October 3, 2025 • 26 mins
Fall asleep to a dreamy short story from 1962’s Fantastic Stories of Imagination: The Piebald Hippogriff. A boy named Johnny reaches the world’s edge, looks past the granite lip into an endless blue, and finds islands adrift, star-flowers nodding, and a herd of hippogriffs turning the air into a playground. If you love myth, gentle peril, and the feeling of wind in your ears as the world falls away, this bedtime story will meet you where your breathing slows and your imagination widens. So snuggle up in your blankets and have sweet dreams.
The music in this episode is Cold Winds by Gavin Luke.
Text a Story Suggestion (or just say hi!)
Need more Dreamful?
- For more info about the show, episodes, and ways to support; check out our website www.dreamfulstories.com
- Subscribe on Buzzsprout to get bonus episodes in the regular feed & a shout-out in an upcoming episode!
- Subscribe on Apple Podcasts for bonus episodes at apple.co/dreamful
- To get bonus episodes synced to your Spotify app & a shout-out in an upcoming episode, subscribe to dreamful.supercast.com
- You can also support us with ratings, kind words, & sharing this podcast with loved ones.
- Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/dreamfulpodcast & Instagram @dreamfulpodcast!
Dreamful is produced and hosted by Jordan Blair. Edited by Katie Sokolovska. Theme song by Joshua Snodgrass. Cover art by Jordan Blair. ©️ Dreamful LLC
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:20):
Welcome to Dreamful Podcast, Bedtime Stories for
Slumber.
I would like to start off thisepisode by thanking our newest
supporters, Rosanna Quendo andJustin Boland.
Thank you both so much, and Ihope you have the sweetest of
dreams.
If you'd like to be just likeRoseanne and Justin and support
(00:44):
the show, gain access tosubscriber-only episodes, and
receive a shout-out, visitdreamfulstories.com and on the
support page, find a link tobecome a BuzzRock supporter or
subscribe via Supercast if youlisten on Spotify.
In this episode, I found adreamy short story from a
(01:04):
magazine in 1962 calledFantastic Stories of
Imagination.
This is the Piebald Hippogriph.
So, snuggle up in your blanketsand have sweet dreams.
(02:01):
Johnny tossed his pack and coilof rope over it and started
climbing.
The top three strands werebarbed wire.
He caught his shirt as he wentover and had to stop for a
moment to ease himself off.
Then he dropped lightly to thegrass on the other side.
(02:24):
The pack had landed in a clumpof white clover.
A cloud of disturbed bees hungabove, and he snatched it away
quickly, lest they should noticethe honeycomb inside.
For a minute, he stood still,looking out toward the edge.
(02:48):
This was different from lookingthrough the fence, and when he
moved, it was slowly.
He eased himself to the ground,where a corner of rock rose
clear of the thick lark spur andlay on his belly, the stone hard
and cool under his chin, andlooked down.
(03:14):
The granite cliff curved awayout of sight, and he couldn't
see if it had a foot.
He saw only endless blue,beyond, below, and on both
sides, clouds passed slowly.
Directly beneath him, there wasa ledge covered with long grass,
(03:38):
where clusters of stars bloomedon tall, slender stalks.
He uncoiled his rope and found astout beech tree not too close
to the edge.
Doubling the rope around thebowl, he tied one end around his
waist, slung the pack on hisback, and belayed himself down
(04:04):
the cliff.
Pebbles clattered, saxophragebrushed his arms and tickled his
ears.
The climb was hard, but not toomuch.
Less than half an hour later, hewas stretched out on the grass,
(04:24):
with stars nodding about him.
They had a sharp, gingery smell.
He lay in the cool shadow of theworld's edge for a while, eating
apples and honeycomb from hispack.
When he was finished, he lickedthe honey off his fingers and
(04:45):
threw the apple cores over,watching them fall into the
blue.
Little islands floated along,rocking gently in air at ease.
Sunlight flashed on glossyleaves of bushes growing there.
(05:05):
When an island drifted into theshadow of a cliff, the
blossoming stars shone out.
Beyond the shadows, deep in thelight-filled gulf.
He saw the hippogriffs at play.
There were dozens of them,frisking and cavorting in the
(05:28):
air.
He gazed at them full of wonder.
They pretended to fight, stoopedat one another, soared off in
long spirals to stoop and soarand stoop again.
One flashed by him, a goldenpalomino that shone like
(05:52):
polished wood.
The wind whistled in its wings.
Away to the left, the cliff fellback in a wide crescent, and
nearly opposite him a rivertumbled over the edge.
A pool on a ledge beneath caughtmost of the water, and there
(06:15):
were hippogriffs drinking.
One side of the broad poolsnotched, the overflow fell sheer
in a white plume, blown sidewaysby the wind.
As the sun grew hotter, thehippogriffs began to settle and
browse on the islands thatfloated past.
(06:39):
Not far below, he noticed adozen or so stood drowsily on an
island that was floating throughthe cliff shadow toward his
ledge.
It would pass directly belowhim.
With a sudden resolution, Johnnyjerked his rope down from the
(06:59):
tree above and tied the end to aprojecting knob on the cliff.
Slinging on his pack again, heslid over the edge and down the
rope.
The island was already passing.
The end of the rope trailedthrough the grass.
(07:21):
He slithered down and cut apiece off his line.
It was barely long enough afterhe had tied a noose in the end.
He looked around at thehippogriffs.
They had shied away when hedropped onto the island, but now
(07:41):
they stood still, watching himwarily.
Johnny started to take an appleout of his pack, then changed
his mind and took a piece ofhoneycomb.
He broke off one corner andtossed it toward them.
(08:04):
They fluttered their wings andbacked off a few steps.
Then stood still again.
Johnny sat down to wait.
They were mostly chestnuts andblacks, and some had white
stockings.
One was piebald.
(08:26):
That was the one, which after awhile began edging closer to
where the honeycomb had fallen.
Johnny sat very still.
The piebald sniffed at thehoneycomb, then jerked up its
head to watch him suspiciously.
(08:49):
He didn't move.
After a moment, it took thehoneycomb.
When he threw another bit, thepiebald hippogryph wheeled away,
but returned almost at once andate it.
(09:11):
Johnny toss a third piece, onlya few yards from where he was
sitting.
It was bigger than the others,and the hippogriff had divided
in two.
When the hippogriff bent hishead to take the rest, Johnny
(09:31):
was on his feet instantly,swinging his laureate.
He dropped the noose over thehippogriff's head.
For a moment, the animal was toostartled to do anything.
Then Johnny was on its back,clinging tight.
(09:53):
The piebald hippogriff leaptinto the air, and Johnny clamped
his legs about convulsedmuscles.
Pinions whipped against hisknees, and wind blasted his
eyes.
The world tilted.
(10:14):
They were rushing downward.
His knees pressed the sockets ofthe enormous wings.
The distant ramparts of theworld swung madly and he seemed
to fall upward, away from thesun, that suddenly glared under
(10:37):
the hippogriff's talons.
He forced his knees under theroots of the beating wings and
dug heels into prickling hair.
A sob caught his breath and heclenched his teeth.
The universe rided itself abouthim for a moment, and he pulled
(11:02):
breath into his lungs.
Then they plunged again.
Wind searched under his shirt.
Once he looked down, after that,he kept his eyes on the flutter
of the feather mane.
(11:25):
A jolt sent him slidingbackward.
He clutched the rope withslippery fingers.
The wings missed a beat, and thehippogriff shook its head as a
rope momentarily checked itsbreath.
It tried to fly straight up,lost weight, and fell
(11:49):
stiff-winged.
The long muscles stretched underhim as it arched his back, then
bunched when it kicked straightout behind.
The violence loosened his knees,and he trembled with fatigue.
(12:09):
But he wound the rope around hiswrist and pressed his forehead
against the white knuckles.
Another kick and another.
Johnny dragged at the rope.
The tense wings flailed, caughtair, and brought the hippogriff
(12:31):
upright again.
The rope slackened, and he heardhuge gasps.
Sunlight was hot on him again,and a drop of sweat crawled down
his temple.
It tickled.
(12:52):
He loosened one hand a dab atthe annoyance.
A new twist sent him sliding,and he grabbed the rope.
The tickle continued until henearly screamed.
He no longer dared let go.
Another tickle developed besidethe first.
(13:16):
He scrubbed his face against thecoarse fiber of the rope.
The relief was like a worldconquered.
Then they glided in a steadyspiral that carried them upward
with scarcely a feather'smotion.
When the next plunge came,Johnny was ready for it, and
(13:41):
leaned back until the hippogriffarched his neck, trying to free
itself from the pressure of hiswindpipe.
He glided again, and Johnny gaveit breath.
They landed on one of the littleislands.
The hippogriff drooped his headand wings, trembling.
(14:07):
He took another piece ofhoneycomb from his pack and
tossed it to the ground, wherethe hippogriff could reach it
easily.
While it ate, he stroked it andtalked to it.
When he dismounted, thehippogriff took honeycomb from
(14:28):
his hand.
He stroked his neck, breathingthe sweet, warm, feathery smell,
and laughed aloud when itsnuffled the back of his neck.
Tying the rope into a sort ofhackamore, he mounted again and
(14:50):
rode the hippogriff to the poolbelow the thunder and cold spray
of the waterfall.
He took care that it did notdrink too much.
When he ate some apples for hislunch, the hippogriff ate the
coarse.
Afterward, he rode to one of thedrifting islands and let his
(15:14):
mount graze.
For a while he kept by its side,making much of it.
With his fingers, he combed outthe soft flowing plumes of its
mane and examined its hooves andthe stickle-like talons of the
forelegs.
(15:37):
He saw how the smooth featherson its forequarters became finer
and finer until he couldscarcely see where the hair on
the hindquarters began.
Delicate feathers covered itshead.
The island glided further andfurther away from the cliffs,
(16:01):
and he watched the waterfalldwindle away to a streak and
disappear.
After a while, he fell asleep.
He woke with a start, suddenlycold.
The setting sun was below hisisland.
(16:24):
The feathery odor was still onhis hands.
He looked around for thehippogriff and saw it sniffing
at his pack.
When it saw him move, it trottedup to him with expectant air.
He threw his arms about thegreat flat muscled neck and
(16:46):
pressed his face against thewarm feathers with a faint sense
of embarrassment and feelingtears in his eyes.
Good old Patch, he said, and gothis pack.
He shared the last piece ofhoneycomb with his hippogriff
(17:07):
and watched the sun sink stillfurther.
The clouds were turning red.
Let's go see those clouds,Johnny said.
He mounted the piebaldhippogriff, and they flew off up
(17:28):
through the golden air to thesunset clouds.
There they stopped, and Johnnydismounted on the highest cloud
of all, stood there as it turnedslowly gray, and looked into
dimming depths.
When he turned to look at theworld, he saw only a wide smudge
(17:53):
of darkness spread in thedistance.
The cloud they were standing onturned silver.
Johnny glanced up and saw themoon, a crescent shore far
above.
(18:14):
He ate an apple and gave one tohis hippogriff.
While he chewed, he gazed backat the world.
When he finished his apple, hewas about to toss a core to the
hippogriff, but stopped himselfand carefully took out the seeds
(18:35):
first.
Put the C's in his pocket.
He mounted again.
He took a deep breath.
Come on, Patch, he said.
Let's homestead the moon.
Welcome to Dreamful Podcast, Bedtime Stories for
Slumber.
I would like to start off thisepisode by thanking our newest
supporters, Rosanna Quendo andJustin Boland.
Thank you both so much, and Ihope you have the sweetest of
dreams.
If you'd like to be just likeRoseanne and Justin and support
(00:44):
the show, gain access tosubscriber-only episodes, and
receive a shout-out, visitdreamfulstories.com and on the
support page, find a link tobecome a BuzzRock supporter or
subscribe via Supercast if youlisten on Spotify.
In this episode, I found adreamy short story from a
(01:04):
magazine in 1962 calledFantastic Stories of
Imagination.
This is the Piebald Hippogriph.
So, snuggle up in your blanketsand have sweet dreams.
(02:01):
Johnny tossed his pack and coilof rope over it and started
climbing.
The top three strands werebarbed wire.
He caught his shirt as he wentover and had to stop for a
moment to ease himself off.
Then he dropped lightly to thegrass on the other side.
(02:24):
The pack had landed in a clumpof white clover.
A cloud of disturbed bees hungabove, and he snatched it away
quickly, lest they should noticethe honeycomb inside.
For a minute, he stood still,looking out toward the edge.
(02:48):
This was different from lookingthrough the fence, and when he
moved, it was slowly.
He eased himself to the ground,where a corner of rock rose
clear of the thick lark spur andlay on his belly, the stone hard
and cool under his chin, andlooked down.
(03:14):
The granite cliff curved awayout of sight, and he couldn't
see if it had a foot.
He saw only endless blue,beyond, below, and on both
sides, clouds passed slowly.
Directly beneath him, there wasa ledge covered with long grass,
(03:38):
where clusters of stars bloomedon tall, slender stalks.
He uncoiled his rope and found astout beech tree not too close
to the edge.
Doubling the rope around thebowl, he tied one end around his
waist, slung the pack on hisback, and belayed himself down
(04:04):
the cliff.
Pebbles clattered, saxophragebrushed his arms and tickled his
ears.
The climb was hard, but not toomuch.
Less than half an hour later, hewas stretched out on the grass,
(04:24):
with stars nodding about him.
They had a sharp, gingery smell.
He lay in the cool shadow of theworld's edge for a while, eating
apples and honeycomb from hispack.
When he was finished, he lickedthe honey off his fingers and
(04:45):
threw the apple cores over,watching them fall into the
blue.
Little islands floated along,rocking gently in air at ease.
Sunlight flashed on glossyleaves of bushes growing there.
(05:05):
When an island drifted into theshadow of a cliff, the
blossoming stars shone out.
Beyond the shadows, deep in thelight-filled gulf.
He saw the hippogriffs at play.
There were dozens of them,frisking and cavorting in the
(05:28):
air.
He gazed at them full of wonder.
They pretended to fight, stoopedat one another, soared off in
long spirals to stoop and soarand stoop again.
One flashed by him, a goldenpalomino that shone like
(05:52):
polished wood.
The wind whistled in its wings.
Away to the left, the cliff fellback in a wide crescent, and
nearly opposite him a rivertumbled over the edge.
A pool on a ledge beneath caughtmost of the water, and there
(06:15):
were hippogriffs drinking.
One side of the broad poolsnotched, the overflow fell sheer
in a white plume, blown sidewaysby the wind.
As the sun grew hotter, thehippogriffs began to settle and
browse on the islands thatfloated past.
(06:39):
Not far below, he noticed adozen or so stood drowsily on an
island that was floating throughthe cliff shadow toward his
ledge.
It would pass directly belowhim.
With a sudden resolution, Johnnyjerked his rope down from the
(06:59):
tree above and tied the end to aprojecting knob on the cliff.
Slinging on his pack again, heslid over the edge and down the
rope.
The island was already passing.
The end of the rope trailedthrough the grass.
(07:21):
He slithered down and cut apiece off his line.
It was barely long enough afterhe had tied a noose in the end.
He looked around at thehippogriffs.
They had shied away when hedropped onto the island, but now
(07:41):
they stood still, watching himwarily.
Johnny started to take an appleout of his pack, then changed
his mind and took a piece ofhoneycomb.
He broke off one corner andtossed it toward them.
(08:04):
They fluttered their wings andbacked off a few steps.
Then stood still again.
Johnny sat down to wait.
They were mostly chestnuts andblacks, and some had white
stockings.
One was piebald.
(08:26):
That was the one, which after awhile began edging closer to
where the honeycomb had fallen.
Johnny sat very still.
The piebald sniffed at thehoneycomb, then jerked up its
head to watch him suspiciously.
(08:49):
He didn't move.
After a moment, it took thehoneycomb.
When he threw another bit, thepiebald hippogryph wheeled away,
but returned almost at once andate it.
(09:11):
Johnny toss a third piece, onlya few yards from where he was
sitting.
It was bigger than the others,and the hippogriff had divided
in two.
When the hippogriff bent hishead to take the rest, Johnny
(09:31):
was on his feet instantly,swinging his laureate.
He dropped the noose over thehippogriff's head.
For a moment, the animal was toostartled to do anything.
Then Johnny was on its back,clinging tight.
(09:53):
The piebald hippogriff leaptinto the air, and Johnny clamped
his legs about convulsedmuscles.
Pinions whipped against hisknees, and wind blasted his
eyes.
The world tilted.
(10:14):
They were rushing downward.
His knees pressed the sockets ofthe enormous wings.
The distant ramparts of theworld swung madly and he seemed
to fall upward, away from thesun, that suddenly glared under
(10:37):
the hippogriff's talons.
He forced his knees under theroots of the beating wings and
dug heels into prickling hair.
A sob caught his breath and heclenched his teeth.
The universe rided itself abouthim for a moment, and he pulled
(11:02):
breath into his lungs.
Then they plunged again.
Wind searched under his shirt.
Once he looked down, after that,he kept his eyes on the flutter
of the feather mane.
(11:25):
A jolt sent him slidingbackward.
He clutched the rope withslippery fingers.
The wings missed a beat, and thehippogriff shook its head as a
rope momentarily checked itsbreath.
It tried to fly straight up,lost weight, and fell
(11:49):
stiff-winged.
The long muscles stretched underhim as it arched his back, then
bunched when it kicked straightout behind.
The violence loosened his knees,and he trembled with fatigue.
(12:09):
But he wound the rope around hiswrist and pressed his forehead
against the white knuckles.
Another kick and another.
Johnny dragged at the rope.
The tense wings flailed, caughtair, and brought the hippogriff
(12:31):
upright again.
The rope slackened, and he heardhuge gasps.
Sunlight was hot on him again,and a drop of sweat crawled down
his temple.
It tickled.
(12:52):
He loosened one hand a dab atthe annoyance.
A new twist sent him sliding,and he grabbed the rope.
The tickle continued until henearly screamed.
He no longer dared let go.
Another tickle developed besidethe first.
(13:16):
He scrubbed his face against thecoarse fiber of the rope.
The relief was like a worldconquered.
Then they glided in a steadyspiral that carried them upward
with scarcely a feather'smotion.
When the next plunge came,Johnny was ready for it, and
(13:41):
leaned back until the hippogriffarched his neck, trying to free
itself from the pressure of hiswindpipe.
He glided again, and Johnny gaveit breath.
They landed on one of the littleislands.
The hippogriff drooped his headand wings, trembling.
(14:07):
He took another piece ofhoneycomb from his pack and
tossed it to the ground, wherethe hippogriff could reach it
easily.
While it ate, he stroked it andtalked to it.
When he dismounted, thehippogriff took honeycomb from
(14:28):
his hand.
He stroked his neck, breathingthe sweet, warm, feathery smell,
and laughed aloud when itsnuffled the back of his neck.
Tying the rope into a sort ofhackamore, he mounted again and
(14:50):
rode the hippogriff to the poolbelow the thunder and cold spray
of the waterfall.
He took care that it did notdrink too much.
When he ate some apples for hislunch, the hippogriff ate the
coarse.
Afterward, he rode to one of thedrifting islands and let his
(15:14):
mount graze.
For a while he kept by its side,making much of it.
With his fingers, he combed outthe soft flowing plumes of its
mane and examined its hooves andthe stickle-like talons of the
forelegs.
(15:37):
He saw how the smooth featherson its forequarters became finer
and finer until he couldscarcely see where the hair on
the hindquarters began.
Delicate feathers covered itshead.
The island glided further andfurther away from the cliffs,
(16:01):
and he watched the waterfalldwindle away to a streak and
disappear.
After a while, he fell asleep.
He woke with a start, suddenlycold.
The setting sun was below hisisland.
(16:24):
The feathery odor was still onhis hands.
He looked around for thehippogriff and saw it sniffing
at his pack.
When it saw him move, it trottedup to him with expectant air.
He threw his arms about thegreat flat muscled neck and
(16:46):
pressed his face against thewarm feathers with a faint sense
of embarrassment and feelingtears in his eyes.
Good old Patch, he said, and gothis pack.
He shared the last piece ofhoneycomb with his hippogriff
(17:07):
and watched the sun sink stillfurther.
The clouds were turning red.
Let's go see those clouds,Johnny said.
He mounted the piebaldhippogriff, and they flew off up
(17:28):
through the golden air to thesunset clouds.
There they stopped, and Johnnydismounted on the highest cloud
of all, stood there as it turnedslowly gray, and looked into
dimming depths.
When he turned to look at theworld, he saw only a wide smudge
(17:53):
of darkness spread in thedistance.
The cloud they were standing onturned silver.
Johnny glanced up and saw themoon, a crescent shore far
above.
(18:14):
He ate an apple and gave one tohis hippogriff.
While he chewed, he gazed backat the world.
When he finished his apple, hewas about to toss a core to the
hippogriff, but stopped himselfand carefully took out the seeds
(18:35):
first.
Put the C's in his pocket.
He mounted again.
He took a deep breath.
Come on, Patch, he said.
Let's homestead the moon.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!