April 14, 2025 • 22 mins
“Liam’s Farm” Liam is a young boy with a big responsibility, one that he’s eager to take on when his parents leave him in charge of the farm. But as he faces the challenges of running the farm alone, he begins to wonder: Will his parents ever return? A new acquaintance becomes a friend, but Liam’s emotions might just get the best of him. Will he rise to the occasion, or will the weight of his feelings hold him back?Tune in to find out.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Did you pre order yet, because I got it from
my mama is landing April twenty second, and you don't
want to miss it. It's filled with love, laughter, and
all the wonderful things we get from our mamas. Tap
the link in the show notes to grab yours now
on Amazon, orfortsumter dot com and if you pre order,
you'll also have it in your hands before you know it.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Pencil to paper, sketching you are on this page.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
What kind of journey will this draw and bring to live?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Today?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Another adventure waits for you.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Ro Scout and Layla my comm along too.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
It's imagination time. A curiosity Come, Curiosity Come, It's a
magical place.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Come round.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Welcome to Dentures. Curiosity Come.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Hello, It's me Ella the Curious. Whether you're joining us
for the first time or coming back for more adventures,
I'm thrilled to have you here. Welcome back to season
two of the Adventures of Curiosity Cove, where each episode
we dive into one of my own all of the
Curious adventures, or listen to an original story right here
in my cozy treehouse. Picture this. We're nestled among the trees,
(01:43):
surrounded by comfy bean bags, piles of fluffy pillows, and yes,
my favorite stuffy roe is here too. It's like we've
stepped into a peaceful world, almost as if my mom
used her relaxing dream spray to set the cove. It's
just peace and quiet, perfect first time. So what are
we waiting for? Let's dive back in to today's tale,
(02:06):
Liam's Farm Part three? Are you ready to listen? I
sure am all right, let's do it.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Liam ran outside in hopes of finding his dad's truck
in the driveway. But it was a truck he's never
seen before. A man was driving, and it looked like
he had a young girl about Liam's age in the
passenger seat. The man stepped out of his truck. He
had a warm smile and a calm spirit. Hi, I'm ted.
We just bought the farm right next door, and I
(02:39):
wanted to come and introduce myself. You must be the
owner of this lovely farm. Yes, well, no, I mean now,
I'm just kidding. Your son. Is your mom and dad around? Yes? Yes,
they're both in the house. Liam didn't want to tell
a complete stranger that he was home alone and didn't
know when his parents were coming back. Bertie save Liam
(03:02):
from having to explain any more when she started making
honking sounds. My goodness, is that a bird? Yes, sir,
that's our ostrich. You have an ostridge shell. Get out
of the truck. You gotta see this. Shelley, Ted's daughter
started climbing out of the truck. Oh, I'm sorry. Is
it okay if she checks it out? She had an
(03:24):
ostrich at our last farm. She's a bit of an ostrich. Whisper. Oh, oh, yeah,
of course. Shelley pops out of the truck and walks
over to Liam with an outstretched hand.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
H I'm Shelley McAllister. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
A bit shy, Liam shakes her hand, Liam.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
You mind introducing me to your speedster.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
My what oh oh? You're talking about the ostrich?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah, silly. They are just so cool. I grew up
with one. You should see them when they're babies. You
and believe how small they are. When they're born, they
look like a baby duck with longer legs, and then
in six months they're three feet tall. Another six months
they're eight to nine feet tall. My girl's name was Dina.
(04:12):
Get it like a Dina the dino Because they look
like dinosaurs. Let's go. I can't wait to meet her.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Liam smirks at her excitement. He doesn't want to admit it,
but he likes her. They both walk over to Bertie.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Wow, she's purty, Hi Sweetie. Oh, I see you're gonna
be a new mama. Oh please please please let me babysit.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Surprisingly, Bertie runs over to Shelley and lays her long
neck on Shelley's shoulders.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Oh, I really like you too, Maybe we can ride
together soon.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Bertie whips her body around in a circle, as if
answering Shelley. Liam's jaws on the ground in disbelief. What's
wrong if my mom and dad were only here to
see this? I mean, I mean outside to see this.
Bertie's not very social.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I'll get out. She's plenty social, it's just how she socializes.
You may intimidate her because she had a bad experience
with males. But we're going to be besties, aren't we, Bertie.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Bertie honks and runs around the planet's super speed.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
So where are your parents?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Liam isn't ready to tell a new acquaintance the truth
that he's all alone. A smart precaution.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
It's all right, We just met. You can tell me later.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Shelley senses that Liam might be the only one responsible
for the farm animals right now, but she respects him
enough not to pry into where his parents are. She
walks back over to her dad.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Hey, Daddy, you gone ahead. I'm gonna help leam out
with the farm a bit. If that's okay with you,
come get me when it's time for lunch.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Of course, Shelley, that sure is sweet of you. It's
perfectly fine with me. You two have fun and call
if you need anything, Shelle. You know the number at home.
Ted hopped into his truck and drove off, leaving Shelley
and Liam behind to take care of the farm. Liam
couldn't believe the help that had just appeared. It's exactly
what he'd been praying for. But then his thoughts shifted
(06:21):
to his parents, and he thought to himself, I prayed
for them to be all right too. A wave of
worry washed over him, and he felt it creeping back in,
threatening to take over. He did his best to push
it aside, to hide it, but it was hard.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
So what's next? Did you feed the pigs? Yet?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Liam shook his head. No, it was obvious to Shelley
that Liam's mood had changed. Rather than jumping to conclusions
about his change in tone, Shelley decided to give Liam
time to sort things out on his own. She continued
to be her cheerful self, knowing that after all, she
was there to help.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Well, let's go visit them pigs, huh.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Liam led Shelley to the pigs, and Shelley gasped when
she saw the babies.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Well, aren't you just the cutest batch of piglets I've
ever seen?
Speaker 3 (07:13):
Then Shelley turned to the mama pig, who was laying
down nursing them all.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Mama, you have some good jeans. How are you holding up, sweetheart?
I'll bet you're hungry and thirsty after looking after all
twelve of these piglets. Come on up and let's get
you some food and water. Liam, do you mind grabbing
the fee for mama pig first, please?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Liam nodded in agreement and went off to grab the feed.
Liam thought to himself, I thought I was good at
showing these animals love, and here's a neighbor girl doing
a much better job than me. I don't know how
to run a farm. Liam brought the feed over but
with it came a fresh wave of frustration. Stacking on
(07:56):
top of the pile he was already carrying, he tossed
the food into the feed bucket, blurting out a single word. Here.
Shelley noticed this shift, and with calm determination, set a
firm boundary that left no room for question.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Liam. Now I can tell something is bothering you, and
I'm sorry you're carrying the weight of that frustration. But
mistreating this mama pig and making me feel uncomfortable won't
make you feel better. It will only make things harder
for everyone, including you. What always helps me feel better
is sharing with someone who truly cares about me. Now.
(08:33):
I know we just met, but I'm here to listen
to whatever is going on. These animals here are good
listeners too, and they never cut you off unless they're hungry.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
This makes Liam laugh a little.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
No, gotcha, go on spill the beans.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Well. I used to think I was pretty good at
taking care of the farm, but then you came along,
showed the animal so much more love, and they respond
to you so much better.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Well, shucks, Lim, I appreciate the compliment. Do you have
a favorite uncle or maybe one of your dad's friends
who you're always excited to see when they visit. Oh.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Yeah, I love when my dad's friend Mark comes over.
He's so much fun.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Now does your dad sulk a bit when you spend
time playing with his friend instead of him?
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Of course not. He always has a smile on his face.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I figured, Liam, you gotta understand I'm not with these
animals every single day in my life, so it's easy
for me to greet them with fresh attitude. Heck, I
bet if you came over to my farm, all my
animals would greet you first. Sometimes seeing some fresh faces
help you appreciate the ones you have. Every once in
a while, I get tired or seeing the same old pigs,
(09:49):
same old goat, same old stubborn horses. But then I'll
get to spend time with someone else's animals and I'll
start missing my own. Heck, it's like that with a
lot of things, toys especially. Oh and don't get me
started on my brother.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
You have a brother.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Oh you're so lucky, I am you can have them.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
They both laugh.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Liam, I really like talking to you. Thank you for
sharing some tough emotions with me. That was really brave.
But something tells me there's a deeper, more powerful emotion
lurking underneath that is more than just the animals.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Well, yeah, I guess.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
I'm here for you.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Liam.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Let's hear it.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Well, yesterday I woke up and both my parents were
gone to run errands and they haven't been back since.
Liam's eyes start tearing up. He's doing everything he can
to hold back a flood of tears. He doesn't want
to cry in front of Shelley.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Oh my dear lord, Liam, I'm so sorry to hear that.
Have you heard anything from them? They tried to call you?
Speaker 3 (11:01):
Liam shook his head.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Oh, bless your sweetheart, Liam.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Shelley went over to Liam and gave him a hug.
Liam fully embraced this hug and let out a well
of tears.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
You let it out. That's a lot for one boy
to handle. I'm sure there's a good explanation for this.
You watch. You're gonna hear from them soon.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Liam tried to stop the flow of emotions and felt
much better after letting a bit out.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Did they say where they were going?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
They were running some arrngs and checking out some livestock.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Oh my dear Liam, I heard on the news yesterday
there was a terrible dust storm over by a town
when my dad gets his livestock. I bet they got
caught up and there was no way to drive through that.
It took the power out. Phones were down. There were
a few people running around with animals, but you could
barely see them.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Did they say if anyone was hurt?
Speaker 1 (11:57):
It specified that nobody was injured before folks had to
shelter in place. Lim, your parents are fine, I promise you.
Wait a minute. Have you been taking care of this
farm for two whole days on your own?
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Liam bashfully nodded.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Lim. If I knew your full name, do you realize
how hard that must have been. I'm really impressed. I
could have never done that. At first, I was thinking,
what is going on with this boy? Now I get it,
No wonder you had such big feelings. If you hadn't
told me, I wouldn't have understood, and I'd have just
(12:34):
gone away, thinking to myself, I'm trying to help this boy,
and he got a little attitude. But no, here you
are holding up all this weight. Liam. You've got to
tell people what's going on inside. We can't help unless
we know.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
I just didn't want to burden anyone it's my responsibility.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
That doesn't mean others can't carry some of the emotional
weight for you, you know, lim It's like when we're out
on the farm carrying heavy buckets of water. If I
try to carry them all by myself, my arms get tired,
my back starts to ache, and I get frustrated. But
if I let you or someone else help, suddenly the
(13:13):
weight feels lighter. It doesn't mean I'm weak, It just
means I'm smart enough to know I don't have to do.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
It all alone.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Feelings are a lot like that. When you carry them
by yourself, they get heavier and heavier. But when you
share them, whether with me or the animals or anyone
you trust, it lightens the load. It's like spreading the
weight out, and the best party is it helps us
both feel better and it deepens our friendship.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Liam's eyes start to tear up again. He's always wanted
a friend like Shelley, and he had no idea that
sharing his feelings on a deeper level could have resulted
in a friendship. Just then, Shelley heard some tires on gravel.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Well it can't be lunch already, I think here he
can help out a little now.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
They both walk out to the driveway to see a
truck driving up the driveway. It takes a moment for
Liam's brain to catch up with what he's seeing. He
was expecting Shelley's dad, but instead it's his own mom
and dad. Their truck, covered in dust pulls up. See
dust storm, Mom, Dad. Liam's mom got out of the
(14:25):
truck and ran towards Liam, scooping him up in a
huge embrace. Liam's dad got out of the truck and
walked over to Shelley. He extended his arm, offering a handshake. Hi,
I'm Phil Grant. You must be the new neighbor girl.
Were you helping my son while we were away.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Yes, sir, but I didn't help much. I only just
met Liam a few hours ago. Liam did all the
work on his own.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Liam's dad looked at him with a huge grin. Is
that right, Yes, Pop, I was just trying to do
what you always taught me son. I might be the
proudest father in all the world right now. We left
yesterday with every intention to be back by lunch, when
all of a sudden, we found ourselves in the middle
of a dust storm. Thank god, we were at the
(15:12):
livestock depot. Otherwise that man would have lost half his livestock.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
You two are the ones I saw in the news.
I knew I recognized you from somewhere. You were helping
wrangle all of the livestock. I saw you carrying a
sheep into a barn.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Well, would you look at that, Martha. We made the news. Well,
that farmer we helped ended up putting us up for
the night and fed us. We couldn't get out of
town until about an hour ago. How's the farm, Limb
better than ever?
Speaker 1 (15:42):
And how are you, sweetheart?
Speaker 3 (15:44):
I'm fine, Mom, Shelley nudged Limb and whispered to him
out of the corner of her mouth.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Open up, Limb.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Well, honestly, I was really scared. I was afraid that
something might have happened to you and Dad. I prayed
and prayed that you were both okay. I'm lucky to
have the farm and the animals to keep my mind occupied.
Otherwise I don't know how I would have handled it.
And then I met Shelley, and she's been one of
(16:14):
the best friends. I'm just so happy you're home and safe.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Oh, honey, me too.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Your mother and I were worried sick about you. Liam.
We wanted to reach out, but there's no way. Phones
were down, power was out, there was no way to
find our way home in that dust. Your mother she
couldn't sleep all night worrying about you, but I just
kept reassuring her our boys got it. I knew you
(16:40):
could do it. Son. Shelley's dad pulled up the driveway
shortly after her father met Liam's parents. Liam's mom invited Shelley,
her brother, and her parents over for dinner. Later, Shelley
and her dad headed back home to clean up before dinner.
While Liam's mom was making dinner, Liam snuck off into
the state to see Justice. Justice. You won't believe it.
(17:04):
Mom and dad are back and I made a new friend.
Justice faced Liam Justice. I'm so sorry from mistreating you.
Truth is, I was really scared when I didn't know
where my parents were. I don't think I've ever been
that scared in my life, but it came out in
the form of frustration and anger. I didn't know how
(17:24):
to talk about it, but I guess it's just saying
how you feel. I felt scared and I felt lonely,
felt like I was gonna be alone. For the rest
of my life. This has taught me a lot about
how I handle my feelings. I'm sorry you had to
suffer through me learning a valuable lesson. I think I
(17:45):
just but Liam couldn't get another word out because Justice
was nestling his big snout into Liam's chest. Liam wrapped
his arms around Justice. Later that night, after dinner, Shelley
asked Liam to go play outside with her. She had
an idea. She approached Bertie the Ostrich. Their connection was
still strong, so she opened the fence to get into
(18:08):
the cage with her. What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Trust me?
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Shelley laid on the grass next to Bertie. Bertie was
unsure and brought her head down to Shelley's level to investigate. Soon,
Bertie laid all the way down on the ground. Shelley
was petting Bertie's head calmly. She was soothing Bertie's once
nervous energy. In a matter of minutes, Shelley was able
to stand up, approach Bertie's back, and climb on. As
(18:35):
soon as she did, Bertie stood up fast and started
pacing around with Shelley on her back.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, girl, It's okay.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Shelley rubbed Bertie's neck while stabilizing her until Bertie calmed down.
Then she clicked her heel on the side of Bertie
and said, yid yeah. Bertie took off running around the
pen while Shelley was still hooting and hollering. They made
their way back to where Liam was. Liam was so
shocked he just got hit both of them.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Whoaoo, yeah, give me up? Well, are you just gonna
stand there and stare? Are you gonna race me?
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Liam ran to the barn and hopped on Justice. Justice
and Liam emerged from the barn, pranced over to Shelley
and Birdie. Well, let's see if four legs are better
than two. They faced off at the starting line.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Ready set go.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
And that's the end of me telling the story. Feel
free to dream up any dream later tonight where you're
riding Bertie the ostrich or Justice the horse. The end.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Wow, what a finale. I'm so happy Liam's parents were Okay.
You know, sometimes we fear that she're in our deepest
and most vulnerable feelings will lead to judgment, But in reality,
when we open up to those who truly love us
and care for us, it just brings them closer, so
we don't have to carry the weight. By being o open,
(20:00):
we don't have to face life alone. I hope you
enjoyed our podcast story as much as I did. Oh boy,
was I comfy and cozy and all tuned in. 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 in all
our curious listeners. You never know you might even get
(20:24):
a shout out from me here in the cove. All right,
I need a snack, so I'm headed back home. Until
next time. Friends, we never say goodbye. It's always see
you later. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, The
Adventures of Curiosity Cove, on your favorite podcast platform and
on our Instagram page at Love Fort Sumter. Remind your
(20:47):
parents to subscribe to our newsletter at Fort Hyphensumter dot com.
They'll get early updates on what's going on around here
for them and for you. Adventures of Curiosity Cove was
created by Tika Sumter and Nicholas Muscarella. Today's story was
written by Nicholas James Muscarella. Adventures of Curiosity. Cove's theme
(21:07):
song was written and composed by Mattie Limb and sung
by Laura Saraphine. Engineered by Robert Altchuler, sound effects by
Command Creative Studios. Ella the Curious is an original story
series created by Tika Sumter.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
At Curiosity Cove. Curiosity Come It's a magical place. Come Trum,
Welcome to Adventures Up Curiosity Caul. This is a Fort
(21:51):
Sumter production.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Did you pre order yet? Because I got it from
my mama as landing April twenty second, and you don't
want to miss it. It's filled with love, laughter, and
all the wonderful things we get from our mama's tap
the link in the show notes to grab yours now
on Amazon orfortsumter dot com and if you pre order,
you'll also have it in your hands before you know
it
Did you pre order yet, because I got it from
my mama is landing April twenty second, and you don't
want to miss it. It's filled with love, laughter, and
all the wonderful things we get from our mamas. Tap
the link in the show notes to grab yours now
on Amazon, orfortsumter dot com and if you pre order,
you'll also have it in your hands before you know it.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Pencil to paper, sketching you are on this page.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
What kind of journey will this draw and bring to live?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Today?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Another adventure waits for you.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Ro Scout and Layla my comm along too.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
It's imagination time. A curiosity Come, Curiosity Come, It's a
magical place.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Come round.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Welcome to Dentures. Curiosity Come.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Hello, It's me Ella the Curious. Whether you're joining us
for the first time or coming back for more adventures,
I'm thrilled to have you here. Welcome back to season
two of the Adventures of Curiosity Cove, where each episode
we dive into one of my own all of the
Curious adventures, or listen to an original story right here
in my cozy treehouse. Picture this. We're nestled among the trees,
(01:43):
surrounded by comfy bean bags, piles of fluffy pillows, and yes,
my favorite stuffy roe is here too. It's like we've
stepped into a peaceful world, almost as if my mom
used her relaxing dream spray to set the cove. It's
just peace and quiet, perfect first time. So what are
we waiting for? Let's dive back in to today's tale,
(02:06):
Liam's Farm Part three? Are you ready to listen? I
sure am all right, let's do it.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Liam ran outside in hopes of finding his dad's truck
in the driveway. But it was a truck he's never
seen before. A man was driving, and it looked like
he had a young girl about Liam's age in the
passenger seat. The man stepped out of his truck. He
had a warm smile and a calm spirit. Hi, I'm ted.
We just bought the farm right next door, and I
(02:39):
wanted to come and introduce myself. You must be the
owner of this lovely farm. Yes, well, no, I mean now,
I'm just kidding. Your son. Is your mom and dad around? Yes? Yes,
they're both in the house. Liam didn't want to tell
a complete stranger that he was home alone and didn't
know when his parents were coming back. Bertie save Liam
(03:02):
from having to explain any more when she started making
honking sounds. My goodness, is that a bird? Yes, sir,
that's our ostrich. You have an ostridge shell. Get out
of the truck. You gotta see this. Shelley, Ted's daughter
started climbing out of the truck. Oh, I'm sorry. Is
it okay if she checks it out? She had an
(03:24):
ostrich at our last farm. She's a bit of an ostrich. Whisper. Oh, oh, yeah,
of course. Shelley pops out of the truck and walks
over to Liam with an outstretched hand.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
H I'm Shelley McAllister. Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
A bit shy, Liam shakes her hand, Liam.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
You mind introducing me to your speedster.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
My what oh oh? You're talking about the ostrich?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Yeah, silly. They are just so cool. I grew up
with one. You should see them when they're babies. You
and believe how small they are. When they're born, they
look like a baby duck with longer legs, and then
in six months they're three feet tall. Another six months
they're eight to nine feet tall. My girl's name was Dina.
(04:12):
Get it like a Dina the dino Because they look
like dinosaurs. Let's go. I can't wait to meet her.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Liam smirks at her excitement. He doesn't want to admit it,
but he likes her. They both walk over to Bertie.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Wow, she's purty, Hi Sweetie. Oh, I see you're gonna
be a new mama. Oh please please please let me babysit.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Surprisingly, Bertie runs over to Shelley and lays her long
neck on Shelley's shoulders.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Oh, I really like you too, Maybe we can ride
together soon.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Bertie whips her body around in a circle, as if
answering Shelley. Liam's jaws on the ground in disbelief. What's
wrong if my mom and dad were only here to
see this? I mean, I mean outside to see this.
Bertie's not very social.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I'll get out. She's plenty social, it's just how she socializes.
You may intimidate her because she had a bad experience
with males. But we're going to be besties, aren't we, Bertie.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Bertie honks and runs around the planet's super speed.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
So where are your parents?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Liam isn't ready to tell a new acquaintance the truth
that he's all alone. A smart precaution.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
It's all right, We just met. You can tell me later.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Shelley senses that Liam might be the only one responsible
for the farm animals right now, but she respects him
enough not to pry into where his parents are. She
walks back over to her dad.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Hey, Daddy, you gone ahead. I'm gonna help leam out
with the farm a bit. If that's okay with you,
come get me when it's time for lunch.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Of course, Shelley, that sure is sweet of you. It's
perfectly fine with me. You two have fun and call
if you need anything, Shelle. You know the number at home.
Ted hopped into his truck and drove off, leaving Shelley
and Liam behind to take care of the farm. Liam
couldn't believe the help that had just appeared. It's exactly
what he'd been praying for. But then his thoughts shifted
(06:21):
to his parents, and he thought to himself, I prayed
for them to be all right too. A wave of
worry washed over him, and he felt it creeping back in,
threatening to take over. He did his best to push
it aside, to hide it, but it was hard.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
So what's next? Did you feed the pigs? Yet?
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Liam shook his head. No, it was obvious to Shelley
that Liam's mood had changed. Rather than jumping to conclusions
about his change in tone, Shelley decided to give Liam
time to sort things out on his own. She continued
to be her cheerful self, knowing that after all, she
was there to help.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Well, let's go visit them pigs, huh.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
Liam led Shelley to the pigs, and Shelley gasped when
she saw the babies.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Well, aren't you just the cutest batch of piglets I've
ever seen?
Speaker 3 (07:13):
Then Shelley turned to the mama pig, who was laying
down nursing them all.
Speaker 1 (07:17):
Mama, you have some good jeans. How are you holding up, sweetheart?
I'll bet you're hungry and thirsty after looking after all
twelve of these piglets. Come on up and let's get
you some food and water. Liam, do you mind grabbing
the fee for mama pig first, please?
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Liam nodded in agreement and went off to grab the feed.
Liam thought to himself, I thought I was good at
showing these animals love, and here's a neighbor girl doing
a much better job than me. I don't know how
to run a farm. Liam brought the feed over but
with it came a fresh wave of frustration. Stacking on
(07:56):
top of the pile he was already carrying, he tossed
the food into the feed bucket, blurting out a single word. Here.
Shelley noticed this shift, and with calm determination, set a
firm boundary that left no room for question.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Liam. Now I can tell something is bothering you, and
I'm sorry you're carrying the weight of that frustration. But
mistreating this mama pig and making me feel uncomfortable won't
make you feel better. It will only make things harder
for everyone, including you. What always helps me feel better
is sharing with someone who truly cares about me. Now.
(08:33):
I know we just met, but I'm here to listen
to whatever is going on. These animals here are good
listeners too, and they never cut you off unless they're hungry.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
This makes Liam laugh a little.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
No, gotcha, go on spill the beans.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Well. I used to think I was pretty good at
taking care of the farm, but then you came along,
showed the animal so much more love, and they respond
to you so much better.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Well, shucks, Lim, I appreciate the compliment. Do you have
a favorite uncle or maybe one of your dad's friends
who you're always excited to see when they visit. Oh.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Yeah, I love when my dad's friend Mark comes over.
He's so much fun.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Now does your dad sulk a bit when you spend
time playing with his friend instead of him?
Speaker 3 (09:24):
Of course not. He always has a smile on his face.
Speaker 1 (09:28):
I figured, Liam, you gotta understand I'm not with these
animals every single day in my life, so it's easy
for me to greet them with fresh attitude. Heck, I
bet if you came over to my farm, all my
animals would greet you first. Sometimes seeing some fresh faces
help you appreciate the ones you have. Every once in
a while, I get tired or seeing the same old pigs,
(09:49):
same old goat, same old stubborn horses. But then I'll
get to spend time with someone else's animals and I'll
start missing my own. Heck, it's like that with a
lot of things, toys especially. Oh and don't get me
started on my brother.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
You have a brother.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
Oh you're so lucky, I am you can have them.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
They both laugh.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
Liam, I really like talking to you. Thank you for
sharing some tough emotions with me. That was really brave.
But something tells me there's a deeper, more powerful emotion
lurking underneath that is more than just the animals.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Well, yeah, I guess.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
I'm here for you.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Liam.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Let's hear it.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Well, yesterday I woke up and both my parents were
gone to run errands and they haven't been back since.
Liam's eyes start tearing up. He's doing everything he can
to hold back a flood of tears. He doesn't want
to cry in front of Shelley.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Oh my dear lord, Liam, I'm so sorry to hear that.
Have you heard anything from them? They tried to call you?
Speaker 3 (11:01):
Liam shook his head.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Oh, bless your sweetheart, Liam.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Shelley went over to Liam and gave him a hug.
Liam fully embraced this hug and let out a well
of tears.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
You let it out. That's a lot for one boy
to handle. I'm sure there's a good explanation for this.
You watch. You're gonna hear from them soon.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
Liam tried to stop the flow of emotions and felt
much better after letting a bit out.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
Did they say where they were going?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
They were running some arrngs and checking out some livestock.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Oh my dear Liam, I heard on the news yesterday
there was a terrible dust storm over by a town
when my dad gets his livestock. I bet they got
caught up and there was no way to drive through that.
It took the power out. Phones were down. There were
a few people running around with animals, but you could
barely see them.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Did they say if anyone was hurt?
Speaker 1 (11:57):
It specified that nobody was injured before folks had to
shelter in place. Lim, your parents are fine, I promise you.
Wait a minute. Have you been taking care of this
farm for two whole days on your own?
Speaker 3 (12:10):
Liam bashfully nodded.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Lim. If I knew your full name, do you realize
how hard that must have been. I'm really impressed. I
could have never done that. At first, I was thinking,
what is going on with this boy? Now I get it,
No wonder you had such big feelings. If you hadn't
told me, I wouldn't have understood, and I'd have just
(12:34):
gone away, thinking to myself, I'm trying to help this boy,
and he got a little attitude. But no, here you
are holding up all this weight. Liam. You've got to
tell people what's going on inside. We can't help unless
we know.
Speaker 3 (12:49):
I just didn't want to burden anyone it's my responsibility.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
That doesn't mean others can't carry some of the emotional
weight for you, you know, lim It's like when we're out
on the farm carrying heavy buckets of water. If I
try to carry them all by myself, my arms get tired,
my back starts to ache, and I get frustrated. But
if I let you or someone else help, suddenly the
(13:13):
weight feels lighter. It doesn't mean I'm weak, It just
means I'm smart enough to know I don't have to do.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
It all alone.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Feelings are a lot like that. When you carry them
by yourself, they get heavier and heavier. But when you
share them, whether with me or the animals or anyone
you trust, it lightens the load. It's like spreading the
weight out, and the best party is it helps us
both feel better and it deepens our friendship.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Liam's eyes start to tear up again. He's always wanted
a friend like Shelley, and he had no idea that
sharing his feelings on a deeper level could have resulted
in a friendship. Just then, Shelley heard some tires on gravel.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Well it can't be lunch already, I think here he
can help out a little now.
Speaker 3 (14:03):
They both walk out to the driveway to see a
truck driving up the driveway. It takes a moment for
Liam's brain to catch up with what he's seeing. He
was expecting Shelley's dad, but instead it's his own mom
and dad. Their truck, covered in dust pulls up. See
dust storm, Mom, Dad. Liam's mom got out of the
(14:25):
truck and ran towards Liam, scooping him up in a
huge embrace. Liam's dad got out of the truck and
walked over to Shelley. He extended his arm, offering a handshake. Hi,
I'm Phil Grant. You must be the new neighbor girl.
Were you helping my son while we were away.
Speaker 1 (14:42):
Yes, sir, but I didn't help much. I only just
met Liam a few hours ago. Liam did all the
work on his own.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Liam's dad looked at him with a huge grin. Is
that right, Yes, Pop, I was just trying to do
what you always taught me son. I might be the
proudest father in all the world right now. We left
yesterday with every intention to be back by lunch, when
all of a sudden, we found ourselves in the middle
of a dust storm. Thank god, we were at the
(15:12):
livestock depot. Otherwise that man would have lost half his livestock.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
You two are the ones I saw in the news.
I knew I recognized you from somewhere. You were helping
wrangle all of the livestock. I saw you carrying a
sheep into a barn.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Well, would you look at that, Martha. We made the news. Well,
that farmer we helped ended up putting us up for
the night and fed us. We couldn't get out of
town until about an hour ago. How's the farm, Limb
better than ever?
Speaker 1 (15:42):
And how are you, sweetheart?
Speaker 3 (15:44):
I'm fine, Mom, Shelley nudged Limb and whispered to him
out of the corner of her mouth.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Open up, Limb.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
Well, honestly, I was really scared. I was afraid that
something might have happened to you and Dad. I prayed
and prayed that you were both okay. I'm lucky to
have the farm and the animals to keep my mind occupied.
Otherwise I don't know how I would have handled it.
And then I met Shelley, and she's been one of
(16:14):
the best friends. I'm just so happy you're home and safe.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Oh, honey, me too.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Your mother and I were worried sick about you. Liam.
We wanted to reach out, but there's no way. Phones
were down, power was out, there was no way to
find our way home in that dust. Your mother she
couldn't sleep all night worrying about you, but I just
kept reassuring her our boys got it. I knew you
(16:40):
could do it. Son. Shelley's dad pulled up the driveway
shortly after her father met Liam's parents. Liam's mom invited Shelley,
her brother, and her parents over for dinner. Later, Shelley
and her dad headed back home to clean up before dinner.
While Liam's mom was making dinner, Liam snuck off into
the state to see Justice. Justice. You won't believe it.
(17:04):
Mom and dad are back and I made a new friend.
Justice faced Liam Justice. I'm so sorry from mistreating you.
Truth is, I was really scared when I didn't know
where my parents were. I don't think I've ever been
that scared in my life, but it came out in
the form of frustration and anger. I didn't know how
(17:24):
to talk about it, but I guess it's just saying
how you feel. I felt scared and I felt lonely,
felt like I was gonna be alone. For the rest
of my life. This has taught me a lot about
how I handle my feelings. I'm sorry you had to
suffer through me learning a valuable lesson. I think I
(17:45):
just but Liam couldn't get another word out because Justice
was nestling his big snout into Liam's chest. Liam wrapped
his arms around Justice. Later that night, after dinner, Shelley
asked Liam to go play outside with her. She had
an idea. She approached Bertie the Ostrich. Their connection was
still strong, so she opened the fence to get into
(18:08):
the cage with her. What are you doing?
Speaker 1 (18:10):
Trust me?
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Shelley laid on the grass next to Bertie. Bertie was
unsure and brought her head down to Shelley's level to investigate. Soon,
Bertie laid all the way down on the ground. Shelley
was petting Bertie's head calmly. She was soothing Bertie's once
nervous energy. In a matter of minutes, Shelley was able
to stand up, approach Bertie's back, and climb on. As
(18:35):
soon as she did, Bertie stood up fast and started
pacing around with Shelley on her back.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, girl, It's okay.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Shelley rubbed Bertie's neck while stabilizing her until Bertie calmed down.
Then she clicked her heel on the side of Bertie
and said, yid yeah. Bertie took off running around the
pen while Shelley was still hooting and hollering. They made
their way back to where Liam was. Liam was so
shocked he just got hit both of them.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Whoaoo, yeah, give me up? Well, are you just gonna
stand there and stare? Are you gonna race me?
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Liam ran to the barn and hopped on Justice. Justice
and Liam emerged from the barn, pranced over to Shelley
and Birdie. Well, let's see if four legs are better
than two. They faced off at the starting line.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Ready set go.
Speaker 3 (19:25):
And that's the end of me telling the story. Feel
free to dream up any dream later tonight where you're
riding Bertie the ostrich or Justice the horse. The end.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
Wow, what a finale. I'm so happy Liam's parents were Okay.
You know, sometimes we fear that she're in our deepest
and most vulnerable feelings will lead to judgment, But in reality,
when we open up to those who truly love us
and care for us, it just brings them closer, so
we don't have to carry the weight. By being o open,
(20:00):
we don't have to face life alone. I hope you
enjoyed our podcast story as much as I did. Oh boy,
was I comfy and cozy and all tuned in. 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 in all
our curious listeners. You never know you might even get
(20:24):
a shout out from me here in the cove. All right,
I need a snack, so I'm headed back home. Until
next time. Friends, we never say goodbye. It's always see
you later. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, The
Adventures of Curiosity Cove, on your favorite podcast platform and
on our Instagram page at Love Fort Sumter. Remind your
(20:47):
parents to subscribe to our newsletter at Fort Hyphensumter dot com.
They'll get early updates on what's going on around here
for them and for you. Adventures of Curiosity Cove was
created by Tika Sumter and Nicholas Muscarella. Today's story was
written by Nicholas James Muscarella. Adventures of Curiosity. Cove's theme
(21:07):
song was written and composed by Mattie Limb and sung
by Laura Saraphine. Engineered by Robert Altchuler, sound effects by
Command Creative Studios. Ella the Curious is an original story
series created by Tika Sumter.
Speaker 2 (21:24):
At Curiosity Cove. Curiosity Come It's a magical place. Come Trum,
Welcome to Adventures Up Curiosity Caul. This is a Fort
(21:51):
Sumter production.
Speaker 1 (21:54):
Did you pre order yet? Because I got it from
my mama as landing April twenty second, and you don't
want to miss it. It's filled with love, laughter, and
all the wonderful things we get from our mama's tap
the link in the show notes to grab yours now
on Amazon orfortsumter dot com and if you pre order,
you'll also have it in your hands before you know
it
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