The Friendly Dinosaur Next Door 🦕💤 Relaxing Kids Bedtime Stories

[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.

[00:00:22] Okay, hands up if you know someone who loves dinosaurs. I think we all know someone who can tell a T-Rex and a Diplodocus apart, but here's the thing.

[00:00:40] Henry VIII owned a pet Flammosaurus for lighting fires. Hmm. Let them know about this story as they're bound to learn something new, possibly imagined, to pop into their brain with the rest of their dinosaur facts.

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[00:01:16] If you loved the time-travelling antics of Potato and Beans in the Wild Wild West, I've got a great new podcast for you.

[00:01:24] It's called Mysteries About True Histories, and it follows best friends Max and Molly on thrilling time-travelling quests.

[00:01:32] Using their maths and logic skills, they must outsmart pesky trolls and prevent chaos across space and time.

[00:01:40] It's full of adventure, clever puzzles, and plenty of fun.

[00:01:45] Can they crack the code before time runs out?

[00:01:47] Join in on the fun every Thursday to find out.

[00:01:50] Follow Mysteries About True Histories on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your podcasts.

[00:01:58] Hey parents, I'm Carissa, the host of Sleep Wave, a sleep meditation podcast from the creators of Koala Moon.

[00:02:05] We understand how much you appreciate the bedtime stories on Koala Moon for your little ones.

[00:02:11] But as a mother myself, I know that parents need their relaxation time too.

[00:02:16] With soothing meditations and nostalgic stories, each episode of Sleep Wave is crafted to help busy minds slow down,

[00:02:25] so you can wake up feeling well-rested tomorrow.

[00:02:28] Each night I'll guide you to sleep with beautiful visualizations and calming journeys,

[00:02:33] which listeners describe as perfect for drifting off to.

[00:02:37] Not sure where to start with meditation?

[00:02:39] Try one of my favorite episodes, A Mental Vacation, where I'll lead you through using your imagination

[00:02:46] to experience the deep relaxation of a holiday without ever leaving your bedroom.

[00:02:52] You can discover Sleep Wave on all major podcast platforms.

[00:02:57] Simply search Sleep Wave Sleep Meditations and hit follow so you can easily find the show later tonight.

[00:03:05] Sweet dreams.

[00:03:08] Soon we're going to meet a girl named Cece.

[00:03:12] Whose sleep is disturbed by a thunderous rumbling noise coming from the home of her new neighbors.

[00:03:19] Every day starts with the gentlest roar, and every day ends with a rumbling snore.

[00:03:28] It's so noisy all of a sudden, but why is it?

[00:03:33] Who has moved in, and what can she do about it?

[00:03:38] Let's find out.

[00:03:40] This is The Friendly Dinosaur Next Door by Jane Thomas.

[00:03:52] Cece came home from school one day to see an enormous moving truck outside the house next door.

[00:04:00] The Bartholomew Trouts were moving out, heading away to a new home that was closer to Mrs. Bartholomew Trout's office

[00:04:08] and Mr. Bartholomew Trout's favourite fishing spot.

[00:04:12] They had been very nice neighbors.

[00:04:15] Smiling and saying hello and that sort of thing.

[00:04:19] And very quiet neighbors.

[00:04:21] So Cece had never been kept awake at night by loud music playing, or anything as annoying as that.

[00:04:30] But they hadn't exactly been exciting either.

[00:04:36] Still, reflected Cece at three o'clock in the morning a few days later.

[00:04:41] The Bartholomew Trouts were definitely preferable to whatever had moved in next door.

[00:04:48] Every day started with a gentlest roar.

[00:04:52] And every day ended with a rumbling snore.

[00:04:58] She had tried burying her head beneath the blankets the first night.

[00:05:03] But that didn't block out the noise of the snore that rattled the windows and made the owls hoot in alarm.

[00:05:11] So the next night, she went beneath the blanket and pressed a pillow to her ears.

[00:05:18] But that didn't work either.

[00:05:19] She still felt the snore in the very centre of her stomach.

[00:05:24] And sometimes, her bed would shake so hard, it wiggled away from the wall and would be halfway across the bedroom by morning.

[00:05:34] So then Cece had tried getting beneath the blanket and adding a pillow

[00:05:40] and encouraging the cat, Jinx, to sleep on top of the pillow.

[00:05:45] But still, the snore came through the wall.

[00:05:49] And in the morning, still the roaring yawn reached through the layers and seemed to shake her very soul.

[00:05:58] Cece was so tired in school that she kept falling asleep.

[00:06:03] Her head dropping down until her chin rested on her chest.

[00:06:08] And Mrs. Postletrump would stand in front of Cece's desk and cough loudly until she woke up.

[00:06:16] And after the second day, when the coughing didn't wake Cece,

[00:06:22] Mrs. Postletrump took to banging a book on her desk.

[00:06:26] And on the third day, when neither the coughing nor the book banging could wake Cece,

[00:06:33] Mrs. Postletrump gave up entirely and instead carried the sleeping girl to the pile of beanbags in the corner of the room

[00:06:41] and settled her down with a blanket.

[00:06:45] It wasn't until the weekend arrived and Cece was at home all day

[00:06:51] that she finally met the cause of the snore that rolled from the belly of the house next door.

[00:06:58] Cece was sitting in the garden in a deck chair,

[00:07:02] idly counting fat fuzzy bumblebees to help her fall asleep,

[00:07:07] when over the top of the fence popped the head of a dinosaur.

[00:07:13] Hello, the head said.

[00:07:16] And Cece rubbed her eyes and shook her head and looked again,

[00:07:21] just to check it really was a dinosaur.

[00:07:26] Another head popped up alongside the first,

[00:07:29] a dinosaur that wore bright red lipstick and sported a sparkling necklace.

[00:07:36] That head said,

[00:07:38] Hello!

[00:07:39] too.

[00:07:40] And a tiny hand reached up and waved.

[00:07:45] Cece didn't like to be rude to the new neighbours,

[00:07:48] but she was fairly sure she must be imagining the whole thing.

[00:07:53] She was so ridiculously tired that she turned her head away,

[00:07:59] stared resolutely at a bumblebee,

[00:08:02] and ignored everything that was happening over near the fence.

[00:08:06] Had she looked,

[00:08:08] she would have seen the two heads turn to each other,

[00:08:12] two sets of sloping dinosaur shoulders shrug,

[00:08:17] and then the heads disappear from view.

[00:08:21] Then she heard the sound of a lawnmower starting up.

[00:08:26] The lawnmower was nothing compared to the sound of the rumbling,

[00:08:31] tumbling snore that Cece had to listen to all night long,

[00:08:35] and she was soon fast asleep in her deck chair,

[00:08:40] dreaming of lounging in a rosebud with a big fuzzy bumblebee

[00:08:46] letting her use its soft belly as a pillow.

[00:08:51] She woke up to hear her mother rushing around,

[00:08:55] setting the picnic table in the garden with tea things,

[00:08:59] and telling Cece to hurry up and wash her face

[00:09:03] because the new neighbours were coming round.

[00:09:08] Cece's mother brought out plates piled high with sandwiches

[00:09:12] and cakes and biscuits,

[00:09:15] and her best teapot that she reserved for important guests,

[00:09:20] and soon had Cece's father grumbling

[00:09:23] as he was sent into the garage

[00:09:25] to find the extra cushions for the outdoor seats.

[00:09:29] Cece was all ready to mention how silly it was

[00:09:33] that she'd imagined two dinosaur heads poking up above the fence

[00:09:38] when there they were, in the back garden,

[00:09:42] shaking hands with her parents

[00:09:44] and following them to the table.

[00:09:47] They were both green, with long tails and long noses.

[00:09:53] The first one was slightly larger than the second,

[00:09:57] and he wore a blue waistcoat, the colour of the midnight sky.

[00:10:02] She clasped a handbag in the shape of a seashell in one hand,

[00:10:07] and nervously turned the necklace around and around her neck with the other.

[00:10:15] And behind them both trotted a third dinosaur,

[00:10:20] so small in comparison to his parents that Cece hadn't seen him.

[00:10:26] He was wearing a baseball cap and carrying a skateboard,

[00:10:30] and when he saw Cece staring mouth open from the deck chair,

[00:10:35] he gave her a quick grin and a thumbs up

[00:10:38] before practically diving into the nearest plate of sandwiches.

[00:10:44] Jinx the cat wandered out of the house

[00:10:47] to find a sunny spot for an afternoon nap,

[00:10:51] took one look at the three green visitors,

[00:10:54] and dived back inside.

[00:10:55] Come here, Cece, come on.

[00:11:00] Meet the new neighbours, her mother called.

[00:11:04] Her mother was acting in a way that suggested

[00:11:07] it was perfectly normal for a trio of dinosaurs to be in her back garden.

[00:11:13] So Cece decided she was simply seeing things,

[00:11:18] and it was really a man wearing a midnight blue waistcoat,

[00:11:23] and a woman clutching the shell-shaped purse,

[00:11:27] and a boy pushing a skateboard to and fro with one foot.

[00:11:32] But there was no mistaking the scaly hand that reached out to shake Cece's,

[00:11:40] and as soon as she heard the roar that poured out of the biggest of the dinosaurs,

[00:11:46] Cece knew she wasn't imagining it at all.

[00:11:51] Yes, her mother was saying.

[00:11:54] I remember some years back,

[00:11:56] we met a lovely family of dinosaurs, didn't we, Donald?

[00:12:01] She prodded her husband as she spoke.

[00:12:05] What were they called?

[00:12:08] Oh, what was their name?

[00:12:11] The Trumpeters, said her husband,

[00:12:15] munching on an egg and cress sandwich.

[00:12:17] Yes, that's it, she said.

[00:12:21] The Trumpeters, lovely family, very good at tennis.

[00:12:27] Lily Trumpeter and I made quite the doubles team down at the club.

[00:12:34] I, um, I, well, I quite like, you know, um,

[00:12:40] I play tennis, said the lady dinosaur shyly.

[00:12:45] If you're ever, um, you probably have someone,

[00:12:51] but, you know, if they're ever...

[00:12:55] Wonderful, interrupted Cece's mother.

[00:12:59] We'll go tomorrow.

[00:13:01] Oh, what fun!

[00:13:02] How lovely to have another tennis fan on the street at last.

[00:13:10] Cece eventually gave up being bewildered

[00:13:13] and went to join the conversation.

[00:13:18] I'm Spike, announced the young dinosaur.

[00:13:23] Ever tried skateboarding?

[00:13:25] He asked, nodding down towards the floor

[00:13:28] where his foot still rocked to and fro,

[00:13:32] pushing the skateboard a few inches forwards

[00:13:35] and a few inches back.

[00:13:37] Cece shook her head.

[00:13:40] Want to try?

[00:13:41] He said.

[00:13:43] She nodded.

[00:13:45] By the end of the afternoon,

[00:13:48] Cece's parents had become firm friends with Spike's parents.

[00:13:52] There were diaries on the table

[00:13:55] and bookings being made for everything

[00:13:58] from tennis to barbecues to theatre trips.

[00:14:02] And Cece had learned that skateboarding

[00:14:05] was a lot harder than it looked.

[00:14:07] She'd crashed into every hedge on the street at least twice,

[00:14:13] gone charging across Mrs. Camomile's lawn once,

[00:14:17] bounced off a lamppost,

[00:14:19] hurtled into the postbox,

[00:14:22] terrified a group of pigeons

[00:14:24] having a quiet bath in a puddle

[00:14:26] and would have gone straight into her father's car

[00:14:31] if Spike hadn't flung himself in front of it just in time.

[00:14:36] So instead, Cece had bounced off his big green stomach

[00:14:40] and landed on her backside in the street

[00:14:44] and the two of them had rolled about laughing,

[00:14:47] Spike letting out almighty roars with every judder of his ribs.

[00:14:55] Just as the day was drawing to an end,

[00:14:59] with all the neighbours closing curtains

[00:15:02] and cats returning from their daytime explorations

[00:15:06] to a freshly filled food bowl,

[00:15:09] the three dinosaurs started to say goodbye.

[00:15:13] Oh, boomed Patricia.

[00:15:16] That was Spike's mother,

[00:15:18] and she'd quite overcome her shyness by this time.

[00:15:22] I forgot to say,

[00:15:24] I am so sorry if we keep you awake.

[00:15:28] The snoring, you know,

[00:15:30] can't be helped, you see.

[00:15:32] It's me.

[00:15:33] I'm a snoozasaurus.

[00:15:37] Cece started laughing

[00:15:39] and then realised that Patricia was quite serious.

[00:15:44] A snoozasaurus?

[00:15:46] She asked.

[00:15:48] I've never heard of one of those before.

[00:15:52] No, said Patricia,

[00:15:55] a hint of sadness in her voice.

[00:15:57] We get quite overlooked, you know.

[00:16:01] Only the most dedicated dinophile would have heard of us.

[00:16:07] Paleontologists are so busy

[00:16:10] looking up all the types of dinosaur that no longer exist

[00:16:14] that they seem to forget some of us are still around.

[00:16:20] Cece had never really thought about it that way before.

[00:16:26] In school,

[00:16:27] they'd been told all about creatures

[00:16:30] like the Diplodocus and Tyrannosaurus and Brontosaurus.

[00:16:36] But the key thing they all shared

[00:16:38] was that they were very much not alive anymore.

[00:16:43] She turned to Spike

[00:16:45] and he guessed her question.

[00:16:48] Half snoozasaurus,

[00:16:50] half snorasaurus,

[00:16:52] so,

[00:16:53] yes,

[00:16:53] I'm quite loud too.

[00:16:57] Sorry about that.

[00:16:59] Spike's father held up his hand.

[00:17:02] Guilty as well.

[00:17:04] I'm the snorosaurus of the family.

[00:17:10] Cece was beginning to understand

[00:17:12] why every day

[00:17:14] ended with a rumbling snore.

[00:17:18] They all seemed very lovely

[00:17:20] and she didn't want them to feel guilty

[00:17:23] for keeping her awake all night.

[00:17:25] So, instead,

[00:17:27] she muttered something about

[00:17:29] barely hearing a thing

[00:17:31] and sleeping like a log

[00:17:34] and being as snug as a bug in a rug

[00:17:37] as soon as she burrowed down beneath her blanket.

[00:17:43] Cece became something of an expert

[00:17:46] at sleeping within a mountain of pillows.

[00:17:50] Every day,

[00:17:51] she would find a new one

[00:17:53] and sneak it upstairs,

[00:17:55] squashing it into her backpack

[00:17:57] or shoving it up her jumper.

[00:18:01] Her mother took to visiting the store

[00:18:03] almost every week

[00:18:04] to buy new cushions

[00:18:06] to replace those

[00:18:07] that mysteriously disappeared

[00:18:09] from the living room.

[00:18:13] And Cece,

[00:18:14] in a desperate bid

[00:18:15] to get as much sleep as possible,

[00:18:18] learned to knit.

[00:18:21] Soon,

[00:18:22] she could knit

[00:18:23] without even looking

[00:18:24] at her hands and fingers

[00:18:26] and she knew the pattern

[00:18:28] to every sort of woolly hat imaginable.

[00:18:32] She knitted scarves

[00:18:34] that she could wrap around her head

[00:18:36] and hats

[00:18:38] that she could pile

[00:18:39] on top of other hats

[00:18:41] and blankets

[00:18:42] that could be layered

[00:18:43] one above the other.

[00:18:47] Of course,

[00:18:48] it didn't take long

[00:18:50] for Jinx to decide

[00:18:52] that Cece's

[00:18:53] was his favourite room

[00:18:55] in the house.

[00:18:56] Every time he went in,

[00:18:59] there was an even more

[00:19:01] comfortable sleeping spot

[00:19:03] than there had been before.

[00:19:05] He sometimes watched

[00:19:07] in amusement

[00:19:08] from his pile of cushions

[00:19:10] in the corner,

[00:19:11] while Cece tried desperately

[00:19:14] to move enough

[00:19:15] out of the way

[00:19:16] so she could get

[00:19:17] a particular book

[00:19:19] on the shelves

[00:19:19] or pull a new dress

[00:19:22] out of the wardrobe.

[00:19:24] Jinx created

[00:19:26] entire worlds

[00:19:27] beneath those cushions,

[00:19:29] tunnelling in

[00:19:30] and hiding

[00:19:32] in a series of dens

[00:19:33] and hideaways

[00:19:34] that were the warmest,

[00:19:37] snuggest,

[00:19:38] safest,

[00:19:40] softest places

[00:19:41] he had ever known.

[00:19:45] To be honest,

[00:19:46] if the man in the moon

[00:19:49] had fallen out of the sky

[00:19:50] and landed

[00:19:52] in Cece's bedroom,

[00:19:53] he would have been

[00:19:54] completely safe.

[00:19:57] There were so many pillows

[00:19:59] and cushions

[00:20:00] and plump things

[00:20:02] and soft things

[00:20:03] and hats

[00:20:05] and scarves

[00:20:06] and blankets

[00:20:07] and coats

[00:20:09] that the man in the moon

[00:20:11] would barely have noticed

[00:20:13] a bump

[00:20:13] as he came down to earth.

[00:20:16] That is how

[00:20:17] dedicated

[00:20:18] Cece was

[00:20:20] to sleep.

[00:20:22] Every night,

[00:20:23] wrapping herself up

[00:20:25] burrito style

[00:20:26] in a hundred layers

[00:20:28] or more,

[00:20:30] snuggling down

[00:20:31] to sleep

[00:20:31] far away

[00:20:33] from the rumbling

[00:20:34] snore

[00:20:34] that tumbled

[00:20:36] across

[00:20:36] from the dinosaur

[00:20:38] next door.

[00:20:40] The days

[00:20:42] became weeks

[00:20:43] and the weeks

[00:20:45] became months

[00:20:46] and somehow

[00:20:48] the months

[00:20:50] rolled together

[00:20:51] and made

[00:20:52] an entire year.

[00:20:54] Spike

[00:20:55] was far

[00:20:56] and away

[00:20:57] the most popular

[00:20:59] creature in school.

[00:21:01] If ever his long tail

[00:21:03] accidentally

[00:21:04] knocked something over,

[00:21:06] he was so

[00:21:07] very apologetic

[00:21:08] and so

[00:21:09] very quick

[00:21:10] to leap

[00:21:10] and pick

[00:21:11] everything up

[00:21:12] that nobody

[00:21:13] minded

[00:21:14] at all.

[00:21:17] And if ever

[00:21:18] his explosive

[00:21:19] shriek

[00:21:19] and a roar

[00:21:20] of a laugh

[00:21:21] alarmed anyone,

[00:21:23] he gave them

[00:21:24] the biggest hug

[00:21:25] he could,

[00:21:26] which is quite

[00:21:27] difficult

[00:21:28] when you have

[00:21:29] very small

[00:21:30] dinosaur arms,

[00:21:32] and said sorry

[00:21:33] with tears

[00:21:34] glistening

[00:21:35] in the corner

[00:21:36] of his eyes

[00:21:37] and it was

[00:21:38] impossible

[00:21:39] to be mad

[00:21:40] at him.

[00:21:41] He was very

[00:21:43] careful

[00:21:43] to sit

[00:21:44] right at the

[00:21:45] back of the

[00:21:45] class

[00:21:46] because

[00:21:47] although he

[00:21:48] was small

[00:21:49] by both

[00:21:50] snoozasaurus

[00:21:51] and snorosaurus

[00:21:53] measures,

[00:21:54] he was still

[00:21:55] decidedly large

[00:21:57] compared to

[00:21:57] everyone else.

[00:21:59] he leaned

[00:22:01] forwards

[00:22:01] on his

[00:22:02] tiny desk

[00:22:03] that he

[00:22:04] somehow

[00:22:04] managed to

[00:22:05] squeeze behind

[00:22:06] and focused

[00:22:07] hard

[00:22:08] on all

[00:22:09] the lessons

[00:22:09] and he

[00:22:11] loved learning

[00:22:12] everything

[00:22:13] so much

[00:22:14] that suddenly

[00:22:15] there were

[00:22:16] no more

[00:22:17] boring lessons

[00:22:18] for anyone.

[00:22:20] Those who

[00:22:21] had hated

[00:22:22] maths

[00:22:22] and numbers

[00:22:23] and sums

[00:22:24] and complicated

[00:22:25] fractions

[00:22:25] found themselves

[00:22:27] looking forward

[00:22:28] to the lessons

[00:22:29] because Spike

[00:22:31] would keep

[00:22:32] saying

[00:22:32] wow

[00:22:33] or

[00:22:35] that is

[00:22:36] so cool

[00:22:38] whenever the

[00:22:39] teacher taught

[00:22:40] them something.

[00:22:42] Those who

[00:22:43] had hated

[00:22:44] history

[00:22:44] and found

[00:22:45] it just a

[00:22:46] load of

[00:22:47] dates

[00:22:47] and battles

[00:22:48] and kings

[00:22:49] and queens

[00:22:50] that they had

[00:22:51] to remember

[00:22:51] changed their

[00:22:53] mind

[00:22:53] when Spike

[00:22:54] positively

[00:22:55] swooned

[00:22:57] at everything

[00:22:57] the teacher

[00:22:58] said.

[00:22:59] Plus

[00:23:00] he would add

[00:23:01] really interesting

[00:23:02] stuff.

[00:23:05] Mrs.

[00:23:06] Postletrump

[00:23:06] he would say

[00:23:08] reaching his

[00:23:09] small dinosaur

[00:23:10] arm up to

[00:23:11] the ceiling

[00:23:12] as well as

[00:23:12] he could.

[00:23:14] Did you

[00:23:14] know that

[00:23:15] Henry VIII

[00:23:16] kept a small

[00:23:17] pet dinosaur

[00:23:18] a Flamosaurus

[00:23:20] especially for

[00:23:21] lighting his

[00:23:22] fires

[00:23:23] and Mrs.

[00:23:24] Postletrump

[00:23:25] would have

[00:23:26] to admit

[00:23:27] that she

[00:23:27] hadn't

[00:23:28] known that

[00:23:28] and everyone's

[00:23:30] eyes would

[00:23:31] go a little

[00:23:31] wider

[00:23:32] and they'd

[00:23:33] rush to

[00:23:34] write it

[00:23:34] down in

[00:23:35] their

[00:23:35] notebooks.

[00:23:38] Geography

[00:23:39] became

[00:23:39] quite

[00:23:40] wonderful

[00:23:41] too.

[00:23:42] It turned

[00:23:43] out that

[00:23:44] dinosaurs

[00:23:44] liked a

[00:23:45] holiday

[00:23:45] in the

[00:23:46] most

[00:23:46] random

[00:23:47] corners

[00:23:48] of the

[00:23:48] world

[00:23:48] going

[00:23:49] back

[00:23:50] to

[00:23:50] places

[00:23:51] where

[00:23:51] their

[00:23:51] distant

[00:23:52] relatives

[00:23:52] had

[00:23:53] once

[00:23:53] roamed

[00:23:54] the

[00:23:54] land

[00:23:54] and

[00:23:55] Spike

[00:23:56] always

[00:23:57] came up

[00:23:58] with

[00:23:58] fun

[00:23:58] facts

[00:23:59] and

[00:23:59] photographs.

[00:24:01] Mrs.

[00:24:02] Postletrump

[00:24:03] he would

[00:24:04] say

[00:24:04] did you

[00:24:06] know

[00:24:06] that

[00:24:06] the first

[00:24:07] creature

[00:24:08] to reach

[00:24:08] the top

[00:24:09] of all

[00:24:10] the highest

[00:24:10] mountains

[00:24:11] on

[00:24:12] all the

[00:24:13] continents

[00:24:13] was

[00:24:14] known

[00:24:14] as

[00:24:15] a

[00:24:15] summit

[00:24:16] a

[00:24:16] saurus

[00:24:17] and

[00:24:18] Mrs.

[00:24:18] Postletrump

[00:24:19] would have

[00:24:20] to admit

[00:24:20] that

[00:24:20] no

[00:24:21] she

[00:24:22] didn't

[00:24:22] know

[00:24:22] that

[00:24:23] at

[00:24:23] all

[00:24:23] and

[00:24:24] Spike

[00:24:25] would

[00:24:25] take

[00:24:26] out

[00:24:26] pictures

[00:24:26] of

[00:24:27] a

[00:24:27] friendly

[00:24:27] summit

[00:24:28] a

[00:24:28] saurus

[00:24:29] he had

[00:24:29] just

[00:24:29] met

[00:24:30] last

[00:24:30] summer

[00:24:30] he kept

[00:24:32] reminding

[00:24:32] everyone

[00:24:33] that

[00:24:34] just

[00:24:34] because

[00:24:35] they

[00:24:35] hadn't

[00:24:35] heard

[00:24:36] of

[00:24:36] something

[00:24:36] didn't

[00:24:38] mean

[00:24:38] it

[00:24:38] didn't

[00:24:39] exist

[00:24:40] he

[00:24:41] explained

[00:24:42] it

[00:24:42] to

[00:24:42] Cece

[00:24:42] one

[00:24:43] evening

[00:24:43] as

[00:24:43] they

[00:24:44] walked

[00:24:44] back

[00:24:44] from

[00:24:45] the

[00:24:45] skateboard

[00:24:45] park

[00:24:47] you

[00:24:47] see

[00:24:48] there

[00:24:49] are

[00:24:49] things

[00:24:49] we

[00:24:49] know

[00:24:50] right

[00:24:51] she

[00:24:52] nodded

[00:24:53] and

[00:24:54] there's

[00:24:54] things

[00:24:54] we

[00:24:55] know

[00:24:55] we

[00:24:55] don't

[00:24:55] know

[00:24:56] like

[00:24:56] you

[00:24:58] know

[00:24:58] rockets

[00:24:58] have

[00:24:59] been

[00:24:59] to

[00:24:59] the

[00:24:59] moon

[00:25:00] but

[00:25:01] you

[00:25:01] also

[00:25:01] know

[00:25:01] you

[00:25:01] don't

[00:25:02] know

[00:25:02] how

[00:25:02] to

[00:25:02] make

[00:25:03] a

[00:25:03] rocket

[00:25:04] Cece

[00:25:05] nodded

[00:25:06] again

[00:25:07] but

[00:25:07] there's

[00:25:09] also

[00:25:09] things

[00:25:10] that

[00:25:11] we

[00:25:11] don't

[00:25:11] know

[00:25:11] we

[00:25:12] don't

[00:25:12] know

[00:25:13] Cece's

[00:25:14] head

[00:25:15] hurt

[00:25:16] no

[00:25:17] you've

[00:25:17] lost

[00:25:17] me

[00:25:18] she

[00:25:19] said

[00:25:20] spike

[00:25:21] tried

[00:25:21] to

[00:25:22] work

[00:25:22] out

[00:25:22] how

[00:25:23] he

[00:25:23] could

[00:25:23] explain

[00:25:24] it

[00:25:24] better

[00:25:24] then

[00:25:25] he

[00:25:26] had

[00:25:26] an

[00:25:26] idea

[00:25:26] he

[00:25:28] popped

[00:25:28] Cece

[00:25:29] onto

[00:25:29] the

[00:25:29] front

[00:25:29] of

[00:25:30] the

[00:25:30] skateboard

[00:25:30] and

[00:25:31] he

[00:25:31] stood

[00:25:32] on

[00:25:32] the

[00:25:32] back

[00:25:32] just

[00:25:39] towards

[00:25:39] the

[00:25:40] library

[00:25:40] as

[00:25:42] they

[00:25:42] tried

[00:25:42] to

[00:25:42] go

[00:25:42] in

[00:25:43] the

[00:25:43] librarian

[00:25:44] a

[00:25:44] particularly

[00:25:45] grumpy

[00:25:46] looking

[00:25:46] grizzly

[00:25:46] bear

[00:25:47] who

[00:25:47] had

[00:25:48] extra

[00:25:48] grizzle

[00:25:49] about

[00:25:49] her

[00:25:49] that

[00:25:49] day

[00:25:50] pointed

[00:25:51] at

[00:25:51] the

[00:25:51] skateboard

[00:25:52] and

[00:25:53] waggled

[00:25:53] a

[00:25:54] finger

[00:25:54] no

[00:25:55] she

[00:25:56] mouthed

[00:25:58] spike

[00:25:59] rested

[00:25:59] it

[00:26:00] alongside

[00:26:00] the

[00:26:01] umbrella

[00:26:01] stand

[00:26:02] and

[00:26:09] empty

[00:26:10] she

[00:26:11] reluctantly

[00:26:12] opened

[00:26:12] the

[00:26:12] barrier

[00:26:13] for

[00:26:13] him

[00:26:13] to

[00:26:14] join

[00:26:14] Cece

[00:26:15] who

[00:26:15] was

[00:26:16] standing

[00:26:16] waiting

[00:26:17] for

[00:26:17] him

[00:26:19] he

[00:26:19] led

[00:26:20] her

[00:26:20] all

[00:26:21] the

[00:26:21] way

[00:26:21] through

[00:26:21] the

[00:26:22] library

[00:26:22] pointing

[00:26:23] to

[00:26:24] the

[00:26:24] left

[00:26:24] and

[00:26:25] right

[00:26:25] so

[00:26:26] she

[00:26:26] could

[00:26:26] see

[00:26:26] all

[00:26:27] the

[00:26:27] shelves

[00:26:27] of

[00:26:28] books

[00:26:28] then

[00:26:29] he

[00:26:30] led

[00:26:30] her

[00:26:31] through

[00:26:31] the

[00:26:31] doors

[00:26:31] at

[00:26:32] the

[00:26:32] back

[00:26:32] of

[00:26:39] the

[00:26:39] first

[00:26:39] floor

[00:26:40] of

[00:26:40] the

[00:26:40] library

[00:26:40] and

[00:26:41] she

[00:26:41] realised

[00:26:42] she

[00:26:42] never

[00:26:43] really

[00:26:43] thought

[00:26:44] about

[00:26:44] what

[00:26:44] was

[00:26:45] up

[00:26:45] here

[00:26:45] in

[00:26:47] they

[00:26:47] went

[00:26:47] to

[00:26:48] the

[00:26:48] next

[00:26:48] sets

[00:26:49] of

[00:26:49] shelves

[00:26:49] and

[00:26:50] this

[00:26:51] time

[00:26:51] spike

[00:26:52] started

[00:26:53] pointing

[00:26:53] out

[00:26:53] the

[00:26:54] different

[00:26:54] section

[00:26:55] names

[00:26:56] philosophy

[00:26:57] she

[00:26:58] read

[00:26:59] and

[00:26:59] wondered

[00:27:00] what

[00:27:00] that

[00:27:00] could

[00:27:01] be

[00:27:01] about

[00:27:02] psychology

[00:27:03] she

[00:27:05] saw

[00:27:05] and

[00:27:06] scratched

[00:27:06] her

[00:27:07] head

[00:27:07] a

[00:27:08] couple

[00:27:09] of

[00:27:09] penguins

[00:27:10] stood

[00:27:10] whispering

[00:27:11] under

[00:27:11] a sign

[00:27:12] that

[00:27:12] said

[00:27:12] sociology

[00:27:16] cc

[00:27:17] giggled

[00:27:17] as she

[00:27:18] saw

[00:27:19] a

[00:27:19] section

[00:27:19] called

[00:27:20] kidology

[00:27:22] and

[00:27:23] muttered

[00:27:24] to spike

[00:27:24] that

[00:27:25] studying

[00:27:25] children

[00:27:26] seemed

[00:27:26] like an

[00:27:27] odd

[00:27:27] thing

[00:27:27] to

[00:27:28] do

[00:27:28] it

[00:27:30] means

[00:27:30] the

[00:27:31] study

[00:27:32] of

[00:27:32] lying

[00:27:33] he

[00:27:33] said

[00:27:34] and

[00:27:37] how

[00:27:38] were

[00:27:38] there

[00:27:39] hundreds

[00:27:39] of

[00:27:40] books

[00:27:40] all

[00:27:41] about

[00:27:41] lying

[00:27:43] a

[00:27:44] goat

[00:27:44] sat

[00:27:45] in a

[00:27:45] wingback

[00:27:46] chair

[00:27:46] in one

[00:27:47] corner

[00:27:47] stroking

[00:27:48] his

[00:27:49] long

[00:27:49] beard

[00:27:50] with

[00:27:50] one

[00:27:50] hoof

[00:27:51] and

[00:27:51] turning

[00:27:52] the

[00:27:52] pages

[00:27:53] of

[00:27:53] a

[00:27:53] book

[00:27:53] with

[00:27:54] another

[00:27:56] pogonology

[00:27:57] cc

[00:27:59] read

[00:27:59] and she

[00:28:00] raised

[00:28:08] she

[00:28:09] found

[00:28:09] sections

[00:28:10] for the

[00:28:11] study

[00:28:11] of

[00:28:11] clouds

[00:28:12] and

[00:28:13] sections

[00:28:13] for the

[00:28:14] study

[00:28:14] of

[00:28:14] circles

[00:28:15] areas

[00:28:16] filled

[00:28:17] with

[00:28:18] books

[00:28:18] all

[00:28:19] about

[00:28:19] the

[00:28:20] study

[00:28:20] of

[00:28:20] rainbows

[00:28:21] and

[00:28:22] others

[00:28:22] bursting

[00:28:24] with

[00:28:24] books

[00:28:24] all

[00:28:25] about

[00:28:25] the

[00:28:26] study

[00:28:26] of

[00:28:27] stars

[00:28:28] everywhere

[00:28:29] she

[00:28:30] turned

[00:28:30] there

[00:28:31] were

[00:28:31] more

[00:28:31] and

[00:28:32] more

[00:28:32] books

[00:28:33] and

[00:28:34] cc

[00:28:34] who

[00:28:35] had

[00:28:36] until

[00:28:36] that

[00:28:36] moment

[00:28:37] thought

[00:28:37] she

[00:28:38] was

[00:28:38] quite

[00:28:38] a

[00:28:38] smart

[00:28:39] person

[00:28:39] suddenly

[00:28:41] started

[00:28:41] to

[00:28:42] realize

[00:28:42] that

[00:28:43] she

[00:28:43] really

[00:28:44] knew

[00:28:44] very

[00:28:45] little

[00:28:45] indeed

[00:28:47] back

[00:28:48] outside

[00:28:49] and away

[00:28:50] from the

[00:28:50] glares

[00:28:51] and the

[00:28:51] shh

[00:28:52] sounds

[00:28:53] of the

[00:28:54] grizzly

[00:28:54] bear

[00:28:54] at the

[00:28:54] desk

[00:28:55] she

[00:28:56] admitted

[00:28:56] to

[00:28:56] spike

[00:28:57] that

[00:28:58] yes

[00:28:58] there

[00:28:59] were

[00:28:59] a lot

[00:29:00] of

[00:29:00] unknown

[00:29:00] unknowns

[00:29:01] in the

[00:29:01] world

[00:29:03] of

[00:29:03] course

[00:29:04] she

[00:29:05] had

[00:29:05] to

[00:29:05] add

[00:29:05] you're

[00:29:06] living

[00:29:07] proof

[00:29:07] aren't

[00:29:08] you

[00:29:08] until

[00:29:09] a few

[00:29:10] months

[00:29:10] ago

[00:29:10] i

[00:29:11] had

[00:29:12] no

[00:29:12] idea

[00:29:13] there

[00:29:13] was

[00:29:14] such

[00:29:14] a

[00:29:14] thing

[00:29:14] as

[00:29:15] a

[00:29:15] snoozasaurus

[00:29:18] as

[00:29:19] they

[00:29:19] went

[00:29:19] back

[00:29:20] home

[00:29:20] with

[00:29:21] the

[00:29:21] sun

[00:29:22] slowly

[00:29:22] starting

[00:29:23] to

[00:29:23] sink

[00:29:24] in

[00:29:24] the

[00:29:24] sky

[00:29:25] cc

[00:29:26] had

[00:29:26] a

[00:29:27] quick

[00:29:27] nap

[00:29:27] spike

[00:29:29] held

[00:29:29] her

[00:29:30] close

[00:29:30] making

[00:29:31] sure

[00:29:32] that

[00:29:32] his

[00:29:32] snoozing

[00:29:33] sleeping

[00:29:34] slumbering

[00:29:35] friend

[00:29:36] didn't

[00:29:37] slip

[00:29:37] from

[00:29:38] the

[00:29:38] skateboard

[00:29:38] for a

[00:29:39] moment

[00:29:40] she

[00:29:41] said

[00:29:42] goodbye

[00:29:42] to him

[00:29:43] on the

[00:29:43] doorstep

[00:29:44] of her

[00:29:44] house

[00:29:45] giving

[00:29:46] him

[00:29:47] their

[00:29:47] standard

[00:29:48] high

[00:29:48] five

[00:29:49] low

[00:29:50] five

[00:29:50] behind

[00:29:51] five

[00:29:52] routine

[00:29:53] that

[00:29:54] ended

[00:29:54] with a

[00:29:55] wiggle

[00:29:55] and a

[00:29:56] jiggle

[00:29:57] cc went

[00:29:59] into

[00:29:59] her

[00:29:59] room

[00:30:00] and

[00:30:01] looked

[00:30:01] at

[00:30:01] the

[00:30:01] mountain

[00:30:02] of

[00:30:02] cushions

[00:30:03] and

[00:30:03] blankets

[00:30:04] and

[00:30:05] pillows

[00:30:05] she'd

[00:30:06] amassed

[00:30:06] over

[00:30:06] the

[00:30:06] last

[00:30:07] year

[00:30:08] they

[00:30:09] filled

[00:30:09] her

[00:30:10] bedroom

[00:30:10] almost

[00:30:11] to

[00:30:11] the

[00:30:12] ceiling

[00:30:13] hearing

[00:30:14] her

[00:30:14] come

[00:30:15] in

[00:30:15] jinx

[00:30:16] made

[00:30:16] his

[00:31:00] when she heard the first rumbles from next door.

[00:31:06] The snores rumbled and tumbled their way through the wall,

[00:31:12] and Cece could almost see Spike and his mother and his father

[00:31:18] all tucked up safely in their beds and snoring contentedly to themselves,

[00:31:25] just as the snoozasaurus and the snorosaurus should.

[00:31:33] For the first time, she smiled to hear the snores.

[00:31:39] They were the friendliest, loveliest, kindest creatures she had ever met.

[00:31:47] They were smart and funny, and they shared and gave

[00:31:53] and were always the first to offer help or ideas or support or friendship.

[00:32:02] Hearing them so happily asleep, their snores pouring out into the night,

[00:32:10] she couldn't be annoyed.

[00:32:13] And for the first time, the snores were something of a lullaby.

[00:32:20] Cece didn't balance pillows on her head or coaxed jinx to cover her ears,

[00:32:28] and she didn't hide beneath the blanket.

[00:32:33] Instead, she climbed into bed and settled down just as she always had

[00:32:39] before the dinosaurs had moved in next door,

[00:32:42] and she matched her breathing to the rumbles that she heard.

[00:32:48] In the silences, she breathed in,

[00:32:53] and with the rumbles, she breathed out.

[00:32:58] Gently in and gently out.

[00:33:04] Jinx lay on her stomach and rose and fell in time with Cece's breathing,

[00:33:11] and Jinx too found himself breathing in during the silences,

[00:33:18] and out with the rumbles.

[00:33:22] Gently in and gently out.

[00:33:28] That night, Cece had the best sleep she had for an entire year.

[00:33:36] She had finally learned to live with the rhythms of the world,

[00:33:44] accepting that there were some things she would never be able to change,

[00:33:50] and that instead, she would have to learn to live with them.

[00:33:57] She dreamed of walking through a library

[00:34:00] where owls brought books to her from the highest shelves,

[00:34:06] floating down to her with widespread wings and books

[00:34:12] resting in baskets that hung from their feet.

[00:34:16] Then, the end wall of the library disappeared,

[00:34:21] and there were masses of soft white clouds

[00:34:26] leading out into a sky of midnight blue.

[00:34:32] And Cece was on Spike's skateboard,

[00:34:36] and she was going from cloud to cloud,

[00:34:41] the wind making her hair wave back and forth

[00:34:47] as it streamed behind her,

[00:34:52] and she was passing the stars

[00:34:54] so close she could almost touch them.

[00:34:59] And she looked behind

[00:35:02] to see a trail of silver

[00:35:04] where she had travelled on the skateboard.

[00:35:09] And then, Spike was there with her,

[00:35:14] skating alongside her

[00:35:16] as they swept through the sky,

[00:35:20] one small green dinosaur

[00:35:23] with spines that rippled

[00:35:26] and eyes that danced.

[00:35:30] And the glorious, wonderful,

[00:35:34] extra-special roar

[00:35:36] came from the dinosaur

[00:35:39] who lived just next door.