Snaffles & The Dust Bunnies 🍄🐰 Cute Kids Bedtime Stories

[00:00:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream.

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_00]: First and foremost it's drumroll time please as we are delighted to welcome our newest subscribers to the Coco Club.

[00:00:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Hi Monica, hi Alysses from Vietnam, hi Etta May, Anaya, Ishan, Kanan and Connor.

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_00]: We are so thrilled you'll all be with us for the next year. Thank you for joining us.

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't forget to hit follow in your podcast app so you get all of the stories auto-downloading.

[00:00:51] [SPEAKER_00]: We don't have to do a thing. And let us know your story ideas if you have any.

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, tonight we're going to rejoin Snaffles, do you remember him?

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: We're going to join him at his little shop on the edge of Sleepy Forest.

[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_00]: He's the industrious little creature who turns trash into treasure.

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_00]: All it ever seems to take is some imagination, some creativity and a little trial and error.

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Hearing how he makes wind chimes makes me want to have a go.

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, Snaffles, as we know, takes great pride in his unique wares and he likes to show them off to their best effect to his valued customers of Sleepy Forest.

[00:01:30] [SPEAKER_00]: And so, each evening he thoroughly cleans and shuts down his shop ready for the following day's trade.

[00:01:37] [SPEAKER_00]: This evening, as he's going about his jobs, something quite unexpected happens.

[00:01:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Lie back in bed and close your eyes.

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Take some lovely deep breaths in and out.

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And see if you can snuggle even deeper into your bed.

[00:01:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, it's time to begin.

[00:01:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles and the Dust Bunnies by Susanna McLaughlin.

[00:02:08] [SPEAKER_00]: It had been a peaceful day in Sleepy Forest.

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_00]: The pine trees were studded with pine cones.

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: The conkers were starting to grow on the chestnut trees.

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: And the clearing that housed Snaffles' little shop of lost things was blanketed with little lilac wildflowers and red-capped toadstores.

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles had enjoyed a steady flow of customers all day, picking up trinkets and toys and leaving their broken or found objects in return.

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_00]: But now, it was time for Snaffles to turn the sign on the door from open to closed.

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: The little furball of a creature looked around his little shop with a smile on his face.

[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_00]: He'd sold lots today.

[00:02:54] [SPEAKER_00]: He'd sold a handful of origami frogs, a sailor hat he'd made from papier-mâché, and a necklace made of seashells that clacked and clinked against each other, making the most beautiful sounds.

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Now, it was time to replenish his stock.

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles sat at his little desk and turned the handle on his music box one, two, three times, until soft, tinkling music began to play.

[00:03:22] [SPEAKER_00]: He always listened to his music box as he worked.

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_00]: First on his list, he needed to fold more frogs.

[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles took the shiny box of chocolates that Papa Praline had given him in return for a patched-up cagoule and placed it on the desk.

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: He put his furry feet up next to them as he unwrapped each chocolate and popped it in his mouth.

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Once he'd gobbled the lot, he straightened out the jewel-coloured papers and began to fold.

[00:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: One frog took shape in glistening green, and the next in jewel pink.

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_00]: He made ones of silver and gold and vibrant purple.

[00:04:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Then, once all the wrappers had been transformed, he lined the little frogs on their shelf, ready to be picked up tomorrow.

[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_00]: His next creations were inspired by the slow, warm breeze drifting through the window of the mushroom-shaped cabin.

[00:04:21] [SPEAKER_00]: He took a ball of twine he'd been saving for an occasion such as this, and attached long strips onto little hooks.

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_00]: He rifled through his drawers of knick-knacks and odd bits, and pulled out pennies and clamshells and sea glass and old sardine tins.

[00:04:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Anything that might tinkle and clang.

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_00]: He attached the prettiest of these objects onto the twine, and before long, he was done.

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Wind chimes.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: As an experiment, he hung the longest wind chime from the ceiling of the cabin.

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Sucked in a breath so big, he thought he might float away, and blew.

[00:05:05] [SPEAKER_00]: A soft song of tinkles and clunks came from the dangling objects.

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Perfect.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_00]: He tied a piece of ribbon around each wind chime, and laid them out in his emptiest display case.

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Finally, he had to fix a broken jewelry box brought to him by a grandma koala.

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_00]: The velvety box had a ballerina inside that was supposed to twirl to the tinkling song of Swan Lake.

[00:05:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Right now, she was stuck, stock still.

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles put on his round wire-rimmed glasses, and tinkered around in the mechanism, switching a broken cog for a perfectly round flat stone.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_00]: He wound the handle, and sure enough, the ballerina resumed her pirouette.

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Perfect.

[00:05:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Just like that, all his work was done.

[00:06:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles looked around his glistening grotto and smiled.

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Now, all that was left was to clean.

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_00]: He took his box of old socks, put one on each hand and each foot, and skated across the floor, scooping up any dust that had gathered there.

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Then, with two new socks on his hands and two on his ears to keep them warm, he dusted and polished every last trinket, every sculpture and toy and tool until everything was sparkling.

[00:06:36] [SPEAKER_00]: When all this was done, he gathered the dust into a large pile and went to suck it up with the hoover.

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Only, when he turned the hoover on, it whirred and groaned and whimpered and turned off again.

[00:06:51] [SPEAKER_00]: He tried again, but this time, all that came out was a splutter.

[00:06:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles shook his head.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: The hoover was on the blink again.

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_00]: He looked out of the window at the sunset that started to glow on the horizon and shrugged.

[00:07:09] [SPEAKER_00]: There was no time to fix it tonight.

[00:07:11] [SPEAKER_00]: He was having tea with his friends, Mira and Kamal.

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: They would have to wait until the morning.

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER_00]: He said goodbye to his shop, turned the big metal key in the door and skipped off into the evening.

[00:07:26] [SPEAKER_00]: The next morning, when the birds were still singing their morning songs,

[00:07:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles came back into the clearing and walked up the steps to his mushroom-shaped shop.

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_00]: He stretched, he turned the key, and in he stepped, ready to tackle the calamitous hoover.

[00:07:47] [SPEAKER_00]: But, as he bent to open the mechanism, he stopped.

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_00]: The hoover was still where he left it, as was every other item in his shop.

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_00]: But the pile of dust was gone.

[00:08:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles scratched his head.

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00]: He had closed the window.

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, that's right, the window was closed.

[00:08:08] [SPEAKER_00]: No breeze could have blown the dust away, and the shop was still sparkling clean.

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Had the dust just grown legs and walked into the hoover?

[00:08:19] [SPEAKER_00]: He checked the hoover bag for dust, before shaking his head and chuckling at himself.

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Don't be silly, Snaffles, he said.

[00:08:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Does the car grow legs and walk?

[00:08:32] [SPEAKER_00]: He was just gathering together his spanners and screwdrivers when he heard a little giggle.

[00:08:39] [SPEAKER_00]: And another.

[00:08:41] [SPEAKER_00]: A kind of snuffily, sweet little sound.

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_00]: And there, on his desk, was a couple of bunnies.

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_00]: They had long, fluffy ears and pom-pom tails like regular bunnies.

[00:08:56] [SPEAKER_00]: But they weren't covered in regular fur.

[00:09:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Theirs was more light, more cloud-like, kind of dusty looking.

[00:09:07] [SPEAKER_00]: A light bulb went off in Snaffles' head.

[00:09:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Just bunnies?

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_00]: He exclaimed.

[00:09:15] [SPEAKER_00]: He'd heard the phrase before, but he never knew exactly what it meant.

[00:09:20] [SPEAKER_00]: That's right, the black bunny said.

[00:09:23] [SPEAKER_00]: We're dust bunnies.

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_00]: What, have you never met a dust bunny before?

[00:09:28] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Soots, the soft grey bunny at his side said.

[00:09:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm Binky.

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Soot and Binky.

[00:09:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles rubbed his eyes as if he didn't believe them.

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_00]: As if, if he blinked hard enough, they might disappear.

[00:09:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Come on, Snaffles, Binky said.

[00:09:50] [SPEAKER_00]: You know how magical Sleepy Forest is.

[00:09:54] [SPEAKER_00]: You didn't really think you could leave a big pile of dust overnight and not expect it to be turned into dust bunnies?

[00:10:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles giggled.

[00:10:07] [SPEAKER_00]: It was silly of him, he supposed.

[00:10:09] [SPEAKER_00]: He should be used to the miracles that happened around here by now.

[00:10:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Dust bunnies, hey?

[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_00]: I guess I don't need a hoover anymore, he said.

[00:10:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Soots made a yucky noise.

[00:10:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Ick, no.

[00:10:26] [SPEAKER_00]: You can make dust bunnies instead in future.

[00:10:30] [SPEAKER_00]: We make excellent pets, you know.

[00:10:33] [SPEAKER_00]: This place would make a great pet shop.

[00:10:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles scratched his chin.

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles little shop of lost treasures and pet shop?

[00:10:47] [SPEAKER_00]: It kind of made sense.

[00:10:50] [SPEAKER_00]: It kind of made sense.

[00:10:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Taking something old and making it new.

[00:10:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Turning dust into dust bunnies.

[00:10:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Okay, Snaffles said.

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_00]: But I don't want to sell you two.

[00:11:04] [SPEAKER_00]: You can be mine.

[00:11:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles, Soots and Binky.

[00:11:10] [SPEAKER_00]: It kind of has a ring to it.

[00:11:12] [SPEAKER_00]: That's great, Soots and Binky said.

[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_00]: But, uh, what about those guys?

[00:11:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Binky pointed behind the cash desk with one long ear.

[00:11:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles peeked over the counter.

[00:11:30] [SPEAKER_00]: And sure enough, nestled behind there were three more dust bunnies.

[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_00]: One was white, one was sandy, and one brown.

[00:11:40] [SPEAKER_00]: They all waggled a paw at him.

[00:11:43] [SPEAKER_00]: Um, pom, said the white one.

[00:11:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Puff, said the sandy one.

[00:11:49] [SPEAKER_00]: And, Pinky, said the brown one.

[00:11:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles rustled his eyebrows at that.

[00:11:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Whoever heard of a brown bunny named Pinky?

[00:12:01] [SPEAKER_00]: But he smiled politely and said,

[00:12:03] [SPEAKER_00]: How do you do?

[00:12:05] [SPEAKER_00]: We want owners too, Pinky said.

[00:12:08] [SPEAKER_00]: And it's time to open your shop.

[00:12:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Perfect timing, right?

[00:12:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Pom and Puff giggled.

[00:12:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Find us our owners, Snaffles.

[00:12:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Please, they crooned.

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_00]: The bunnies were looking at Snaffles with puppy dog eyes.

[00:12:25] [SPEAKER_00]: But it was unnecessary.

[00:12:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles needed no persuasion to help friends in need.

[00:12:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles immediately agreed.

[00:12:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Then, he skipped over to the door and turned the sign to open.

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles explained to the dust bunnies that to find their owners, they had some work to do.

[00:12:45] [SPEAKER_00]: They needed flyers and a sign.

[00:12:48] [SPEAKER_00]: And they needed to spread the word all over sleepy forest.

[00:12:53] [SPEAKER_00]: The world needed to know that dust bunnies were real.

[00:13:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles took suits and Binky, Pom, Puff and Pinky into the clearing to find the perfect material to make their sign from.

[00:13:11] [SPEAKER_00]: The bunnies skipped and played and hopped through the wildflowers as they went.

[00:13:18] [SPEAKER_00]: And their giddiness was contagious.

[00:13:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles did a couple bunny hops too.

[00:13:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And then, a cartwheel and a roly-poly.

[00:13:28] [SPEAKER_00]: When they'd stopped playing and focused back on task,

[00:13:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles and the five dust bunnies began rifling through the pile of old wood and furniture he kept behind the shop.

[00:13:39] [SPEAKER_00]: How about this?

[00:13:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Soot said, sniffing at a wooden table top with no legs.

[00:13:47] [SPEAKER_00]: That's a possibility, Snaffles said.

[00:13:51] [SPEAKER_00]: But it'll take a lot of paint to show up on that.

[00:13:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Keep digging.

[00:13:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Finally, Pinky gasped.

[00:14:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Here, she said.

[00:14:02] [SPEAKER_00]: It took Snaffles a second to locate her, as she'd burrowed deep into the pile.

[00:14:07] [SPEAKER_00]: But once he'd pulled her out, he saw exactly what she was talking about.

[00:14:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Ah, of course, the school's old chalkboard.

[00:14:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles hurried into the shop and brought out an old ice cream tub full of odds and ends of chalk,

[00:14:26] [SPEAKER_00]: in pinks and greens and oranges, that he'd been saving for an occasion like this.

[00:14:32] [SPEAKER_00]: They set the chalkboard on the grass and created their sign.

[00:14:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles wrote,

[00:14:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Dust Bunnies for Adoption, in big swirling letters.

[00:14:44] [SPEAKER_00]: And the bunnies decorated it with drawings of daisies and stars and sunshine.

[00:14:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Puff spent all his time doodling a self-portrait that looked less like a bunny and more of a splodge.

[00:14:58] [SPEAKER_00]: But the big smile he drew represented his own perfectly.

[00:15:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Once it was finished, Snaffles hung the sign on the front of the shop just under the window.

[00:15:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Next, flyers.

[00:15:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles pulled scrap paper from his waste paper basket and the bunnies set about with markers designing flyers,

[00:15:20] [SPEAKER_00]: while Snaffles tended to a raccoon customer who was captivated by his wind chimes.

[00:15:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Once the flyers were ready and the raccoon had headed back down the forest path, pockets clinking,

[00:15:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles headed to the window, cupped his hands and cooed like a pigeon.

[00:15:40] [SPEAKER_00]: The dust bunnies were concerned he might have gone loopy.

[00:15:44] [SPEAKER_00]: But within minutes, Penny, the post-pigeon, had arrived.

[00:15:48] [SPEAKER_00]: She spent some time cooing at the little dust bunnies before tying the flyers to her foot and promising that she'd spread them across town.

[00:15:58] [SPEAKER_00]: It only took an hour for the first customer to come.

[00:16:02] [SPEAKER_00]: It was Mr. Moose, the tall, shy fellow in a flat cap,

[00:16:07] [SPEAKER_00]: who spent most of his days reading the paper in his cozy chair and shuffling around his cabin.

[00:16:14] [SPEAKER_00]: He cleared his throat as he entered.

[00:16:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Good day, Snaffles, he said.

[00:16:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Good day, Mr. Moose, Snaffles replied.

[00:16:27] [SPEAKER_00]: What'll it be?

[00:16:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Have you run out of hand spun yarn already?

[00:16:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Mr. Moose grinned sheepishly and shook his head, admitting he hadn't.

[00:16:39] [SPEAKER_00]: He still had a sleeve yet to knit on his latest jumper.

[00:16:42] [SPEAKER_00]: He'd actually been enjoying a muffin at Betty's bakery this morning when a flyer dropped from the sky and onto his head, advertising dust bunnies.

[00:16:54] [SPEAKER_00]: I had a strange feeling in my heart, he said, that I should come here and see what the fuss was about.

[00:17:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles looked at the three dust bunnies waiting on the desk.

[00:17:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Pom and Puff were watching with interest, but Pinky was captivated.

[00:17:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Her eyes were glistening and she looked like she was stopping herself from jumping right into Mr. Moose's arms.

[00:17:21] [SPEAKER_00]: I have that feeling in my heart too, Pinky admitted in her sweet snuffly voice.

[00:17:29] [SPEAKER_00]: I got it.

[00:17:30] [SPEAKER_00]: When you walk through the door, I think you're supposed to be my owner.

[00:17:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Mr. Moose's eyes lit up and he scooped Pinky into his arms.

[00:17:43] [SPEAKER_00]: She tucked her ears under his chin and beamed at the others.

[00:17:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles was touched by the moment.

[00:17:52] [SPEAKER_00]: She's all yours then, he said.

[00:17:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Mr. Moose asked what dust bunnies ate and Snaffles had to admit that he didn't know.

[00:18:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Soots rolled his eyes.

[00:18:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Cabbage, duh, he said.

[00:18:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Or carrots or celery or anything really.

[00:18:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Mr. Moose smiled.

[00:18:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Perfect.

[00:18:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Pinky waved at the other bunnies and told them she'd see them soon.

[00:18:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And then Mr. Moose walked out of the store taking Pinky to her new home.

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER_00]: It was around lunchtime now and having been reminded that he hadn't yet fed the dust bunnies,

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles prepared a big crunchy salad, apologizing for being an atrocious host.

[00:18:40] [SPEAKER_00]: The bunnies giggled and told him he needn't worry.

[00:18:45] [SPEAKER_00]: He was marvelous.

[00:18:47] [SPEAKER_00]: As they were polishing off the last of the lettuce, the door sprung open and another customer walked in, clutching a flyer.

[00:18:56] [SPEAKER_00]: A little kangaroo, followed by two larger kangaroos.

[00:19:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Mom and Dad, Snaffles supposed.

[00:19:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello, Kevin, Snaffles said.

[00:19:07] [SPEAKER_00]: What can I do for you, my friend?

[00:19:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Kevin grinned, bouncing to see him over the counter and showing him the flyer.

[00:19:16] [SPEAKER_00]: In the other hand, he had another piece of paper, which looked suspiciously like a report card.

[00:19:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles took both off the little kangaroo and perused the report card.

[00:19:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Reading, B.

[00:19:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Writing, B.

[00:19:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Art, an A and a gold star.

[00:19:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles held the card to the light, making the gold star shimmer and beamed down at Kevin.

[00:19:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Kevin, you got a gold star, he said.

[00:19:49] [SPEAKER_00]: The little fluffball went around the desk and gave Kevin a big hug.

[00:19:55] [SPEAKER_00]: He knew Kevin had been working hard for that star.

[00:19:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Kevin's mum grinned.

[00:20:00] [SPEAKER_00]: We told him if he got his gold star, he could finally get the pet he's been asking for, she explained.

[00:20:08] [SPEAKER_00]: And what was in the post box next to his report card?

[00:20:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Your flyer.

[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_00]: It's like fate.

[00:20:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles clapped his hands excitedly, calling the dust bunnies to hop down to the floor where they could see Kevin.

[00:20:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Kevin stroked both Pom and Puff, tickling their tums and chasing them around the shop in a game.

[00:20:32] [SPEAKER_00]: But Snaffles could tell it was Puff who was giggling the hardest.

[00:20:38] [SPEAKER_00]: When Puff jumped into Kevin's arms and Pom hopped back on the desk beside Soots and Binky, he wasn't surprised.

[00:20:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Kevin looked at Pom in the eyes and promised him they'd be best friends forever, alongside his best friend Cuddle anyway.

[00:20:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Pom waved at the other bunnies and told them she'd see them soon and went off home with her new family.

[00:21:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Not long later, the door swung open again.

[00:21:10] [SPEAKER_00]: This time, the shop was flooded with activity as Betty Badger and her three children bundled in.

[00:21:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles had never seen Lavender, Chip and Ginger so excited,

[00:21:22] [SPEAKER_00]: not even when their mum made a five-layer cake for their birthday.

[00:21:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Pom grinned.

[00:21:29] [SPEAKER_00]: She turned to Soots and Binky and whispered,

[00:21:33] [SPEAKER_00]: These can't feel it.

[00:21:36] [SPEAKER_00]: The three little badgers immediately began fawning over Pom,

[00:21:42] [SPEAKER_00]: stroking her white fur and oohing and ahhing at the trick she showed off,

[00:21:48] [SPEAKER_00]: hopping this way and that.

[00:21:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Betty waited until they'd all calmed down a little and took the bunny in her arms.

[00:21:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Now, Pom, she said, we live in a bakery.

[00:22:01] [SPEAKER_00]: That means early morning starts.

[00:22:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Would you be okay with that?

[00:22:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Pom smiled and said yes.

[00:22:09] [SPEAKER_00]: She loved seeing the sunrise.

[00:22:11] [SPEAKER_00]: And it can be a little hectic with all of these little badgers running about.

[00:22:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Would that be okay too?

[00:22:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Pom nodded.

[00:22:21] [SPEAKER_00]: She'd be bouncing around with them.

[00:22:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And we often have a lot of sweet treats laying about.

[00:22:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Would you be opposed to nibbling on carrot cake all day?

[00:22:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Pom's eyes were practically sparkling.

[00:22:37] [SPEAKER_00]: No, she said.

[00:22:40] [SPEAKER_00]: Then you're the dust bunny for us, Betty said.

[00:22:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Pom threw her little paws around Betty Badger's neck and squealed with happiness.

[00:22:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Soots and Binky clapped their paws together and cheered as they left to return to the bakery,

[00:22:59] [SPEAKER_00]: promising to visit soon.

[00:23:01] [SPEAKER_00]: As the door swung closed, Snaffles put his hands on his hips, nodded to Soots and Binky, and grinned.

[00:23:11] [SPEAKER_00]: Mission complete, he declared.

[00:23:15] [SPEAKER_00]: All there was to do now was take down the sign.

[00:23:19] [SPEAKER_00]: As Snaffles headed out to the door and into the clearing, he stopped in his tracks.

[00:23:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Emerging from the forest path was a crowd of animals, at least 20 of them.

[00:23:32] [SPEAKER_00]: There was old Mrs. Tootles, the sheep, and her grandkids.

[00:23:36] [SPEAKER_00]: There was a family of poodles, with the littlest in a pram, bows in her hair.

[00:23:42] [SPEAKER_00]: There was a giraffe whose head brushed the leaves on the oak tree overhead.

[00:23:46] [SPEAKER_00]: There was even a sloth trailing behind the group.

[00:23:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Each of them clutched a flyer, dust bunnies for adoption.

[00:23:57] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna need more socks, Snaffles muttered.

[00:24:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello dear, Mrs. Tootles called.

[00:24:06] [SPEAKER_00]: We're here for the dust bunnies.

[00:24:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh my little lambs, ever so excited.

[00:24:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles thanked them all for coming, and asked would they please come back tomorrow?

[00:24:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Then he headed back into his shop.

[00:24:22] [SPEAKER_00]: He slipped socks on his hands and set to work.

[00:24:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles polished and dusted every nook and cranny left in the cabin.

[00:24:31] [SPEAKER_00]: The crack between the floorboards, the underside of the windowsills, and the back of the storage cupboard and top of the fridge.

[00:24:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Everywhere he could think of.

[00:24:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Then once he had a pile of dust even bigger than the one he'd left behind yesterday, he said goodnight to his shop.

[00:24:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Scooped up Binky and Soots, and headed back to his tree hollow home.

[00:24:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Having Binky and Soots there with him that evening made his heart feel full.

[00:25:04] [SPEAKER_00]: He made them a dinner of crunchy carrots and apple pudding.

[00:25:09] [SPEAKER_00]: He brushed their fur, and he tucked them each into their own large fluffy sock, where they fell asleep, and snored the sweetest, snuffliest snores.

[00:25:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Then he tucked himself into his own bed, pulled his patchwork quilt up to his chin, and smiled, looking up at the crescent moon peering through his window.

[00:25:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Please work your magic, he thought to himself, before slipping into dreams.

[00:25:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Snaffles dreamt of galloping through the wheat fields with the sun on his fur, and his dust bunnies at his side.

[00:25:57] [SPEAKER_00]: He dreamt of his little shop, and all the shiny things within.

[00:26:03] [SPEAKER_00]: He dreamt of all the families out there, also sleeping soundly, who don't yet know that they're about to have a bunny of their own.

[00:26:15] [SPEAKER_00]: And in the mushroom-shaped cabin, not too far away, a swirling, sparkling blue light was wrapping itself around a mountain of dust, which lifted and twisted and twirled into the shape of one hundred happy little dust bunnies, in all the colors of the rainbow.

[00:26:45] [SPEAKER_00]: There were two little pink ones, for Dee Dee and her poodles.

[00:26:50] [SPEAKER_00]: There was a lilac one for Mrs. Tootles, and a blue one for each of her little lambs.

[00:26:58] [SPEAKER_00]: There were two brown ones that would ride off on the back of a giraffe.

[00:27:04] [SPEAKER_00]: And there was a perfect little white one, who was destined for two special children who lived nearby.

[00:27:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Bye!