:41

about indeed is that it makes hiring

1:43

all in one place so easy,

1:46

especially with the virtual interviews. Don't

1:48

make your candidates jump through hoops. Indeed,

1:51

virtual interview tool means there's nothing

1:53

to download just click and talk.

1:56

With virtual interviews, indeed saves

1:58

you time. Indeed

1:59

knows when you're growing your own business,

2:02

you have to make every dollar count. That's

2:04

why when you sponsor a job, you only

2:06

pay for quality applications from resumes

2:09

in our database, matching your job

2:11

description. Visit indeed dot com

2:13

slash stories to start hiring now.

2:15

Just go to indeed dot com slash stories.

2:18

Indeed dot com slash stories. terms

2:21

and conditions apply. Cost per application pricing

2:23

not available for everyone. Need to hire?

2:25

You need, indeed.

2:30

Hey

2:30

parents, this one's for you.

2:33

This episode is fueled by lunchables with

2:35

one hundred percent juice. Lungibles

2:37

with one hundred percent juice is more than

2:39

just a snack. It's fuel for creativity.

2:42

Earnest the power of your imagination and

2:45

build something completely unique. Lungibles

2:47

with one hundred percent juice is built

2:49

to be EN, and the sky's the limit

2:51

when it comes to what you can build. If

2:53

you can imagine you can build

2:56

it. We love to make our stories

2:58

come to life building with lunchables with

3:00

one hundred percent juice. Unlock

3:02

your creativity and you could have pretzels

3:04

nuggets and cheese turn into a scooter

3:07

or a bear or you could even add in

3:09

some crackers and ham and make it a helicopter.

3:11

Thanks for listening to Stories podcast

3:14

fueled by Lunchables with one hundred percent

3:16

juice. For inspiration

3:18

on all, you can build with Lunchables with one

3:20

hundred percent juice. Visit lunchables

3:23

dot com with your kids and start

3:25

building.

3:28

Thanks. Enjoy

3:31

the episode.

3:34

The Poison Apple A

3:36

spell binder story.

3:37

Keep

3:40

up, Alice. Keep up.

3:42

Octavia shouted as she leaped

3:44

gracefully across the crowded city

3:46

streets,

3:46

soaring over sidewalk clutter

3:49

and dashing through the legs of passersby.

3:51

I'm running as

3:54

fast. as I can.

3:57

Alice huffed and puffed behind her,

3:59

slightly

3:59

less graceful and way less

4:02

enthused than her cat companion.

4:04

This

4:05

is the first lead we've had on the apple

4:07

in years, Alice. We can't let

4:09

them get away. I'm

4:11

right behind you. Alice

4:14

got out the words and then whilled the rest

4:16

of her energy into her legs, pumping

4:18

her arms wildly to keep Octavia

4:21

in her sights. As she

4:23

barreled down the streets, bumping into

4:25

and apologizing to countless innocent

4:27

bystanders, Alice gritted

4:29

her teeth and wondered how ever

4:31

let herself get into this mess in the first

4:33

place. The answer

4:35

of course is that one day,

4:37

many months ago, Alice stumbled

4:40

upon a secret organization called

4:42

the spellbinders. The

4:44

spellbinders work out of a warehouse called

4:47

ever after. that's disguised

4:49

as an ordinary home in an ordinary

4:51

neighborhood. They consider themselves

4:54

collectors, albeit unusual

4:56

ones. Spellbinders find

4:58

magical items that are born from

5:00

powerful stories, and they return

5:02

those objects to their shelves. so

5:04

they can live happily in ever

5:06

after. This is how they can

5:08

be sure the magic doesn't grow too

5:10

unwieldy out in the world. Alice

5:13

was welcomed into this secret organization

5:16

by a talking cat named Octavia.

5:18

Naturally,

5:18

and

5:20

now after a successful round

5:22

of training and early missions,

5:24

like collecting Little Red's riding hood at

5:26

a local school, Octavia

5:28

and Alice were off once again.

5:31

seeking a particularly elusive

5:33

item that had slipped through the grasp of many

5:35

a spell binder before them. Octavia

5:39

was hot on the heels of their target.

5:41

A fleeing figure dressed in deep

5:43

purples and silver. The figure

5:46

made a sharp turn into an alley

5:48

and the cat did not miss a

5:50

beat. She slid into the alley

5:52

herself, narrowly avoiding a

5:54

collision with a trash bin. A

5:57

trash bin that Alice not built to

5:59

adjust her speed and direction on a dime

6:01

like Octavia ran into

6:03

moments later. She toppled

6:05

the bin and its contents across

6:07

the alley landing with a thud at the

6:09

feet of the cat. Octavia

6:11

just glared down at Alice,

6:13

sprawled across the cobblestones,

6:16

How nice of you to join me? She

6:18

said playfully, hopping onto Alice's

6:21

chest and taking a seat.

6:23

She swished her tail Jovili as

6:25

Alice reached an arm up to pat the top

6:27

of her head. Did you catch

6:29

them? Alice asked,

6:31

Elas, I did not.

6:33

So

6:34

all that running was for nothing.

6:36

I wouldn't say that,

6:39

Octavia replied. hopping off

6:41

Alice and staring deeper into the alleyway.

6:44

Alice peeled herself off the ground,

6:46

dusting herself off and earning

6:48

to look in the same direction as Octavia.

6:51

Instead of a wall or fence, the

6:53

end of the alley was a large swirling

6:56

portal. It

6:57

hummed with a strange magic

6:59

glittering silver and violet in the

7:01

otherwise dark side street.

7:04

No

7:04

one else that walked by seemed to take

7:06

notice of the vibrant doorway that had

7:08

just opened in the middle of the afternoon.

7:10

That

7:11

didn't surprise, Alice.

7:13

She was one of the few people in the world who

7:15

was able to see and sense magic

7:17

around her, which

7:18

is part of why the spellbinders recruited

7:21

her.

7:21

She had had so many incredible

7:24

magical experiences over

7:26

these months with Octavia, and

7:28

after all of it, After all of

7:30

the odd adventures that left her

7:32

in awe, she stared

7:34

into this portal of new possibilities and

7:37

only one thought entered

7:39

her mind. There is

7:41

no way we're going into that

7:43

thing. She exclaimed, and

7:45

she scooped Octavia up into

7:47

her arms. On

7:49

hand me, Alice, Octavia

7:51

shouted in return.

7:53

Nope. Not jumping into a

7:56

big purple mask. We're not

7:58

doing it. But we

7:59

have to, Alice. It's

8:02

our job. We have

8:04

no idea where it goes. Oh,

8:07

Alice, when do we have any idea

8:09

where we're going? Remember

8:11

when we had to climb that bean stock,

8:14

which we wouldn't have had to do if you had

8:16

taken me seriously about the beans in

8:18

the first place, Alice

8:20

replied, but it wouldn't

8:22

have been nearly as much fun.

8:25

If

8:25

Octavia could roll her eyes, she would

8:27

be doing it now.

8:29

Plus, we have to find the apple.

8:31

It's the final item

8:33

of of the evil

8:35

three. I know. I know.

8:38

Alice

8:38

cut in, furrowing her brow,

8:40

the

8:41

spinning wheel that pricked a finger,

8:43

the rose that cursed a castle, and

8:45

the most elusive of all, the

8:48

poisonous red apple.

8:49

The

8:50

spellbinders managed to collect the

8:52

first two items but the apple was

8:54

the hardest to lock down.

8:56

Its

8:56

magic was fed by powerful

8:59

emotions, envy,

9:01

bitterness, and trickery. This

9:03

made it a far more challenging artifact

9:06

to acquire. The

9:07

Apple didn't want to be found.

9:10

I know

9:11

we have to find it Octavia,

9:13

but I still don't think we should run into

9:15

a weird portal. Weird

9:17

portals are never good.

9:20

Plus, Alice thought to herself.

9:22

It's

9:22

bad enough that my moms are always

9:24

worried about me after finding out about my

9:26

new part time job. How

9:28

will I ever explain the whole jumped through

9:30

a mysterious portal thing?

9:32

As if reading her mind,

9:35

which Alice believed wasn't totally out

9:37

of the question, Octavia

9:39

peered into Alice's eyes and

9:41

said, we

9:41

don't have to tell anyone about

9:44

this. will

9:45

be in and out with the apple in

9:47

no time. Alice

9:49

narrowed her eyes at the grinning cat.

9:51

That's

9:52

what you said when we followed that yellow brick

9:54

road that showed up behind the bagel place

9:56

near my school. We were

9:58

gone for two

9:59

weeks. True.

10:01

But in the real world, it was

10:03

only two hours. Now,

10:05

stop bringing up examples and

10:08

let's go. Last one

10:09

through the portal has to do inventory

10:11

alone for a week.

10:13

Alice

10:13

couldn't help but laugh.

10:16

Then she side. And

10:17

knowing that she wasn't going to win this

10:20

particular argument anytime

10:22

soon, she backed up,

10:24

bent her knees, took a deep

10:26

breath and ran straight towards the

10:28

portal with Octavia still in

10:30

her arms. Both

10:33

Octavia and Alice yelled as they

10:35

fell down, down down,

10:37

and down some more.

10:39

They fell for what seemed like

10:41

ages in a glittering whirlwind.

10:43

and

10:43

then they were spit out onto a soft surface

10:46

somewhere far away from home. The

10:48

two

10:48

got on their feet and gasped at

10:51

the new world around them.

10:53

This

10:54

was by far the most

10:56

beautiful place they had ever fallen

10:58

into. It was also

11:00

a little spooky, but Alice was

11:02

ignoring that for now. The

11:04

two spellbinders found themselves in what

11:07

was undoubtedly an enchanted

11:09

forest. It was dusk and

11:11

the sky had a lilac hue.

11:14

Large looming trees with bright

11:16

shining apples stood tall

11:18

around them. Casting

11:19

strain shadows across the

11:22

ground where fantastical ferns grew

11:24

and curled at their feet.

11:26

Glo moss and lazily floating

11:28

fireflies lit a long path through

11:30

the forest, which wound

11:32

around to some place unseen. You

11:35

see? Octavia said

11:38

smugly. If you

11:39

hadn't listened to me, you never

11:41

would have seen this beautiful landscape.

11:45

Yeah. Yeah. Alice

11:47

replied. She smiled to herself.

11:49

Well,

11:50

I guess we better walk.

11:53

Octavia

11:53

took the lead and trotted down the

11:55

winding path. They walked for

11:57

a long while and noticed that the

11:59

light

11:59

never changed. They were

12:01

in a state of perpetual dusk.

12:04

Everywhere they looked, they saw trees with

12:06

bright red apples.

12:08

Alice inspected them as she walked,

12:10

but knew none were the Apple they

12:12

hoped to collect. Do you

12:14

think that whoever has the Apple

12:16

created this place? Alice

12:18

asked the cat, must

12:20

have. The magic

12:21

of all the items we collect is

12:23

powerful enough to do things like this.

12:25

but

12:26

especially the ones driven by

12:28

our toughest feelings.

12:29

Whoever has the Apple now,

12:32

well, we should be prepared

12:34

for anything. Hello

12:35

strangers? Set a

12:37

voice from the shadows. Ugh.

12:39

Octavia

12:40

jumped so high in response

12:42

that she almost landed in one of the lower

12:45

branches of a tree. Prepared

12:47

for anything, Alice

12:48

chuckled, Oh,

12:51

hush. Octavius Golded. Who

12:53

said that? Show yourself.

12:55

Why

12:56

it's me? The tree.

12:58

Sure

12:59

enough, one of the trees

13:01

on the side of the path had begun

13:03

to transform. Its bark

13:05

taking the shape of a rather kind

13:07

looking tree creature. Octavia

13:10

and Alice tentatively stepped

13:12

forward once, twice,

13:14

and then out of an abundance of

13:16

caution, They stopped some distance away

13:19

from the tree's long branches.

13:22

What business do you, a girl and

13:24

a cat? have with the queen of all

13:26

this and that. Under her

13:27

breath, Octavia murmured.

13:30

Oh, no. The tree is rhyming.

13:33

That's never a good sign.

13:35

Alice

13:35

replied, my life

13:37

is so weird.

13:39

We are looking for a very

13:41

part particular red apple. Not one

13:43

of yours though, good tree

13:45

friend. So we

13:47

come from an organization. mean,

13:50

well, we saw someone fall through a

13:52

portal and I

13:54

don't really know how to explain this

13:56

situation to a tree. Alice

13:58

said quietly. I think you

14:00

did a great job.

14:02

Ah.

14:02

Said the tree suddenly,

14:05

making them both jump again.

14:06

So you

14:08

wish to find a girl filled with sorrow.

14:11

I'm afraid you'll have to come tomorrow.

14:13

The girl filled with sorrow

14:15

What do you mean?

14:16

Who is the girl with the apple?

14:18

The queen with the apple created this

14:21

place so her everyday problems she won't have

14:23

to face? Thus her grand

14:25

palace is a guest free zone.

14:27

Please retrace your steps and

14:29

leave her alone. suddenly,

14:31

the roots of the trees around Alice

14:33

and Octavia began to

14:35

grow and burst out of the ground.

14:38

Octavius sprung up quickly in

14:40

response straight into Alice's

14:42

arms. Alice began

14:44

sprinting away from the rhyming tree

14:46

and couldn't help but remember one long

14:48

week during her training to become a

14:50

spell binder. Octavia

14:52

had her dashing, dodging,

14:54

and rolling her way through various obstacle

14:57

courses. At the time, she

14:59

didn't see the purpose, but

15:01

now she was grateful for the training.

15:03

as she narrowly avoided the grasping roots

15:05

at her ankles. Aren't

15:08

you glad I ran you through all those obstacle

15:10

courses, Alice? Octavia

15:11

called up from her arms.

15:14

Alice was certain now. The

15:16

cat could read her mind

15:18

Just as

15:19

they thought they were clear of the worst of

15:21

it, a large route crashed up

15:23

out of the ground, ready to wrap

15:25

around Alice and her cat partner.

15:27

At the very last second and

15:30

with a silent look exchanged

15:32

between the two of them, Octavia

15:34

leapt out of Alice's arm in

15:36

one direction and Alice left in

15:38

the other, and they rolled to

15:40

safety. The route crashed

15:42

down where they stood just a moment

15:44

before disappearing underground.

15:46

The spell binder stayed still

15:49

as the forest grew quiet once

15:51

again, and then finally found

15:53

their way to the path. I

15:55

think today holds the record for most falls

15:57

on the job.

15:58

Alice laughed while pulling

15:59

leaves and twigs from her shirt and

16:02

hair. Octavia

16:02

spurred an agreement.

16:05

Onwards

16:05

then, and

16:06

with that, Alice and Octavia

16:09

began journeying deeper into

16:11

the forest. The path

16:13

took them through many twists and turns.

16:15

The

16:15

trees seemed to only grow taller

16:17

as they walked,

16:18

looming above them and beginning to come

16:21

together in a sort of archway.

16:23

Alice

16:23

could feel magic buzzing in

16:25

her fingers and toes, propelling

16:28

her forward. She had the

16:30

sense that they were close to something

16:32

massive, a very

16:34

powerful fairy tale artifact. She

16:36

knew without a doubt that they

16:38

were just a few steps away

16:40

from that poisonous red

16:43

apple. But

16:44

first, the gargoyles.

16:47

Of course, Alice thought to

16:50

herself shrugging in Octavia's direction.

16:52

The archway

16:53

of trees had led them directly to

16:55

the foot of a small castle. The

16:57

towers and walls made up twisting

16:59

vines, glowing moss and the

17:01

branches of apple trees. On

17:04

either side

17:04

of a tall oak door,

17:06

sat two gargoyles, also made from

17:08

the branches of trees, leafy wings

17:11

tucked in at their sides. They

17:13

sat

17:13

perfectly still until Alice and

17:16

Octavia approached.

17:18

Visitors at

17:19

the castle? One said

17:21

in a booming voice. How

17:23

unusual?

17:24

Said the

17:26

other. The

17:27

queen is not taking any visitors

17:30

today.

17:30

Turn around from when she

17:33

came. We need to

17:34

speak to the queen as soon as

17:36

possible. The apple she's been using is very

17:39

dangerous, and we just wanna help

17:41

her. Alice

17:41

pleaded with the two beasts.

17:44

The gargoyles shared a look and then

17:46

regained their composure. Before you

17:49

can go any further, you

17:51

must pass a widow's three.

17:54

Yes. And

17:54

your answers will decide your

17:57

destiny. The second

17:59

gargoyle

17:59

gargoyle decreed.

18:01

Oh, no. More rhyming.

18:04

Octavia said with a shutter. One

18:06

of us

18:06

never tells a lie.

18:09

And one

18:09

of us always tells the truth.

18:12

The first gargoyle

18:13

looked exasperated at the

18:15

second. It tried to

18:16

mutter under their breath, but their voices were

18:19

still loud enough for Octavia and

18:21

Alice to hear.

18:23

Gary,

18:23

I told you that's not how it

18:25

goes. said the gargoyle

18:27

on the right? What

18:28

do you

18:29

mean, Larry? replied the

18:31

one on the left.

18:33

Well,

18:33

we just said the exact same thing.

18:36

Said Larry.

18:38

I don't think

18:40

so, Larry. I said one of us truth

18:42

and you said never lies

18:44

and that's different.

18:47

Gary, how many times do we have

18:49

to go over this? As

18:51

their bickering grew louder, Alice motioned

18:53

to the door with a nod of her head

18:55

and Octavia winked in confirmation.

18:59

The two began sneaking past the

19:01

gargoyles, inspecting the door

19:03

up close. Over

19:05

here, Octavia

19:06

whispered quietly

19:08

I found

19:08

a small crack in the door. I

19:10

can sneak in and unlatch that window up

19:12

there from the inside. All you

19:14

have to do is climb.

19:17

I'm on it. Alice replied,

19:20

do

19:20

not fall again.

19:23

Noted.

19:24

Alice

19:25

smirked and began climbing as Octavius

19:27

scuttled through the

19:29

crack. She quietly searched for footholds in

19:31

the twist and turns of the tree trunks and branches

19:33

of the castle, scaling

19:35

nearly effortlessly to the window

19:37

one story above. There

19:39

was one

19:40

slightly tricky section when she

19:43

accidentally snapped a twig. Gary

19:44

and Larry abruptly stopped

19:46

bickering below and looked around, confused at

19:48

the sudden absence of the girl and the cat.

19:51

Alice flattened herself against the wall

19:53

hoping that they wouldn't decide

19:55

to look up. She only

19:57

began moving again when the creatures

19:59

below

19:59

resumed their fight.

20:02

Octania

20:02

was already waiting with the window

20:04

unlatched. standing effortlessly on a

20:07

beam. Alice

20:07

climbed inside, and the two made

20:10

their way down to the ground

20:12

once again. They

20:13

saw that they stepped into, well, climbed

20:16

into a grand

20:18

entryway.

20:20

More match tree lined the

20:22

entry on either side of them,

20:24

lifeless

20:24

but with pristine apples at

20:26

the ends of their branches.

20:28

The

20:28

ground was made of the same moss and ferns from

20:31

outside, but somehow, Alice felt as

20:33

though their footsteps echoed. They

20:36

cautiously marched through the passage until

20:38

finding themselves at the foot of the largest

20:40

tree they'd seen since entering

20:42

this alternate dimension. This

20:45

tree

20:45

was the only one with leaves.

20:48

So dark green, they almost

20:51

looked black. They hung

20:52

low like a canopy over a throne

20:54

that was carved into the trunk near

20:56

the bottom. Sitting atop a throne

20:58

at the end of this long hallway was

21:00

a girl about Alice's age.

21:03

She

21:03

had on long purple robes that

21:05

hung to her ankles. Hair

21:07

pulled into a bun atop her

21:09

head, and a stern look etched

21:11

across her face. Alice

21:13

could tell this was not her

21:15

normal look and that more than this

21:17

cast had been transformed by the bright

21:19

red apple clutched tightly in the

21:21

girl's two hands. Hello?

21:24

My

21:25

name is Alice. This is

21:27

my cat, Octavia. We're here

21:29

to help you. Alice

21:30

called up to the

21:32

girl.

21:32

Octavia hopped up into Alice's

21:35

arms and then climbed to perch around her shoulders.

21:37

I don't need any

21:38

help. I told you to

21:41

stay away. The

21:42

girl clutched the apple tighter to her body.

21:44

So the rhyming tree and the

21:46

gargoyles were her doing. Alice

21:48

thought to herself, That

21:51

Apple needed to get to ever after

21:53

as soon as possible.

21:55

The item

21:56

you're holding might be having a pretty bad

21:58

and very powerful effect

21:59

on you. All we

22:01

wanna do is take the apple and make sure

22:03

you're okay. Alice

22:05

countered. Octavia

22:08

added, Did something difficult happen to you

22:10

recently? Something you're hoping to

22:12

avoid. I don't have

22:14

to tell you

22:14

anything. The girl

22:16

shouted.

22:17

She held the apple up high and the

22:20

tree castle began to shake and

22:22

come to life around them. The

22:25

apple lost its red sheen and turned an inky

22:27

black in her hand. Whatever

22:29

is going on, I'm sure it

22:31

seems bad right now. But

22:33

I promise we can you figure it all out

22:36

together.

22:36

Octavia yelled.

22:38

And Alice's

22:39

ear, she whispered. Just

22:41

keep talking to her.

22:43

Then, she

22:43

crept down from Alice's shoulders and

22:46

bounded through the moving branches and

22:48

roots into the darkness.

22:51

Please tell us what's going on. I

22:53

promise you we're friends, and we just

22:55

wanna take you home to make sure

22:57

you're safe. I don't wanna

22:59

go home. I'm struggling

23:01

in school while my perfect sister is

23:03

getting straight a's. I never

23:05

know where to sit at lunch and it feels

23:07

like everyone is always ignoring me.

23:09

I can't figure out what I'm good at, but

23:11

everyone else seems to know exactly what they're supposed

23:13

to be doing all the time. I

23:15

try and try but I feel like no

23:17

one even notices me.

23:20

Everything has just been so hard and

23:22

I don't wanna deal with it anymore.

23:24

With

23:24

each declaration, she seemed to grip the

23:26

apple more tightly, causing more

23:29

tremors in the ground beneath Alice.

23:31

I understand. I

23:33

promise I do. But trust

23:35

me, these magical items don't really

23:37

solve any problems. They

23:39

only make more problems.

23:42

What's your name? Alice took

23:44

a small step forward looking up

23:46

sincerely into the girl's eyes.

23:48

Nave.

23:49

My name is Nave.

23:51

Nave,

23:52

listen. We see

23:53

you, and we're here for you.

23:56

We love to help people, and sometimes when we're

23:58

having a hard time,

23:59

having friends to

24:00

hear you out is the best antidote.

24:03

I don't know exactly what you need, but

24:05

it's definitely not a poisonous apple

24:08

though, that I can guarantee. Alice

24:11

could see that gotten closer to Nev as they

24:14

spoke. She was up in a branch over

24:16

Nev's hand. It seemed like the

24:18

branch was trying to toss her down to

24:20

the ground, but Octavia's cat

24:22

Grace was coming in handy again.

24:24

She gripped the branch with her clawed

24:26

pause and waited for the exact

24:28

right second to get to the apple.

24:31

Alice

24:31

slowly began walking forward. If

24:33

you drop the

24:34

apple, I promise that's

24:37

the first step to feeling better.

24:39

Alice put on her

24:41

warmest, most friendly, most

24:43

genuine smile. She really

24:45

did relate

24:47

to naive. Sometimes things just pile up so much that

24:49

you're unsure what next step to

24:51

take. She could see why you might fall for

24:53

the call of the poisonous apple and its

24:55

tricky promises. Neve

24:57

looked at Alice and Alice could

24:59

have sworn she saw the girl falter.

25:02

Her eyes grew softer and her

25:04

hand relaxed for a fraction of

25:06

a second. Alice's eyes

25:08

started quickly to Octavia, but the

25:10

cat already noticed and jumped from the

25:12

branch with a paw outstretched. Ready

25:14

to do one of the things that cats do

25:17

best. Sweat.

25:18

Time seemed to

25:19

slow down as Octavia reached

25:22

the apple and swatted with her

25:24

small paw so it would fly in

25:26

Alice's direction.

25:27

Alice threw

25:28

off her backpack and had her hands

25:30

inside of the top pocket.

25:32

She

25:32

procured a large book with the

25:35

words Snow White, scrawled

25:37

across the cover in fancy

25:39

silver cursive. She tore

25:40

it open and it glowed golden

25:42

with light. Another portal,

25:44

but this time, one that would

25:46

take the final item of the evil

25:49

three to ever after for good.

25:51

She had the book out just in time

25:53

and rushed forward to catch the

25:56

apple inside. landed

25:59

perfectly in the

25:59

center and disappeared in a swirl

26:02

of fairy dust.

26:04

Alice led

26:04

out a breath of relief, as

26:06

she safely touched the book into her backpack. We

26:09

did

26:09

it. She shouted merily. Oh,

26:12

I don't

26:13

think we're done just yet.

26:15

Octavia yelled. Eve, are

26:17

you a fast runner?

26:19

Before Alice or

26:19

Eve could answer, Octavia bounded

26:22

for the door of the castle.

26:24

It didn't take Alice long to figure out why.

26:26

The entire place was

26:29

collapsing. With the Apple gone, the

26:31

magic was beginning to

26:33

disappear. Neve and Alice started chasing

26:35

after Octavia, and all

26:37

three rushed through the entryway.

26:39

They ran through the

26:42

forest. dodging falling apples

26:44

and large roots rising through the

26:47

earth. They ran the fastest they had

26:49

all day until they saw a

26:51

violet and silver portal swirling

26:53

ahead. Without a second

26:55

thought, this time, they

26:57

jumped inside. All three of

26:59

them landed in the alleyway mere

27:01

minutes from the time they left.

27:03

Neve was in her normal

27:04

clothes again,

27:06

jeans, and

27:06

a plain purple t shirt.

27:08

Alice helped her

27:09

up off the ground, and the girls looked at one

27:12

another silently. Alice smiled

27:13

sheepishly. It's a

27:15

falling day

27:16

today. Welcome to the club.

27:18

She said cheerily. Neve

27:20

returned

27:20

her smile.

27:22

I'm really sorry

27:22

for causing so much trouble. I

27:25

just started feeling so

27:27

overwhelmed and then I found this apple

27:29

and it's like I could hear it in

27:31

my head. It was telling me what

27:33

to do and how to do it.

27:35

It felt powerful, and I

27:37

guess that was nice for once.

27:39

But then, well, it was more

27:41

powerful than me. Hey, I've

27:43

been there. Really, I

27:46

have. You're

27:46

not alone. Also, it

27:48

may seem like other people have it

27:50

together, but that's not true. Octavia

27:53

said from a top of trash

27:55

can. We all

27:56

go through it from time to time.

27:58

Even us, cats.

28:00

Once I had the apple, once

28:02

it had me, I felt

28:05

lost. Neve looked out

28:05

at her hands and then up at Alice and

28:08

Octavia. Thank you for

28:09

helping me get home. Our

28:13

pleasure. Octavia

28:14

said, I know I

28:15

just created a

28:16

different dimension. Nev said looking

28:18

at Alice, but I don't know if

28:20

I'll ever get over the fact that you have

28:22

a talking cat.

28:24

Me either

28:25

to be honest.

28:27

The three

28:27

of them laughed, and Alice stepped

28:30

forward to give Neva

28:32

hug. The two girls embraced and then Eve gave

28:34

Octavia a few scratches behind

28:36

the ears. After

28:38

walking and talking together for

28:40

a bit, Neve said her goodbyes splitting off

28:42

to head to her house. What

28:44

now

28:44

then? Octavia said, as she and

28:46

Alice started on their own way,

28:48

What

28:49

now? Now I'm gonna

28:51

go home and shower and play video

28:53

games and go to sleep.

28:55

Alice

28:56

glared at Octavia.

28:58

No

28:58

more portals. But

29:00

I heard through the spell binder

29:02

grapevine that there is a white rabbit on the

29:04

loose who keeps mumbling about time and

29:08

No.

29:08

Alice interrupted.

29:10

But it seems

29:11

as though he keeps falling down this

29:14

rabbit hole to another world and

29:16

Tomorrow, Octavia. Let's figure that

29:18

one out tomorrow. Fair

29:21

enough.

29:21

Said the cat.

29:23

And hey, maybe we could

29:25

just hang out with

29:27

me.

29:27

That sounds good too. Per

29:30

Octavia. And with

29:31

that decided, the two spellbinders walked

29:34

side by side back to ever

29:36

after, another mission complete.

29:40

The

29:40

end.

29:42

Today's story,

29:44

the Poison Apple, a spell

29:47

binder story, was an original story

29:49

written for you by Molly Murphy,

29:51

writer, producer, and composer for

29:53

Dorkdale's story time. Dorke

29:55

tells is a family podcast by a

29:57

team of creators who believe stories

29:59

have the power to help

29:59

kids discover their creativity, curiosity,

30:02

and what makes them inherently remarkable.

30:06

Join

30:06

hosts Jonathan and mister Reg

30:09

as they bring slightly wacky and very geeky

30:11

retellings of favorite fairy tales

30:13

and untold stories of the hidden

30:15

heroes of history to life.

30:17

Go to doortail story time dot

30:20

com for more details. This

30:22

story was edited and produced for you by

30:24

Andrew Martin and performed for you by

30:26

me. Amanda Weldon. If you would like to

30:28

support Stories podcast, you can leave us a five star

30:31

review on iTunes, get ad free

30:33

episodes and early access when you

30:35

subscribe to our wonder plus kids

30:37

feed on iTunes or Apple podcasts.

30:39

Check out all of our merch available at stories

30:41

podcast dot com slash shop, commission

30:43

a special video on Cameo,

30:45

Follow us on Instagram at stories podcast or

30:47

simply tell your friends about us. We

30:49

wanted to let all of you know that we've just

30:51

launched our official YouTube

30:54

channel at youtube dot com slash

30:56

stories podcast. If you've ever wanted

30:58

to

30:58

read along with us, these videos

31:00

are just for you.

31:02

They feature the text of the stories nice and big

31:04

on the screen. With each word highlighted

31:06

as I read it, so you can match up the

31:08

way it looks with the way it sounds.

31:11

YouTube also

31:11

lets you change the play speed. So depending on

31:13

your level, you can slow down the narration to

31:15

follow along. They're great

31:17

for new readers, story book time, English

31:20

language learners, and even just for

31:22

listening. And in the future, we

31:24

plan on adding more read alongs, some

31:26

live story time readings, q and a's, and

31:28

more. Check it out at youtube dot

31:30

com slash stories podcast.

31:33

Thanks

31:33

for listening.