In tonight's bedtime story for kids, we’re jetting off to the tropical heat and sights of Thailand, joining two sisters who live in Bangkok! Their dreams are about to come true, as they head out to the beautiful islands off the coast to see and swim with turtles. Relax, get sleepy, and let’s begin!
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The No1 kids bedtime stories & sleep meditations podcast that helps children sleep like a dream. Hosted by the world's biggest fan of bedtime stories, Abbe Opher! All episodes are safe for babies, children and really big kids 0 to 100, so settle down tonight and get sleepy with the world's greatest bedtime stories & sleep meditations for kids.
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Narrator 🎙 Abbe Opher
Author ✍️ Luke Prendergast
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
00:00:10
Speaker 1: Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of
00:00:14
Speaker 1: original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime
00:00:20
Speaker 1: a dream. All Before we begin, I'd like to wish
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Speaker 1: a really big, warm hello and welcome to Ezra and
00:00:28
Speaker 1: Ivor from Akay in Australia, Alex and Ben in Melbourne,
00:00:32
Speaker 1: Ruby and Lana in Edinburgh, and also you Little Larkin,
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Speaker 1: all yearly subscribers, all receivers of three episodes a week
00:00:41
Speaker 1: now and all absolutely the best little people. For your
00:00:44
Speaker 1: loyalty and dedication to supporting our podcast, Thank you, thank you.
00:00:49
Speaker 1: We would not be able to do what we love doing,
00:00:52
Speaker 1: which is coming up with these highly original, funny and
00:00:55
Speaker 1: soothing bedtime stories for you, night after night if it
00:00:59
Speaker 1: weren't for your support. Hit follow and all the episodes
00:01:02
Speaker 1: will be there for you when you need them now.
00:01:05
Speaker 1: Then back to tonight's story. We're jetting off to the
00:01:09
Speaker 1: tropical heat and sights of somewhere very different. We've left
00:01:13
Speaker 1: sleepy forest and adjoining two sisters who live in a
00:01:17
Speaker 1: busy city in Thailand. Is actually the capital city. Do
00:01:21
Speaker 1: you know its name? Mm hmm, you got it, Bangkok.
00:01:26
Speaker 1: Our two youngsters have always dreamed of visiting the islands
00:01:30
Speaker 1: off the coast to see turtles. Can you imagine seeing
00:01:33
Speaker 1: a huge, heavy turtle floating around weightlessly in its watery element,
00:01:40
Speaker 1: surrounded by colorful fish and corals. Oh, let's take a
00:01:45
Speaker 1: moment to picture it. Close your eyes and lie back
00:01:49
Speaker 1: in bed. Get nice and comfy, wriggle a bit if
00:01:54
Speaker 1: you need to settle down. And as you breathe slowly
00:01:58
Speaker 1: in and then now again, just think about the color turquoise.
00:02:07
Speaker 1: Fill your vision up with that beautiful shade that's neither
00:02:10
Speaker 1: green nor blue, but somewhere in between. And in the
00:02:15
Speaker 1: turquoise you see some small bubbles floating upwards in a
00:02:20
Speaker 1: thin line. Is so quiet and peaceful. As you look
00:02:26
Speaker 1: around you see more bubbles. I wonder who's blowing them. Now,
00:02:32
Speaker 1: let's see whether our two sisters dream of meeting a
00:02:36
Speaker 1: turtle will ever come true. This is Turtle Island by
00:02:40
Speaker 1: Luke Prendergast. Kit had lived in Bangkok for her entire life,
00:02:52
Speaker 1: which was now almost eight years and seven months to
00:02:56
Speaker 1: the very day. Her parents had moved to the city
00:02:59
Speaker 1: many many years before, and it was there in a
00:03:02
Speaker 1: top floor apartment building that looked out over the bustling blaring,
00:03:07
Speaker 1: tumble jumble of the city that first she and then
00:03:10
Speaker 1: her little sister Soak had been born. Kit loved living
00:03:15
Speaker 1: in Bangkok. There was never a dull moment. The streets
00:03:19
Speaker 1: were filled from dawn till dusk with the shouts of pedestrians,
00:03:24
Speaker 1: the rooms of cars, the beeps and splutters of little tuktoks.
00:03:29
Speaker 1: Buses were packed, The subways were hot, and boats sailed
00:03:35
Speaker 1: up the wide Chow Plaia River that wound through the city.
00:03:39
Speaker 1: On the weekends, markets spread out like vast mazes across Bangkok,
00:03:45
Speaker 1: full of people buying bags of fruit or haggling for
00:03:48
Speaker 1: the best deal. It was only at the temple, which
00:03:51
Speaker 1: Kit's parents took her to from time to time, where
00:03:54
Speaker 1: there was any peace. Cool air floating in through the windows,
00:03:59
Speaker 1: rip at the pale petals of the flowers laid at
00:04:03
Speaker 1: the big Buddher's feet. And yet as much as she
00:04:07
Speaker 1: loved living in the city, Kit dreamed of going to
00:04:11
Speaker 1: one of the islands that rose in the ocean just
00:04:14
Speaker 1: off the coast. She and her little sister would pore
00:04:18
Speaker 1: over books and watch endless documentaries about these islands with
00:04:23
Speaker 1: their sandy beaches and blue waters and bays full of fish,
00:04:29
Speaker 1: and what they were most captivated by was the snorkeling.
00:04:35
Speaker 1: Kit and So would play games in their living room,
00:04:37
Speaker 1: pretending they were snorkeling in the ocean. They'd snap on
00:04:41
Speaker 1: the goggles they wore when they went to the swimming
00:04:43
Speaker 1: pool and wheel their arms around as though they were
00:04:46
Speaker 1: swimming through water. Look an angelfish, Kit would cry, pointing
00:04:51
Speaker 1: at the sofa, and they would stop and stare as
00:04:55
Speaker 1: if it were really there. Or look a clownfish, or
00:05:01
Speaker 1: they're a barracuda, or best of all, look a turtle.
00:05:09
Speaker 1: The two sisters were absolutely obsessed with turtles. They loved
00:05:15
Speaker 1: the mosaic pattern of their shells. They loved the way
00:05:18
Speaker 1: their heads and feet poked out. They loved how wisely
00:05:22
Speaker 1: they blinked their eyes, and how gracefully they swam through
00:05:26
Speaker 1: the aquamarine waters. There was nothing in the world that
00:05:31
Speaker 1: Kit wanted more than the opportunity to actually get to
00:05:35
Speaker 1: see a turtle swimming in the sea. When her parents
00:05:40
Speaker 1: told her one morning that they were going to go
00:05:42
Speaker 1: on holiday to an island where they could snorkele, she
00:05:46
Speaker 1: thought she might explode with happiness. Oh Mamma of Papa,
00:05:51
Speaker 1: Kit cried throwing her arms around each of her parents
00:05:54
Speaker 1: in turn. Thank you, thank you, But where are we going?
00:06:00
Speaker 1: Kit's dad pulled out a map and pointed to a
00:06:03
Speaker 1: tiny green speck in the middle of the sea, just
00:06:07
Speaker 1: off the mainland coast. Just here, he said, Turtle Island.
00:06:15
Speaker 1: It was called Turtle Island, Kit's dad explained because it
00:06:19
Speaker 1: was shaped just like a turtle. When he said this,
00:06:23
Speaker 1: Kit glanced back at the map and saw he was right.
00:06:27
Speaker 1: You could see a bigger lump of land that looked
00:06:29
Speaker 1: like a turtle's body than a smaller, connecting lump that
00:06:33
Speaker 1: looked rather like its head. But it was also called
00:06:37
Speaker 1: turtle Island because its coves and corals were notorious hangout
00:06:41
Speaker 1: spots for families of turtles. So if you were very lucky,
00:06:46
Speaker 1: you might be able to spot one. Kit and So
00:06:51
Speaker 1: held each other's hands and squeezed. They simply couldn't wait.
00:06:57
Speaker 1: One morning, They got up early, shouldered their bags, and
00:07:00
Speaker 1: headed with their parents to the train station. There, they
00:07:04
Speaker 1: had to get a long train. It took over four hours,
00:07:08
Speaker 1: and then they had to get on a big boat
00:07:10
Speaker 1: which skimmed and skipped across the deep blue waves of
00:07:14
Speaker 1: the ocean. Kit and so stood behind the rails of
00:07:18
Speaker 1: the front of the boat, letting the wind and sea
00:07:21
Speaker 1: spray the fine white crystals of salt in their tangled hair.
00:07:27
Speaker 1: They were the first ones to see the island approach.
00:07:30
Speaker 1: At first just a blot on the horizon, and then
00:07:35
Speaker 1: they grew and grew until they could see the jungle
00:07:38
Speaker 1: covered hills, the strips of white sand, the parades of
00:07:43
Speaker 1: small buildings Turtle Island. They gasped, that's it, said their mom.
00:07:54
Speaker 1: Kit and So wanted to go straight to the beach
00:07:57
Speaker 1: with their brand new snorkeling masks, but their parents told
00:08:01
Speaker 1: them they had to be patient. Good things come to
00:08:06
Speaker 1: those who wait. That was one of their dad's favorite sayings,
00:08:11
Speaker 1: and Kit knew he was right about that, even if
00:08:13
Speaker 1: she didn't like to admit it. So instead of going
00:08:17
Speaker 1: straight to the beach, they took their bags to the
00:08:19
Speaker 1: room they were staying in and changed into their beach clothes.
00:08:24
Speaker 1: Then they walked down towards the little town and stopped
00:08:27
Speaker 1: at a restaurant to eat some delicious food, steaming plates
00:08:31
Speaker 1: of noodles, fragrant curries, mounds of fluffy rice. When their
00:08:38
Speaker 1: tummies were full and satisfied, Kit and So blinked their
00:08:43
Speaker 1: best puppy dog eyes at their parents. Can we go
00:08:47
Speaker 1: snorkily now, please, they asked? Their parents laughed yes, their
00:08:56
Speaker 1: mum said to them, ruffling, first, Kits and then so Hair.
00:09:01
Speaker 1: We can go snorkeling now. So they picked up their
00:09:06
Speaker 1: belongings and walked down to the beach. The sand was
00:09:10
Speaker 1: pale and so soft beneath Kit's feet she thought she
00:09:14
Speaker 1: might just sink down through it forever. Sea almond trees
00:09:20
Speaker 1: grew here and there along the beach, stretching their long
00:09:24
Speaker 1: branches out above the water and leaving pools of shade
00:09:29
Speaker 1: on the sand. The sun was a bright spot in
00:09:33
Speaker 1: the sky, and its light twinkled and flashed over the water.
00:09:38
Speaker 1: Their dad lay out towels on the sand and then
00:09:42
Speaker 1: helped them apply another layer of sun cream to their skin.
00:09:46
Speaker 1: It was very important, he said, to ensure they didn't burn.
00:09:51
Speaker 1: Then there was time they were free to go snorkeling.
00:09:56
Speaker 1: Kit and So snapped on their snorkeling masks, and So
00:10:00
Speaker 1: snapped on her armbands because she wasn't such a strong
00:10:04
Speaker 1: swimmer yet. Then they gave each other a look and
00:10:08
Speaker 1: ran into the sea. The water was warm as a
00:10:13
Speaker 1: bar and splish splashed around their knees. As they ran,
00:10:18
Speaker 1: Kit threw herself into the water and felt her whole
00:10:22
Speaker 1: body lighting as though she had left Earth entirely and
00:10:27
Speaker 1: were floating through a blue outer space. Even sounds disappeared,
00:10:33
Speaker 1: replaced with the gargle of the ocean, and she had
00:10:38
Speaker 1: to turn around to see that Soul had dived in
00:10:41
Speaker 1: behind her. Kit motioned with her hand, come on, let's
00:10:46
Speaker 1: go together. They swam further out to sea. Below them,
00:10:52
Speaker 1: Kit could see how the sand gradually fell away from them,
00:10:57
Speaker 1: as though they were swimming down the slope. Big beige
00:11:01
Speaker 1: and gray rocks lay half buried in the sea bed,
00:11:06
Speaker 1: and once she even saw a bright red crab scutle
00:11:09
Speaker 1: out from behind one rock and disappear behind another. And
00:11:14
Speaker 1: then the seashell gave way to coral. The coral grew
00:11:20
Speaker 1: out beneath them like a magical alien underwater forest. At
00:11:26
Speaker 1: first it looked like pale rock, but when you look
00:11:30
Speaker 1: closer you could see it was teeming with life, orange
00:11:35
Speaker 1: and pink and purple flowers opened and closed all over it.
00:11:41
Speaker 1: Bubbles collected on its surface and rose to fizz up
00:11:46
Speaker 1: through the water, and the ocean was full of fish,
00:11:51
Speaker 1: Fish of every imaginable color swam around playing in the coral.
00:11:57
Speaker 1: Fish striped black and white like cazebra, bright blue fish,
00:12:02
Speaker 1: squashed fat as a plate, and long flatfish with pointy,
00:12:07
Speaker 1: pimprick noses. Kit and So pointed here and there, showing
00:12:13
Speaker 1: each other what they found. They were held by the
00:12:17
Speaker 1: warm palm of the water, floating on its gentle currents.
00:12:23
Speaker 1: At one point, Kit waved So over and pointed down
00:12:28
Speaker 1: they saw a dark orange octopus hiding out in the
00:12:32
Speaker 1: bottom of the coral. It waved its legs at them
00:12:36
Speaker 1: as though saying hello, leaving a little squirt of octopus
00:12:40
Speaker 1: sink trailing through the water. Then So called Kit over
00:12:46
Speaker 1: and pointed at where a bright red lobster was crawling
00:12:50
Speaker 1: across the ocean floor, clickeredy clack went its claws. In fact,
00:12:57
Speaker 1: Kit and Sol saw so many wonderful sea creatures that
00:13:02
Speaker 1: day of snorkeling, though when they got back to shore,
00:13:06
Speaker 1: they weren't even sad that they hadn't spotted a turtle yet.
00:13:11
Speaker 1: It's okay, Kit said, throwing a towel around her shoulders.
00:13:15
Speaker 1: There's plenty more time to see a turtle. So nodded
00:13:19
Speaker 1: in agreement, Yes, she said, hopefully we'll see one to morrow.
00:13:26
Speaker 1: The next day they went out snorkeling again and saw
00:13:30
Speaker 1: all kinds of wonderful fish, big silvery barracuda, rainbow colored
00:13:37
Speaker 1: fish with shimmery scale, even stone fit which sometimes tricked
00:13:44
Speaker 1: you into thinking they were just rocks on the seabed
00:13:48
Speaker 1: until you spotted the moving But still no turtles. That evening,
00:13:55
Speaker 1: while having dinner, Kit and So told their parents that
00:13:58
Speaker 1: they were afraid, but they might leave Turtle Island without
00:14:02
Speaker 1: ever having seen a turtle, and it wouldn't be so bad,
00:14:08
Speaker 1: Kit said, because we've had such a wonderful time on
00:14:12
Speaker 1: this amazing island and seen so many other weird and
00:14:16
Speaker 1: wonderful fish who live in the sea. But we really
00:14:20
Speaker 1: do wish that we could see a turtle, because turtles
00:14:24
Speaker 1: are our favorites. Well, said her mother, giving her a
00:14:29
Speaker 1: loving smile. Perhaps you'll have better luck tomorrow. Tomorrow was
00:14:36
Speaker 1: their last day on Turtle Island, so Kit and So
00:14:40
Speaker 1: got up especially early to make the most of the
00:14:44
Speaker 1: time they had left. They made sand castles on the beach,
00:14:49
Speaker 1: They drank coconut water straight out of coconuts, and for
00:14:53
Speaker 1: lunch they ate mangoes with sweet, sticky rice, which they
00:14:58
Speaker 1: bought from a stool right next to the beach, And
00:15:02
Speaker 1: of course they went snorkeling. They swam and swam and swam,
00:15:09
Speaker 1: dazzled by the sun, touched water and all the marine
00:15:13
Speaker 1: life that flourished beneath its surface. They floated through shoals
00:15:19
Speaker 1: of tiny fish. They even swam out as far as
00:15:24
Speaker 1: a small island out to sea, no more than a
00:15:27
Speaker 1: grass covered rock, to see whether the turtles were hanging
00:15:31
Speaker 1: out there. But no luck. There were no turtles to
00:15:36
Speaker 1: be found. Kit clambered up on the island rock and
00:15:42
Speaker 1: poured off her snorkel. So posted herself out of the
00:15:47
Speaker 1: water too, and sat beside Kit. They were both breathing
00:15:51
Speaker 1: heavily from the swim, water dripping off their hair and
00:15:56
Speaker 1: onto the rock beneath them. In front of them, they
00:16:00
Speaker 1: could see the beach they'd swam from their parents, two
00:16:04
Speaker 1: small figures watching carefully from the shore. Oh, dear, So rumphed,
00:16:13
Speaker 1: we're not going to see a turtle, are we? Kit
00:16:17
Speaker 1: shook her head. I don't think so, she said, I've
00:16:23
Speaker 1: really thought we were going to see one to day,
00:16:27
Speaker 1: So said, so did I. Kit agreed, but We've seen
00:16:33
Speaker 1: many other things, haven't we We should be happy about that,
00:16:38
Speaker 1: and they were happy. Both of them were happy and
00:16:41
Speaker 1: grateful for that, but that didn't change the fact that
00:16:46
Speaker 1: they were still disappointed about not having seen a turtle.
00:16:50
Speaker 1: Both of those things could be true, and Kit was
00:16:55
Speaker 1: just about to say something just to that effect, when
00:16:58
Speaker 1: the strangest thing happened. The rock they sat on began
00:17:04
Speaker 1: to move. At first, Kit wasn't sure if she just
00:17:08
Speaker 1: imagined it. She glanced at So, but there was a
00:17:13
Speaker 1: look on her face mirroring Kit's own that told her
00:17:18
Speaker 1: that she had not imagined it. The rock had definitely moved,
00:17:25
Speaker 1: and then they did it again. It tipped slightly to
00:17:30
Speaker 1: the side, and then it seemed to slide forwards through
00:17:34
Speaker 1: the water, like it wasn't grown out of the earth,
00:17:39
Speaker 1: but floating on top of the water. So gave Kit
00:17:44
Speaker 1: a puzzled look. Is this rock her life? She asked? Then,
00:17:52
Speaker 1: as if for an answer, out of the rock right
00:17:56
Speaker 1: by their feet emerged a big head. The head turned
00:18:02
Speaker 1: itself round to look at them, blinking at them with big,
00:18:07
Speaker 1: wise kindly eyes, and then Kit understood they were sitting
00:18:16
Speaker 1: on the back of a giant turtle. Whoa, whispered, So
00:18:26
Speaker 1: WHOA to you too, said the turtle. Kit almost jumped.
00:18:33
Speaker 1: You're a giant turtle, she said, and you can talk.
00:18:41
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, replied the turtle with a smile. Is that
00:18:48
Speaker 1: a surprise? You're a tiny human, and yet I see
00:18:56
Speaker 1: that you can talk too. Kit smiled at that. Her
00:19:02
Speaker 1: initial shock was beginning to fade, and in its place
00:19:06
Speaker 1: bobbed up a joyous excitement. Finally they were seeing a turtle,
00:19:13
Speaker 1: and even better than that, they were seeing a giant
00:19:18
Speaker 1: talking turtle. She couldn't believe her luck. Do do you
00:19:25
Speaker 1: have a name, Kit asked the turtle, and the turtle replied, Oh,
00:19:32
Speaker 1: I sure do. My name is Ivan, and what's your name?
00:19:43
Speaker 1: Kit introduced herself, and so did so. Then Kit apologized
00:19:49
Speaker 1: for climbing up on ivan the turtle's back. Oh it's
00:19:54
Speaker 1: no problem at all, said Ivan. I looked just like
00:20:01
Speaker 1: a little island. So how are you to know? In fact,
00:20:07
Speaker 1: I only popped my head out of my shell because
00:20:11
Speaker 1: I heard you two saying how disappointed you were that
00:20:16
Speaker 1: you hadn't seen a turtle here on Turtle Island yet.
00:20:21
Speaker 1: And when I hear something like that, well I just
00:20:28
Speaker 1: can't let any one down say, He added, would you
00:20:35
Speaker 1: like to take a tour of the ocean with me?
00:20:40
Speaker 1: You can stay sitting up there on my back, and
00:20:45
Speaker 1: I can show you all sorts of wondrous things that
00:20:51
Speaker 1: live here in the ocean. Oh yes, please, cried So,
00:20:58
Speaker 1: we certainly would. Kit agreed, But we'll have to ask
00:21:03
Speaker 1: our parents first. Ivan said, of course you must, otherwise
00:21:11
Speaker 1: they'd worry, and with that he began to swim gracefully
00:21:17
Speaker 1: towards the shore, bearing them on his back. Their parents
00:21:23
Speaker 1: looked a little startled to see them riding on top
00:21:27
Speaker 1: of a giant turtle, but Kit and So gave them
00:21:31
Speaker 1: big beaming smile and waves to let them know that
00:21:36
Speaker 1: all was okay. They explained to their parents that Ivan
00:21:42
Speaker 1: the friendly Turtle wanted to take them on a little
00:21:45
Speaker 1: tour of the ocean, and could they go please. There's
00:21:52
Speaker 1: nothing to worry about, Ivan assured their parents. I've known
00:21:59
Speaker 1: these waters for almost one hundred and twenty years. They'll
00:22:08
Speaker 1: be very safe with me. Their parents gave their permission,
00:22:15
Speaker 1: and Ivan turned around and swam back out to sea.
00:22:21
Speaker 1: You're one hundred and twenty years old, so asked him,
00:22:26
Speaker 1: in a voice full of wonder. Amost said the turtle,
00:22:33
Speaker 1: and that's not even very old. For a giant turtle
00:22:39
Speaker 1: like me, we can live for a very long time. Indeed,
00:22:47
Speaker 1: now are you ready? Kit and So nodded they were ready.
00:22:57
Speaker 1: Oh okay, then said I hold on tide, and suddenly
00:23:05
Speaker 1: they were sailing swifter and swifter through the water. The
00:23:10
Speaker 1: breeze blew through their hair, dragging it in dancing tendrils
00:23:14
Speaker 1: around their cheeks. Water sprayed up from around the edges
00:23:19
Speaker 1: of Ivan's shell sending a fine salty mist around Kit
00:23:23
Speaker 1: and So's faces. He reminded Kit of being on the
00:23:28
Speaker 1: boat from the mainland, but a hundred million times better,
00:23:33
Speaker 1: because now they were alone in the middle of the
00:23:37
Speaker 1: Great Ocean, on the back of a magical giant turtle.
00:23:44
Speaker 1: Just to let you know, Ivan said, we have some
00:23:50
Speaker 1: friends arriving. And a few moments later, a flying fish
00:23:56
Speaker 1: jumped out of the water and sward straight over them,
00:24:01
Speaker 1: Then another and another, until a whole shoal of flying fish,
00:24:08
Speaker 1: sparkling and glittering in the sun, arked over them like
00:24:13
Speaker 1: a rainbow. So giggled as a swash of watery droplets
00:24:19
Speaker 1: landed on her face. She reached up to try and
00:24:23
Speaker 1: touch one as they flew overhead, but they were too
00:24:26
Speaker 1: nifty for her. They just shook their tails cheekily and
00:24:30
Speaker 1: hopped right out of her way. Then Ivan asked them
00:24:35
Speaker 1: if they fancied taking a dip under the water. Yes, please, Ivan,
00:24:41
Speaker 1: they said. Deep breaths. Then both of you, Ivan said,
00:24:49
Speaker 1: Kit and So breathed in until their entire chests and
00:24:54
Speaker 1: tummies were full of air. They gave Ivan a thumbs up,
00:24:59
Speaker 1: and and then in a flash and a splash, they
00:25:02
Speaker 1: were diving down, down, down beneath the sea. Ivan was
00:25:10
Speaker 1: such a strong swimmer that they moved through the water
00:25:14
Speaker 1: like a bird in flight. Schools of fish darted and
00:25:19
Speaker 1: hung around them, waving their little fins at them in welcome.
00:25:25
Speaker 1: Ivan gave a little wriggle and pointed a head with
00:25:29
Speaker 1: one of his legs. Kit and So peered through the water,
00:25:34
Speaker 1: and if they hadn't been so cautious about holding their breath,
00:25:38
Speaker 1: what they saw would have taken the air straight out
00:25:41
Speaker 1: of their lungs. There swimming around a coral covered rock
00:25:47
Speaker 1: was a whole family of turtles. They flippered this way
00:25:53
Speaker 1: and that, reaching out their tender mouths to pick at
00:25:57
Speaker 1: the coral. There was uh magical, more beautiful than anything
00:26:05
Speaker 1: they had seen on the television, more wondrous than anything
00:26:10
Speaker 1: they had read in their books. When last, Ivan dropped
00:26:16
Speaker 1: them back off with their parents at the shore, Kit
00:26:20
Speaker 1: and So threw their arms around him and covered his
00:26:25
Speaker 1: smooth shell in little kisses. Thank you, Ivan, they said,
00:26:31
Speaker 1: that was a dream come true. You're very welcome, both
00:26:39
Speaker 1: of you. Ivan said, it was a great pleasure to
00:26:46
Speaker 1: show you the ocean I call home. And I'm very
00:26:52
Speaker 1: happy that, even at my right old age, I've found
00:26:59
Speaker 1: myself of two new friends. I count myself very lucky
00:27:07
Speaker 1: for that. Ivan asked them how long they were staying
00:27:12
Speaker 1: on Turtle Island, and Kit told him that sadly they
00:27:16
Speaker 1: were leaving early the next morning. They wished that they
00:27:20
Speaker 1: could stay forever, but they had to return to their
00:27:24
Speaker 1: home in Bangkok. Well, Ivan said, with a wise old smile.
00:27:33
Speaker 1: Perhaps we shall meet each other again one day. The
00:27:41
Speaker 1: world has a funny way of bringing good friends back together.
00:27:49
Speaker 1: Kit and So remembered these words spoken by Ivan the
00:27:53
Speaker 1: next morning when they packed their bags and boarded the
00:27:56
Speaker 1: boat back to the mainland. They remembered them when they
00:28:01
Speaker 1: got on the long train back home, and they remembered
00:28:05
Speaker 1: them when they got back to their high up apartment,
00:28:09
Speaker 1: which looked no different from when they had left it
00:28:12
Speaker 1: the week before. But slowly the memory of those words faded,
00:28:20
Speaker 1: or if it didn't fade, Kit and So remembered them
00:28:24
Speaker 1: less often, but from time to time they would remember
00:28:29
Speaker 1: them when they were watching one of their nature documentaries
00:28:33
Speaker 1: or leafing through one of their science books. Then they
00:28:38
Speaker 1: would give each other a smile and wonder how their
00:28:41
Speaker 1: old friend Ivan was doing. One afternoon, they were walking
00:28:47
Speaker 1: home along the banks of the chow Plya River with
00:28:50
Speaker 1: their parents. The sun was hanging low in the sky,
00:28:55
Speaker 1: and its reflection in the water made it seem like
00:28:59
Speaker 1: the river had caught fire. There was a lie with
00:29:03
Speaker 1: orange flickering flames. Ivan and his words were far from
00:29:09
Speaker 1: their mind. They were busy instead talking about what they
00:29:14
Speaker 1: wanted for supper. Kit wanted a delicious banan curry, but
00:29:20
Speaker 1: So was more in the mood for noodles. Then their
00:29:25
Speaker 1: father pointed his long, wrinkly finger out to the river
00:29:30
Speaker 1: and said, hold on a minute, what's that. Kit followed
00:29:36
Speaker 1: where he pointed, and couldn't believe her eyes. She took
00:29:41
Speaker 1: So's hand and went over to the railings by the
00:29:44
Speaker 1: side of the river. She peered closer. Yes, it was true,
00:29:52
Speaker 1: her eyes weren't deceiving her. There swimming up the Chowpriya
00:29:58
Speaker 1: River was Ivan, the giant sea turtle. He was waving
00:30:05
Speaker 1: his flippery arm at them. Hullo, he called out. He
00:30:12
Speaker 1: had swum all the way from Turtle Island just to
00:30:17
Speaker 1: visit them. He wondered if Kit and So fancied going
00:30:22
Speaker 1: for another swim. Kit and So looked at their parents,
00:30:27
Speaker 1: their eyes full of hope. Ivan had come to visit them.
00:30:33
Speaker 1: Could they go for a swim down the river with him?
00:30:37
Speaker 1: Could they please? Their mother looked over at Ivan, who
00:30:43
Speaker 1: was bobbing peacefully in the water. She gave Kit and
00:30:48
Speaker 1: So a big smile and stroked their hair. Go on, then,
00:30:55
Speaker 1: she said, but not for too long. Then, perhaps Apps,
00:31:00
Speaker 1: you could invite Ivan around for supper. What do you
00:31:04
Speaker 1: think We think that sounds perfect, Kit said, and then,
00:31:12
Speaker 1: not waiting a moment longer, they went down into the
00:31:17
Speaker 1: river to meet their wise old friend. You have to
00:32:01
Speaker 1: be one