1 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 1: Hello, friends, and welcome to sleep tight stories. Melody is 2 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: on Prince Edward Island visiting her grandfather. She loves the 3 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,319 Speaker 1: freedom she has when she is there, being able to 4 00:00:28,400 --> 00:00:34,160 Speaker 1: run around picking berries and exploring. Her mother would never 5 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 1: let her do that in Halifax, there is just too 6 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: much traffic. As Melody gets ready to go to sleep, 7 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: she asks her grandfather to tell her a story. He 8 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: shows her all the different books that her mother brought over, 9 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: but Melody wants to hear one about her grandfather, so 10 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 1: he tells her about a time he was out in 11 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: a winter storm. Rastus growled only once. Melody was visiting 12 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: her grandfather at his home near the town of North 13 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: Rustico on the northern shore of Prince Edward Island. She 14 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: visited her grandfather every summer and loved staying in his 15 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:30,560 Speaker 1: old farmhouse with the green roof and sticky windows. She 16 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: felt so free there and would spend her days running 17 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: around covered in red dirt, picking flowers, eating wild berries, 18 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: and exploring the area around his farm. She lived with 19 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: her mom and dad in the big city of Halifax 20 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: and was never able to have as much freedom at home. 21 00:01:54,560 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: Too much traffic, her mom would always say, while her 22 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: days were filled with outdoor fun. Her evenings were spent 23 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 1: listening to her grandfather's stories, especially the stories he told 24 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:17,359 Speaker 1: her before bed. Melody thought her grandfather must have been 25 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: at least one hundred years old. Since he grew up 26 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: before video games and phones, he had lots of practice 27 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:31,640 Speaker 1: sitting in the dark, telling and listening to stories that 28 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 1: might explain why he was so good at it. Grandpapa, 29 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: can you tell me a story, Melody asked as she 30 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,639 Speaker 1: got comfy in her squeaky bed. What kind of story 31 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: would you like to hear? Your mama brought all kinds 32 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:52,959 Speaker 1: of books for us to read, Grandpa George said as 33 00:02:52,960 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 1: he looked through a pile of books. Let me see 34 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: there is a book here about a mischievous cat who 35 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: visits two children on a rainy day, leading to a 36 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:10,240 Speaker 1: series of fun adventures. And another about saying good night 37 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:14,720 Speaker 1: to a moon. Hmmm, this one looks like a good one. 38 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,640 Speaker 1: It's about a boy named Max who travels to a 39 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: magical land of wild creatures and learns about the power 40 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 1: of imagination and the importance of home. Oh, here's another one, 41 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:34,240 Speaker 1: and this one looks good too. It's about a teddy 42 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: bear named Corduroy who sets out on a quest to 43 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: find his missing button and makes all kinds of friends 44 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 1: along the way. They all sound nice, Grandpa, But I'd 45 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: like a story about you once that you tell. Melody said, Oh, 46 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: I could tell you a story about how when I 47 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: was your age, we had to share one pair of 48 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: shoes and walk to school during a snowstorm in our 49 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: bare feet. You know, you kids sure are lucky these days, 50 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: Grandpa George said, with a wink. I don't think that 51 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 1: is true. Grandpapa. That's just something parents say to their 52 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,480 Speaker 1: kids to help them understand how lucky we are. That 53 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,039 Speaker 1: may be true, but I did have to walk to 54 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:33,159 Speaker 1: school during a snowstorm once. Let me think, how about 55 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 1: I tell you about my dog named Rastus. He was 56 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: a big dog with a huge heart who I still 57 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: missed to this day. Did Rastus go on an adventure 58 00:04:46,400 --> 00:04:51,039 Speaker 1: like Corduroy the Teddy Bear did? I'm sure he had 59 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:56,800 Speaker 1: many adventures, many of which I don't know about. Rastus 60 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:01,039 Speaker 1: was big and strong and would protec the animals we 61 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: used to have here on the farm, from hungry foxes 62 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: and the occasional coyote. Were the foxes and coyote scared 63 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: of him, Grandpa, No, I don't think it was like that. 64 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:21,960 Speaker 1: It was more like an understanding and understanding that the 65 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: animals of the farm were part of his family, and 66 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: once they knew that, they respected Rastus enough to stay away. 67 00:05:32,320 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: I don't think he growled more than once in all 68 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: the years that he and I were together. He just 69 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 1: had a presence about him. Grandpa George said, I want 70 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: to have a pet dog, Grandpa, but my father says, 71 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: we aren't ready yet. When I ask him when we 72 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: will be ready, he changes the topic. Ha ha ha, Well, Melody, 73 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: a dog is like adding another member to the family, 74 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:06,840 Speaker 1: and when you live in a big city, it's a 75 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 1: little harder than here on a farm. Rastus got all 76 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: the exercise he needed here without me worrying about him. 77 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:20,160 Speaker 1: As your mother says, there is a lot of traffic 78 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: in the big city. I guess I had a goldfish once, 79 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:30,159 Speaker 1: but when I added another fish to the tank, the 80 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 1: goldfish disappeared. I still miss fishy. I understand. I've never 81 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: had a goldfish, but I had many dogs and missed 82 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: them all. I eventually learned to treasure the time I 83 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: spend with them. Daddy says that life is like a camera. 84 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 1: Focus on the good times, develop from the negatives, and 85 00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:03,600 Speaker 1: take another shot if things don't work out. I may 86 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: have heard that one before. These days, I am just 87 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: happy to rise with the sun and enjoy the time 88 00:07:11,640 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: I have when little visitors come, Melody's grandpa said, with 89 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: a smile. So what kind of adventures did Rastus have? 90 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 1: Was he a sled dog in the Yukon? Or did 91 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 1: he have to work in Alaska? Or was he a 92 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:34,720 Speaker 1: really naughty dog like Marley? I saw a movie once 93 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: about Marley. He was a really funny dog. Rastus was 94 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: just a great, big farm dog, born on a farm 95 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: in North Wiltshire, if I remember correctly, a collie of 96 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: some sort, with the size and strength of a moose. 97 00:07:54,200 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: Did he have horns too, Melody said, giggling only at chriss. 98 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 1: Grandpa George said, laughing. I'll tell you about the one 99 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: time that Rastust growled, and then it will likely be 100 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: time for you to close your eyes and get to sleep. 101 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: I don't want your mother to be angry with me, okay, Grandpa. 102 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,080 Speaker 1: It must have been forty or more years ago and 103 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 1: we had one of the worst winters you could imagine 104 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: snow as high as my shoulders and cold, so cold 105 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: you could feel it in your bones. I had to 106 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: drive to Hunter River that day to get some supplies 107 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: for the farm. Your grandmother warned me not to go 108 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,959 Speaker 1: because the sky looked a bit gray, which might well 109 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:53,240 Speaker 1: mean some bad weather was on the way. I should 110 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:57,079 Speaker 1: have listened to her. She was mostly right all the time, 111 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 1: but I was as stubborn as a bull and decided 112 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: to go anyway. So I got in my old Ford 113 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 1: truck with Rastus and we drove off to Hunter River. 114 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 1: The roads then weren't plowed as much as they are today, 115 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: so it was slow going with lots of slipping around. 116 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:24,160 Speaker 1: But that old truck loved a challenge, and we made 117 00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 1: it to the store and Hunter River in one piece. 118 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 1: As soon as we got there, it started to snow, 119 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,400 Speaker 1: so Rastus and I got what we needed, loaded up 120 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: the truck, and started the drive back. In all my 121 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 1: years since, I've never seen the weather change as quickly 122 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: as it did that afternoon. As soon as we drove 123 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: out of the hollow and onto the road home, the 124 00:09:55,520 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: wind started to howl. It was so loud, didn't hear 125 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,959 Speaker 1: yourself think, And it got cold too, though the heater 126 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:08,439 Speaker 1: in the truck was more than able to keep us warm. 127 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: We weren't on the road for ten minutes, when the 128 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:15,320 Speaker 1: snow was so thick that I could hardly see the 129 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 1: front of my truck. My knuckles were white from gripping 130 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:24,600 Speaker 1: the steering wheels so tight. We were making slow progress 131 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: until we came across a car that had gone off 132 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:32,679 Speaker 1: the road, someone out here driving from Charlottetown. I guessed, 133 00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: with as much sense as I had, what was driving 134 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:42,160 Speaker 1: in this crazy weather. Now, in those days, we would 135 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 1: never leave a person stranded on the side of the 136 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: road in any weather. It's just not neighborly. So I 137 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: stopped and tried to pull over as best I could. 138 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: I got out of my truck and walked over to 139 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:01,120 Speaker 1: see if the young lady was okay. She looked as 140 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: cold as a block of ice, and I can't help 141 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: but shiver when I think about her. That storm still 142 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 1: reminds me of the harsh winters of my youth, where 143 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: the chill would seep into your bones and never let go. 144 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:23,320 Speaker 1: The snow storm was relentless, the wind howling as it 145 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 1: swept across the empty fields. I tapped on her window 146 00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 1: and asked if she wanted to get into my truck 147 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:33,280 Speaker 1: and I could drive her to my house for some 148 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 1: hot tea at least until the storm subsided. She agreed 149 00:11:39,200 --> 00:11:43,959 Speaker 1: and we hopped into the front of my truck. Unfortunately, 150 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:47,840 Speaker 1: I didn't park too well and my truck was stuck. 151 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get us 152 00:11:52,800 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 1: on the road again. Then the situation got worse. My 153 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: truck stalled and wouldn't start again. It was a hardy truck, 154 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:10,679 Speaker 1: but could be finicky in the cold. In those days, 155 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:13,800 Speaker 1: we didn't have phones that we could carry with us, 156 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: so being stuck in a storm like this was dangerous 157 00:12:18,400 --> 00:12:23,920 Speaker 1: because we couldn't call anyone for help. You had electricity 158 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:30,400 Speaker 1: back then, right Papa Melody whispered, and TV shows and stuff. Yes, 159 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 1: we did, but no phones to carry with us wherever 160 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:38,559 Speaker 1: we went. I knew we couldn't stay in the truck 161 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:42,760 Speaker 1: for too long. The young woman might freeze, so I 162 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: knew we had to find shelter quickly. To this day, 163 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:53,199 Speaker 1: I think Rastus was reading my mind. With a low 164 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 1: growl and then a bark, which scared the young woman 165 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 1: out of her wits. He opened the door of the 166 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:04,200 Speaker 1: truck and bounded into the swirling snow, disappearing into the 167 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 1: white out of the storm. I could hear Rastus barking 168 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: in the distance, and I knew he was trying to 169 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: lead us to safety. The visibility was so bad and 170 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:20,920 Speaker 1: the snow so thick. I don't think I could have 171 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: made my way without him. So the young lady and 172 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: I are the life of me. I can't remember her name. 173 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: Followed the sound of rastus sparks. We trudged through the 174 00:13:34,240 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: snow drifts, our eyes squinting against the stinging snowflakes. We 175 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,680 Speaker 1: must have walked for well over an hour that afternoon, 176 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:49,400 Speaker 1: never really knowing where we were going, but Rastus certainly did. 177 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:54,200 Speaker 1: By this point, every step I took felt like I 178 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: was walking through quicksand the cold air was biting at 179 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:04,200 Speaker 1: my cheeks, making them feel raw and chapped. My legs 180 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 1: ached with every step. Tiredness was seeping into my bones. 181 00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:16,080 Speaker 1: For Rastus, this was just another day of play. That 182 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:23,760 Speaker 1: dog had unlimited energy. Eventually, just in time, I could 183 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:27,440 Speaker 1: see a faint light in the distance, and I figured 184 00:14:27,480 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 1: we must have found our way to mc lean's farm. 185 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:38,200 Speaker 1: Rastus had led us to safety. We both stumbled into 186 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: the farmhouse's kitchen, getting warm by the kitchen's wood stove 187 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 1: as Missus mc lane made us a cup of tea 188 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:49,400 Speaker 1: and gave some water and a treat of hard cheese 189 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 1: for Rastus. After that, I called your grandmother on the phone. 190 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 1: We did have telephones then, and I told her that 191 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 1: I was all right. The three of us settled around 192 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: the warmth of the stove through the night, with blankets 193 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:13,040 Speaker 1: and bedrolls provided by Missus mclan I'm pretty sure we 194 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: might have frozen half to death if it wasn't for 195 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: the strength and smarts of that old dog. Dogs are 196 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:25,880 Speaker 1: people's best friends, aren't they, Grandpa, Melody said with a yawn. 197 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 1: They certainly are, Melody. Can you tell me more stories tomorrow? Grandpa, 198 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: I certainly can. Now, why don't you give me a 199 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 1: hug and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow you are 200 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:44,720 Speaker 1: going to the beach and you will want to be 201 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:49,560 Speaker 1: well rested so you can have a great day. And 202 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: after giving her grandpa a great, big hug, Melody fell 203 00:15:54,960 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: fast asleep, and that is the end of our story. 204 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 1: Good night, sleep tight.