🐁🦨 Unexpected Friends: a short story for kids

0:14 [SPEAKER_00]: Hello, Away Islanders, we're so glad you're here. [SPEAKER_00]: Let's see if you have everything you want to become an Away Island. [SPEAKER_00]: Are the lights in your room dim or off? [SPEAKER_00]: Do you have your favorite blanket or listening buddy? [SPEAKER_00]: Before we begin our story, let's relax by taking a nice, deep, [SPEAKER_00]: Breathe in through your nose, filling up your lungs, and then out through your mouth.

0:48 [SPEAKER_00]: Imagineing you are breathing fire like a dragon. [SPEAKER_00]: Ready? [SPEAKER_00]: Deep breath in and out. [UNKNOWN]: Ah! [UNKNOWN]: Ah! [SPEAKER_00]: Good job. [SPEAKER_00]: And today, picture yourself lying in a warm sunbeam in a green grassy meadow. [SPEAKER_00]: As you lie in the meadow, the grass below you feels fluffy and cozy.

1:23 [SPEAKER_00]: Sunlight hugs you from head to toe as you relax, covered in a blanket of light. [SPEAKER_00]: A gentle breeze floats by, and the air smells fresh. [SPEAKER_00]: Relax, as you enjoy the softness of the green grass, and the gentleness of the sun's warmth. [SPEAKER_00]: And let's take another deep dragon breath in and out.

2:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Beneath your head is a soft pillow of grass and you relax even more as the sun gently warmth your face. [SPEAKER_00]: Now your whole body feels cozy. [SPEAKER_00]: As you continue to enjoy the sun's warmth, let's take one more deep dragon breath in and out. [SPEAKER_00]: Great job, everyone.

2:42 [SPEAKER_00]: I hope you're tucked in nice and cozy. [SPEAKER_00]: And now, we're ready to begin our story. [SPEAKER_00]: Let's be calm on our way island. [SPEAKER_00]: Our story today is unexpected friends. [SPEAKER_00]: It was a beautiful sunny day on our way island. [SPEAKER_00]: The big yellow sun was bright and happy, shining down on the green grass.

3:30 [SPEAKER_00]: The sun always made sure that everyone in the forest was nice and warm. [SPEAKER_00]: From time to time, pretty green leaves gently fell around the entrance to Maya-Mouseyboro. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya popped her head out of her burrow, sniffed the fresh air, and smiled. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya was excited.

3:54 [SPEAKER_00]: Today, she planned on being extra nice to herself. [SPEAKER_00]: She was going to find her favorite snacks from the forest, and relax near her burrow. [SPEAKER_00]: It was such a beautiful day outside. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya wanted to enjoy it with a yummy treat and some self-care. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya crawled out of her burrow and stir her at it.

4:21 [SPEAKER_00]: Because Maya was a very small mouse, the green grass felt much taller than it would for the other animals. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya was happy that the grass was nice and cool [SPEAKER_00]: Then Maya started walking for short distance away from her burrow. [SPEAKER_00]: Toward some of the berry bushes she loved to play in.

4:47 [SPEAKER_00]: There were lots of bushes to choose from, but Maya knew which one had the sweetest berries on it. [SPEAKER_00]: A tall, light green bush with juicy berries on it. [SPEAKER_00]: There were always enough berries on this bush for Maya and her friends. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya looked up at the tall bush, and sure enough, she immediately saw some juicy berries.

5:15 [SPEAKER_00]: They were hanging right over her head, but she was too small to reach them. [SPEAKER_00]: She stood on her back legs and stir her, etched as hard as she could, but she still couldn't grab them. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya could smell the sweet juice that came from the berries, which only made her more determined to reach the berries.

5:42 [SPEAKER_00]: Maya realized the only way to get to those berries would be to climb up to them. [SPEAKER_00]: Fortunately, she was a great climber. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya crawled into the bush and held onto the smallest and lowest branches [SPEAKER_00]: She climbed and climbed, hopping from branch to branch, until she reached the berries she was looking for.

6:11 [SPEAKER_00]: She took the lowest hanging berry and gave it a taste. [SPEAKER_00]: It was sweet and sour at the same time. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya quickly finished eating the yummy fruit and started to collect some more. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya reached up and grabbed a few of the berries. [SPEAKER_00]: As she reached up, she heard a small crack.

6:36 [SPEAKER_00]: What was that? [SPEAKER_00]: Suddenly, she felt the branch she was standing on break beneath her feet, and my afelter self falling. [SPEAKER_00]: At first, Maya was a little scared, but the whole thing was over quickly, and she had landed on something big and soft. [SPEAKER_00]: When Maya looked down, she saw that she was standing on white fur.

7:03 [SPEAKER_00]: Maya looked around and saw a big fluffy black and white tail. [SPEAKER_00]: She had landed on another fellow forest animal. [SPEAKER_00]: Oops, Maya said, hello, said the animal she was standing on? [SPEAKER_00]: Maya watched them turn their head to see her sitting on their back. [SPEAKER_00]: Oh!

7:27 [SPEAKER_00]: Hello! [SPEAKER_00]: said the animal before adding. [SPEAKER_00]: Where did you come from? [SPEAKER_00]: I was collecting berries, my a-sad. [SPEAKER_00]: Oh! [SPEAKER_00]: Me too, the animal said. [SPEAKER_00]: I'm my a-mouse, my a-explained, feeling she should at least introduce herself.

7:49 [SPEAKER_00]: Nice to meet you. [SPEAKER_00]: I'm Skyler Skunk, the animal replied, [SPEAKER_00]: I'm sorry that I fell on you, Skyler. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya apologized, but it is nice to meet you, too. [SPEAKER_00]: Skyler replied with a warm smile. [SPEAKER_00]: It's okay. [SPEAKER_00]: You're so small.

8:10 [SPEAKER_00]: I didn't feel anything, he said. [SPEAKER_00]: Then Maya started to laugh a little bit. [SPEAKER_00]: She thought it was a little funny that she had accidentally fallen onto a stranger. [SPEAKER_00]: Fortunately, Skyler wasn't upset. [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, he was being really kind about it.

8:32 [SPEAKER_00]: And he started to laugh too. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya was happy, but she didn't have any reason to be afraid of Skyler. [SPEAKER_00]: Even though he was much bigger than her. [SPEAKER_00]: After all, he was out here collecting berries, too, just like her. [SPEAKER_00]: Do you live near this bush, Skyler?

8:55 [SPEAKER_00]: Maya asked? [SPEAKER_00]: Yes. [SPEAKER_00]: My den is right by the little crink Skyler side. [SPEAKER_00]: I haven't seen you around before. [SPEAKER_00]: Are you new here, Maya asked? [SPEAKER_00]: No. [SPEAKER_00]: But you probably haven't seen me because I like to come outside, mostly at night, Skyler explained.

9:17 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, said Maya, softly. [SPEAKER_00]: Then she added, [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think I've ever met someone like you before. [SPEAKER_00]: And I've never met anyone like you either, Skyler said. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya had never met a scum before, and Skyler had never met a mouse, but they already had some things in common.

9:40 [SPEAKER_00]: They lived in the same part of the forest, and they both loved to collect berries. [SPEAKER_00]: Do you want to collect berries with me? [SPEAKER_00]: My ass, the little shyly. [SPEAKER_00]: I'd love to. [SPEAKER_00]: Skyler exclaimed, you can ride on my back and grab the berries you can't reach.

10:05 [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you, Skyler. [SPEAKER_00]: My ass said gratefully. [SPEAKER_00]: Together, the two little forest creatures did their very best to collect a bunch of the sweet berries from the berry bush. [SPEAKER_00]: Then they moved on to a nearby bush that had a different type of berry. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya found that Skyler was very good at collecting berries.

10:29 [SPEAKER_00]: Even if he snacked on them every once in a while, Skyler was kind enough to let Maya stand on his head so that she could reach the higher berries. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya's little paws were agile, and she was able to grab berries more easily than Skylar could have with his bigger paws. [SPEAKER_00]: As Maya collected the colorful berries, she set them gently on Skylar's back in an ever-growing pile.

11:00 [SPEAKER_00]: Soon, there would be no more room on Skylar's back to add any more berries. [SPEAKER_00]: That's when Maya had a great idea. [SPEAKER_00]: Skyler, Maya called out to her friend. [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, Maya, Skyler replied from below her. [SPEAKER_00]: I still have a few snacks from hibernating this winter.

11:21 [SPEAKER_00]: Would you like to share them with me? [SPEAKER_00]: Maya asked, we could have a little meal together. [SPEAKER_00]: You want to share your snacks with me? [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, that would be lovely. [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you, Maya, Skyler said, gratefully. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya felt very happy to hear that Skyler wanted to spend more time with her.

11:45 [SPEAKER_00]: Maya showed Skyler which way to walk to reach her burrow. [SPEAKER_00]: Skyler had to walk very carefully so that he wouldn't drop the berries and the little mouse on his back. [SPEAKER_00]: When Maya and Skyler reached Maya's burrow, Maya carefully climbed off of Skyler's back. [SPEAKER_00]: She ran into her burrow and came back with lots of seeds and grains in her hands.

12:13 [SPEAKER_00]: Maya gently placed the snacks in front of Skyler. [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for helping me so much today, Skyler. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya said, you're welcome Maya. [SPEAKER_00]: I love helping when I can. [SPEAKER_00]: The two friends snack on seeds, grains, and of course, the sweet berries they had collected.

12:32 [SPEAKER_00]: They were both happy to share what they had. [SPEAKER_00]: The sun was still shining above them, making the pretty green grass warm enough to sit on comfortably. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya told Skyler about her favorite places in the forest, from her burrow to the river. [SPEAKER_00]: And Skyler kindly listened before telling Maya about all his favorite places in the forest.

12:59 [SPEAKER_00]: As the two friends finished the seats and sweet berries, Maya started to feel a bit sleepy. [SPEAKER_00]: She wanted to spend more time with her new friend, but knew that she wouldn't be able to if she was too tired. [SPEAKER_00]: Skyler 2 was ready to head home for a nap since he would be out again late in the evening.

13:23 [SPEAKER_00]: The two friends promised to get together again soon. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya waved goodbye to Skyler, as he headed back to his own home. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya crawled into her burrow, following the ray of sunshine that was shining through the entrance. [SPEAKER_00]: She walked up to the small bed of leaves she had made for herself, and settled in the sunshine.

13:53 [SPEAKER_00]: Maya's, it's her little legs, and light out a big ear on her eyes felt heavy as the sun warmed her face. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya started to think of all the things she had to be grateful for. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya was grateful for having a nice cozy home to live in. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya took a deep, dragon's raft, in and out.

14:40 [SPEAKER_00]: She tucked her feet underneath her warm body and later head down. [SPEAKER_00]: She was grateful for the delicious berries and snacks she had eaten. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya took another deep, dragon breath, in and out. [SPEAKER_00]: She curled her tail around her body and closed her eyes. [SPEAKER_00]: Most of all, Maya was grateful to have made a new friend, Skyler.

15:25 [SPEAKER_00]: He was so kind and friendly, even though she had unexpectedly fallen on top of him. [SPEAKER_00]: The day hadn't gone the way she expected it all. [SPEAKER_00]: But she was thankful she had spent it with such a lovely new friend. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya took one last, the dragon breath, in and out.

16:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, completely relaxed. [SPEAKER_00]: Maya fell asleep, dreaming about all the wonderful techniques she could share with her new friend, Skyler. [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for joining us to be calm, on our way Island. [SPEAKER_00]: See you next time.