Tonight, we're visiting the rainbow trolls, who are visited by a group of creatures they've never seen before- The squishees! These are the best kids bedtime stories ever!
These squidgey, multicoloured bears have lots to share with Miggy and her friends, and they have lots to give in return. Let's meet them! Tune into our show and enjoy the best kids bedtime stories.
If you want the best kids bedtime stories, please tap subscribe 💜 & leave us a five star review! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator: Abbe Opher
Author: Luke Prendergast
Story Themes: Friendship, Travel, Difference, Cooperation, Best Kids Bedtime Stories
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About Koala Moon 🐨🌕
Koala Moon is the beloved kids podcast that has become a treasured part of bedtime for families around the world. With over 50 million listens, it’s more than just a show, it’s a nightly ritual filled with wonder, calm, and connection.
Each week, host Abbe Opher gently guides listeners through a new bedtime story, combining soothing narration, original storytelling, and tranquil soundscapes that support healthy sleep routines. These aren’t ordinary kids bedtime stories; they're immersive journeys into a cozy world of imagination, designed to help little ones relax, unwind, and fall asleep peacefully.
Inside Sleepy Forest and beyond, you’ll meet familiar friends like Koko the Koala, his adventurous sister Kira, the time-traveling pups Hector and Sunny, and many more. Whether it’s a short tale for busy evenings or a longer weekend wind-down, every episode is crafted to soothe and delight. And with gentle themes woven from nature, kindness, and curiosity, there’s always something new to spark joy. That’s why our bedtime stories for kids continue to be loved by families who rely on them for calm, connection, and consistent bedtime routines.
All of our bedtime stories for kids are written in-house and narrated with love, helping turn bedtime into something families look forward to. You’ll find kids sleep stories that inspire imagination and calm, while also supporting emotional growth and rest.
Need help settling an energetic child? Or looking for a bedtime story that the whole family can enjoy together? Koala Moon delivers a weekly mix of cozy tales, quiet adventure, and familiar characters that make falling asleep feel easy. It’s no wonder so many parents call it their favorite kids podcast for evening calm.
With its unique blend of storytelling and mindfulness, Koala Moon brings a sense of peace into your home, one tale at a time. Every episode includes moments of quiet reflection and even the occasional sleep meditation for kids, gently encouraging little minds to slow down.
So, curl up with a story, snuggle in tight, and join Koko and friends under the magical Koala Moon. These kids bedtime stories are more than entertainment, they’re a soft landing at the end of every day. Sleep tight, and sweet dreams. 🌙
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00:00:10
Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of
00:00:14
Speaker 1: original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime
00:00:19
Speaker 1: a dream. Today's sparkly new Cocoa club is are Grace Millie. Ike,
00:00:25
Speaker 1: Oh Ike, listen out for your Rizzo's appearance in the
00:00:28
Speaker 1: latest Hector and Sunny Doggie Daycare story. Sorry as I
00:00:32
Speaker 1: was saying. We're also welcoming Jade and Meeka from South Paranaki,
00:00:36
Speaker 1: New Zealand. Oh goodness, your Jovian Ginny are also in
00:00:40
Speaker 1: that story too. Sorry, and also hi, and thanks to
00:00:44
Speaker 1: Frieda and Violet in Sydney, Australia, Zachary from Calgary and
00:00:49
Speaker 1: Scarlet for signing up for the year. You Well, your
00:00:53
Speaker 1: adults all say such lovely things when they sign up,
00:00:58
Speaker 1: and it makes all of us glow a little bit
00:01:00
Speaker 1: here at sleepahe q knowing you're enjoying the stories out there.
00:01:04
Speaker 1: Now you have one more each week and a whole
00:01:06
Speaker 1: load of oldies to enjoy two, So happy listening back
00:01:11
Speaker 1: to tonight now, though our bedtime story coming up is
00:01:14
Speaker 1: for children of all ages. We're returning to Rainbow Town
00:01:18
Speaker 1: and our beloved friendly troll siblings, Miggie and Bruce they're
00:01:22
Speaker 1: relaxing by the river one sunny day when a boatload
00:01:25
Speaker 1: of creatures they've never seen before rose towards them. It's
00:01:30
Speaker 1: quite a moment, and one which is the start of
00:01:32
Speaker 1: something very special and totally unexpected. What would you do,
00:01:38
Speaker 1: I wonder if you were in Miggie and Bruce's place,
00:01:41
Speaker 1: you'll be happy to hear that this chance encounter kicks
00:01:44
Speaker 1: off a delightful adventure because these visitors are none other
00:01:50
Speaker 1: than the Squishies. Yes, these squidgy multicolored bears have lots
00:01:55
Speaker 1: to share with Miggy and her friends, and they've lots
00:01:58
Speaker 1: to give in return. So lie back and relax in
00:02:03
Speaker 1: bed Hunjure up all the colors of the rainbow in
00:02:07
Speaker 1: your mind, and imagine every type of squishy bear you
00:02:11
Speaker 1: can think of as I get ready to begin Miggie
00:02:15
Speaker 1: and the Squishies by Luke Prendergast. Long long ago, before
00:02:27
Speaker 1: time had even begun, there was a town nestled in
00:02:31
Speaker 1: the foothills of some snow capped mountains. This town was
00:02:35
Speaker 1: called Rainbow Town, and it was inhabited by a group
00:02:38
Speaker 1: of rainbow trolls. They were called the rainbow Trolls because
00:02:42
Speaker 1: of their bright multi colored hair which pointed straight up
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Speaker 1: to the sky, and because of the rainbow that hung
00:02:48
Speaker 1: in a huge arc above their mountains. One of the
00:02:51
Speaker 1: most beloved trolls who lived in Rainbow Town was a
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Speaker 1: young troll called Miggie. Miggie had already been on a
00:02:58
Speaker 1: number of adventures. She and her brother Bruce had solved
00:03:02
Speaker 1: the mystery of what lay at the end of the
00:03:05
Speaker 1: rainbow on the other side of the mountain. It turned
00:03:08
Speaker 1: out that it was a rainbow colored swimming pool where
00:03:11
Speaker 1: Miggie and Bruce had swam and splashed about with a
00:03:14
Speaker 1: whole bunch of new friends. And then just recently, Miggie
00:03:19
Speaker 1: and Bruce had been spotted around Rainbow towns several times
00:03:22
Speaker 1: their normal height or with wings sprouting on their back
00:03:26
Speaker 1: because they had eaten some magical cupcakes which had had
00:03:30
Speaker 1: all kinds of wondrous effects on them. One afternoon, Miggie
00:03:36
Speaker 1: and Bruce were down by the river side, which was
00:03:38
Speaker 1: their favorite place to hang out. Down there, it was
00:03:42
Speaker 1: beautiful next to the tinkling river at the edge of
00:03:45
Speaker 1: the woods. Maggie loved to slip through the crystalline waters
00:03:49
Speaker 1: and play with the silver fish who had flashed their
00:03:52
Speaker 1: tummies at her and dashed this way and that. The
00:03:56
Speaker 1: fish were very fast, but sometimes, just sometimes, Miggie would
00:04:01
Speaker 1: be able to keep up with them. Meanwhile, Bruce, who
00:04:07
Speaker 1: didn't love swimming quite as much as Miggi did, would
00:04:10
Speaker 1: sit beneath the huge nut trees and throw stones into
00:04:13
Speaker 1: the water for her to dive down and fetch from
00:04:16
Speaker 1: the river bed, except he had to be careful about
00:04:19
Speaker 1: the nuts falling from the tree and landing on his
00:04:22
Speaker 1: head because they could really hurt, those silly, bright orange nuts.
00:04:28
Speaker 1: They could leave you with a real bump on your head,
00:04:30
Speaker 1: and they weren't even edible. When Miggie was done swimming
00:04:35
Speaker 1: with the fishes, she came and rested her elbows on
00:04:38
Speaker 1: the river bank and said to Bruce, you know what
00:04:43
Speaker 1: I've been thinking recently, Big bro. What's that? Bruce replied, Well,
00:04:51
Speaker 1: I've been thinking like it's high time we had a
00:04:55
Speaker 1: bit of an adventure. Adventure, asked Bruce, who was a
00:05:00
Speaker 1: bit distracted because he was still keeping one eye on
00:05:04
Speaker 1: the canopy of the trees to look out for falling nuts. Yeah,
00:05:09
Speaker 1: said Miggy. You see, it's been quite a while since
00:05:14
Speaker 1: we've been on an adventure and don't get me wrong.
00:05:18
Speaker 1: I love it in Rainbow Town when nothing's going on,
00:05:22
Speaker 1: when we can just relax and swim and potter along
00:05:27
Speaker 1: like trolls love to do. But every now and then, Bruce,
00:05:32
Speaker 1: we all need a little bit of adventure. Bruce said,
00:05:37
Speaker 1: he couldn't agree more. He smiled at his sister where
00:05:40
Speaker 1: she was bobbing in the river, and then his eyes
00:05:43
Speaker 1: drifted upstream. They went narrow, as though he were trying
00:05:47
Speaker 1: to see something far away, then they went wide. I
00:05:53
Speaker 1: think your adventure might be on its way, Miggi, he said,
00:06:00
Speaker 1: What do you mean, Miggy asked for an answer, He
00:06:04
Speaker 1: just pointed a finger. Miggy looked over her shoulder and
00:06:09
Speaker 1: saw that something was coming down the river. She couldn't
00:06:12
Speaker 1: tell what it was at first. Was it a big
00:06:14
Speaker 1: piece of wood, like the branch of a tree, or
00:06:18
Speaker 1: was it some kind of ginormous fish, one that they'd
00:06:22
Speaker 1: never known about before. No, it wasn't a tree branch
00:06:26
Speaker 1: or a little known fish. It was something far, far
00:06:31
Speaker 1: weirder than that. What MIGGI could see was this a
00:06:36
Speaker 1: group of the most peculiar creatures. They looked like fluffy bears,
00:06:41
Speaker 1: but smaller, and they stood not on four feet, but
00:06:45
Speaker 1: on two. And they were all sorts of colors, not
00:06:50
Speaker 1: just the brown and black bears that the Rainbow trolls
00:06:53
Speaker 1: sometimes saw climbing the mountains or fishing for salmon with
00:06:57
Speaker 1: their big paws, but all kinds of colors, pink and
00:07:01
Speaker 1: bright blue and sunshine yellow. She's never seen creatures like
00:07:07
Speaker 1: that in her whole entire life. But even weirder than
00:07:13
Speaker 1: their size or the way they stood or their colorful
00:07:17
Speaker 1: coats was what the bears were traveling in. What are
00:07:24
Speaker 1: those things, MIGGI whispered, I don't know, replied Bruce. They
00:07:32
Speaker 1: look kind of like tree trunks, but on their side
00:07:38
Speaker 1: and hollowed out and floating. Yes, Miggy agreed, floating trees,
00:07:48
Speaker 1: three of them coming down the river carrying multicolored bears.
00:07:54
Speaker 1: She couldn't have dreamt it up, not even in the
00:07:57
Speaker 1: most weird and wonderful part of her imagination. Maggie clambered
00:08:04
Speaker 1: out of the water and sat on the river's edge,
00:08:07
Speaker 1: dripping wed. She wasn't worried about these approaching creatures. Instead,
00:08:14
Speaker 1: she was intrigued. She couldn't wait to find out more
00:08:18
Speaker 1: about them. Soon. The creatures in their funny floating trees
00:08:23
Speaker 1: spotted them, they started waving. Maggie and Bruce waved back. Look, Bruce,
00:08:31
Speaker 1: Maggie said, her voice full of delight. They look friendly
00:08:36
Speaker 1: and happy to see us. Look, they're smiling. When these
00:08:42
Speaker 1: strange new creatures got close enough, they called out hello,
00:08:49
Speaker 1: and Miggie and Bruce, amazed to discover that the new
00:08:52
Speaker 1: creatures spoke the same language as them, called hello right
00:08:58
Speaker 1: back at them. Greetings. One of the bears cried, a
00:09:03
Speaker 1: lime green bear with a big white patch of fur
00:09:06
Speaker 1: on her belly. Could you catch our rope and tie
00:09:09
Speaker 1: it to one of those firm rocks. That way, we
00:09:13
Speaker 1: won't go floating away down stream. The bears threw ropes
00:09:18
Speaker 1: from their floating trees. Miggie and Bruce caught them and
00:09:22
Speaker 1: tied them tightly to a couple of sturdy looking rocks
00:09:25
Speaker 1: that jutted out from the earth. Then they poured on
00:09:29
Speaker 1: the ropes, so the bears and their floating trees came
00:09:32
Speaker 1: close to the river's edge, and one by one the
00:09:35
Speaker 1: bears hopped out straight on to the dry land. There
00:09:40
Speaker 1: were seven of them in total. The green one with
00:09:43
Speaker 1: the white patch appeared to be the leader, because she
00:09:46
Speaker 1: stepped forward and said, thank you for your help. We've
00:09:51
Speaker 1: been traveling down the river for days and days, and
00:09:55
Speaker 1: you are the first creatures we've met. May we ask
00:09:59
Speaker 1: you a question. We don't mean to be rude, but
00:10:03
Speaker 1: what are you? Miggie and Bruce glanced at each other,
00:10:10
Speaker 1: then both broke into a grin. Well, said Miggie, we
00:10:15
Speaker 1: were going to ask you just the same thing, and
00:10:20
Speaker 1: she explained that they were Rainbow trolls who lived in
00:10:23
Speaker 1: the nearby Rainbow Town. The trolls had been living here
00:10:27
Speaker 1: at the foot of the mountain for well as long
00:10:30
Speaker 1: as anyone could remember. So now you know what we are,
00:10:35
Speaker 1: she said, would you mind telling us what you are?
00:10:41
Speaker 1: My name is Lemon Drop, said the green bear, and
00:10:45
Speaker 1: we are there Squishies, the squishes, Bruce repeated, raising an
00:10:52
Speaker 1: eyebrow and racking his brains. We've never heard of the
00:10:56
Speaker 1: squishes before. Lemon Drop told them that the Squishies lived
00:11:02
Speaker 1: way up the river, in a land far away from
00:11:06
Speaker 1: Squishy Castle, which was the big fort hewn out of
00:11:10
Speaker 1: the rock where the Squishies lived. The Rainbow Mountain looked
00:11:13
Speaker 1: like just a speck in the distance, a tiny grain
00:11:16
Speaker 1: of sand, But they'd been exploring the land. For quite
00:11:20
Speaker 1: some time, there were groups of pioneers going in every
00:11:24
Speaker 1: rich direction from the Squishy castle to discover what marvels
00:11:28
Speaker 1: the world contained. Wow, said Meggie, you're explorers. That's pretty cool.
00:11:39
Speaker 1: Lemon Drop nodded. Bruce pointed at the floating trees and
00:11:46
Speaker 1: what he asked, are those? Lemon Drop frowned these? She asked,
00:11:55
Speaker 1: You mean you've never seen a boat before? Boat? Miggy
00:12:01
Speaker 1: and Bruce both mouthed the word, rolling it around their tongue.
00:12:06
Speaker 1: What a funny sound. They shook their heads. Not just
00:12:12
Speaker 1: then something fell from above and plunked right on top
00:12:15
Speaker 1: of Bruce's head. Ouch, he said, rubbing the top of
00:12:19
Speaker 1: his head and looking grumpily up at the tree. He'd
00:12:23
Speaker 1: been so engrossed by meeting the squishies that he'd forgotten
00:12:27
Speaker 1: to pay attention for the tree dropping things down from above.
00:12:32
Speaker 1: Os one of those silly nuts, he said. There's no
00:12:36
Speaker 1: use to them at all. All they seemed to be
00:12:39
Speaker 1: good for is giving you a bruise right on top
00:12:42
Speaker 1: of your head. You mean these sun nuts, lemon Drop asked,
00:12:48
Speaker 1: leaning down and picking up the bright orange sphere from
00:12:51
Speaker 1: the floor. These are the most delicious treats in the
00:12:55
Speaker 1: whole wide world. Delicious Bruce scoffed. He wasn't so convinced.
00:13:02
Speaker 1: You must have teeth of iron, he said, because I've
00:13:07
Speaker 1: tried to bite into one of those and I almost
00:13:10
Speaker 1: broke my jaw. Oh no, Lemon Drop laughed, you don't
00:13:16
Speaker 1: eat the shell. Watch, and Lemon Drop knelt down and
00:13:21
Speaker 1: smacked the nut hard against a piece of rock. Bruce
00:13:25
Speaker 1: looked on with astonishment as the nut fell into two
00:13:29
Speaker 1: perfect half moon pieces. The center was filled with a soft,
00:13:35
Speaker 1: golden colored substance. Lemon Drop handed Bruce one of the
00:13:40
Speaker 1: half moons of nut. Have a taste, she said, and
00:13:45
Speaker 1: to show him, she dipped her bright green paw into
00:13:48
Speaker 1: the golden liquid and licked it off with her little
00:13:52
Speaker 1: pink tongue. Hm. Delicious Bruce eyed the sun nutsously. You
00:14:02
Speaker 1: go first, he said to Miggie. Miggie dipped a finger
00:14:07
Speaker 1: into the soft golden center and had a taste. Her
00:14:11
Speaker 1: eyes lit up, her mouth fell open. Holy moly, the
00:14:17
Speaker 1: squishies were right. It was delicious. Oh, she murmured. It
00:14:25
Speaker 1: tastes sweet like honey, but also a little bit like
00:14:31
Speaker 1: chocolate and natty too, and oh, it's the best thing
00:14:36
Speaker 1: I've ever tasted. Now brews too could taste, and he agreed,
00:14:43
Speaker 1: that's scrumbtedly umptuous. He cried, first boats and now sun nuts.
00:14:51
Speaker 1: I wonder what other things you squishies are going to
00:14:54
Speaker 1: teach us about. Lemon Drop gave him a big toothy
00:14:59
Speaker 1: smile and said he was welcome. Now, she said, we
00:15:05
Speaker 1: would love the chance to see your what do you
00:15:08
Speaker 1: call it? Rainbow Town? Absolutely, Miggey and Bruce said in unison.
00:15:18
Speaker 1: And so the brother and sister led their new friends,
00:15:21
Speaker 1: the Squshies, down the path that led through the trees
00:15:25
Speaker 1: towards Rainbow Town. As they went, they pointed out all
00:15:30
Speaker 1: kinds of things. Some of these things the Squshies recognized,
00:15:35
Speaker 1: but other things like the little blue fire breathing bird
00:15:39
Speaker 1: that twittered up in the branches, or the huge mushrooms
00:15:43
Speaker 1: you could use as a comfy seat as long as
00:15:45
Speaker 1: you didn't mind the cloud of bright blue dust they
00:15:48
Speaker 1: poofed into the air when you plunked your bomb on them.
00:15:51
Speaker 1: These they had no idea about. At last, they emerged
00:15:56
Speaker 1: from the dense woodland, and the Squishies got their furs
00:16:00
Speaker 1: first sight of Rainbow Town. Oh, they all sighed, and
00:16:06
Speaker 1: for a moment Miggie and Bruce were dazzled by their
00:16:10
Speaker 1: town too. He forgot how beautiful it was until you
00:16:15
Speaker 1: saw it through the eyes of those who'd never seen
00:16:18
Speaker 1: it before. The higgordy piggledy multi colored roofs with little
00:16:23
Speaker 1: threads of smoke emerging from them. The caves burrowed into
00:16:28
Speaker 1: the hillside with their little wooden doors, the elaborate carvings
00:16:33
Speaker 1: their own dad had etched onto the rock faces, and
00:16:37
Speaker 1: the big statue of an ancient troll he'd erected in
00:16:41
Speaker 1: the town square. It's a pretty neat place our town,
00:16:47
Speaker 1: isn't it, Bruce whispered to Miggie, and she gave her
00:16:51
Speaker 1: big brow a smile. It certainly was. Miggie and Bruce
00:16:58
Speaker 1: led the squishes through the town, and as they went,
00:17:01
Speaker 1: all the trolls came out of their houses to say hello.
00:17:05
Speaker 1: They waved and introduced themselves and asked the squishes all
00:17:10
Speaker 1: kinds of questions, like who were they? And where had
00:17:14
Speaker 1: they come from? And were they feeling peckish at all?
00:17:20
Speaker 1: At last they reached the cave at the edge of
00:17:23
Speaker 1: Rainbow Town, where Miggie and Bruce lived. It was, as
00:17:28
Speaker 1: far as Miggie was concerned, the cutest cave in all
00:17:32
Speaker 1: of Rainbow Town, with soft blankets of dried grass, pretty
00:17:37
Speaker 1: wall carvings, and a fire pit for cold nights, all
00:17:41
Speaker 1: for toasting fluffy marshmallows. Miggie and Bruce introduced their parents
00:17:48
Speaker 1: to the Squishies, not just lemon Drop, but the others too,
00:17:52
Speaker 1: Sapphire with the bright blue hair, and Sunburst, whose orange
00:17:57
Speaker 1: fur was the color of flames, and who had a
00:18:00
Speaker 1: red plume of spiky hair on the crest of his head.
00:18:04
Speaker 1: One of the Squishies, a green bear called Herb, was
00:18:08
Speaker 1: looking a little bit poorly, which Miggie's mom noticed straight away.
00:18:13
Speaker 1: Because she was the Rainbow Town healer, she could always
00:18:17
Speaker 1: tell when someone wasn't feeling well. What's ailing you, she
00:18:23
Speaker 1: asked him. Herb opened his mouth to speak, but then
00:18:29
Speaker 1: his face went an even deeper shade of green, and
00:18:32
Speaker 1: he clamped his mouth shut again. Herb here suffers terribly
00:18:38
Speaker 1: from sea sickness, lemon Drop explained, And we've been traveling
00:18:42
Speaker 1: on the water for days. It always sends him a
00:18:46
Speaker 1: bit sicky. I have just the thing for that, Maggie's
00:18:53
Speaker 1: mom said, And for a few moments, she disappeared into
00:18:57
Speaker 1: her cave before returning clutching a sprig of leaves in
00:19:02
Speaker 1: her hand. Oh I recognize that, said Lemon Drop. We
00:19:08
Speaker 1: have the same plant growing where we live. But what
00:19:11
Speaker 1: are you going to do with it? Miggie's mom handed
00:19:15
Speaker 1: the leaves to herb and told him to chew. Herb
00:19:20
Speaker 1: looked at the plant suspiciously for a moment before shrugging.
00:19:24
Speaker 1: It was worth a try, he guessed, and putting it
00:19:28
Speaker 1: into his mouth. He chewed for a few moments, and
00:19:32
Speaker 1: then his face got a little less green, and the
00:19:36
Speaker 1: sickly expression was replaced with a bright smile. Wow, he said,
00:19:43
Speaker 1: I feel great. Thank you, missus Troll. Miggie's mum said
00:19:50
Speaker 1: he was very welcome, and Lemon Drop told her that
00:19:54
Speaker 1: they had never known that this plant had such healing
00:19:57
Speaker 1: properties all alone. It had been growing by their squishy castle,
00:20:03
Speaker 1: and it was still a mystery to them. That's just
00:20:08
Speaker 1: like the sun nuts, Bruce said, and he told his
00:20:11
Speaker 1: mum all about how the squishies had shown them just
00:20:15
Speaker 1: how delicious those silly nuts could be if only you
00:20:19
Speaker 1: cracked them open. Well, said their mom, it sounds like
00:20:25
Speaker 1: there's an awful lot that the Squishies can teach us,
00:20:29
Speaker 1: and maybe some things they can learn from us too.
00:20:34
Speaker 1: She turned to Lemon Drop. This is the first time
00:20:38
Speaker 1: we've had visitors to Rainbow Town, and we're very honored
00:20:43
Speaker 1: to have you here. Why don't you stay this evening.
00:20:47
Speaker 1: We can throw a little feast, and then we can
00:20:50
Speaker 1: sider around the fire, trading stories and telling each other
00:20:55
Speaker 1: all about our lives. That sounds like a one wonderful idea,
00:21:01
Speaker 1: Lemon Drop told her. But I have just one question.
00:21:08
Speaker 1: Oh yes, Lemon Drop raised an eyebrow. What's fire, she asked. Oh,
00:21:19
Speaker 1: the mum said, smiling and looping an arm around lemon
00:21:23
Speaker 1: drop shoulders. You're in for a real treat. And so,
00:21:30
Speaker 1: as the sun set over the mountain and purple twilight
00:21:35
Speaker 1: spread over the sky, the trolls got started with preparing
00:21:39
Speaker 1: the feast. They informed all of Rainbow Town they were
00:21:44
Speaker 1: invited to the town square that evening. They slung decorations
00:21:49
Speaker 1: up around the town. They went out picking fruit and
00:21:53
Speaker 1: nuts and piled them in huge bowls. They chopped vegetables,
00:21:58
Speaker 1: and Miggie's dad started on a ginormous cake to celebrate
00:22:02
Speaker 1: the arrival of the Squishies. Soon enough, the feast was ready.
00:22:09
Speaker 1: The trolls gathered in the town square to welcome the Squishies.
00:22:14
Speaker 1: They played music on their stringed instruments and on drums
00:22:18
Speaker 1: they'd made by stretching cloth over hollowed out tree trunks.
00:22:23
Speaker 1: They sang songs and announced that the festivities had begun.
00:22:30
Speaker 1: Maggie watched as the trolls, who she'd known all her life,
00:22:34
Speaker 1: began to mingle with the Squishies. They asked questions, they hugged,
00:22:40
Speaker 1: they danced. It was clear that even though the Squishies
00:22:45
Speaker 1: and the trolls were so different, they got along with
00:22:49
Speaker 1: each other terribly well. And the more that Maggie watched
00:22:53
Speaker 1: them socialize with each other, the more a realization, which
00:22:58
Speaker 1: started like a little si in her brain, began to
00:23:02
Speaker 1: grow and bloom into a great blossom of understanding. She
00:23:08
Speaker 1: slipped her way through the crowd until she found Bruce,
00:23:13
Speaker 1: who was already tucking into their dad's delicious cake. Hate Bruce,
00:23:20
Speaker 1: she said, I've just had a thought. Watched that, Miggie.
00:23:26
Speaker 1: Bruce said, through a mouthful of sponge. You know how
00:23:31
Speaker 1: when the squishes arrived, she said, it seemed like they
00:23:35
Speaker 1: couldn't be any more different from us. They're bears after all,
00:23:40
Speaker 1: and they eat sunnuts and they travel in what do
00:23:45
Speaker 1: you call them boats? Yup, Bruce said, they're nothing like
00:23:51
Speaker 1: us at all. Well, the more I look at them,
00:23:56
Speaker 1: Miggie continued, the more I realized that's not not true,
00:24:01
Speaker 1: because just now, when I was standing at the corner
00:24:05
Speaker 1: of the town square, I had a moment of not
00:24:08
Speaker 1: being able to tell the trolls and the squishies apart.
00:24:11
Speaker 1: And you know why, because of our hair. We rainbow
00:24:16
Speaker 1: trolls are special, because of our big plumes of multicolored hair,
00:24:21
Speaker 1: and none of us has a shade of hair quite
00:24:24
Speaker 1: like another person's. And wow, look, Bruce, the squishies have
00:24:30
Speaker 1: that too. Each and every one of them is a
00:24:34
Speaker 1: perfectly different color too. So I suppose you could think
00:24:40
Speaker 1: of them not just as squishies, but as rainbow squishies.
00:24:47
Speaker 1: And then they're not so different to rainbow trolls after all,
00:24:52
Speaker 1: are they. Bruce looked around rainbow squishies, he said, I
00:25:02
Speaker 1: like that, And look, Sapphire has the exact same color
00:25:10
Speaker 1: as hair as me, and lemon Drop has the exact
00:25:15
Speaker 1: same hair color as mum, So in some ways were
00:25:21
Speaker 1: more similar to them than we are to each other.
00:25:26
Speaker 1: This thought was simultaneously dazzling and comforting. It seemed to
00:25:31
Speaker 1: Miggy and Bruce at that moment that everything in the
00:25:35
Speaker 1: whole world was connected, and that no matter where they went,
00:25:40
Speaker 1: they would find friends who were different to them and
00:25:43
Speaker 1: similar to Just then, Lemon Drop raised her hand in
00:25:50
Speaker 1: the air. Everyone in the town square began to hush.
00:25:55
Speaker 1: Lemon Drop thanked the trolls profusely for their kindness. Never
00:26:00
Speaker 1: could the Squishies have imagined when they set out on
00:26:03
Speaker 1: their exploratory mission that they would meet such generous and
00:26:07
Speaker 1: hospitable people out in the world. This feast you've put
00:26:12
Speaker 1: on to welcome us, she said, has touched us deeply.
00:26:18
Speaker 1: We have learned so many things from you about the
00:26:22
Speaker 1: heat of fire, and the flicker of flames, and the
00:26:26
Speaker 1: power of plants. And now we would like to show
00:26:30
Speaker 1: you some of our celebrations, the dance of the Squishies.
00:26:36
Speaker 1: Everyone gather around and we will teach you the moves.
00:26:42
Speaker 1: And so Miggie and Bruce went into the hubbub of
00:26:45
Speaker 1: the town square and watched as their visitors showed them
00:26:49
Speaker 1: the dance of the Squishies. Then they formed an interlocking
00:26:54
Speaker 1: circle around the fire, each squishy beside two trolls, and
00:27:00
Speaker 1: they clasped their hands together. Then round and round the
00:27:05
Speaker 1: fire they went dancing the dance of the Squishies, their
00:27:10
Speaker 1: long shadows falling behind them. They danced and laughed, then
00:27:17
Speaker 1: laughed and danced, until at last everyone there began to
00:27:22
Speaker 1: feel a little bit sleepy. Trolls and squishies alike were
00:27:28
Speaker 1: yawning and rubbing their eyes. It was time for bed.
00:27:33
Speaker 1: They poured soil on the fire to douse the flames,
00:27:37
Speaker 1: and said good night to all the other trolls of
00:27:40
Speaker 1: Rainbow Town. The squishies followed Miggie and Bruce and their
00:27:46
Speaker 1: parents back up to their cave, where they rolled out soft,
00:27:51
Speaker 1: grassy mats for them all to sleep on. It was
00:27:56
Speaker 1: a warm night, so they lay outside beneath the blanket
00:28:01
Speaker 1: of stars, with fireflies buzzing sleepily around them. Lemon Drop
00:28:08
Speaker 1: thanked them all once again for putting on such a
00:28:12
Speaker 1: wonderful evening. It has been so much fun getting to
00:28:17
Speaker 1: know you all and learning about your ways, she said.
00:28:22
Speaker 1: Ah yes, said MIGGI, I can't remember the last time
00:28:27
Speaker 1: I had such a fun day. And soon Lemon Drop
00:28:32
Speaker 1: went on he must come to visit us that squishy castle,
00:28:37
Speaker 1: and we can show all kinds of things you'd never
00:28:40
Speaker 1: dreamed of. Miggie thought that was a very exciting idea. Indeed,
00:28:48
Speaker 1: will we travel by boat, she asked, and Lemon Drop chuckled. Yes,
00:28:55
Speaker 1: she said, we can even teach you how to row
00:28:59
Speaker 1: the boat. Miggie pictured herself at the helm of one
00:29:04
Speaker 1: of those hollow tree trunks, floating serenely down the blue,
00:29:10
Speaker 1: sparkling river. She liked the thought of that very much.
00:29:17
Speaker 1: And so Miggie and Bruce and their mom and dad
00:29:22
Speaker 1: and their new friends from far away, the Squishies fell
00:29:27
Speaker 1: asleep under the twinkling sky. Each of them dreamt about
00:29:34
Speaker 1: the day's festivities, about boats on water and dancing around fires,
00:29:43
Speaker 1: and about the long future of friendship they just knew
00:29:49
Speaker 1: they were about to embark upon together. Dut