(Short Music) #28 Little Tim and the magical forest - Jasons Bed Time Story Time

Hello and welcome to Jason's Bedtime Storytime. My name is Jason Newland and please only listen when you can safely close your eyes. This is number 28 and I haven't done one of these.

The last time I did one of these was how was it February 7th 2022 and it's now the 3rd of August 2023. That's over three months ago. So I thought I'd do another one because I know at least one person enjoyed the last one I did.

So that's that's nice. So let's have a look. So I thought I'd do today is the idea behind these Jason Bedtime Storytimes is it's an opportunity for you to maybe lay back and relax and let your mind wander as you listen to my voice just telling you this story.

That's really I guess I didn't need to explain to you what a story was did I? Um I think the title is quite explains what it is really isn't it I guess anyway so the last recording I did actually on the podcast I said I had over a thousand listens but I think that's the same person. So this is going to be I've listened three times a day for the last year so this is called The Adventures of Little Tim and the Magic Forest or Magick Forest depending on how you pronounce it.

So once upon a time in a small village nestled between the mountains and the sea lived a curious and adventurous little boy named Tim.

Now despite being born blind Tim's spirit was undeterred. I may not see the world but I can feel it hear it and imagine it he would often say to his friends which got a little bit boring you know after a few years but they put up with it. They used to well I used to trip him up and things just to make you know tie his shoelaces together and things like that just to get him back for constantly saying what he just said so it was a little bit cruel really.

Anyway one day little Tim heard a tale about a magical forest that lay just beyond the mountains. This forest is home to fantastic creatures and holds countless mysteries and I may not see the world but I can feel it hear it and imagine it. And the elder villager said to him why do you keep saying that? I just have to say it it's something that I say I'm known for it.

You don't have to keep saying it do you? But Tim decided regardless of what the villager said he would venture into the forest to see if the tales were true. So with a backpack filled with sandwiches a bottle of water and his favourite book in braille Tim set off on his journey. As he crossed the mountains he felt the cool breeze and heard the rustling leaves of the forest in the distance.

And as Tim ventured deeper into the forest he kept bumping into trees and rocks. Each time he would say oh excuse me I didn't see you there and then he'd say I may not see the world but I can feel it hear it and imagine it. So he thought he was bumping into a person apparently.

I'm guessing I can't read his mind I can't really say what he's thinking but I can tell the story from a third person perspective really. And the forest echoed. It echoed with his polite apologies and his own chuckles as he realized his mistakes.

But suddenly Tim stumbled upon a small frog. Startled he accidentally inhaled the frog. Which immediately hopped back out.

And he said why don't frogs park illegally? That's what Tim asked the frog. The frog said because frogs can't talk can they? And Tim said it's because they they don't want to get toad. So he laughed at his own joke and then miraculously Tim could see.

This is quite fast moving isn't it? The world around him was more magnificent than he had ever imagined. The trees around him took shapes of the different zoo animals. A tall giraffe, a mighty elephant and even a playful monkey.

Why why don't some animals play cards? Tim asked looking at the animal shaped trees. Because they're afraid of cheaters. He laughed to himself.

No one else around really to acknowledge his joke. And suddenly out of the blue he tripped over and he realized his shoelaces were tied together and he thought who did that? He looked around and he saw a squirrel. The squirrel said hello young traveller I'm Squeaky.

And Tim laughed and Squeaky said why are you laughing? He said because your name's well you're called Squeaky. I'm sorry because you're called Squeaky and your um your voice is quite deep. Oh yes well I was called Squeaky before I was actually yeah I was a little baby at the time so no one knew what my voice was going to be like.

How come you can talk but frogs can't? It's all part of fairy tales and you know stories really it's up to the narrator. Oh I see okay. And he said look there's a tree there it looks like a monkey.

Squeaky told Tim about the forest's magic trying to move him away from focusing on animal looking trees because he looked at the trees and he lived in the forest and Squeaky couldn't really see the resemblance but he didn't realize that Tim had been blind his whole life and had no idea what what a giraffe looked like or an elephant or even a playful monkey so it was kind of making up really.

If anything the giraffe tree looked more like a sleeping leopard and the squeak the monkey tree looked um it looked a bit like a daffodil really. Oh actually it was a daffodil it wasn't a tree.

Okay anyway Squeaky told him about the forest's magic which was guarded by a wise owl named Oliver. Why don't squirrels have any money? Tim asked Squeaky. Because they work for peanuts.

Oh that's that's uh so droll I think that's very great great says Squeaky. Um should we just move on? What do you mean? Well it's really hard what to do after that joke it's really can we just move on and get on with the story? What story? The story that's being told that involves you and me walking through a forest a magical forest. Oh okay then I don't mind.

Cool so as they journeyed further they met suddenly a little girl who was half made of gingerbread and half made of wool. Her name was Ginny. Hello Tim I'm Ginny the gingerbread wool girl she said with a wee sweet smile.

How do you know my name? How do you know my name's Tim? I've never seen you before. Well I I I I I'm not sure really. Well another thing what's that? We both kind of sound sound quite similar don't we? Yes I know I think the narrator didn't really work out the voices before he started talking really.

Oh no I can't even tell who's speaking and I'm the one speaking. I don't know if I'm Tim or if I'm Ginny. I don't know either.

Should we change our voices to make it a bit more easier? Yeah I think so. Uh I'd like to keep my voice because I'm Tim and I've been I'm pretty much the star of the show you're just an extra really. I'm the star um and maybe you could do a different voice.

How about this is this a bit better? Yeah that's much more feminine. Okay right uh so hello Tim I'm Ginny the gingerbread wool girl she said with a sweet smile and a gentle voice. Ginny Ginny was a kind very kind and gentle girl who loved to knit and bake.

Why don't we ever tell secrets on a farm? Tim asks Ginny. Because the potatoes have eyes the corn the corn has ears and the beans talk. Uh I don't really know what that was about said Ginny.

Um no never mind should we just carry on? Okay then so they continued to walk sometimes they skipped you know just chatted about the good old days. I mean unfortunately they just met so the good old days sort of involved about five minutes before so I remember when we met yeah yeah I remember we met yeah yeah remember when we both had the same same voice yeah yeah yeah it was that kind of stuff.

So they're walking along and they also suddenly met a peculiar character.

Like Ginny's not peculiar enough a peculiar character and he's he was a vampire named Vlad what an original name who was so scared of the sight of blood he was he just couldn't stand the sight of blood he was absolutely petrified. Oh hello there I'm Vlad. Just a heads up I'm I'm a bit screamish so no talk of blood please.

Vlad said revealing his skinny but harmless fangs. Uh okay everyone why why don't vampires have more friends? Tim asked Vlad because they're a pain in the neck. Oh my goodness um I've forgotten my voice said Vlad.

Too many different voices uh well that's just that's all that's very funny. Oh so uh he said uh Vlad said what is it could you guide me Oliver Squeaky Ginny and Vlad? I want to learn about the magic. Tim asked.

They agreed and they all set off together along the way and they just carried on walking. Vlad flew a little bit but he didn't fly too high because he's also scared of heights. Ginny bed stop every now and then and have a little snack eat a little bit of her.

And Squeaky he was constantly like nibbling on his nuts. And Oliver I can't remember who Oliver is and Tim of course is walking. So they're just walking along and they met oh they encountered various magical creatures and they met a giggling brook that sang songs.

Welcome to a magical forest Tim. The brook sang in a amazingly melodious almost classically trained voice. And Tim said how do you how do you know my name? And how can you talk? You're water how could water talk? And the the the brook said I think brook's water isn't it? Anyway let's pretend brook is a water.

And the brook said because it's a magic forest. Okay I got I got one for you. Why don't rivers ever get lost? Tim asked the brook.

Because they always follow the current. And there was no response there was no sound from anyone they just looked up in the air and then suddenly out of the blue out of the sky in fact dropped a grumpy old tortoise who told riddles. Wood gets wetter the more it dries the tortoise asked which Tim quickly replied a towel.

And then Tim said why why don't tortoises like to talk to strangers at parties? Because they're a little shellfish. The tortoise like just he looked at the other people in the in the groups out there. And Tim said how how why how why? I I haven't even got a sentence I just I can't what? And they all I said yeah we know we know it's but he was he was blind for all this time and suddenly you can see and we're putting that down we're putting it down to that.

I mean maybe he's always like this but you know he's he's excited and he's happy and we don't want to take away that from him and um you know he seems he seems like a good kid but annoying really annoying. But you know what can you do? What can you do? So fair enough so um they carried on just carried on and finally they met a family of rabbits.

Who baked the most delicious carrot pies.

Troy I will parade him it's the best in the forest the mother rabbit said offering him a warm slice. How do you know my name? Everyone knows my name. Does that mean you don't want any pie? Of course I want some bloody pie I just want to know why everyone gets I'm not paranoid I just want to know what how do you know my name? Just just have some pie.

Oh okay oh here's one why don't rabbits ever get caught? Tim asked the rabbit family. It's because it's because they always have a head start. And relax.

So they were very tired at this point everyone was very very tired. I've only walked for about 10 minutes but it was really it seemed like days. And you know after a long journey they finally reached Oliver's tree.

Oh Oliver's the owl isn't he? I forgot about Oliver. Okay Oliver is the owl and the tree looked like a wise old owl. Okay and uh he says Oliver said Hello Tim you've come to learn about the magic of our forest is that correct? And he explained to Tim the magic of the forest and it was all about its harmony.

And he said uh every creature big or small plays a part in maintaining this harmony Oliver told him. And Oliver said how do you know my name? How do you know my name? How? I don't get it. I mean this is ridiculous.

It's just I don't I don't understand. It's okay this is a magic forest. It's magic.

Everything is magic. I mean I know everything. I said Oliver the owl that's it it's an owl.

But Tim unable to resist asked Oliver why don't owls go on dates when it's raining? It's because it's because it's too wet to woo. Oliver however was not amused. Tim he said sternly your jokes are quite uh unique.

But uh remember not every moment needs a punch line. Sometimes it's okay to just enjoy the magic around us. And we need to tell jokes all the time.

If you are going to tell a joke maybe make it funny perhaps. Tim wasn't so happy with that. It didn't really land so well with him.

And he you know feeling a bit bold Tim challenged Oliver to a friendly wrestling match in their underwear. Now Oliver surprised but amused agreed. So they wrestled in the mud and even though Oliver was much bigger and stronger Tim held his own.

He did he held his own and the forest echoed with their laughter and grunts and cheers of their friends. Now after that and after they all cleaned themselves up had a little sleep Tim spent the rest of the day with Oliver inside the tree chatting. At least that's what they told everyone else they were doing.

Learning about the forest and its inhabitants. And as the sun began to set Tim realized that he had spent the entire day in the magical forest. Thank you Oliver, Squeaky, Ginny and Vlad and everyone else everyone I met today.

I'll never forget this adventure Tim said his heart full of gratitude. What about me said the frog but unfortunately everyone had walked off so no one could hear him. And when Tim returned to his village he was a changed boy.

I mean he had different clothes on but he was changed internally. Okay that doesn't sound good. He felt different emotionally.

He felt more uplifted more open again that sounds wrong but you know he felt more in touch with nature and spirituality maybe saw that the world was a much bigger place than he than his little village that he lived. And he shared his experiences and the wisdom he gained with his friends and family.

The magic of the forest is in its harmony he would say and we can create the same magic in our village we can in our village not anyone else's village our village we don't care about other villages just this one besides there might not be any other villages I don't feel there's any other villages anywhere I mean they would be aliens wouldn't they this is the world this village is the entire planet I mean we've already gone out of space into the forest so yeah there can't be anything else around here.

And so the tale of the magic forest lived on. It was passed down from generation to generation reminding everyone about the magic that exists in harmony and unity. So one of the things that actually happened when Tim returned to the village is he did feel uplifted and for the first time people actually gathered around him listening to what he was saying actually taking notice of the the words that he was expressing.

And he told everyone the story and the tales of his journey and as Tim finished telling his tale he gave a big hearty laugh and suddenly to the shock of everyone present his head fell off. There was a moment of stunned silence and then then Tim's head lying on the ground started to laugh. Gotcha he said as his body picked up his head and placed it back on his shoulders.

It turned out that Tim had learned a trick from Vlad the squeamish vampire who had taught him how to detach and reattach his head. It was a harmless trick but it certainly gave everyone a good scare and so the tale of the magical forest lived on passed down from generation to generation reminding everyone about the magic that exists in harmony and unity and the boy who could take his head off.