The Secret Mice & The Frozen Christmas Clock ❄️🕰️ Soothing Kids Bedtime Stories

[00:00:10] Welcome back to Koala Moon, the podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream.

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[00:01:44] Hello, Koala Moon listeners. If you have babies and toddlers in your family, then this announcement is for you.

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[00:02:01] Koala Tots is packed with soothing stories and calming rhymes, perfect for helping babies and toddlers sleep like a dream.

[00:02:09] Not only are the stories incredibly relaxing, but they have easy-to-understand language and gentle repetition designed to help with babies' cognitive development as they drift off to sleep.

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[00:02:42] Okay, let's head over to Lower Starry Skies for tonight's story.

[00:02:46] Soon we're going to meet up again with the clockmaker, Mr. Time Love, in his shop.

[00:02:52] Yep, Rise and Chime. It's such a great name.

[00:02:55] And we're meeting him just as he's about to do something I have never, ever personally experienced.

[00:03:02] But, apparently, he does it every year.

[00:03:05] He's about to freeze time.

[00:03:09] Yep, he is going to stop time for an hour.

[00:03:12] What would you do with an extra hour?

[00:03:16] Imagine knowing you could take that hour at any time of your choosing.

[00:03:21] What a luxury.

[00:03:22] Well, he takes it at a very, very busy time of year and uses it simply to stroll around the enchanted village and see what everybody's up to.

[00:03:32] And tonight, we're going to join him in his wonder through this most magical of places.

[00:03:39] Get ready to listen by hopping into bed.

[00:03:42] Have a little stretch.

[00:03:45] A little wiggle.

[00:03:47] Perhaps a little yawn.

[00:03:50] Ooh.

[00:03:52] Lovely.

[00:03:54] It's time for me to begin The Secret Mice and the Frozen Christmas Clock by Jane Thomas.

[00:04:03] Have you ever stopped to wonder what it would be like to be able to stop time?

[00:04:18] Imagine if you could put the whole world on pause for an hour whenever you wanted.

[00:04:25] And you could walk around and see everybody else frozen into position.

[00:04:31] Bites of cake poised on forks on the way to eager mouths.

[00:04:36] And postmen caught in the very moment they're putting a letter through a letterbox.

[00:04:43] Footballers would be on standby for the entire hour.

[00:04:46] And you could look and try and work out if somebody striking the ball was about to get a goal or not.

[00:04:53] Or if a tennis player was going to make a difficult shot.

[00:04:58] Or if the cup of coffee the artist has just knocked over is about to spill all over their latest painting.

[00:05:06] There is a group of people who can stop time like this.

[00:05:11] All the clockmakers in the world.

[00:05:15] At least the ones worth their tick and their tock are able to pause time for a single hour every year.

[00:05:22] It's a sort of reward the universe gives them.

[00:05:25] To thank them for all their hard work.

[00:05:28] Keeping time going in the right direction.

[00:05:31] And helping everyone get to meetings and train stations just when they should.

[00:05:37] Mr Time Love of Rise and Chime in Lower Starry Skies belongs to the Guild of Clockmakers.

[00:05:43] He, of course, is one of those who knows just how to stop the world for a while and take a break from it all.

[00:05:52] And in fact, he always picks the same time of year.

[00:05:57] Sometime in December, when the leaves have turned and the nights are drawing in.

[00:06:03] He will stop the world for an hour.

[00:06:06] It gives him a break before the inevitable Christmas rush that happens each and every year.

[00:06:12] He wouldn't believe how many people give watches and clocks as presents.

[00:06:19] He is busy year round.

[00:06:22] People are always having birthdays and anniversaries and are in need of gifts.

[00:06:29] And quite often, he's asked to engrave on the back of the watches with messages like

[00:06:35] I'll always have time for you.

[00:06:38] There are an unbelievable number of sentimental lines people come up with when they get to play

[00:06:51] with the idea of time, it turns out.

[00:06:54] Mr Time Love's favourite was from a husband to his wife.

[00:06:59] And the message written on the back of the simple silver watch read,

[00:07:04] I wish every second could be a year.

[00:07:09] He loved it because, more often than not, people want to hurry time along.

[00:07:16] Whenever a child comes into his shop and someone is buying a watch for their birthday,

[00:07:21] Mr Time Love will peer over the top of his little round glasses and ask,

[00:07:28] And how old are you?

[00:07:31] And more often than not, the answer will be,

[00:07:35] I'm eight, but I'm going to be nine soon.

[00:07:40] Or, I'm nearly six years old, said with a lot of excitement.

[00:07:45] And Mr Time Love will say to them, very solemnly indeed,

[00:07:52] Eight is a perfectly respectable age, and you only get to be it once.

[00:07:59] Make sure you enjoy every minute of it,

[00:08:03] because once you are nine, you can never be eight again.

[00:08:11] Anyway, it's only people who are frozen when a clockmaker decides to take their annual hour of peace.

[00:08:18] Animals are still able to move.

[00:08:21] This is very important, because the best clockmakers in the world,

[00:08:25] those like Mr Time Love,

[00:08:27] know the secret of mice making the perfect assistant.

[00:08:31] And it would be utterly unfair if they didn't get to enjoy the break, too.

[00:08:38] Every clockmaker has their own way to stop time.

[00:08:43] But Mr Time Love is to go to the very oldest of the grandfather clocks in his shop,

[00:08:49] to open the little glass window,

[00:08:53] and to reach in and turn the hour hand back by a single hour.

[00:09:00] As it clicks into place,

[00:09:02] he glances outside to see people stopping what they were doing.

[00:09:08] And cars suddenly held where they are on the steep hill as if by magic.

[00:09:14] There's a whirring and clicking and ticking and talking sound in the shop,

[00:09:20] as all the other clocks race to put their own hour hands and digital displays back by an hour, too.

[00:09:29] And, of course, all the other clocks in the world are doing exactly the same thing at this moment.

[00:09:38] Everyone benefits from this bonus hour of pausing.

[00:09:44] Those who are asleep get a whole extra hour without making any effort at all or missing out on anything.

[00:09:53] Those who are right in the middle of a really difficult sum

[00:09:57] give their brain a whole hour of rest before getting back to it,

[00:10:02] and suddenly, aha, see the answer appear right before their eyes.

[00:10:09] And anyone floating on their back in the sea,

[00:10:13] relaxing as they stare up at the sun or the stars,

[00:10:17] depending on the time of day, of course,

[00:10:20] feels even more at ease with the world when they're woken up again.

[00:10:26] And do you have any idea how many footballers score that goal when the hour finishes?

[00:10:34] It's a lot, I can tell you.

[00:10:37] Because their brain has had an extra hour to focus on that single kick they're going to make

[00:10:44] and to see where the goalie is and where all the defence are running to.

[00:10:49] And without realising it, they suddenly make the best kicks of their lives.

[00:10:57] Mr Time Love likes to use his hour to go for a walk in the world and see how everyone is doing.

[00:11:05] He's only been in lower starry skies a few months,

[00:11:08] and he's barely had time to get out and learn the place properly.

[00:11:13] So this is his first real chance.

[00:11:18] The four mice at his workbench put down their spanners and screwdrivers

[00:11:24] and cogs and wheels that they were busy dealing with only moments before

[00:11:29] and hop right up onto Mr Time Love's shoulders.

[00:11:34] As ever, when he knows he's going to stop time,

[00:11:38] Mr Time Love has taken care to put on his huge grey military-style coat

[00:11:44] that has two brass buttons on each shoulder that hold a smart little badge in place.

[00:11:52] Technically, these are called epaulettes.

[00:11:56] But I can't imagine you will ever need to know that word so we won't bother using it.

[00:12:01] The point is, with the buttons on the shoulders,

[00:12:05] the mice can sit down comfortably, wrap their arms around a button,

[00:12:10] and get a perfect view of the world while staying nice and safely in position.

[00:12:17] Mr Time Love and the mice head out at the door,

[00:12:21] closing it behind them but not bothering to lock it.

[00:12:24] As, think about it, who could possibly come into the shop now everyone is frozen in place?

[00:12:32] It is late in the afternoon, and the sun is beginning to sink in the sky.

[00:12:40] There's a lovely fresh Christmas to the autumn air,

[00:12:44] and there isn't a single cloud in the pale blue sky.

[00:12:49] First, Mr Time Love walks up the hill to look into the bookshop,

[00:12:54] neither up nor down.

[00:12:56] He doesn't like to go into places when he's frozen time,

[00:13:01] although of course he could,

[00:13:03] but instead, he looks in from outside to see how everyone seems to be doing.

[00:13:11] A lady is sitting on a low chair by the fire,

[00:13:15] the flames of which still dance and shine and move with the strange winds

[00:13:22] that always seem to come down chimneys.

[00:13:26] She's holding a book open in her hands,

[00:13:29] and Mr Time Love, peering as closely as he can,

[00:13:33] sees that it seems to be the story of a rat and a mole and a toad and a badger.

[00:13:42] In front of her, seven children are seated on frog-shaped mats,

[00:13:48] their legs crossed and their chins resting in their hands,

[00:13:53] elbows on knees, eyes shining and looking straight at the lady.

[00:14:00] One of the children is pulling at a lady's coat,

[00:14:04] and she is frozen in time,

[00:14:06] just turning round with a smile on her face to see what he wants.

[00:14:11] Mr Time Love tries to guess the moment that has been reached in the story,

[00:14:17] and why it is quite so exciting that the child wants to tell his mother,

[00:14:21] and he almost breaks his rule

[00:14:24] and sneaks into the shop to check the exact page.

[00:14:29] But no, he stands up straight and walks back down the hill.

[00:14:34] He walks back past Rise and Chime,

[00:14:38] and the cuckoo in the broken cuckoo clock waves to him

[00:14:42] and raises a cup of tea he's enjoying in his bonus hour.

[00:14:47] Then, Mr Time Love and the mice pass by Mrs Willingworth's shop,

[00:14:53] where there's a wool, there's a way.

[00:14:56] Just as he's looking in and admiring the beautiful blanket Mrs Willingworth is knitting

[00:15:02] as she sits in a big red chair by her wool-covered counter,

[00:15:08] Diesel the cat emerges to wind his way around Mr Time Love's legs.

[00:15:14] Animals all somehow know when time has been stopped,

[00:15:19] and they all somehow know just which clockmaker is responsible on that occasion.

[00:15:26] The little round clockmaker pulls a string from his pocket

[00:15:31] and lifts it up for the cat to jump towards,

[00:15:34] and for a few moments they stand there in the completely silent world,

[00:15:40] the four mice looking down as Mr Time Love bounces the length of red string up and down,

[00:15:48] up and down,

[00:15:49] and Diesel leaps and grabs with his paws.

[00:15:53] Mr Time Love tickles the cat's ears

[00:15:57] and then carries on down the hill,

[00:15:59] past the little school and past the little church,

[00:16:03] where only a few months before,

[00:16:06] he and the mice had fixed the clock

[00:16:08] that fell and smashed onto the pavement far below.

[00:16:13] The school is completely dark.

[00:16:16] It's far too late in the day for any children to be there now,

[00:16:20] except for one single light in a classroom.

[00:16:26] And looking closely,

[00:16:28] Mr Time Love sees it is the headmistress of Lower Starry Skies Academy,

[00:16:34] Mrs Dimple Peach.

[00:16:36] She has been pinning words onto a wall

[00:16:39] under a sign that says,

[00:16:41] Words of the Week.

[00:16:43] And Mr Time Love smiles

[00:16:46] to see that the word she is in the process of pinning

[00:16:49] is discovered.

[00:16:52] If he hadn't become a clockmaker,

[00:16:55] Mr Time Love is sure he would have become an explorer,

[00:17:00] heading to the furthest reaches of the earth

[00:17:03] to make brand new discoveries

[00:17:05] and find islands nobody else has ever found before.

[00:17:11] Next to each word she has on the words of the week chart

[00:17:15] is a quote,

[00:17:17] and the one next to discovered reads,

[00:17:20] A person who dares to waste one hour of time

[00:17:25] has not discovered the value of life.

[00:17:30] Very true, Darwin, very true,

[00:17:34] Mr Time Love says in agreement.

[00:17:37] And he's reminded

[00:17:39] that he has already used up a quarter of his precious hour,

[00:17:44] and he had best keep moving.

[00:17:48] Down at the bottom of the hill,

[00:17:51] Mr Time Love sees the cafe

[00:17:53] that has become something of a Lower Starry Skies institution.

[00:17:58] The dimpled dumpling,

[00:18:01] with its cakes and surprises

[00:18:03] in all shapes and sizes,

[00:18:06] is, of course,

[00:18:08] filled to overflowing.

[00:18:11] Even though the evening is rapidly drawing in,

[00:18:17] people are prepared to sit outside

[00:18:19] wrapped up in blankets

[00:18:21] and big heavy coats

[00:18:24] in order to eat Uma's delicious cakes

[00:18:27] and drink her warming teas.

[00:18:31] Uma is standing behind the counter,

[00:18:35] paused in handing over

[00:18:37] a thick slice of chocolate cake

[00:18:40] to a young boy who's reaching for it.

[00:18:43] Ah, thinks Mr Time Love to himself,

[00:18:48] nobody has found the secret combination today,

[00:18:53] so he hasn't interrupted Uma

[00:18:56] in the middle of one of her stories.

[00:18:59] Even without the stories, though,

[00:19:03] the dimpled dumpling

[00:19:04] is a little corner of magic in the village,

[00:19:08] with the plants on the back wall

[00:19:10] that rustle a quick hello to Mr Time Love

[00:19:13] and the china elephant on the counter

[00:19:16] who lifts and waves his trunk

[00:19:19] by way of a greeting.

[00:19:22] Mr Time Love is at a crossroads,

[00:19:25] and he dilly-dallies for a moment

[00:19:28] deciding which way to go.

[00:19:30] He thinks he will head down the lane

[00:19:33] towards Sleepy Forest,

[00:19:35] mostly because he's curious to see

[00:19:38] if the good luck gnomes

[00:19:40] in Mr Featherman's garden

[00:19:41] are taking advantage of the bonus hour.

[00:19:45] The hedgerows are nothing like they are in summer

[00:19:49] or even in early autumn.

[00:19:52] The flowers are gone.

[00:19:54] The blackberries have all been picked,

[00:19:58] and most of the birds who make their nests here

[00:20:01] have flown south for the winter

[00:20:03] to visit friends and family

[00:20:06] in far warmer places.

[00:20:09] He does spy a small hedgehog

[00:20:12] wearing a backpack

[00:20:13] disappearing into an opening in the hedge,

[00:20:17] and Mr Time Love sends one of the mice down

[00:20:21] to take a quick peek.

[00:20:22] The mouse comes back with reports of a place

[00:20:27] called Hoglit Hideaway,

[00:20:29] a series of tunnels lit by fireflies

[00:20:33] that go deep into the ancient hedgerow

[00:20:36] and spread out into dormitories and dining halls

[00:20:40] and all manner of things for animals

[00:20:44] who are off for a walk.

[00:20:46] For a moment,

[00:20:51] Mr Time Love feels like a bit of an explorer,

[00:20:55] discovering new things,

[00:20:58] and he reminds himself

[00:20:59] that it's perfectly possible

[00:21:02] to be an explorer

[00:21:04] even in your own backyard or town.

[00:21:08] It isn't only the furthest corners of the earth

[00:21:12] where magical things hide,

[00:21:16] and then there they are,

[00:21:19] the four mice

[00:21:20] and Mr Time Love,

[00:21:22] peering over the fence

[00:21:24] to Mr Featherman's garden.

[00:21:27] Of course,

[00:21:29] the good luck gnomes

[00:21:31] are hard at work.

[00:21:33] In fact,

[00:21:34] there are hardly any in the garden at all,

[00:21:37] and those that are there

[00:21:39] are busy organizing

[00:21:41] the latest collection of horseshoes

[00:21:44] and four-leaf clovers.

[00:21:47] One in a red hat

[00:21:49] who usually spends his days

[00:21:51] fishing in the pond

[00:21:52] gives Mr Time Love a wave

[00:21:55] and mouths the word

[00:21:57] thank you to him.

[00:22:01] The good luck gnomes

[00:22:03] are grateful for the extra hour

[00:22:05] to get everything ready for Christmas too,

[00:22:08] which is also

[00:22:09] a very busy time of year for them.

[00:22:14] Everyone wants to ring in the new year

[00:22:17] with a fresh dose of good luck

[00:22:19] if they can find it,

[00:22:21] and the gnomes

[00:22:23] have to work extra hard

[00:22:25] during December

[00:22:26] to leave their lucky charms

[00:22:28] in the places

[00:22:29] where the people who need them most

[00:22:31] will find them.

[00:22:34] Then,

[00:22:35] they pass by

[00:22:36] Mrs Bumble's pink cottage,

[00:22:39] a line of white smoke

[00:22:41] whispering its way

[00:22:43] out of the chimney.

[00:22:46] Mr Time Love

[00:22:47] peers inside

[00:22:49] and sees that

[00:22:50] Mrs Bumble

[00:22:51] is busy in her kitchen

[00:22:53] and appears to be making a cake.

[00:22:57] He sniffs the air

[00:22:59] and catches the scents

[00:23:02] of cinnamon

[00:23:03] and cloves,

[00:23:05] and Christmas

[00:23:07] comes to him

[00:23:08] all in a rush.

[00:23:10] Snowball,

[00:23:11] her cat,

[00:23:12] is watching

[00:23:13] from his cushion

[00:23:14] on the wooden rocking chair

[00:23:16] that sits in the corner

[00:23:18] of the cosy kitchen,

[00:23:19] and he waves

[00:23:21] his tail

[00:23:22] gently

[00:23:22] as Mr Time Love

[00:23:24] looks inside.

[00:23:28] Mrs Bumble

[00:23:29] must be making her cake

[00:23:30] for the Christmas fair,

[00:23:32] Mr Time Love thinks,

[00:23:34] something

[00:23:35] he has only heard about

[00:23:37] but not been to yet,

[00:23:38] since this,

[00:23:40] after all,

[00:23:42] will be his first Christmas

[00:23:44] in the village.

[00:23:47] Mrs Bumble's cakes

[00:23:49] are famous

[00:23:50] for miles around,

[00:23:52] and he almost,

[00:23:54] almost,

[00:23:55] breaks his rule,

[00:23:57] and almost,

[00:23:59] almost,

[00:24:00] sneaks inside

[00:24:01] to have a quick lick

[00:24:03] of the batter

[00:24:04] in the bowl.

[00:24:05] She surely

[00:24:07] wouldn't notice

[00:24:08] a single lick

[00:24:09] missing.

[00:24:11] But then,

[00:24:12] he realises

[00:24:13] that time

[00:24:15] is ticking away,

[00:24:16] and she walks

[00:24:17] back to the little lane

[00:24:19] and down

[00:24:20] to Aunt Tilly's cottage,

[00:24:22] where,

[00:24:23] in an impossible reality,

[00:24:25] the roses

[00:24:26] are blooming

[00:24:27] beautifully

[00:24:28] around the door,

[00:24:30] just as they

[00:24:31] always do.

[00:24:34] Aunt Tilly

[00:24:35] is with her nephew,

[00:24:36] Beau,

[00:24:37] in the dining room,

[00:24:38] and together

[00:24:39] they're working

[00:24:40] on a jigsaw puzzle.

[00:24:42] Mr Time Love

[00:24:44] turns his head

[00:24:45] to be able

[00:24:46] to see the picture

[00:24:47] on the box,

[00:24:49] and smiles

[00:24:50] to see

[00:24:50] that it's

[00:24:51] a famous painting

[00:24:53] by Dali,

[00:24:54] where clocks

[00:24:55] in a desert

[00:24:56] are draped

[00:24:57] across a table

[00:24:59] and hanging

[00:24:59] from the branches

[00:25:00] of a tree.

[00:25:03] Aunt Tilly

[00:25:04] turns

[00:25:05] and looks

[00:25:06] at Mr Time Love

[00:25:07] and gives him

[00:25:08] a wink,

[00:25:09] stretching out

[00:25:10] her arms

[00:25:11] and then going

[00:25:13] straight back

[00:25:14] to the position

[00:25:14] she had been

[00:25:15] holding

[00:25:16] when he first

[00:25:17] looked in.

[00:25:18] Of course,

[00:25:20] he thinks

[00:25:21] to himself,

[00:25:22] if anyone

[00:25:23] in lower

[00:25:24] starry skies

[00:25:26] can break

[00:25:27] into the

[00:25:28] secret hour

[00:25:29] he has stopped

[00:25:30] for himself,

[00:25:32] it would be

[00:25:33] Aunt Tilly.

[00:25:35] He passes

[00:25:36] by

[00:25:37] Mellow Yellow

[00:25:38] and the

[00:25:39] sloth

[00:25:40] slowly

[00:25:41] lifts a hand

[00:25:42] and the

[00:25:43] bird of

[00:25:44] paradise

[00:25:44] jumps from

[00:25:45] his cushion

[00:25:46] on the bed

[00:25:47] and waves

[00:25:48] and even

[00:25:49] the mouse

[00:25:49] emerges

[00:25:50] for a moment

[00:25:51] from his sock

[00:25:52] and squeaks

[00:25:53] a few

[00:25:53] hellos

[00:25:54] to the other

[00:25:55] mice

[00:25:55] on Mr Time

[00:25:56] Love's shoulder

[00:25:57] and Mellow Yellow

[00:25:59] herself

[00:26:00] catches the

[00:26:01] sunlight

[00:26:01] in such a

[00:26:03] way

[00:26:03] that her

[00:26:04] shiny chrome

[00:26:05] bumper

[00:26:05] seems to

[00:26:07] smile at him

[00:26:08] as he passes

[00:26:08] by.

[00:26:11] There really

[00:26:12] is nowhere

[00:26:14] in the world

[00:26:15] he would

[00:26:16] rather be,

[00:26:17] Mr Time

[00:26:18] Love says

[00:26:19] to himself,

[00:26:20] than in this

[00:26:21] wonderful

[00:26:22] little village

[00:26:23] where magic

[00:26:25] spills

[00:26:26] from every

[00:26:27] corner.

[00:26:29] He wonders

[00:26:30] how many

[00:26:31] people notice

[00:26:32] the magic

[00:26:33] in their

[00:26:33] towns and

[00:26:34] villages

[00:26:35] and thinks

[00:26:36] it's a terrible

[00:26:37] shame

[00:26:38] that most

[00:26:39] people would

[00:26:40] happily declare

[00:26:41] where they live

[00:26:42] to be really

[00:26:43] quite boring

[00:26:44] because it

[00:26:46] means they

[00:26:46] haven't yet

[00:26:47] learned

[00:26:47] to look

[00:26:48] a little

[00:26:49] longer

[00:26:49] and dig

[00:26:50] a little

[00:26:51] deeper

[00:26:52] to see

[00:26:53] what is

[00:26:53] really there.

[00:26:55] Of course

[00:26:56] he couldn't

[00:26:58] come all

[00:26:58] this way

[00:26:59] without walking

[00:27:01] to the white

[00:27:02] wooden gate

[00:27:02] that leads

[00:27:04] into Sleepy

[00:27:05] Forest

[00:27:05] and Mr

[00:27:07] Time Love

[00:27:07] stands

[00:27:08] and peers

[00:27:10] down the

[00:27:10] path

[00:27:11] that winds

[00:27:12] its way

[00:27:13] between

[00:27:14] the trees

[00:27:15] and disappears

[00:27:16] into the

[00:27:17] forever

[00:27:18] green.

[00:27:21] Out of

[00:27:22] the corner

[00:27:22] of his

[00:27:23] eye

[00:27:23] he sees

[00:27:24] the tail

[00:27:25] of an

[00:27:25] alligator

[00:27:26] swish to

[00:27:28] and fro

[00:27:28] in the river

[00:27:30] and then

[00:27:31] head around

[00:27:32] a bend

[00:27:33] and swears

[00:27:35] that he sees

[00:27:36] a whole

[00:27:37] gathering

[00:27:37] of animals

[00:27:38] on the

[00:27:39] alligator's

[00:27:40] back

[00:27:40] just as if

[00:27:42] they were

[00:27:43] using it

[00:27:44] as a bus

[00:27:45] he shakes

[00:27:47] his head

[00:27:47] and turns

[00:27:48] to ask

[00:27:48] the mice

[00:27:49] but they

[00:27:51] are all

[00:27:51] suddenly

[00:27:52] busy

[00:27:52] looking

[00:27:53] anywhere

[00:27:54] but at

[00:27:55] him

[00:27:55] as if

[00:27:56] they have

[00:27:57] a secret

[00:27:57] that they

[00:27:58] don't want

[00:27:59] to share

[00:27:59] with him

[00:28:00] and Mr

[00:28:02] Time Love

[00:28:02] smiles

[00:28:03] and turns

[00:28:04] away

[00:28:05] away.

[00:28:06] It

[00:28:07] doesn't

[00:28:07] do

[00:28:07] after all

[00:28:09] to squeeze

[00:28:10] a secret

[00:28:11] out of

[00:28:12] someone

[00:28:12] before they

[00:28:13] are ready

[00:28:14] to tell

[00:28:14] it.

[00:28:16] he walks

[00:28:18] back

[00:28:18] along the

[00:28:19] lane

[00:28:19] back

[00:28:20] where

[00:28:21] he's

[00:28:21] just

[00:28:22] been

[00:28:22] and

[00:28:23] catches

[00:28:23] Aunt

[00:28:24] Tilly

[00:28:24] sneaking

[00:28:25] outside

[00:28:26] to pop

[00:28:27] some

[00:28:27] cubes

[00:28:28] of

[00:28:28] cheese

[00:28:28] into

[00:28:29] mellow

[00:28:30] yellow

[00:28:30] for the

[00:28:31] mouse

[00:28:31] and

[00:28:32] with

[00:28:33] neither

[00:28:33] saying

[00:28:34] anything

[00:28:35] she

[00:28:35] tiptoes

[00:28:36] over

[00:28:37] to him

[00:28:37] and

[00:28:38] reaches

[00:28:39] up

[00:28:40] to

[00:28:40] the

[00:28:40] four

[00:28:41] mice

[00:28:41] on

[00:28:41] his

[00:28:42] shoulders

[00:28:42] and

[00:28:43] hands

[00:28:44] each

[00:28:44] of

[00:28:44] them

[00:28:45] a

[00:28:45] cube

[00:28:45] too.

[00:28:47] She

[00:28:47] draws

[00:28:48] a

[00:28:48] finger

[00:28:48] to

[00:28:49] her

[00:28:49] lips

[00:28:49] lets

[00:28:50] out

[00:28:51] the

[00:28:51] quietest

[00:28:52] shh

[00:28:54] that

[00:28:55] immediately

[00:28:56] drifts

[00:28:57] away

[00:28:57] on the

[00:28:58] breeze

[00:28:58] and

[00:29:00] then

[00:29:00] bustles

[00:29:01] back

[00:29:01] inside

[00:29:02] to take

[00:29:03] her

[00:29:03] position

[00:29:04] at the

[00:29:04] table

[00:29:05] once

[00:29:05] more.

[00:29:07] The

[00:29:08] hour

[00:29:08] is

[00:29:12] heading

[00:29:13] home

[00:29:13] too.

[00:29:15] Their

[00:29:15] rainbow

[00:29:16] hats

[00:29:16] in

[00:29:17] perfect

[00:29:18] order

[00:29:18] as

[00:29:19] they

[00:29:19] return

[00:29:19] from

[00:29:20] checking

[00:29:21] the

[00:29:21] fields

[00:29:21] for

[00:29:22] clovers

[00:29:22] with

[00:29:23] just

[00:29:23] the

[00:29:24] right

[00:29:24] number

[00:29:24] of

[00:29:24] leaves

[00:29:25] and

[00:29:26] the

[00:29:26] stables

[00:29:27] for

[00:29:27] unwanted

[00:29:28] horseshoes

[00:29:31] before

[00:29:32] he goes

[00:29:33] back

[00:29:33] inside

[00:29:44] and

[00:29:44] drinking

[00:29:44] in

[00:29:45] the

[00:29:45] perfect

[00:29:46] piece.

[00:29:48] He

[00:29:49] thinks

[00:29:49] about

[00:29:49] the

[00:29:50] children

[00:29:50] waiting

[00:29:51] eagerly

[00:29:52] next

[00:29:53] door

[00:29:53] for

[00:29:54] the

[00:29:54] story

[00:29:54] to

[00:29:55] continue

[00:29:55] being

[00:29:56] told

[00:29:56] and

[00:29:57] the

[00:29:58] cakes

[00:29:58] being

[00:29:58] eaten

[00:29:59] at

[00:29:59] the

[00:29:59] bottom

[00:29:59] of

[00:30:00] the

[00:30:00] hill

[00:30:00] and

[00:30:01] the

[00:30:02] rows

[00:30:03] of

[00:30:03] perfect

[00:30:04] stitches

[00:30:04] that

[00:30:05] Mrs.

[00:30:06] Woolingworth

[00:30:06] is

[00:30:07] adding

[00:30:07] to her

[00:30:07] blanket

[00:30:08] and

[00:30:09] the

[00:30:10] puzzle

[00:30:10] piece

[00:30:10] that

[00:30:11] Bo

[00:30:11] was

[00:30:11] holding

[00:30:12] in

[00:30:12] his

[00:30:12] hand

[00:30:13] as

[00:30:13] he

[00:30:14] scrunched

[00:30:14] up

[00:30:14] his

[00:30:15] face

[00:30:15] looking

[00:30:16] for

[00:30:17] where

[00:30:17] it

[00:30:17] belonged

[00:30:18] and

[00:30:19] the

[00:30:20] word

[00:30:20] discovered

[00:30:22] being

[00:30:22] placed

[00:30:23] on

[00:30:23] the

[00:30:23] wall

[00:30:24] by

[00:30:24] Mrs.

[00:30:25] Dimple

[00:30:25] Peach

[00:30:27] everywhere

[00:30:28] people

[00:30:30] had been

[00:30:31] busy

[00:30:31] making

[00:30:32] the most

[00:30:32] of their

[00:30:33] day

[00:30:35] Mr.

[00:30:36] Time

[00:30:36] Love

[00:30:37] was sure

[00:30:38] Darwin

[00:30:38] would be

[00:30:39] pleased

[00:30:39] to know

[00:30:40] that

[00:30:41] in his

[00:30:42] village

[00:30:42] at least

[00:30:43] they

[00:30:44] had all

[00:30:45] seemed

[00:30:45] to learn

[00:30:46] the value

[00:30:46] of life

[00:30:48] it

[00:30:49] was

[00:30:50] with

[00:30:50] the

[00:30:50] contented

[00:30:51] sigh

[00:30:52] that he

[00:30:53] went

[00:30:53] back in

[00:30:54] to rise

[00:30:55] and chime

[00:30:56] picked up

[00:30:58] the tiny

[00:30:59] teacup

[00:30:59] that the

[00:31:00] cuckoo

[00:31:00] had used

[00:31:01] and put

[00:31:02] it in

[00:31:03] the sink

[00:31:03] in the

[00:31:04] bag

[00:31:04] to be

[00:31:05] washed

[00:31:05] later

[00:31:06] with the

[00:31:07] other

[00:31:07] things

[00:31:08] the

[00:31:09] four

[00:31:10] mice

[00:31:10] unwrapped

[00:31:11] themselves

[00:31:12] from

[00:31:12] around

[00:31:13] the

[00:31:13] coat

[00:31:13] buttons

[00:31:14] and

[00:31:15] pattered

[00:31:15] back

[00:31:16] down

[00:31:17] onto

[00:31:17] the

[00:31:17] work

[00:31:18] bench

[00:31:20] Mr.

[00:31:21] Time

[00:31:21] Love

[00:31:21] hung his

[00:31:23] heavy

[00:31:23] great

[00:31:23] coat

[00:31:24] on the

[00:31:24] hook

[00:31:25] just

[00:31:26] to the

[00:31:26] left

[00:31:27] of the

[00:31:27] front

[00:31:27] door

[00:31:28] ready

[00:31:29] to keep

[00:31:29] him

[00:31:30] warm

[00:31:30] in the

[00:31:30] winter

[00:31:31] months

[00:31:31] whenever

[00:31:32] he

[00:31:33] needed

[00:31:33] to go

[00:31:34] outside

[00:31:34] and

[00:31:37] then

[00:31:37] the

[00:31:38] grandfather's

[00:31:39] clock's

[00:31:40] hour

[00:31:40] hand

[00:31:40] announced

[00:31:41] that the

[00:31:43] hour

[00:31:43] had

[00:31:43] passed

[00:31:46] as if

[00:31:47] nothing

[00:31:48] had

[00:31:48] happened

[00:31:49] at all

[00:31:50] the

[00:31:51] world

[00:31:52] outside

[00:31:52] started

[00:31:54] turning

[00:31:54] again

[00:31:55] the

[00:31:57] sun

[00:31:57] sank

[00:31:59] lower

[00:31:59] and

[00:32:00] lower

[00:32:00] outside

[00:32:01] and

[00:32:03] the

[00:32:03] shadows

[00:32:04] stretched

[00:32:04] their

[00:32:05] way

[00:32:05] across

[00:32:06] the

[00:32:06] streets

[00:32:07] and

[00:32:08] people

[00:32:09] huddled

[00:32:10] a little

[00:32:11] closer

[00:32:11] under

[00:32:12] their

[00:32:12] blankets

[00:32:13] and

[00:32:14] moved

[00:32:15] so

[00:32:16] they

[00:32:16] were

[00:32:16] sitting

[00:32:16] right

[00:32:17] by

[00:32:18] fireplaces

[00:32:19] and

[00:32:20] drank

[00:32:20] warm

[00:32:21] tea

[00:32:22] and

[00:32:23] cocoa

[00:32:23] and

[00:32:24] chased

[00:32:25] marshmallows

[00:32:26] around

[00:32:26] their

[00:32:26] mugs

[00:32:27] what

[00:32:29] a

[00:32:30] beautiful

[00:32:31] day

[00:32:31] Mr.

[00:32:32] time

[00:32:33] love

[00:32:33] thought

[00:32:34] to

[00:32:34] himself

[00:32:34] reaching

[00:32:36] for the

[00:32:37] pocket

[00:32:37] watch

[00:32:38] he had

[00:32:38] been

[00:32:38] working

[00:32:39] on

[00:32:41] somewhere

[00:32:42] in a

[00:32:43] hedgerow

[00:32:44] not so

[00:32:45] very far

[00:32:46] away

[00:32:46] a little

[00:32:48] hedgehog

[00:32:49] unpacked

[00:32:50] his

[00:32:50] rucksack

[00:32:51] and settled

[00:32:53] down

[00:32:53] for a

[00:32:54] nap

[00:32:54] on his

[00:32:56] bunk

[00:32:56] in the

[00:32:57] hoglit

[00:32:58] hideaway

[00:32:59] he

[00:33:01] tapped

[00:33:01] on the

[00:33:02] jar

[00:33:02] of

[00:33:02] fireflies

[00:33:03] beside

[00:33:04] him

[00:33:04] and

[00:33:06] they

[00:33:06] dimmed

[00:33:07] their

[00:33:07] lights

[00:33:08] and

[00:33:09] he

[00:33:09] fell

[00:33:09] asleep

[00:33:10] listening

[00:33:11] to the

[00:33:12] dry

[00:33:13] leaves

[00:33:14] rustling

[00:33:14] along

[00:33:15] the lane

[00:33:16] and

[00:33:17] the

[00:33:17] gentle

[00:33:18] swish

[00:33:19] of

[00:33:19] birds

[00:33:20] wings

[00:33:20] sweeping

[00:33:22] slowly

[00:33:24] through

[00:33:24] the air

[00:33:25] as they

[00:33:26] headed

[00:33:27] home

[00:33:27] in the

[00:33:29] soft

[00:33:29] light

[00:33:30] of the

[00:33:31] evening