1 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: Hello, friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories. This is 2 00:00:21,720 --> 00:00:28,360 Speaker 1: the third part of our story, The Magical Book of Dreams. Esther, 3 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: if you remember, had found a book when she took 4 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: the other fork of the road on her way home. 5 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:38,880 Speaker 1: She wanted to read the stories and look at the pictures, 6 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: but never seemed to have any time. This evening, she 7 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 1: has prepared a candle so she can spend some time 8 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 1: reading after everyone has gone to bed. What kind of 9 00:00:53,200 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: adventures will she read about? The Magical Book of Dreams? 10 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: Part three. Dinner that night was a stew that Esther's 11 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: mother made in a large iron pot, which was handed 12 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: down within their family over many generations. This particular stew 13 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:25,959 Speaker 1: was not Esther's favorite, but her brother, as usual, ate 14 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: like it was his last meal, which always resulted in 15 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:34,479 Speaker 1: her mother telling him to slow down and chew his food. 16 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: Every night it was the same thing, just like her 17 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 1: mother's pre dinner singing was very much a part of 18 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: their dinner routine. After dinner was finished, Esther helped her 19 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: mother clean off the table and wash the dishes while 20 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 1: her little brother went to the bathroom to wash up. 21 00:02:01,200 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: Esther and her brother both had some homework to do 22 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:08,080 Speaker 1: for school. Which was more important than their usual reading 23 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: at the table. After her brother came back, it was 24 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:17,600 Speaker 1: Esther's turn to go and get ready for the evening studying. 25 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:21,840 Speaker 1: As she washed her hands and face, she looked like 26 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: every night at the photo of her father hanging in 27 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: the bathroom. The older Esther got, the more she realized 28 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,399 Speaker 1: just how much of an influence he had had on her, 29 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: even though she hadn't been able to spend much time 30 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: with him. This was something her mother reminded her of 31 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:48,239 Speaker 1: time and time again, particularly when she shared her dream 32 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: of seeing the world outside of their small village. She 33 00:02:53,040 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: wanted to meet unicorns, dragons, fairies, and princesses, to swim 34 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: in the oceans on the coast of the Known Kingdom, 35 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: to see the flying fish and learn from the wise 36 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: gnomes of the forest. She also shared her father's restlessness 37 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: and found she just couldn't imagine a life in such 38 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: a slow and safe place as Shire would. Interrupting her thoughts, 39 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:30,839 Speaker 1: her mother yelled esther, stop your daydreaming and come out 40 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: and help your brother. He has a headstart on his 41 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: homework and has a math question to ask. Esther sighed, Ah, 42 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: coming right out, mom, Esther came out to the table 43 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: and sat down with her books and took a look 44 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: at her brother's homework. You know, it's been years since 45 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: I have studied arithmetic, Esther. I think only you can 46 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: help him, her mother said, as she also sat down 47 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: the table to read from her book. Looking at his workbook, 48 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: she realized that he had already finished his numbers and 49 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: was just trying to bug her. You squirt, Esther, said, 50 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: Her brother laughed. Her mother had set a large candle 51 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,480 Speaker 1: on the table. It was going to be a long 52 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:28,640 Speaker 1: session tonight, and unlike all the mystical lights that she 53 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,600 Speaker 1: heard other places in the realm used, they had to 54 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:37,160 Speaker 1: rely upon candles handmade in a factory on the other 55 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: side of the village. Shirewood was devoid of the mystic 56 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: arts or magic of any kind, and the village elders 57 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: liked it that way. Esther sat there for a while, 58 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: one moment reading her texts, the other thinking about the 59 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: book she had hidden away in her bag. She wanted 60 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: desperately to read the stories written in text that was 61 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,679 Speaker 1: hard for her to read and which took more time 62 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: to understand than the burning time of the smaller candles 63 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: they used when going to bed to night. She was 64 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,000 Speaker 1: more prepared, having found a candle that should allow her 65 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:25,479 Speaker 1: to spend just enough time to read through one of 66 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:28,680 Speaker 1: the pages of the book and the story it contained 67 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: focus Esther. You really need to stop daydreaming, or you 68 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: will never graduate senior school. Yes, ma'am, Esther sighed. After 69 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,279 Speaker 1: the candle burned down to the bottom, it was time 70 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:53,720 Speaker 1: for everyone to go to bed to rest. Esther's mom 71 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:56,479 Speaker 1: gave every one a hug and a kiss and sent 72 00:05:56,520 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: them off to their rooms. Go right to sleep, you two. 73 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 1: A good night's sleep will make tomorrow an even better 74 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 1: day than the last. Going right to sleep was not 75 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:17,920 Speaker 1: on Esther's mind. She waited until the house grew quiet, 76 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 1: and then lit the larger candle she had brought with her. Carefully, 77 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:27,480 Speaker 1: she lifted the book out of her bag and set 78 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: it on the floor of her room. She gently brushed 79 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 1: it off again and slowly opened the cover, revealing the 80 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: picture of the white castle she had seen before. She 81 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 1: wanted to spend more time studying it. It was so 82 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: different from what she saw in Shirewood, but she wanted 83 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: to read the story contained on the next page before 84 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 1: the candle burned out. She turned the page and slowly 85 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:07,840 Speaker 1: started to read the passage of text. I met an 86 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: interesting traveler today who came from the desert Kingdom, far 87 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: beyond the fishing villages of the coast. She came from 88 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: a small village called Santok, and, though still young, seemed 89 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: to have the eyes of someone twice her age, the 90 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: effects of seeing so much of the known kingdom. I 91 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: would suppose she was called Areva, and was big and strong, 92 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 1: and if I needed someone to wrestle a stubborn bear, 93 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: she would certainly be someone I would choose. Most likely 94 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 1: the bear would vanish once she stated her intention. Despite 95 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: her obvious strength and size, she was one of the 96 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: gentlest souls I have met yet during my brief travels. 97 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: She still wore the clothes of her village, which contained 98 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 1: the muted colors of her surroundings, which, considering that we 99 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: were sitting in a forest talking over tea, made her 100 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: stand out even more. I left my village a number 101 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: of years ago are ofvar related right after I finished 102 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: senior school. I had thought of going off to study 103 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,040 Speaker 1: the healing arts in the larger city in the north, 104 00:08:25,520 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: but after studying so hard for so long, I thought 105 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,520 Speaker 1: a short break to visit the green trees of this 106 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: part of the kingdom would be a deserved rest. Of course, 107 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: that was a number of years ago, and I have 108 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:46,840 Speaker 1: yet to stop traveling. The journey was long, as I 109 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: had no money to buy passage by wagon or by dragon. Yes, 110 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:55,520 Speaker 1: we had dragons at the edge of our part of 111 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:58,960 Speaker 1: the kingdom, but they were few and the price of 112 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: such a passage too much for most. She took a 113 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 1: drink of tea then and continued. I left with enough 114 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 1: food and water for the four day walk across the 115 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:16,240 Speaker 1: barren plains that led to the mountains. I knew that 116 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,960 Speaker 1: once I got to the mountains, nature would then provide 117 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,160 Speaker 1: me with enough to eat and drink to be able 118 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:28,479 Speaker 1: to continue on my way. The sight of the mountains 119 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: after the four day walk was very welcome. I had 120 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:36,200 Speaker 1: run out of water far sooner than I thought, and 121 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: my thirst was growing stronger by the minute. When I 122 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: arrived at the wood and fell upon a stream, I 123 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 1: was amazed at the amount of creatures that lived there, 124 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:55,560 Speaker 1: all in harmony, large and small. They all seemed to 125 00:09:55,640 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 1: talk to one another. My village was large, but the 126 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: dryness of the area restricted it to just a small number, 127 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:09,439 Speaker 1: and though we all got along, we were much the same, 128 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:16,439 Speaker 1: with nothing to disagree about. I saw large bears, huge 129 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: birds flying in the sky, ferries helping flowers grow, and 130 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 1: dragons swooping down from their homes in the mountains. It 131 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,199 Speaker 1: was the first of many magical places I would visit. 132 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: I was very fortunate to meet a friendly dragon who 133 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:42,560 Speaker 1: allowed me to fly on his back high above the mountains, 134 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:47,200 Speaker 1: which saved me from the long, difficult hike across the 135 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:51,560 Speaker 1: dragon realm to the rivers and villages bordering this forest. 136 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 1: The flight was amazing, with us flying high above the 137 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: clouds and knowing that I had never flown before. He 138 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 1: was kind and didn't perform any abrupt maneuvers. He said 139 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:10,600 Speaker 1: that the last time he helped a small gnome cover 140 00:11:10,720 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: a similar journey, the gnome got sick and made a 141 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,480 Speaker 1: mess all over his back and on the GNOME's face itself. 142 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: I was thankful for his thoughtfulness. After we crossed the mountain, 143 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: he deposited me near a village so I could continue 144 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:35,720 Speaker 1: on my way. This was a village that trusted the dragons, because, 145 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: as you might have heard, not all villages along the 146 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:44,720 Speaker 1: rivers leading to the fishing areas trust them. I offered 147 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:47,679 Speaker 1: to give him payment with what I had, but he 148 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 1: refused and simply said that one day he might need 149 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 1: a favor too. His name was Cadmus, and he was 150 00:11:56,160 --> 00:12:03,440 Speaker 1: a beautiful young dragon. She continued to tell me stories 151 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:08,200 Speaker 1: over our constantly flowing tea, with the confidence that comes 152 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:14,680 Speaker 1: from experience. The next year, are of Us said she 153 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:19,240 Speaker 1: spent traveling around the river area, spending time fishing the 154 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:23,400 Speaker 1: golden seas to the south. She told me that she 155 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 1: thought of settling as like so many places in the Kingdom. 156 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: Once the creatures of the area got to know her well, 157 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 1: she was accepted and treated like one of the family. 158 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: It didn't hurt that she could work as hard as 159 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 1: anyone else too. She eventually felt restless again and traveled 160 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 1: away from the river region to here in the mystical forest. 161 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:53,280 Speaker 1: She had spent the last couple of years here studying 162 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 1: with the gnome named Bixi. She described Bixi as the 163 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: wisest creature that she had ever met, and said he 164 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:05,719 Speaker 1: was providing her with an education in the healing arts 165 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 1: that even the school in the north of her village 166 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:14,440 Speaker 1: likely couldn't provide. It was there near Bixie's home that 167 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:18,320 Speaker 1: we talked and where she introduced me to the idea 168 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: of journeying to the unknown realm. For though she felt 169 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:28,560 Speaker 1: welcomed and at home in the mystical forest, she was 170 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:32,640 Speaker 1: again bitten by the travel bug and was preparing to leave. 171 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: I had never heard of the unknown realm until that day, 172 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: but the idea of traveling to a place that few 173 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,480 Speaker 1: have seen or gone to was very appealing to me. 174 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: I thought I should join Arabah if she would let 175 00:13:51,679 --> 00:13:56,160 Speaker 1: me and travel to this place of mystery. She had 176 00:13:56,200 --> 00:14:06,440 Speaker 1: planned on leaving the very next day. Esther, are you 177 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: still up, child, It's well past sleeping time, her mother whispered, 178 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:17,839 Speaker 1: Put out that candle and go to sleep. Sorry, mom, 179 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:23,880 Speaker 1: esther whispered back. She carefully closed the book and slid 180 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 1: it back into her bag, got into bed, and turned 181 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: out the light of her candle. As she laid there, 182 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 1: she slowed her breathing for sleep, And as she gradually 183 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 1: fell asleep, her mind was full of dragons, white castles, fairies, 184 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 1: and gnomes. Images in her mind that she was as 185 00:14:52,240 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: determined as ever to see in real life. And that's 186 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:06,000 Speaker 1: the end of this part. Good Night, sleep tight