The Goodnight Town

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello friends, and welcome to bedtime stories with mister Jim.
Oh I was just getting ready for bed, are you
as well? Oh good, I hope you brushed your teeth
and found all of your comfy things like pillows and

(00:24):
blankets and stuffies. Oh yes, oh good. Well, as long
as you have all those things ready, then it's time
for our story. But first we must close our eyes
so that we can travel to an imaginary world. Jackson

(00:55):
and Owen's mom finished reading them a bedtime story and
sent them off to bed, the big kiss on each
of their little heads. Good night, my little ones, sweet dreams,
she called as they went back to their beds. Jackson
usually fell asleep during story time, but.

Speaker 2 (01:17):
Not to night.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
He was wide awake. He wandered over to his bookshelf
and searched through the titles. There were familiar ones about
a big red dog and favorites about taco eating dragons.
In the back of the shelf, a silver book glowed.

(01:41):
The light caught Jackson's attention and he reached for it.
But before his fingers could touch it, the book tumbled out,
its pages, ruffling as it slowly floated down on to
his bed. Sitting down to it you reached for the

(02:01):
cover that read the good Night Town. The book was
once again a step ahead as it fluttered its pages
automatically to the first line, Here in Goodnighttown, everyone sleeps
sun up or sundown. Jackson's fingers finally reached the glowing

(02:28):
page of the book, and instantly he became part of
the story. Jackson found himself now sitting on a park
bench just inside the town square. Only the bench was
not like the ones in his own park. This bench

(02:48):
was squishy and cozy and even came with a pillow
to rest your head. All around the park, the other
benches looked the same, some with snoozing creatures and others
getting ready to rest. A family of chipmunks chittered together

(03:09):
as they snored on the bench. Across the path, a
toucan had added leaves and turned his bench bed into
a cozy nest. The park was filled with the quiet
sounds of animals dreaming. Jackson tiptoed toward the street, careful
not to wake anyone. The sun was low in its sky,

(03:33):
its eyes fluttering closed as it struggled to stay awake.
It was a very sleepy sun. The stores were a
sleeplover's dream. There was a shop dedicated to pillows and
another for soft fuzzy blankets. The snuggle Buck shop had

(03:54):
windows full of plush toys. Teddy bears, dogs, dragons, bumblebees
all sat there waiting for someone to snuggle to sleep.
Jackson stepped inside and found a plush polar bear hugging
it already. He walked over to the counter to pay.

(04:18):
The cashier was catnapping, curled up in the middle of
the counter as she purred, excuse me, I would like
to buy this polar bear. Jackson whispered to the cat.
It stretched its fuzzy legs and pointed one paw to
the sign by the register. It read nap time from

(04:42):
eight am to eight pm. Please take what you'd like.
Then the cat curled back down, turning its head away
from him. Jackson walked along the street with his new
blush polar bear toy, past shops of night lights and
feedy patch ammas. He stopped in for a comet nightlight

(05:04):
and rocket ship jammies with more sleepy cashiers who pointed
to signs about nap times. He continued on until the
shops disappeared and the sidewalk turned into a grassy path.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Along the river.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
Turtles curled up on floating logs, in frogs even worth
sleeping on lily pads. Is anyone awake in this town?
Wondered Jackson. The sun had now made it to the
edge of the trees, and Jackson watched as it grabbed

(05:40):
some clouds and tucked itself in. The moon yawned and
rose up into the sky. Well, hello there, what are
you doing awake? It called down to him. I can't sleep.
Jackson shrugged. Hmm, that's strange. Everyone is sleepy in good

(06:06):
night town.

Speaker 2 (06:08):
Well not me. Can you help me?

Speaker 1 (06:12):
The moon smiled at him.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
Oh, of course, hop on.

Speaker 1 (06:19):
It sent a cloud down next to him, and Jackson
climbed onto the cloud. His feet sank through the fluff,
and he settled himself down. Jackson took his Comet nightlight
and stuck it into the cloud. A soft light filled
the space. The cloud lifted, floating slowly back toward town.

(06:44):
He held his polar bear tight, seeing what the moon saw.
Every night, white puffs escape chimneys from the houses below.
Everyone inside warm and cozy. They're poor. Lights twinkled like
stars from below the cloud floated over the trees full

(07:07):
of sleepy animals, nests of birds, and tree holes filled
with squirrels were all snoring away. Jackson rested his head
on the cloud and watched as the ground passed by.
It carried toward him mountaintops, and he felt the warm

(07:32):
weight of sleep covered his body, and he imagined that's
how the mountaintops felt when covered in snow. They passed
by caves of dragons curled up with smoke and flames,
following each snore from their mouths. The weight of sleep

(07:56):
reached Jackson's eyelids and he allowed them to close as
he heard the moon whisper good night. The cloud carried
Jackson to the top of the page, bringing him out
of the book back into his room, and pulled the

(08:17):
covers over him and his new polar bear, making sure
to plug in his comment nightlight before floating back into
the book. The glowing silver book closed quietly and tucked
itself back onto the shelf again, waiting for the next
time Jackson needed help. Well, my friends, as we all

(08:42):
drift off to sleep, may you have the sweetest of dreams.

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Good night, my friends.

Speaker 1 (09:00):
B