A Bedtime Story

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Clive the crocodile lived in a small, cozy swamp and possessed a dream as delicate as spun sugar: he wanted to be a famous, dignified oboist. He practiced daily on his antique oboe, which he had affectionately named Octavius. Unfortunately, Octavius was not cooperating. Instead of the soulful, reedy tones Cli...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Oscar the owl was an unlikely lighthouse keeper. He loved the height, he loved the wind, and he loved the spiral staircase. The one thing he absolutely could not stand was the light. It was too bright, too flashy, and made it impossible for him to enjoy his favorite nighttime pastime: reading very long, very...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Zephyr the zebra was a collector of peculiar noises. He had shelves of jars filled with everything from the sound of an opening pickle jar to the whisper of a feather duster. His greatest quest was to capture the melody of the Singing Stone, a legendary rock rumored to produce the most perfectly off-key, honk...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Chester the bear was famous throughout the forest. Not for his fishing skills, or his honey recipes, but for his magnificent, deep, earth-shaking growl. It was a sound that made acorns fall off trees and rabbits politely hold their ears. One misty morning, Chester woke up, stretched his giant paws, and decide...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Shelby the ancient tortoise had decided to run the annual Forest Marathon. This was a ridiculous endeavor, as Shelby moved at the speed of a slowly melting icicle, and the other participants were fleet-footed deer and jackrabbits. "I shall win!" Shelby declared, tying a small, colorful banner to his shell. "Y...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Captain Squawk, a magnificent, brightly plumed parrot, was the terror of the seven seas. He had a formidable eye patch, a tiny sword, and a deep, booming voice. He was also a pirate who prided himself on his terrifying, rhyming insults. The only problem? Captain Squawk was terrible at rhyming. "Arrr! Prepare...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Mrs. Hemlock was a librarian unlike any other. While most librarians cherished silence, Mrs. Hemlock, a tiny, bespectacled owl, adored laughter. Her library, the "Giggle and Glee Book Nook," was supposed to echo with happy sounds, but lately, it was eerily quiet. The children, usually a boisterous bunch, were...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Mr. Flourish was, by trade, a baker. By nature, he was a slightly terrified, meticulously tidy badger who harbored a secret, crippling fear of… flour. Not the taste, mind you, but the mess. The tiny, insidious white particles that got everywhere, clung to everything, and absolutely refused to be contained. Hi...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Ignis was a magnificent dragon: emerald scales, powerful wings, and a roar that could rattle mountains. He was, by all accounts, a perfectly respectable, fire-breathing beast. But Ignis had a secret dream: he wanted to be a butterfly. He spent hours in his lair, attempting to flit delicately, much to the conf...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Clara the chameleon loved her garden. It was a riot of color, filled with bright flowers and juicy beetles. Her biggest problem, however, was Nimbus, a small, fluffy, very mischievous cloud who floated just above her property. Nimbus had a strange hobby: collecting hats. Not just any hats, but Clara’s hats. E...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! The lighthouse on Whispering Point was usually a place of quiet, rhythmic beams, guiding ships safely through the night. Its lamp, a magnificent, ancient mechanism named Lumina, was supposed to emit a steady, comforting glow. However, Lumina had developed a secret passion for disco. One moonless night, instea...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Grizzly George was a bear of impressive bulk and even more impressive forgetfulness. Every autumn, like all sensible bears, George was supposed to curl up in his cozy cave for a long winter nap. But this year, something was terribly wrong. "Now, what was it again?" George mumbled, pacing his cave. "Do I count...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Cosmo the poodle was an impeccably groomed dog with a tiny, sophisticated wardrobe. His most treasured item was a gorgeous, striped sun hat with a wide, floppy brim. The problem was, Cosmo insisted on wearing it indoors, everywhere, all the time. He wore it while sleeping. He wore it while trying to eat his k...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Professor Quentin Quibble was a genius. Or, at least, he thought he was. His laboratory, a ramshackle shed at the edge of the whispering woods, was filled with whirring contraptions and bubbling beakers. The problem was, every single one of Professor Quibble's inventions seemed to invent only trouble. His "Au...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Nutkin and Hazel were a pair of siblings whose lives revolved around the annual autumn nut-gathering. It was a race against time, with squirrels from all over the forest competing for the tastiest acorns and walnuts. This year, they were off to a terrible start. The best nuts were being scooped up by their ri...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Silas the lighthouse keeper lived a simple life. He polished the light, wrote letters to his sister, and made sure the enormous, glowing lamp was always ready to guide ships safely to shore. His days were quiet and predictable, which was just how he liked them. One blustery morning, he found a bottle washed u...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Sir Gideon was the bravest knight in the land. He had defeated the Great Dragon of the East, outsmarted the Wicked Sorcerer of the West, and even negotiated a truce with the grumpy River Trolls. There was only one thing that terrified him: puppies. He was currently on a quest to escort the Royal Pup, a tiny b...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Milo was a sloth of simple pleasures. He enjoyed a good nap, a slow-moving leaf, and the quiet hum of the forest. He did not, however, enjoy anything fast. One afternoon, while lazily inching his way along a branch, he came across a discarded musical instrument. It was a golden, curvy thing with a lot of butt...

This very special 300th episode is dedicated to Sarah, who not only guest-stars in this episode doing four different voices, but is also endlessly supportive and patient with me doing this show, even when she just wants to get out the door and I’m finishing an edit. Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! The scent of stale pizza, Mountain Dew, and...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Alistair the wizard was having a very bad day. He’d woken up on the wrong side of his enchanted bed, his potion cabinet had inexplicably arranged itself by color instead of alphabet, and worst of all, his grumpy pet dragon, Smolder, refused to breathe fire on the morning oatmeal to give it that perfectly toas...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Mr. Quill was a book binder with a problem. He had just finished a beautiful, leather-bound volume, but the book itself was a dud. Its pages, instead of being blank for a new story, were filled with the worst jokes Mr. Quill had ever heard. Every time he opened it, a new one would leap out. “What do you call...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! Thelonius was not an ordinary teapot. He lived on a high shelf in a little antique shop, and while other teapots dreamed of serving fancy teas, Thelonius dreamed of being a professional whistler. He loved the sound of a good, clear whistle, the way it could rise and fall like a bird in the wind. The problem w...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! In the town of Gleam, where shadows had their own playful personalities, lived a timid person named Penelope. Her shadow, however, was a mischievous prankster named Flicker. While Penelope was quiet and reserved, Flicker was loud and boisterous, often waving at people and impersonating other shadows. Penelope...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! On a tiny floating island, no bigger than a large pancake, lived a grumpy chef named Jasper. His restaurant, "The Salty Spatula," was renowned for its exquisite, gourmet dishes, but his tranquility was constantly disrupted by a flock of opinionated seagulls. These weren't ordinary seagulls; they communicated...

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode! The town of Serenity was known for its quiet libraries and even quieter librarians. One of the quietest was a woman named Cora, who possessed the ability to read a book just by touching it. This made her the most efficient librarian in all of Serenity. She could tell you if a book was good, bad, or merely ave...