The Cat and the Candy Witch - Magic Costume Tree - A Halloween Bedtime Story

0:04 Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world. I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories. And tonight, I am broadcasting from a different place. I'm not in the normal Dad's Bedtime Studios. Instead, I'm at a conference in Toronto. As a result, I feel like there's some extra background noise here because this place just has a sort of hum to it. Hopefully I'll be able to edit most of that out and the story quality will be okay. But if you notice something different, that's probably why. But now, as promised, we'll be heading back into the Magic Costume Tree universe for our last episode before Halloween. Let's check it out.

1:00 Hello, my name is Harriet and I'm from Charlottesville, Virginia. I would like to suggest a magic costume tree episode where you dress up as a dog and you can understand all the dogs. And if not, you dress up as a cat and you meet a stray cat called Rex, who you find out is trying to stop a witch that is trying to make everybody eat candy that will make.

1:29 Them Thank you to Harriet for that wonderful suggestion. Before we get started, though, I do want to give a few shout-outs to some of my newest Patreon sponsors. First of all, thank you to David from Oregon. Thanks, David. Really appreciate you being a sponsor. Next up, thank you to the Smith fam, Zeke and Malachi. I really appreciate the support, everyone in the, uh, in the Smith fam.

2:14 And last, thank you to Yvonne and Ira from Washington, who apparently listen to my stories almost every night. And, uh, Yvonne is turning six on November 8th, so happy birthday pretty soon to you. If you like the podcast, there's lots of ways to support it. You can join us on Patreon, where you get ad-free episodes and that wonderful feeling that you're supporting the podcast, as well as some bonus content. I've also kept my dad's BedtimeStories.com website up to date with all of the latest things you can purchase, including the Cards of Power card game. Mine actually just arrived, so maybe I'll have to do an unveiling of that somehow.

3:10 Maybe on YouTube. Beyond that, there are a whole bunch of books, including some of our latest graphic novels, a story by me, illustrations by... Our future robot overlords. Which I say sort of as a joke, and also to make sure you know that the pictures were done by artificial intelligence, because I cannot draw. My favorite part is making stories. So, uh, I outsourced the rest. Either way, I think it turned out pretty well. Aside from those options, just listening, as I always say, is the most important thing.

3:50 So keep on listening... And, you know, putting up with ads like this one. Now it's time to get as comfy as you can in that bed, close your eyes, and imagine yourself doing what the kid in the story does. Oh, and if you hear sirens in the background, it's probably not you. It's me. They just keep happening here. Imagine yourself waking up in your, you know, normal bed. You get up, get dressed, have some breakfast, and then you head outside. And that's when you start to notice some strange things. First, you notice a boy who just sort of stops laughing halfway through a joke. One moment he's standing there beside two other children, holding a purple candy of some kind. And the next, his smile just disappears.

5:04 His arms drop to his side. He turns and walks away. Where are you going? His friend asks, but he doesn't answer. Then she eats a piece of the same purple candy. and her face goes blank too. More candy must be made, she says. She follows him down the pavement. The third child looks at the sweets in his hand. You open your mouth to warn him that maybe it's not such a good idea to eat that, but it's too late.

5:47 He chews, swallows. and also straightens. More candy must be made. He drops an unfinished chocolate bar and walks after the others. You stare. Dropping perfectly good chocolate seems particularly worrying. You follow the three of them around the corner and nearly walk into a tree. Not a little roadside tree. An enormous ancient tree with twisting branches, thick roots, and a small wooden door. You look behind you to see that the street is completely gone. Forest stretches in every direction.

6:40 The magic costume tree. You hurry to the door and pull it open. Inside, costumes hang along carved wooden racks. You pass feathers, glittering scales, silver helmets, and something with far too many elbows for some reason. A beam of light shines into a cat costume. It has soft gray fur, pointed ears, little paws, and a long tail. There's a dog costume beside it, but for some reason the cat costume is highlighted. A cat, you ask? You want me to dress up as a cat? What possible problem could a cat help with? Well, hopefully cats are good at whatever problem's going on. You quickly put on the suit.

7:46 It settles around your body immediately, adjusting until it fits perfectly. A tingling feeling travels through your fingers. Your ears twitch. Something scratches against the floor behind you. You turn quickly. Your tail. You turn again, trying to see it properly. And it follows you. It's... Not a costume tail, it actually feels connected. You can wiggle it around and stuff.

8:21 You head outside the magic costume tree, feeling rather nimble compared to how you felt before you put on the costume. You crouch and jump. You spring much higher than you'd normally expect and land on a low branch of the tree. Your feet settle neatly beneath you, no wobbling or grabbing wildly for balance. You look toward the next branch, and your body seems to know exactly how to reach it.

8:59 You leap from branch to branch, again and again, until you're looking down from halfway up the tree. Climbing suddenly feels as easy as walking up stairs, and somehow you're just confident you're going to hit the next branch. You swing down and drop toward a lower branch, twist into a backflip, and land lightly on your feet. Nice, you say.

9:34 Then you start to get another feeling. a strange tingling one rising inside you. You let the magic work, and your body starts to shrink. Your back bends, your hands become paws, and the ground draws closer until you're standing on four small feet. a gray cat. You've turned into an actual cat. Walking feels different at first, but you begin taking steps, one and then another. Your tail lifts naturally behind you, and you trot down the forest path, away from the costume tree, listening to birds moving through branches above. Before long, the trees open into a familiar street.

10:35 The children are still walking in that strange zombie-like state, and several more have joined them. On a nearby wall, three cats watch the walking children. I don't like it, says a black and white cat. Neither do I, says an orange one. They aren't even stopping to admire us. Nah, I don't think that's really the problem, says the third.

11:10 He's a scruffy brown tabby cat with one bent ear. You jump onto the wall beside them. What's the problem? You ask. All three turn toward you. You freeze. You've just spoken to cats, and somehow you understand their answers. You open your mouth again, wondering if it's really working. Hello? To your ears, it sounds like you've spoken a word.

11:45 the word hello but to a passing woman apparently it's a meow hello kitty she says and she keeps on walking you glance down at your paws useful costume if you well want to talk to cats the scruffy tabby cat studies you uh i'm rex do you know what's happening here you ask His whiskers twitch. Yes, and we need to stop it. He jumps down. You follow him.

12:28 I used to be human, he says quietly. Although you're probably not going to believe that. None of the other cats do. You used to be human? Years ago. Ugh. I ate some candy close to Halloween that somebody left outside a shop. My parents always told me not to take candy from strangers, but it was purple and it looked really delicious. Next thing I knew, I was walking toward a strange house in the woods. Ahead, the children turn onto a narrow trail. It was a candy house, Rex continues. And inside it, if you can believe this, was a witch. She made us work for her. Cooking, cleaning, making more sweets. What happened? Well, she got upset with me when I broke something once and decided to test a spell on me. Eh. This was kind of the result.

13:47 You look at the cat's bent ear. Rex notices. That part happened later. Argument with an alley cat. They're not nice. He leads you beneath a fence. After she turned me into a cat, I squeezed through a gap and escaped. Something about the transformation broke the spell she had over me. But I couldn't leave the others forever. I've been watching carefully ever since, trying to find a way to help.

14:26 And unfortunately, it looks like she's up to her old tricks. So you haven't really been successful in helping yet? Well... NO. I KNOW WHERE SHE KEEPS THE ANTIDOTE, I JUST CAN'T GET IT WHILE SHE HAS HER WAND. AS SOON AS SHE SEES ME COMING, SHE'LL TURN ME INTO A NEWT OR SOMETHING. YOU LOOK TOWARDS THE CHILDREN DISAPPEARING AMONG THE TREES.

14:57 THEN MAYBE WE SHOULD GET HER WAND AND SAVE THESE CHILDREN. REX LIFTS HIS EARS. for a cat I met about a minute ago. I think I like you. Deep in the woods, you eventually find a cottage in a clearing. Its walls look like they're made of gingerbread. Its windows are made of clear sugar. Thick icing runs along the roof, and striped candy sticks frame the doorway. It smells wonderful, but Looks exactly like the kind of house that fairy tales told you to stay clear of. Through an open window, you see the children filing inside. A witch stands beside an enormous cauldron, stirring a purple mixture of some kind with a big wooden spoon. She's wearing a pointy hat that droops over one eye and makes her look Well,

16:06 exactly how you'd imagine a witch to look. Aprons on, she says. I need the floors scrubbed, wrappers folded, and somebody better polish that licorice over there. The children just silently obey. The witch points at two newcomers. You two, welcome. You can help with tomorrow's experiments. Beside you, Rex's claws press into the earth. Not this time, he whispers. He nods toward a high shelf. A glass jar sits above the cupboards, filled with little golden fish-shaped sweets. Its label reads...

17:01 Not for children or anyone else. That's the antidote, Rex says. She keeps it for, uh, well, mistakes. Or in case the candy gets on her. Does she make many? Rex looks at himself. Some. The witch sets her wand on the table and turns toward the cupboard. You crouch. Alright, I'll get the wand, and I'll get the fish. You slip through the window. Your paws land without a sound.

17:42 You dart beneath a chair, climb a hanging tablecloth, and creep across the tabletop. The wand lies beside a stack of purple candy wrappers. You close your teeth around it. Behind you, A cupboard door bangs. What are you doing here? You turn and the witch stares at you. Then at the wand in your mouth. Oh, no, you don't. You jump.

18:18 Her fingers close on empty air. You land on a chair and spring up onto a shelf. Hey, come back here, she yells as she charges at you. You race past jars of sprinkles, duck beneath a cupboard, and the witch drops to her knees. Here, kitty, kitty. You stare at her from the shadows. She stretches a hand toward you.

18:47 Nice kitty. You draw your claws, scratch her on the hand. Ouch! Horrible kitty, she says as you slip out through the other side. You leap onto the kitchen counter. Behind her, you see Rex climbing up a curtain. You knock a wooden spoon onto the floor. The witch whirls toward the noise. You hop onto a hanging pot. It swings. Another pot clangs against it. You spring away just as she reaches up.

19:28 Her hat catches on a hook. For a moment, she keeps running without it, but then she realizes it fell off, stops, and snatches it back. You are going to be turned into a tea cozy when I catch you. Above the cupboards, Rex reaches the antidote. He pushes the jar carefully onto a folded apron, then noses off its loose lid. Golden sweets spill onto the fabric. Good. Now you just have to stop the witch so you can, well, use it.

20:10 You race toward the cauldron. A purple mixture fills it almost to the rim. The candy is thick and glossy, but it doesn't have any steam rising from it. And that's when you get an idea. Maybe it's time to give the witch a taste of her own candy. You jump onto a stool beside the rim. The witch rushes toward you. Got you, she says, but at the last second, you leap sideways, instantly transforming back into a, well, sort of human cat, leaving your foot stretched out, perfectly in the position to trip the witch. The witch hits your foot, stumbles...

21:07 spinning her arms in the air like a windmill, and then, with a splash, she falls straight over the edge of the cauldron. For a moment, two boots are all that sticks out of the thing. The rest of her body is buried in the purple liquid. Soon, she grabs the rim and hauls herself upright, dripping with all sorts of syrup.

21:37 You land on the table and set down the wand. The witch opens her mouth, and her expression goes completely blank. What would you like me to do? She asks. You look over at Rex, and Rex looks at you. Well, I guess that worked. Wasn't exactly my plan, but It worked. You pick up the wand with your hand. Climb out carefully, you tell the witch, and she obeys. Now I want you to make enough antidote to free everyone who's ever eaten your candy. She reaches for a clean mixing bowl, and no more spells on anyone, you say. Yes, she says flatly. No more spells. Rex nudges the apron towards you.

22:48 You carry the golden sweets to the nearest children. Here, eat these, you say. And the children just seem to sort of listen. Perhaps without the witch giving orders, they need someone else to take the orders from. They quickly down the candy and then, well, they look stunned. Why am I holding a mop? one of them says, or asks. Eh, long story, you respond. Last thing I remember, I was just outside a candy shop. Before long, the kitchen fills with confused voices. confused voices that are no longer under the witch's control. You do your best to explain exactly what happened while passing out the antidote. Here, take these and give them to any child who, well, who looks like they're under the control of magical candy. It might

23:59 not sound obvious, but when you see it, it's honestly pretty obvious. Before long, everyone is fully awake. Everyone except the witch, of course, who is busily making golden fish candy once again. You look down at Rex. You know, I think there's still one more thing we need to fix. His tail becomes very still. You turn to the witch.

24:31 You will undo every transformation you put on Rex, you say. She looks toward the wand. I require the wand. You're not sure that's a good idea. On second thought, just tell me how to do it. So the witch explains. It's not really any particular series of words. It's more the feeling, the thought inside your head that matters. You must imagine the result as clearly as you can. Point the wand, flick it, and allow the energy from your own body to power it. You try to do just that.

25:30 You point the wand down at Rex. You focus on the cat turning back into, well, a normal kid. And you feel a strange tugging sensation coming from the wand. You allow the energy from your body to pass into the thing. You flick it, and a blast of orange light shoots out. hitting the little scruffy cat. Immediately, a warm golden shimmer surrounds him. His paws lengthen, his ears shrink, his scruffy fur starts to disappear underneath ordinary clothes. And a moment later, a young man about your age sits on the kitchen floor. He looks at his hands. turns them over, wiggles his finger, and laughs. Thumbs, he says.

26:34 I have thumbs. He grips the edge of the table. I missed thumbs. Thumbs are the best. Thank you, he says. You simply smile back at him. You did the difficult part, you say. Not really. You're the one who tripped the witch and put her under your command. Good point, but I wouldn't have known to do it if I hadn't met you. The witch soon finishes the antidote. You pack it into bags and take it with you in case you run into any more controlled children walking around in zombie-like states. All right. Next, you must destroy the enchanted candy, all of your recipes, and any spare magic things or wands you can find. Finally, you break the wand in your hand, and the witch starts making her way all through the house and gathering things, throwing them into her

27:53 little fireplace one by one. REX OPENS THE DOOR COME ON LET'S GET YOU HOME OUTSIDE HE PAUSES ARE YOU COMING IN A BIT I HAVE SOMETHING TO RETURN FIRST YOU SAY REX ONLY SMILES THEN HE LEADS THE CHILDREN OUTSIDE AND HEADS HOME HIMSELF You're not sure how long he's been away for. His parents may have quite the surprise coming. You soon head outside the witch's cottage, and a strange tugging sensation appears on your costume. It lifts you up into the air, and soon you find yourself floating out over top of a forest. over top of your neighborhood, to a clearing where the magic costume tree now stands. A clearing where it did not stand before.

29:10 This place was definitely somewhere else before, but, well, the costume tree just looks natural there. You gently lower down towards the tree. The door opens up. You fly inside, and you unzip the cat costume. Immediately, your newfound sense of agility disappears. You step out of the costume. hang it back up where you found it and walk outside you head back down the trail knowing that you'll soon appear right where you need to be and sure enough You come out of the little forest clearing, directly beside your house. You turn around to see everything returned to normal.

30:09 The path to the magic costume tree has disappeared once again. You head inside, straight to your bedroom, and climb into your bed. You close your eyes, you pull the covers up to your chin, and you begin to simply focus on your breath, noticing your stomach rise with the inhale and, well, lower with the exhale. Before very long at all, the tension in your muscles starts to melt away, You let go of the tension in your arms. You let go of the tension in your legs. Your shoulders drop away from your ears. Your face relaxes into a nice sort of half smile and your mind wanders off to thoughts of new dreams, new adventures, and new costumes to come.

31:26 Good night, everyone. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

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