Boba & The Magical Bubbles 🐨🧋Soothing Bedtime Stories for Kids

[00:00:10] Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. Okay, hands up if you love blowing bubbles or lying in a bubble bath. Can you think of anything else you enjoy that involves bubbles?

[00:00:31] They're so bouncy and friendly and fragile. Hmm, hang on whilst I think about that, I'm just going to make a nice cup of tea. Ha, of course, bubble tea! What an invention! I've yet to try it but if you have, let me know your favourite flavour. Before we begin, a quick message for the grown-ups. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad-free listening,

[00:00:58] unlock four bonus stories per month and much, much more, you can join Cocoa Club. Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes. But now, here's a quick word from our sponsors. Hey, sleepyheads! I'm Kelly, the host of Koala Shine, the perfect daytime adventure show for long car journeys, school runs and lazy Sunday mornings. I'm popping up here on Koala Moon because I've heard you want more Koala Kids stories, and I'm here to deliver. Beep beep, special delivery!

[00:01:28] Koala Shine is a tiny bit different from Koala Moon, as it's designed for daytime listening. So, after a great night's sleep with a story from Abby, you can have a big old stretch and tune in to Koala Shine, joining your favourite characters on crazy adventures around the world. With new episodes every Friday, we'll follow Hector and Sunny on a daytime safari, explore the big city with Munchie the Raccoon, and visit the circus with SuperSoul. You'll also hear cool facts, jokes and learn about the world we live in.

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[00:02:21] Tonight we're accompanying Coco and Kira on a casual trip to the brand new bubble tea shop in Sleepy Forest. Not only do they get to meet the fabulous boba, the owner, but their shortstop for a yummy drink soon turns into an unbelievable adventure in a magical queendom up amongst the clouds. Hmm, clouds and bubbles.

[00:02:47] I think we're in for a very soft and enjoyable treat of a bedtime story tonight. So let's get in the mood to snooze by closing your eyes and taking a lovely deep breath in. And then letting it out slowly. Nice. Wiggle a little in bed maybe and try once more. Breathing in... And out. Great.

[00:03:16] I'm gonna get started. This is Boba and the Magical Bubbles by Luke Prendergast. Over the years, many fine establishments had sprung up across sleepy forests like daisies springing up in a meadow.

[00:03:37] There was the Sleepy Forest Cafe, where you could stop off on your journey to have a refreshing cup of tea or glass of juice or homemade scone. Or if you wanted a fancy dinner in the evening, there was always the restaurant at the Home Sweet Home Hotel, where Hugo the Toad Chef could rustle up whatever your heart desired.

[00:03:59] There was Betty the Badger's charming bakery, full of freshly baked cupcakes and pecan pies and soft, gooey chocolate brownies. Or if you knew that you wanted something but you couldn't quite remember what it was, you could go to Snaffle's shop of lost things. You might well be able to find it there. Yes, there were many wonderful places you could visit in Sleepy Forest.

[00:04:29] But the strangest and most mysterious of them all was the one that had opened most recently, Boba's Bubble Tea Shop. The first mystery surrounding the Bubble Tea Shop was its location. Boba had set up his shop in a part of the Sleepy Forest that seemed to be encircled by a magic charm. The plants that grew here were thick and waxy and dark green.

[00:04:57] The kinds you find in rainforests with snaking vines, bright unimaginable flowers and leaves large and strong enough to lie down in like a hammock. Whilst the rest of Sleepy Forest was affected by the seasons, this little patch of ground, and it was small, not larger really than a football pitch in size, enjoyed the same lush summery climate all year round.

[00:05:26] As grey clouds drifted over the rest of the forest, dropping down their thin drizzle, the sun blazed over the Bubble Tea Shop. And when the rest of the forest was enjoying a bright day with blue skies, this small area might be struck by a sudden summer storm, leaving its plants drenched and glistening. The second mystery was the shop itself.

[00:05:54] It was very hard to tell if the Bubble Tea Shop was a building that resembled a plant, or a plant that resembled a building. The walls of the shop were leaves that closed over each other. When you approached, one of these leaves would draw itself back to allow you to step in. On the inside, fantastically coloured toadstools grew out of the ground for customers to sit on.

[00:06:21] And around the edges of the room, strange flowers grew which gave off a glowing magical light. But the greatest mystery was Boba himself. There were lots of unusual creatures living in sleepy forest, unicorns and fairies, dragons and imps. But none was quite so odd as Boba. Was he a plant or an animal? No one could really say.

[00:06:49] He was sage green in colour, plump and round with little hands and feet and an acorn on top of his head that you might have thought was a hat. Except that he was never seen without it on, which made you think it was in fact more like his hair. He clothed himself in petals plucked from plants.

[00:07:10] And sometimes he could be seen lying in the sunshine outside the bubble tea shop, pulsing a deep green colour, as though the sun were charging him up. And he, among all the residents of sleepy forest, could make the most delicious bubble tea. Suffice to say, ever since it had opened, Boba's bubble tea shop had become Coco and Kira's favourite spot in the whole forest.

[00:07:39] Often, after they'd finished a day full of lessons at sleepy elementary school, they would go to the fork in the forest path that would usually lead them back to their cosy cabin and choose to go the other way.

[00:07:54] They would wind instead through the dense forest until, almost imperceptibly, the tall, shivering pine trees and silver-barked birches would transform into dripping rainforest. And they would feel the sudden warmth of an afternoon sun glancing through the lush canopy and landing on their cheeks.

[00:08:20] In front of them would appear the strange and mesmerising bubble tea shop, with its leafy encasement. In they'd walk, and there would be Boba himself, with his green gold glow, nodding his acorn-topped head at them welcomingly and saying, Coco, Kira, come in, come in. What flavour tea can Boba get for you today?

[00:08:47] There were so many to choose from, countless different flavours, each one sweet and delicious, and filled with the softest and most chewy tapioca balls you could ever imagine. Today, Coco had chosen lychee tea full of bright blueberry tapioca balls, which looked like a handful of bubblegum gathered round the bottom of his glass.

[00:09:16] And Kira had gone for her favourite, a spicy chai tea with black and white tapioca balls, to match her black and white panda fur, of course, and a drizzle of caramel poured on top. Now they sat slurping contentedly whilst they listened to Boba tell one of his stories.

[00:09:39] Boba loved to stand behind his counter and tell stories, each one stranger and more unbelievable than the next. You see, he said rather mysteriously, there are many trials and challenges one must go through to become a bubble master. It is no easy feat. It takes years, yes, many years.

[00:10:07] Years, said Coco, raising one of his eyebrows a little sceptically. Does it really take years to learn to make bubble tea? To learn to make the simplest of bubble teas, Boba said. Sagely, he shook his head. No, he said. That you can do in a day.

[00:10:35] But to become a master and to make the most delicious bubble teas. Ah, yes. That is a lifetime's work. Kira popped a black tapioca ball into her mouth and gave it a chew. What trials did you have to go through, Boba? She asked, blinking innocently.

[00:11:01] She was a lot more prone to believing unbelievable things than Coco was. Ah, Boba sighed and stroked what might have been his beard, but might also have been just some grass growing out of his chin. What a good question, little one. Let me tell you.

[00:11:25] In order to become a bubble master, one must travel far and wide across the entire world. Far beyond the limits of little sleepy forest, I can tell you that.

[00:11:47] The nectar gathered by the fire-breathing Lithuanian honeybee, for example. The white petals of the magical choo-choo flower. Or the dust that falls from a pink eagle butterfly's wings.

[00:12:07] And when one has collected them, one must travel to a magical realm and present them to the bubble queen. And if the bubble queen is impressed by your haul, well, then she will grant you the status of bubble master.

[00:12:31] And initiate you into the secret recipes and rites of master bubble making. The bubble queen, Coco took another sip of his bubble tea and tried his best to keep the doubt out of his voice. Bubble queen? Well, where does this bubble queen live?

[00:13:00] Boba pointed up. Why, up there, of course, he said. Coco looked up. The bubble queen lives in the ceiling, he asked. Boba laughed. Boba laughed. No, he said. Up there. In the sky, of course. In the sky? Sighed Kira, wondrously.

[00:13:29] But if she lives up there, how do you get there? Can you secretly fly, Mr. Boba? Oh, no, said Boba, shaking his head so that a little leaf fell off and spiraled down to the floor. You float up there on a tapioca bubble, of course. Now Coco knew something was truly fishy about what Boba was saying.

[00:13:57] He shook his cup of bubble tea and pointed at the bubbles. But Boba, he said, tapioca balls don't float. Look, they sink. And he was right, of course. The tapioca balls were not floating on top of the tea, but were collected in a pile at the bottom. Yes, very well observed, young Coco, Boba said to him.

[00:14:26] Those bubbles in your tea are indeed sinking. But that's because they're currently asleep. Asleep? Said Kira, her eyes going wide as she thought through the implications of that bit of information. Does that mean, she asked, that tapioca balls can wake up?

[00:14:55] Why, yes it does, Kira, Boba said. In fact, and here he looked up through a gap in the leaves that formed the roof of the bubble tea shop, checking where the sun was in the sky to work out the time. It's not long before they wake up now, if you'd like to see. Kira glowed with delight. And then, she said, can we come and meet the bubble queen too?

[00:15:26] Boba looked at her in puzzlement. He hadn't considered that possibility before. But now, as he stroked his grassy chin, he began to nod. Why, I don't see why not, he said. By all means, the bubble queen loves to welcome guests. Especially those who are such fans of bubble tea.

[00:15:53] But, he went on, it is important never to arrive at the bubble queendom without a gift. A gift? said Kira. And Coco asked, what kind of a gift? An ingredient, of course, Boba said. Some unexpected new bubble tea ingredient that could have been selected by you and only you.

[00:16:22] So, off you go and find your ingredient. And then come back here. But, he added with a wink, you'll have to hurry. And so, taking a final slurp of their bubble teas, Coco and Kira left Boba's bubble tea shop, assuring him that they would be back before long.

[00:16:45] As they loped down the forest paths, leaving Boba's enchanted tropical forest and entering the lofty cool pines that were more familiar to them, Coco said that he wasn't sure that he believed a word that Boba was saying. He just likes to tell tall tales, he said. Oh, Coco, Kira said. But, you never know.

[00:17:15] It might be true. All kinds of mysterious things can happen. Anyway, I suppose we'll find out soon. And, I have just the right idea for what ingredient to take. Coco frowned. You do? Yes, she said. One that suits us both perfectly. What is it?

[00:17:44] Coco asked. Well, said Kira. What's your favourite food? Eucalyptus, of course, Coco answered. And what's mine? Asked Kira. That would be bamboo. And if you put them together, what do you get? Coco's eyes went wide and bright.

[00:18:13] Great idea, Kira, he said. So, when they got back to the patch of forest where their cosy cabin stood, they went right around the back to see a special new sapling had been planted. Ever since Kira had arrived in sleepy forest, their mum had been grafting a bamboo and eucalyptus plant together to make a brand new species, a bambaliptus.

[00:18:42] Coco reached up and pulled a sprig from one of its branches. What are you two up to? Their mum called out of the kitchen window. Nothing, Kira replied. And with that, they made their way back the way they'd come, cutting through the pines and slipping down forest paths until they reached Boba's bubble tea shop once again.

[00:19:10] You're just in time, he whispered, ushering them inside. Come in, come in. Inside, the tea shop was unlike Coco when Kira had seen it before. It was darker, the flowers on the walls pulsing their gentle glow more dimly than they had before. And there was a peculiar sensation in the air, as though every molecule were holding its breath for something spectacular.

[00:19:41] Look, Boba whispered, and pointed to the glass of unfinished bubble tea that Coco had left on the counter. They're waking up. Coco and Kira looked, and they couldn't believe their eyes. The tapioca balls were vibrating and giving off their own glow.

[00:20:06] Then, one by one, they began to rise up through the tea. They came through the surface and rose through the air. And as they rose, they began to grow, as though they were not tapioca at all, but bubbles filled with air.

[00:20:26] The other tapioca balls from other glasses of bubble tea were doing the same, expanding and pulsing as the roof of the tea shop unfurled its leaves, exposing the blanket of lilac twilit sky. Come on, said Boba. Let's hop on. It's time to visit the Bubble Queen.

[00:20:54] And with those words, he hopped on top of one of the rising tapioca balls. Coco and Kira followed suit, clambering on top of a ball each and sitting down comfortably on its soft and squidgy top. Then, they began to rise up with the balls, up through the jungle leaves until they broke through the canopy.

[00:21:22] Up they rose, still further, as though they were floating on a soft cloud of air and not a tapioca ball at all. Seeing the whole of sleepy forest spread out before them. The clutches of colourful trees, the luscious evergreens, the shivering spruces, and through it all, sleepy river.

[00:21:49] Winding like a glittering blue snake through the trees. And then, just as Kira was gazing down at her whole home rolling out before her, it disappeared. She was enveloped, instead, in a cloud of... Well, a cloud of cloud. A fluffy white bank of clouds.

[00:22:18] And still they rose up towards the sky, until they came to rest at the edge of one particularly large and mushroom-like cloud. Off we get, said Boba. And when he saw the looks on Coco and Kira's faces, he hopped off his tapioca ball to show that the cloud was perfectly fine to stand on.

[00:22:44] His green feet barely sank into it at all. So, Coco and Kira got off their bubbles too, until they stood on top of the cloud. All around them was purple darkness. But Boba led them on, treading carefully as cloud gathered like smoke around their feet. Then, Kira clutched Coco's arm.

[00:23:15] Look! She whispered. Before them rose a palace of clouds. They hadn't seen it before. It had appeared as though out of thin air. But now, it rose magnificent and beautiful before them. The room was a cloud, white turrets and floating towers. And a large, cloudy door in the front of it that Boba led them through.

[00:23:44] This, Boba whispered, is the palace of the Bubble Queen. They entered a clouded hall. A long room with a high ceiling. As they looked around, they saw crowds of people gathered at the sides of the room. Blinking at them and smiling. The people were pale and friendly looking. And all made out of tapioca.

[00:24:15] Coco and Kira waved back at them. Slowly, the end of the clouded hall came into view. And at its very end, on a grand throne encircled by a moat of glittering rainwater, sat a regal tapioca queen. The Bubble Queen, Coco whispered to Kira. So, she is real.

[00:24:45] Kira grinned at him. I just knew she would be, she said. Boba had bent down on one knee to show his respect to the Bubble Queen. And Coco and Kira copied him, letting their knees sink down into the cloudy floor. Rise, the Bubble Queen said in a voice like honey.

[00:25:13] She too rose from her throne and descended toward them. She touched Boba on the shoulder. Boba, she said with a smile. My honored bubble maker. You have come to visit me again. And you have brought guests. She extended a hand for Coco and Kira to shake.

[00:25:41] Coco was too wonderstruck to be able to conjure any words. But luckily, Kira still had her voice. Thank you for having us in your beautiful palace, Bubble Queen, she said. We've come bearing a gift for you. And Coco just in time, held out the sprig he had plucked from the tree.

[00:26:07] The Bubble Queen took it and pressed its leaves to her tapioca nose. She breathed in deeply. My, my, she said. I have never smelled anything like it. What is it? Pray tell. Coco finally found his tongue.

[00:26:34] It's a special plant our mum invented, he told her. It's called Bambaliptus, the Bubble Queen repeated and gave it another deep smell. Well, it is utterly delicious. And will make an exceptional new flavor for the Bubble Tea Queendom.

[00:27:04] Don't you think, Master Boba? Boba nodded and bowed. I certainly agree, he said. And perhaps, said the Bubble Queen, looking down smilingly at Coco and Kira. This is the start of a journey.

[00:27:29] The journey in the birth of two new bubble makers. Coco and Kira looked up at her and both of them nodded. But for now, the Bubble Queen went on. Do you have time to join us for a bubble tea? We have every flavor you can imagine.

[00:27:58] Coco and Kira exchanged a look. Outside, beyond the cloudy palace, they could see the purple dusky sky fading into night. The puffy clouds were lit from below by the final rays of the setting sun, so that their edges shone bright gold. It was evening time and their mother would be expecting them home soon.

[00:28:26] And yet… Coco looked at the Bubble Queen and gave her a big beaming smile. I think we'll have time for a quick one, he told her. Yes. Yes, please. It was dark when Coco and Kira got home.

[00:28:47] They walked into the kitchen and took off their jackets, hung them up by the door and both of them let out big yawns. Their mum was waiting for them. She gave them each a big hug and then said, And where have you two been? I couldn't for the life of me understand why you were running off with a sprig of the Bambaliptus tree.

[00:29:17] Come on, she said. Fess up. Coco and Kira looked at each other. Well, said Kira. You see… The thing is… Coco interrupted her. We were at Boba's bubble tea shop and he was telling us about the Bubble Queen who lives in a palace in the sky. You can go and visit her by riding tapioca bubbles.

[00:29:47] But it's best if you visit the Bubble Queen bearing a gift, which is why we needed the Bambaliptus and that's why we're back a little late. Because it took so long for the flying tapioca balls to drift back down to earth. Their mum's eyes travelled from Coco's face to Kira's face and back again. Then she let out a low chuckle.

[00:30:16] Oh, you two, she said, brushing her paw through the air. Always full of such tall tails. She knelt down to plant kisses on each of their heads. Go on now, she said. Upstairs with the both of you. It's bedtime. Coco and Kira climbed the stairs.

[00:30:43] Their limbs felt full of tiredness. Their stomachs full of tapioca. Their minds full of awe. They washed their faces in the bathroom and did their teeth. Coco sitting on the edge of the bath. Kira with her legs crossed on the floor. Then they crossed the landing and into their room where they put on their favourite fluffiest pyjamas.

[00:31:13] Kira picked up Ninu, her comfort blanket, and climbed between her covers, while Coco switched on the pink pig nightlight and then clambered into bed. He gave a big, yawning stretch. He felt all the activity of the day release from his limbs and float up into the air like a tapioca ball.

[00:31:39] I still can't believe it, he whispered. Can't believe what? Kira asked. That the Bubble Queen actually existed. That we went to see her. That it wasn't all just some mysterious dream. Oh yes, Coco.

[00:32:09] Kira whispered. As her eyelids grew heavy and the world grew dark. But that's just the thing. Unbelievable things happen all the time. And even though dreams are dreams, you've still got to believe in them.

[00:32:32] Even though dreams are dreams, you've still got to believe in them. Coco smiled to himself. For a little sister, Kira was remarkably wise sometimes. Even when she was half asleep. And with this thought sailing through his mind, Coco closed his eyes. He yawned.

[00:33:03] He nestled down into his mattress. And, just like that, he drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep. A sleep full of wonderful, unbelievable dreams. Some of which he would remember the next day. And some of which he wouldn't.

[00:33:31] Even if he didn't remember them. Well, they were still very much his dreams.