December 22, 2025 • 23 mins
How many of you love to dream? And how many of you drag out bedtime because you’re
afraid of a scary one? Well, Doug gets it! He even tried sleeping with one eye open. But
when he started looking a little frazzled from no sleep, Doug got some great advice that
turned his whole view of dreams upside down. Now he can’t WAIT for bedtime—because
when Doug learns to take control of his dreams, the sky’s the limit!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Cancel to paper.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Sketching you art on this page. What kind of journey
will this drawing bring to life?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Today?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Another adventure waits for you.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
A ro scout and Layla.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
My comment wong to It's imagination time.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
And curiosity cold Curiosity came, It's.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
A magical place.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Come Troup, Welcome to Adventures of Curiosity.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Cald Hello, and welcome back to season three of Adventures
of Curiosity.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Cod It's meet Ella.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
The Curious and whether you're joining us for the first
time or coming back for more adventures, I'm so thrilled
to have you here.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
This season, we'll.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Dive into brand new adventures from my treehouse. Think cozy beanbags,
fluffy pillows, and of course my favorite stuffy row right
by my side. It's peaceful, almost like my mom just
used her relaxing dream pray. Perfect for story time. So
what are we waiting for? Doug's Dreams?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Part two?
Speaker 5 (01:38):
All of them started walking in and Doug followed. As
he passed the carnival man. The man held out a giant,
round lollipop that spiraled like a galaxy. Doug grabbed it
without thinking. The moment it touched his tongue, it exploded
with flavor, fresh raspberries, strawberries, kiw fig and something else
(01:59):
he couldn't even name. Whatever it was, it made his
brain light up like a pinball machine. He was so
immersed in the taste, licking and spinning it in his
mouth that when he looked up, his friends were all gone.
Doug turned in a slow circle and found himself in
front of a small booth tucked between two tents. A
(02:21):
familiar voice spoke.
Speaker 6 (02:23):
Hiya, kid, you want to try your luck, pull that
wand there out of your pocket and turn one of
these animals into animal crackers.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
You get five tries. Doug blinked. It was the same
guy from the entrance, but different. Gone was the striped
hat and loud outfit. Now he wore slim black pants,
a sleeveless white dressed shirt, and a crooked black bow tie.
His shiny shoes reflected the lights of the booth. Same mustache,
(02:52):
same smile, same twinkle in his eyes. Behind him, a
wall of plush animals swayed in the breeze. A lion,
a shark, a monkey, a turtle, a bear, a dog,
and a bird. They were soft, friendly, dreamlike stuffies. Doug
grinned and pulled out his wand he pointed at the whale.
(03:14):
That would make a huge animal cracker. Right poof, the
whale vanished in a puff of red and blue dust.
Steer rack, wand you got a focus, kid. Doug shook
his head and locked eyes on the turtle. He studied
his breath, focused, and flicked his wand green and blue dust.
(03:37):
Three tries left, Kiddo, Doug nodded. He remembered what Nick
had told him, if you believe it will happen, then
it will. So he locked onto the shark. He pictured
it shrinking, crumbling, sweetening into cracker form. He believed it,
(03:57):
or he almost did, just as he flicked his wand
a flicker of fear slipped into his mind, a memory
of a real shark from a nature show, mouth wide open,
teeth like jagged glass. Boom, A massive blast of black
and blue dust erupted, and suddenly there was a real
(04:17):
great white shark writhing on the ground in front of him,
jaws snapping, thrashing violently. Doug froze, his breath caught, his
legs were rooted in place. The shark was getting closer.
Take a step back, kid, jeez, Doug snapped out of
his trance and looked at him.
Speaker 7 (04:34):
Step back. It's not like he's got legs. Doug turned back.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
The man was right. The shark was on land, powerful, terrifying,
but completely stuck. It could thrash and bite, but it
wasn't getting anywhere fast. Doug took a step back. Now,
use that wand in your hand and turn it back.
Doug raised his wind, took a steady breath, and flicked.
(05:04):
The shark was gone. In its place sat a soft,
gray stuffed animal with button eyes.
Speaker 7 (05:11):
Doug exhaled, Who.
Speaker 5 (05:15):
Good, first time working through a dream?
Speaker 7 (05:19):
I suppose huh? I thought it was obvious you're in
a dream, young man. Yeah, I knew that. Yeah, you
could have had me fooled.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Here.
Speaker 6 (05:30):
Let me give you a few tips. Always look for
the loopholes. What do you mean All dreams have loopholes?
You know, when you're having a great dream and then bam,
suddenly it turns into a nightmare. Well, most kids wake
up too soon. They don't realize there's always a way out.
You made that shark a pea kid, Whether you want
(05:52):
to admit it or not, I did think of a
real shark at the last second. Exactly so you created it.
That means you can undo it. You just have to
outsmart your own fear. A shark on land, Come on, please.
Doug looked down at the wand in his hand. Next
time things get scary, look for the loopholes. Don't just freeze,
(06:15):
think your way through it.
Speaker 7 (06:16):
And then.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
The carnival man vanished in a swirl of smoke, and
Doug was floating in a cloud of warm color.
Speaker 7 (06:25):
It was like.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
Drifting through a swimming pool made of dreams, weightless, peaceful, perfect.
For a moment, Doug felt something he hadn't felt in
a long time, total rest. He wanted to stay there forever.
But then a gentle pressure on his shoulder, a soft shaking.
(06:50):
Doug groan, not wanting to leave.
Speaker 7 (06:53):
Mmmm.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
The shaking didn't stop. His eyes blinked open, and there
was his dad standing over him in the soft morning light.
Good morning, sleepyhead, Doug rubbed his eyes. He had slept deeply,
fully and best of all, without fear. It's time for school, bud.
(07:17):
Doug let out a huge yawn as his mom walked in.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Ooh, someone slept good.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Doug opened his eyes wide with excitement. Oh my gosh,
I have to tell you guys all about my dream.
He launched into the story as soon as he sat up,
talking through brushing his teeth, getting dressed, eating eggs and spinach,
even the entire walk to the bus stop. His mom
and dad just smiled listening closely. They were happy, relieved
(07:48):
really that Doug had finally gotten a good night's sleep.
When Doug got to school, he rushed to find his
buddy Nick. Nick, you won't believe the.
Speaker 7 (07:57):
Dream I had.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
It was amazing and kind of scary, but I learned something.
We can control the dream. Control it. Yeah, the carnival
guy told me look for the loopholes. Loopholes yep. So
when a good dream starts to turn into a nightmare,
instead of freaking out.
Speaker 7 (08:15):
You get smart. You look for the loopholes.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Mine was a shark, this huge gray white, about to
eat me. I got so scared I couldn't move. I
was just staring at his teeth and thinking about how
bad it would hurt. I didn't even realize he was
on land, like, just flopping around trying to get to me.
Sharks can't walk, Nick, Doug bursts out, laughing, Uh, are
you okay? Yes, it's just so funny, I was frozen
(08:42):
in fear over a fish with no legs trying to
chase me on dry land. That'd be like me, who
can't swim, jumping into the ocean and trying to bite
a shark. Nick cracked a smile too.
Speaker 7 (08:55):
That's actually kind of brilliant.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
I'm totally gonna try that next time for the loophole exactly.
Don't get scared, get clever. That night, after school, Doug
ran around the yard with his dog for over an hour.
He sprinted, did push ups, jumping jacks, even tried to
race the dog back and forth across the grass. When
his parents looked out the window, they were stunned. Usually
(09:18):
Doug was dragging his feet after school, but now he
looked like a mini football star in training. A good
night's sleep had worked, wonders. When he came inside, sweaty
and smiling, his dad looked up from the kitchen. Hey, Bud,
you were great out there. You training for football maybe,
but mostly I'm trying to tire myself out so I
(09:40):
can fall asleep early tonight.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Oh, good for you, Dougie.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
After dinner, Doug went to the fridge and pulled out
a mason jar full of blueberries. He plopped it on
the table and started eating them by the handful. WHOA
thought for sure you'd go for a little cup of
ice cream. Wow, I'm trying something new. I heard eating
sugar before bed can give you bad dreams. Doug's dad
looked down at the half eaten slice of chocolate cake
(10:05):
in front of him. He paused, frowned slightly. Well, that
explains why I keep crashing my couda in my dreams.
He slid the cake aside, then reached over and grabbed
a handful of dugs blueberries. Hmm, these are delicious and filling.
Later that night, Doug lay in bed, eyes closed, imagining
(10:26):
himself stretched out in a little wooden boat in the
middle of a calm, endless ocean. It was so peaceful
he could hear the breeze whispering and the soft lap
of water brushing against the boat. Above him, The sky
glowed a deep orange red, and birds glided silently overhead.
(10:46):
His boat brushed against something solid sand. Maybe he waited
to see if it had stopped, but no, it was
still rocking gently. That same peaceful weight lea feeling he
had felt, and the colorful dust returned. It wrapped around
him like a warm blanket.
Speaker 7 (11:07):
He drifted and drifted. He didn't know.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
How long he'd been dreaming, hours, days, it didn't matter.
When Doug opened his eyes, it was night, a still
magical night. He was still in the boat, but the
sky had changed. Above him were three enormous planets, glowing softly,
closer than the moon had ever looked from Earth. This
(11:32):
wasn't Earth, This was Doug's planet. He sat up slowly
slid his legs over the edge of the boat. His
bare feet touched the warm, glowing water. It felt amazing,
like dipping into warm silk. He swirled one foot in
shimmering trails of bioluminescent light danced around his toes. Strange
(11:55):
gentle creatures glided through the shallows. Dougs stepped out onto
the sand. It was still warm from yesterday's sun, soft
and springy beneath his feet. He walked a bit down
the beach, wondering absently how hard it would be to
run and sand this deep. But why would he need
(12:15):
to run? He blinked, Why was he even thinking about running?
And that's when his mind snapped to a memory. A
monster not from a TV show, not from a book,
from his own dreams, the one that had kept him
awake for months. And that's when he heard it. A low,
(12:38):
snarling growl. Not a bear, not a tiger, not even close.
It was that growl, that same sickening sound from before,
the sound that used to make him hide under his covers.
(12:59):
Doug tried to run, but the sand was too soft.
His feet sunk deep with every step. He was stuck
almost knee deep. The growls came closer, and then it
stepped out from behind the palm trees, a towering creature
with pointy horns, razor sharp teeth, dripping with slime, patches
(13:21):
of matted fur over thick, scaly black skin, and claws
as long as garden rakes. Its red eyes glared. Doug
couldn't move, couldn't breathe. His legs fell like jelly. He
stared at the teeth, the eyes, the claws. He was frozen.
Then he remembered I made him up. Doug snapped his
(13:48):
gaze away from the monster's face and looked at the
rest of it. If he was stuck in the sand
and he weighed about one hundred pounds, then how was
this thousand pounds, Liz bare thing, not stuck. He looked again,
and there it was. The monster was wte deep in
the sand. Doug's fear began to unravel, and then he
(14:13):
spotted something else. The monster was wearing underwear, not just
any underwear, polka dotted boxers with big red letters on
the back that read I Love Mom. Doug burst into laughter.
(14:34):
Those boxers are amazing.
Speaker 7 (14:37):
You love mom.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
I'll bet she's really beautiful if she had you. The
monster looked horrified.
Speaker 7 (14:45):
Hey, that's not nice. I'll tell you.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
It's not nice terrorizing little kids that are ten times
smaller than you were.
Speaker 7 (14:53):
You started it me.
Speaker 5 (14:56):
Come on, monster, take some responsibility.
Speaker 7 (15:01):
You made me up. I wanted to be a cool
turbike rider, but you turned.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
Me into this mean, ugly looking creature with the ah
botser briefs.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
I'm sorry, man, what did I eat the night before?
I dreamed you up? The monster shrugged his giant scally shoulders.
Speaker 7 (15:23):
Can you help me out of here?
Speaker 5 (15:25):
Well, I'm stuck too. Oh wait, Doug suddenly remembered.
Speaker 7 (15:29):
This is a dream. He could control it.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Doug closed his eyes, imagined himself with superpowers, and then steph.
He lifted right out of the sand. His feet grew
three times bigger to spread out his weight so he
could walk easily across the soft beach. He marched over
to the monster, promise not to eat me if I
help you out.
Speaker 7 (15:52):
Eat you yack. I don't eat coconuts. Oh I love coconuts. Well,
then help me out. I'll grab us a few.
Speaker 5 (16:02):
Doug reached down with his new dream powered strength and
pulled the monster free from the sand with a mighty heave.
The monster trudged off into the forest of palm trees.
A moment later, he returned, holding a bunch of coconuts
under his arm. With a quick swipe of his claws,
he sliced the tops clean off, then retracted his claws
(16:24):
and handed one to Doug.
Speaker 7 (16:27):
Doug took a sip.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
It was the most refreshing thing he had ever tasted,
and then, because dreams are weird, the monster shrunk and
morphed right before Doug's eyes. He turned into the carnival man. WHOA,
how'd that happen?
Speaker 7 (16:45):
You make me into whoever you need right now? Seems
like you need a friend, so that's what I am.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
Doug stared out over the glowing water, coconut in hand,
he thought about the word friend, and instantly Nick came
to mind. When he turned back to the carnival man,
it was Nick sitting there in his place, sipping a
coconut of his own. Nick, whoa, look at this place.
I know right, it's awesome. Let's go catch some waves.
(17:17):
Nick set his coconut down and ran towards the ocean.
He didn't have anything to surf on, but as soon
as he leapt into the water, a surfboard appeared beneath
his feet. Doug sprinted after him, and out of thin air,
a forard popped into his hands. Even though Doug had
never surfed before, something deep inside told him exactly what
(17:38):
to do. He paddled out toward a massive wave, the
kind that would normally terrify him, but this time he
felt calm ready. The wave rose tall and powerful before him,
and the moment he caught it, he was flying down
its face, riding the surge like he'd been doing it
his whole life. Nick was right beside him, grinned, carving
(18:00):
through the wave with ease. Doug could feel the wind
on his face, the salty spray in the air, the
pure energy of the ocean, and then a distant voice
echoed in his ear.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Dougie, Dougie, time to wake up, bud.
Speaker 7 (18:18):
He blinked, No, he was surfing. He was flying.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
But in an instant the wave dissolved, the sea disappeared,
and he found himself standing on the beach. His mom
stood there smiling.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Come on, time to wake up, Douggie. You're going to
be late for school.
Speaker 5 (18:36):
Doug groaned as his real eyes opened. There was his
mom leaning over his bed in the morning light. Oh, Mom,
I was having the best dream ever.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
I'm so glad, honey, but I don't think your principal
will accept I was having awesome dreams as an.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Excuse to miss school. I set your clothes out.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
Doug didn't want to leave his bed, not because he
was tired, but because, for the first time in his life,
bed was a magical place. He stretched out across the sheets,
feeling the warmth of his blanket and the softness of
his pillow like he was seeing them all for the
first time. What once felt like a scary place to
(19:19):
end each day now felt like something else, entirely, a portal, cozy, safe,
full of possibility. Now sleep didn't mean darkness, or fear.
It meant worlds, to explore, waves, to ride, friends to meet.
He had power, now, he had imagination. He had loopholes,
(19:44):
and for once, Doug let himself enjoy just laying there
in bed. That's when his dad popped his head in.
Good morning, Bob, i'd you sleep amazing well, get ready
for school, and come on down to the kitchen. We've
got some dreams to swap the end. Hi, kids, it's Nick,
(20:06):
the author of this story. I wonder how many of
you have had a hard time sleeping Sometimes, maybe you've
had a bad dream, or you're feeling anxious about something
tough going on in your life. If that's you, I
want you to know you're not alone. I wrote this
story because I was just like Doug when I was
his age. I had a dream once that shook me
(20:29):
to my core, and for weeks I couldn't sleep. But
then I realized something important. I could shift my thoughts.
I didn't have to stay stuck in the scary stuff.
I could use my imagination to dream about good things,
adventurous things, magical things, things that made me feel strong
(20:49):
and safe. And guess what, you can too. We all
have big imaginations and Just like we can imagine scary
things at night, we can also imagine amazing things, tremendous, miraculous,
joyful things. So take control of your imagination. Dream what
(21:11):
you want to dream, and know that if I could
do it and Doug could do it, you can too.
Keep dreaming big, and remember nighttime is your time to relax,
to rest, to explore wild and wonderful worlds in your mind.
Have fun with it and sleep well.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
Boy oh boy, am I going to try to control
my thoughts and dreams tonight?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Who sounds fun?
Speaker 4 (21:41):
I hope you enjoyed our podcast story as much as
I did today.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Boy was I come fe and cozy and all tuned in.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
If you loved what you listened to, please leave us
a five star review, but only if you really mean it.
We love hearing your feedback. It helps us grow so
we can continue to bring stories to you and all
our curious listeners. You never know you might even get
a shout out from me here in the Cove. I'd
like to give a shout out to Brooks, Aristotle, and Langston.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
I heard your.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Big fans of Ella the Curious, and I'm a big
fan of you guys.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Thanks for listening. All right, I need a snack, so
I'm headed back home. Until next time.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Friends, we never say goodbye, It's always see you later.
Adventures of Curiosity Cove was created by Tika Sumter and
Nicholas Muscarella. Written by Nicholas James Muscarella. Adventures of Curiosity
Coves theme song was written and composed by Matty Limb
and sung by Laura Saraphine. Engineered by Robert Altchuler, sound
(22:48):
effects by Command Creative Studios. Ella the Curious is an
original story series created by Tika Sumter.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
At Curiosity, Come Curiosity col gets a magical place.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Come Trup.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Welcome to Adventures of Curiosity Cold.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
This is a Fort Sumter production.
Cancel to paper.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Sketching you art on this page. What kind of journey
will this drawing bring to life?
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Today?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Another adventure waits for you.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
A ro scout and Layla.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
My comment wong to It's imagination time.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
And curiosity cold Curiosity came, It's.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
A magical place.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Come Troup, Welcome to Adventures of Curiosity.
Speaker 4 (00:50):
Cald Hello, and welcome back to season three of Adventures
of Curiosity.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Cod It's meet Ella.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
The Curious and whether you're joining us for the first
time or coming back for more adventures, I'm so thrilled
to have you here.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
This season, we'll.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Dive into brand new adventures from my treehouse. Think cozy beanbags,
fluffy pillows, and of course my favorite stuffy row right
by my side. It's peaceful, almost like my mom just
used her relaxing dream pray. Perfect for story time. So
what are we waiting for? Doug's Dreams?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Part two?
Speaker 5 (01:38):
All of them started walking in and Doug followed. As
he passed the carnival man. The man held out a giant,
round lollipop that spiraled like a galaxy. Doug grabbed it
without thinking. The moment it touched his tongue, it exploded
with flavor, fresh raspberries, strawberries, kiw fig and something else
(01:59):
he couldn't even name. Whatever it was, it made his
brain light up like a pinball machine. He was so
immersed in the taste, licking and spinning it in his
mouth that when he looked up, his friends were all gone.
Doug turned in a slow circle and found himself in
front of a small booth tucked between two tents. A
(02:21):
familiar voice spoke.
Speaker 6 (02:23):
Hiya, kid, you want to try your luck, pull that
wand there out of your pocket and turn one of
these animals into animal crackers.
Speaker 5 (02:31):
You get five tries. Doug blinked. It was the same
guy from the entrance, but different. Gone was the striped
hat and loud outfit. Now he wore slim black pants,
a sleeveless white dressed shirt, and a crooked black bow tie.
His shiny shoes reflected the lights of the booth. Same mustache,
(02:52):
same smile, same twinkle in his eyes. Behind him, a
wall of plush animals swayed in the breeze. A lion,
a shark, a monkey, a turtle, a bear, a dog,
and a bird. They were soft, friendly, dreamlike stuffies. Doug
grinned and pulled out his wand he pointed at the whale.
(03:14):
That would make a huge animal cracker. Right poof, the
whale vanished in a puff of red and blue dust.
Steer rack, wand you got a focus, kid. Doug shook
his head and locked eyes on the turtle. He studied
his breath, focused, and flicked his wand green and blue dust.
(03:37):
Three tries left, Kiddo, Doug nodded. He remembered what Nick
had told him, if you believe it will happen, then
it will. So he locked onto the shark. He pictured
it shrinking, crumbling, sweetening into cracker form. He believed it,
(03:57):
or he almost did, just as he flicked his wand
a flicker of fear slipped into his mind, a memory
of a real shark from a nature show, mouth wide open,
teeth like jagged glass. Boom, A massive blast of black
and blue dust erupted, and suddenly there was a real
(04:17):
great white shark writhing on the ground in front of him,
jaws snapping, thrashing violently. Doug froze, his breath caught, his
legs were rooted in place. The shark was getting closer.
Take a step back, kid, jeez, Doug snapped out of
his trance and looked at him.
Speaker 7 (04:34):
Step back. It's not like he's got legs. Doug turned back.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
The man was right. The shark was on land, powerful, terrifying,
but completely stuck. It could thrash and bite, but it
wasn't getting anywhere fast. Doug took a step back. Now,
use that wand in your hand and turn it back.
Doug raised his wind, took a steady breath, and flicked.
(05:04):
The shark was gone. In its place sat a soft,
gray stuffed animal with button eyes.
Speaker 7 (05:11):
Doug exhaled, Who.
Speaker 5 (05:15):
Good, first time working through a dream?
Speaker 7 (05:19):
I suppose huh? I thought it was obvious you're in
a dream, young man. Yeah, I knew that. Yeah, you
could have had me fooled.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Here.
Speaker 6 (05:30):
Let me give you a few tips. Always look for
the loopholes. What do you mean All dreams have loopholes?
You know, when you're having a great dream and then bam,
suddenly it turns into a nightmare. Well, most kids wake
up too soon. They don't realize there's always a way out.
You made that shark a pea kid, Whether you want
(05:52):
to admit it or not, I did think of a
real shark at the last second. Exactly so you created it.
That means you can undo it. You just have to
outsmart your own fear. A shark on land, Come on, please.
Doug looked down at the wand in his hand. Next
time things get scary, look for the loopholes. Don't just freeze,
(06:15):
think your way through it.
Speaker 7 (06:16):
And then.
Speaker 5 (06:19):
The carnival man vanished in a swirl of smoke, and
Doug was floating in a cloud of warm color.
Speaker 7 (06:25):
It was like.
Speaker 5 (06:26):
Drifting through a swimming pool made of dreams, weightless, peaceful, perfect.
For a moment, Doug felt something he hadn't felt in
a long time, total rest. He wanted to stay there forever.
But then a gentle pressure on his shoulder, a soft shaking.
(06:50):
Doug groan, not wanting to leave.
Speaker 7 (06:53):
Mmmm.
Speaker 5 (06:55):
The shaking didn't stop. His eyes blinked open, and there
was his dad standing over him in the soft morning light.
Good morning, sleepyhead, Doug rubbed his eyes. He had slept deeply,
fully and best of all, without fear. It's time for school, bud.
(07:17):
Doug let out a huge yawn as his mom walked in.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Ooh, someone slept good.
Speaker 5 (07:26):
Doug opened his eyes wide with excitement. Oh my gosh,
I have to tell you guys all about my dream.
He launched into the story as soon as he sat up,
talking through brushing his teeth, getting dressed, eating eggs and spinach,
even the entire walk to the bus stop. His mom
and dad just smiled listening closely. They were happy, relieved
(07:48):
really that Doug had finally gotten a good night's sleep.
When Doug got to school, he rushed to find his
buddy Nick. Nick, you won't believe the.
Speaker 7 (07:57):
Dream I had.
Speaker 5 (07:58):
It was amazing and kind of scary, but I learned something.
We can control the dream. Control it. Yeah, the carnival
guy told me look for the loopholes. Loopholes yep. So
when a good dream starts to turn into a nightmare,
instead of freaking out.
Speaker 7 (08:15):
You get smart. You look for the loopholes.
Speaker 5 (08:18):
Mine was a shark, this huge gray white, about to
eat me. I got so scared I couldn't move. I
was just staring at his teeth and thinking about how
bad it would hurt. I didn't even realize he was
on land, like, just flopping around trying to get to me.
Sharks can't walk, Nick, Doug bursts out, laughing, Uh, are
you okay? Yes, it's just so funny, I was frozen
(08:42):
in fear over a fish with no legs trying to
chase me on dry land. That'd be like me, who
can't swim, jumping into the ocean and trying to bite
a shark. Nick cracked a smile too.
Speaker 7 (08:55):
That's actually kind of brilliant.
Speaker 5 (08:57):
I'm totally gonna try that next time for the loophole exactly.
Don't get scared, get clever. That night, after school, Doug
ran around the yard with his dog for over an hour.
He sprinted, did push ups, jumping jacks, even tried to
race the dog back and forth across the grass. When
his parents looked out the window, they were stunned. Usually
(09:18):
Doug was dragging his feet after school, but now he
looked like a mini football star in training. A good
night's sleep had worked, wonders. When he came inside, sweaty
and smiling, his dad looked up from the kitchen. Hey, Bud,
you were great out there. You training for football maybe,
but mostly I'm trying to tire myself out so I
(09:40):
can fall asleep early tonight.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Oh, good for you, Dougie.
Speaker 5 (09:44):
After dinner, Doug went to the fridge and pulled out
a mason jar full of blueberries. He plopped it on
the table and started eating them by the handful. WHOA
thought for sure you'd go for a little cup of
ice cream. Wow, I'm trying something new. I heard eating
sugar before bed can give you bad dreams. Doug's dad
looked down at the half eaten slice of chocolate cake
(10:05):
in front of him. He paused, frowned slightly. Well, that
explains why I keep crashing my couda in my dreams.
He slid the cake aside, then reached over and grabbed
a handful of dugs blueberries. Hmm, these are delicious and filling.
Later that night, Doug lay in bed, eyes closed, imagining
(10:26):
himself stretched out in a little wooden boat in the
middle of a calm, endless ocean. It was so peaceful
he could hear the breeze whispering and the soft lap
of water brushing against the boat. Above him, The sky
glowed a deep orange red, and birds glided silently overhead.
(10:46):
His boat brushed against something solid sand. Maybe he waited
to see if it had stopped, but no, it was
still rocking gently. That same peaceful weight lea feeling he
had felt, and the colorful dust returned. It wrapped around
him like a warm blanket.
Speaker 7 (11:07):
He drifted and drifted. He didn't know.
Speaker 5 (11:10):
How long he'd been dreaming, hours, days, it didn't matter.
When Doug opened his eyes, it was night, a still
magical night. He was still in the boat, but the
sky had changed. Above him were three enormous planets, glowing softly,
closer than the moon had ever looked from Earth. This
(11:32):
wasn't Earth, This was Doug's planet. He sat up slowly
slid his legs over the edge of the boat. His
bare feet touched the warm, glowing water. It felt amazing,
like dipping into warm silk. He swirled one foot in
shimmering trails of bioluminescent light danced around his toes. Strange
(11:55):
gentle creatures glided through the shallows. Dougs stepped out onto
the sand. It was still warm from yesterday's sun, soft
and springy beneath his feet. He walked a bit down
the beach, wondering absently how hard it would be to
run and sand this deep. But why would he need
(12:15):
to run? He blinked, Why was he even thinking about running?
And that's when his mind snapped to a memory. A
monster not from a TV show, not from a book,
from his own dreams, the one that had kept him
awake for months. And that's when he heard it. A low,
(12:38):
snarling growl. Not a bear, not a tiger, not even close.
It was that growl, that same sickening sound from before,
the sound that used to make him hide under his covers.
(12:59):
Doug tried to run, but the sand was too soft.
His feet sunk deep with every step. He was stuck
almost knee deep. The growls came closer, and then it
stepped out from behind the palm trees, a towering creature
with pointy horns, razor sharp teeth, dripping with slime, patches
(13:21):
of matted fur over thick, scaly black skin, and claws
as long as garden rakes. Its red eyes glared. Doug
couldn't move, couldn't breathe. His legs fell like jelly. He
stared at the teeth, the eyes, the claws. He was frozen.
Then he remembered I made him up. Doug snapped his
(13:48):
gaze away from the monster's face and looked at the
rest of it. If he was stuck in the sand
and he weighed about one hundred pounds, then how was
this thousand pounds, Liz bare thing, not stuck. He looked again,
and there it was. The monster was wte deep in
the sand. Doug's fear began to unravel, and then he
(14:13):
spotted something else. The monster was wearing underwear, not just
any underwear, polka dotted boxers with big red letters on
the back that read I Love Mom. Doug burst into laughter.
(14:34):
Those boxers are amazing.
Speaker 7 (14:37):
You love mom.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
I'll bet she's really beautiful if she had you. The
monster looked horrified.
Speaker 7 (14:45):
Hey, that's not nice. I'll tell you.
Speaker 5 (14:48):
It's not nice terrorizing little kids that are ten times
smaller than you were.
Speaker 7 (14:53):
You started it me.
Speaker 5 (14:56):
Come on, monster, take some responsibility.
Speaker 7 (15:01):
You made me up. I wanted to be a cool
turbike rider, but you turned.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
Me into this mean, ugly looking creature with the ah
botser briefs.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
I'm sorry, man, what did I eat the night before?
I dreamed you up? The monster shrugged his giant scally shoulders.
Speaker 7 (15:23):
Can you help me out of here?
Speaker 5 (15:25):
Well, I'm stuck too. Oh wait, Doug suddenly remembered.
Speaker 7 (15:29):
This is a dream. He could control it.
Speaker 5 (15:32):
Doug closed his eyes, imagined himself with superpowers, and then steph.
He lifted right out of the sand. His feet grew
three times bigger to spread out his weight so he
could walk easily across the soft beach. He marched over
to the monster, promise not to eat me if I
help you out.
Speaker 7 (15:52):
Eat you yack. I don't eat coconuts. Oh I love coconuts. Well,
then help me out. I'll grab us a few.
Speaker 5 (16:02):
Doug reached down with his new dream powered strength and
pulled the monster free from the sand with a mighty heave.
The monster trudged off into the forest of palm trees.
A moment later, he returned, holding a bunch of coconuts
under his arm. With a quick swipe of his claws,
he sliced the tops clean off, then retracted his claws
(16:24):
and handed one to Doug.
Speaker 7 (16:27):
Doug took a sip.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
It was the most refreshing thing he had ever tasted,
and then, because dreams are weird, the monster shrunk and
morphed right before Doug's eyes. He turned into the carnival man. WHOA,
how'd that happen?
Speaker 7 (16:45):
You make me into whoever you need right now? Seems
like you need a friend, so that's what I am.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
Doug stared out over the glowing water, coconut in hand,
he thought about the word friend, and instantly Nick came
to mind. When he turned back to the carnival man,
it was Nick sitting there in his place, sipping a
coconut of his own. Nick, whoa, look at this place.
I know right, it's awesome. Let's go catch some waves.
(17:17):
Nick set his coconut down and ran towards the ocean.
He didn't have anything to surf on, but as soon
as he leapt into the water, a surfboard appeared beneath
his feet. Doug sprinted after him, and out of thin air,
a forard popped into his hands. Even though Doug had
never surfed before, something deep inside told him exactly what
(17:38):
to do. He paddled out toward a massive wave, the
kind that would normally terrify him, but this time he
felt calm ready. The wave rose tall and powerful before him,
and the moment he caught it, he was flying down
its face, riding the surge like he'd been doing it
his whole life. Nick was right beside him, grinned, carving
(18:00):
through the wave with ease. Doug could feel the wind
on his face, the salty spray in the air, the
pure energy of the ocean, and then a distant voice
echoed in his ear.
Speaker 1 (18:12):
Dougie, Dougie, time to wake up, bud.
Speaker 7 (18:18):
He blinked, No, he was surfing. He was flying.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
But in an instant the wave dissolved, the sea disappeared,
and he found himself standing on the beach. His mom
stood there smiling.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Come on, time to wake up, Douggie. You're going to
be late for school.
Speaker 5 (18:36):
Doug groaned as his real eyes opened. There was his
mom leaning over his bed in the morning light. Oh, Mom,
I was having the best dream ever.
Speaker 4 (18:48):
I'm so glad, honey, but I don't think your principal
will accept I was having awesome dreams as an.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Excuse to miss school. I set your clothes out.
Speaker 5 (18:58):
Doug didn't want to leave his bed, not because he
was tired, but because, for the first time in his life,
bed was a magical place. He stretched out across the sheets,
feeling the warmth of his blanket and the softness of
his pillow like he was seeing them all for the
first time. What once felt like a scary place to
(19:19):
end each day now felt like something else, entirely, a portal, cozy, safe,
full of possibility. Now sleep didn't mean darkness, or fear.
It meant worlds, to explore, waves, to ride, friends to meet.
He had power, now, he had imagination. He had loopholes,
(19:44):
and for once, Doug let himself enjoy just laying there
in bed. That's when his dad popped his head in.
Good morning, Bob, i'd you sleep amazing well, get ready
for school, and come on down to the kitchen. We've
got some dreams to swap the end. Hi, kids, it's Nick,
(20:06):
the author of this story. I wonder how many of
you have had a hard time sleeping Sometimes, maybe you've
had a bad dream, or you're feeling anxious about something
tough going on in your life. If that's you, I
want you to know you're not alone. I wrote this
story because I was just like Doug when I was
his age. I had a dream once that shook me
(20:29):
to my core, and for weeks I couldn't sleep. But
then I realized something important. I could shift my thoughts.
I didn't have to stay stuck in the scary stuff.
I could use my imagination to dream about good things,
adventurous things, magical things, things that made me feel strong
(20:49):
and safe. And guess what, you can too. We all
have big imaginations and Just like we can imagine scary
things at night, we can also imagine amazing things, tremendous, miraculous,
joyful things. So take control of your imagination. Dream what
(21:11):
you want to dream, and know that if I could
do it and Doug could do it, you can too.
Keep dreaming big, and remember nighttime is your time to relax,
to rest, to explore wild and wonderful worlds in your mind.
Have fun with it and sleep well.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
Boy oh boy, am I going to try to control
my thoughts and dreams tonight?
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Who sounds fun?
Speaker 4 (21:41):
I hope you enjoyed our podcast story as much as
I did today.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Boy was I come fe and cozy and all tuned in.
Speaker 4 (21:49):
If you loved what you listened to, please leave us
a five star review, but only if you really mean it.
We love hearing your feedback. It helps us grow so
we can continue to bring stories to you and all
our curious listeners. You never know you might even get
a shout out from me here in the Cove. I'd
like to give a shout out to Brooks, Aristotle, and Langston.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
I heard your.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
Big fans of Ella the Curious, and I'm a big
fan of you guys.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Thanks for listening. All right, I need a snack, so
I'm headed back home. Until next time.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
Friends, we never say goodbye, It's always see you later.
Adventures of Curiosity Cove was created by Tika Sumter and
Nicholas Muscarella. Written by Nicholas James Muscarella. Adventures of Curiosity
Coves theme song was written and composed by Matty Limb
and sung by Laura Saraphine. Engineered by Robert Altchuler, sound
(22:48):
effects by Command Creative Studios. Ella the Curious is an
original story series created by Tika Sumter.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
At Curiosity, Come Curiosity col gets a magical place.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Come Trup.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Welcome to Adventures of Curiosity Cold.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
This is a Fort Sumter production.
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