# The Goodnight Parade🌛🎠 Bedtime Story for Kids

An episode of [Snuggle: Kids bedtime stories](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1714672018), 9 Feb 2025, 35 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/63713821/prod_snuggle_067.mp3

Visit the sleepy village of Snoozing-on-Sea and discover the magical secret that happens every night. Narrated by: Thomas Jones Written by: Jessica Miller Welcome to Snuggle! The best kid's story-telling podcast. Enter a cozy world of imagination perfect for bedtime, quiet time, or any time you want to embark on an enchanting adventure. Learn more at slumberstudios.com/snuggle To enjoy ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes, start your 7-day free trial of Snuggle Premium: https://snuggle.supercast.com/ November only: try Premium free for 90 days. Ad-free listening and more at slumber.supercast.com

## Transcript

[0:03] Speaker 1: Welcome to Snuggle, Cozy Stories for kids. This episode is
[0:10] Speaker 1: called the Good Night Parade. Snuggle is a production of
[0:16] Speaker 1: Slumber Studios. To listen ad free and support the show,
[0:20] Speaker 1: sign up for our premium feed. Hey friend, thanks so
[0:27] Speaker 1: much for joining me again. I'm Tom, and I'm so
[0:31] Speaker 1: happy to be able to read you another story here
[0:35] Speaker 1: on Snuggle. You're going to love this one. I just
[0:40] Speaker 1: know it. It's so charming and dreamy all at once.
[0:46] Speaker 1: It's the story of a sleepy little village by the
[0:49] Speaker 1: sea which has one very magical secret. Before we find
[0:56] Speaker 1: out what that is, why don't you get comfortable and
[1:01] Speaker 1: find a position where you feel nice and relaxed. Then
[1:09] Speaker 1: breathe in slowly and notice how your breath fills up
[1:15] Speaker 1: your tummy like a balloon. Breathe out and notice how
[1:22] Speaker 1: your tummy deflates, like you're just gently letting some air
[1:27] Speaker 1: back out of the balloon. A few slow and mindful
[1:33] Speaker 1: breaths like this can really help us to feel more
[1:38] Speaker 1: calm and RESTful, so don't forget you can use the
[1:43] Speaker 1: breath anytime you need to relax a little bit. It's
[1:50] Speaker 1: about time I tell you this amazing story about a
[1:54] Speaker 1: magical seaside village. But we've got to get there fair,
[2:01] Speaker 1: So we start our story awaiting the arrival of a train.
[2:06] Speaker 1: At the station. You are standing on a train platform,
[2:28] Speaker 1: holding a suitcase and a thick green envelope in your hand.
[2:36] Speaker 1: If you look to your right, you can see steep mountains.
[2:43] Speaker 1: It is midsummer, so the mountains are covered with green
[2:48] Speaker 1: fir trees and bright wildflowers dot the ground. If you
[2:57] Speaker 1: look to your left, you can see a sloping, cobblestoned
[3:02] Speaker 1: road that leads down through a charming English village. You
[3:10] Speaker 1: see cottages with thatched roofs, a high street lined with
[3:16] Speaker 1: small shops, and a church with a tall spire. The
[3:25] Speaker 1: village is nestled within a pebbled bay. The ocean laps
[3:32] Speaker 1: at the bay's shore, and it stretches out, bright and blue,
[3:38] Speaker 1: all the way to the horizon. And if you look
[3:45] Speaker 1: straight ahead, you see a sign on the train platform
[3:51] Speaker 1: which reads Welcome to Snoozing on Sea. You open the
[4:00] Speaker 1: green envelope. On the journey here, you read the letter
[4:07] Speaker 1: contained within many times, but now you read it again.
[4:16] Speaker 1: I am so very pleased you agreed to visit over
[4:19] Speaker 1: the summer. The letter begins Snoozing on Sea is a
[4:25] Speaker 1: small village, but I think you will rather like it
[4:30] Speaker 1: when you arrive. Take the main road from the station
[4:35] Speaker 1: until you come to the carousel. Turn left, and you'll
[4:41] Speaker 1: come to a cottage with a bright yellow door and
[4:46] Speaker 1: apple trees growing either side. I'll be waiting for you there,
[4:54] Speaker 1: your friend Elfrida Ida Down. You do just as the
[5:03] Speaker 1: letter says, though. You stop for a moment at the
[5:08] Speaker 1: carousel to admire the painted horses. You decide you like
[5:16] Speaker 1: the green horse with the shiny red saddle the best,
[5:21] Speaker 1: and you promise yourself that one day soon you'll come
[5:26] Speaker 1: back and ride it. You turn left onto a narrow
[5:35] Speaker 1: lane with thick hawthorn shrubs growing either side of the road.
[5:44] Speaker 1: At the end of the lane is a whitewashed cottage
[5:48] Speaker 1: with a neatly thatched roof. There are apple trees growing
[5:54] Speaker 1: on either side of the cottage and a marmalade cat
[5:59] Speaker 1: don't on one of its window sills. The door is
[6:05] Speaker 1: painted sunshine yellow. It looks very much like the other
[6:14] Speaker 1: cottages in the village except for one thing. This cottage
[6:22] Speaker 1: has a small turreted tower on one side. As you approach,
[6:32] Speaker 1: the yellow door opens Elfrida rider Down stands in the
[6:39] Speaker 1: doorway with a wide, welcoming smile. She is a small
[6:47] Speaker 1: woman with snow white hair piled on top of her head,
[6:54] Speaker 1: but though she is old, her eyes have a youthful
[6:58] Speaker 1: twinkle behind her purple glasses. She shows you into her
[7:08] Speaker 1: snug cottage. There is a pie baking in the kitchen.
[7:16] Speaker 1: The living room is furnished with lots of comfortable chairs.
[7:22] Speaker 1: There is another cat snoozing on the back porch. Elfrida
[7:31] Speaker 1: explains that you will be staying in the turret. She
[7:37] Speaker 1: shows you up the spiral staircase and into your tower room.
[7:45] Speaker 1: In one corner of the room is a four poster
[7:48] Speaker 1: bed covered with soft quilts and big squashy pillows. Opposite
[7:59] Speaker 1: to the bed is a wide bay window. From here
[8:05] Speaker 1: you can see the whole village as well as the
[8:08] Speaker 1: brilliant blue of the ocean. You think you'll be very
[8:15] Speaker 1: happy here. Back downstairs, Elfrida hands you a packed lunch,
[8:26] Speaker 1: delicious sandwiches, homemade cookies, and a flask of lemonade. She
[8:36] Speaker 1: tells you to go out and spend the day exploring
[8:40] Speaker 1: the village, and then she gives you a mischievous grin
[8:48] Speaker 1: Snoozing on Sea, she tells you, is a village with
[8:53] Speaker 1: a very magical secret. She simply can't wait for you
[9:00] Speaker 1: to discover what it is. It doesn't take you very
[9:08] Speaker 1: long to fall in love with Snoozing on Sea. The
[9:15] Speaker 1: cottages are painted in candy floss colors. Wherever you go,
[9:22] Speaker 1: you hear the gentle murmuring of the ocean waves. And
[9:28] Speaker 1: if you stand right in the middle of the town
[9:31] Speaker 1: square and sniff deeply, you inhale the mingled aromas of
[9:38] Speaker 1: the fair trees growing on the hills, the salty air
[9:44] Speaker 1: wafting from the sea, and the mouth watering smell of
[9:50] Speaker 1: baking bread and piping hot pastries coming from the nearby bakery.
[10:00] Speaker 1: Around every corner you find something enchanting. One street is
[10:10] Speaker 1: devoted entirely to shops where musical instruments are made and sold.
[10:18] Speaker 1: It is filled with the melody of violin strings being
[10:22] Speaker 1: plucked and piano strings being tuned. One shop window is
[10:31] Speaker 1: filled with silver flutes. Another is stacked high with harmonicas.
[10:42] Speaker 1: Another street sells only toys. Dolls peep out of the
[10:48] Speaker 1: windows of one shop. One another is filled with teddy
[10:54] Speaker 1: bears in every shape and size. During the street used
[11:02] Speaker 1: by spinning tops whirling in colorful circles, and animals giraffes, pandas, owls, frogs,
[11:14] Speaker 1: and leopards, all carved from wood. You come out of
[11:23] Speaker 1: the streets and into the main town square. At the
[11:29] Speaker 1: center of the square is a tall fountain spurting jets
[11:34] Speaker 1: of water. The fountain is decorated with bronze statues of
[11:41] Speaker 1: mermaids combing their hair. To one side of the square
[11:49] Speaker 1: is the town hall. It is a tall brick building
[11:55] Speaker 1: with not one, not two, but three shiny copper weather veins.
[12:04] Speaker 1: The first is in the shape of a shooting star,
[12:09] Speaker 1: the second is in the shape of a fox wearing
[12:13] Speaker 1: a crown, and the third shows a flock of geese
[12:18] Speaker 1: with outspread wings, soaring through the sky. The square is
[12:27] Speaker 1: very beautiful, but even over the burbling of the fountain
[12:33] Speaker 1: you can hear the enticing whisper of the sea. You
[12:40] Speaker 1: follow the sloping, cobbled streets downhill until you reach the
[12:47] Speaker 1: sea shore. The sun is out. The sea is a deep,
[12:54] Speaker 1: cool blue, The sand is a soft pale yellow. The
[13:03] Speaker 1: shore is dotted with painted beach huts striped in shades
[13:08] Speaker 1: of pink, red, and green. Some of the huts sell
[13:14] Speaker 1: ice creams or lollipops, and even sun hats. One hut
[13:23] Speaker 1: is very special. It is home to a tiny puppet theater.
[13:31] Speaker 1: When you peer inside, you can see a miniature stage.
[13:37] Speaker 1: Between its velvet curtains. The puppets dangle a sailor, a pirate,
[13:46] Speaker 1: a ballerina, and an acrobat. You are too late to
[13:53] Speaker 1: see the puppet show today, You promise yourself you'll return
[13:59] Speaker 1: here tomorrow. As you turn to leave, the puppeteer herself
[14:09] Speaker 1: emerges from the back of the hut and waves hello.
[14:16] Speaker 1: She asks if you're a visitor to snoozing on sea.
[14:22] Speaker 1: When you tell her that you are, she gives you
[14:25] Speaker 1: a mysterious smile. She tells you that she thinks you'll
[14:31] Speaker 1: see the puppets again sooner than later. You walk a
[14:39] Speaker 1: little further along the beach, looking for the perfect spot
[14:44] Speaker 1: to sit. At last, you find a place where the
[14:51] Speaker 1: breeze feels especially gentle, the sand especially soft, and the
[15:00] Speaker 1: sun especially warm. You sit down and let your toes
[15:08] Speaker 1: sink slowly down down into the sand. You let out
[15:18] Speaker 1: a deep sigh of contentment. It feels so lovely to
[15:25] Speaker 1: be here beside the sea. You eat the lunch Elfrida
[15:33] Speaker 1: has packed for you. It's so delicious. Elfrida has made
[15:41] Speaker 1: your favorite type of sandwich and baked just the kind
[15:45] Speaker 1: of cookies you love best. Her homemade lemonade is delicious too.
[15:54] Speaker 1: It leaves a sweet, zingy taste on your tongue. With
[16:02] Speaker 1: a full belly, you settle back to admire the sea.
[16:10] Speaker 1: You love to watch the foam that splashes up as
[16:13] Speaker 1: the waves break. Sometimes shapes appear out of the greeny
[16:21] Speaker 1: white foam. You see frothy foam horses galloping over the water,
[16:31] Speaker 1: and big white, foamy polar bears tumbling and rolling towards
[16:37] Speaker 1: the shore. You see delicate, frothy fairies dancing over the
[16:44] Speaker 1: cresting waves, and enormous foam ships sailing towards you. The
[16:55] Speaker 1: sun grows low in the sky. It is time to
[17:00] Speaker 1: go home again. Elfrida will be expecting you back at
[17:09] Speaker 1: the cottage. Elfrida stirs a pot of soup bubbling on
[17:14] Speaker 1: the stove. She turns and smiles when she sees you
[17:20] Speaker 1: come in. You tell her all about your day. When
[17:28] Speaker 1: you are finished talking, she asks if you happened to
[17:33] Speaker 1: discover snoozing on seas magical secret you think very hard.
[17:42] Speaker 1: You saw lots of wonderful things today, like the beautiful carousel,
[17:49] Speaker 1: the street full of toy shops, and the shapes in
[17:54] Speaker 1: the sea foam, but you didn't uncover any magical sea secret.
[18:03] Speaker 1: Elfrida twinkles her eyes at you and tells you she
[18:08] Speaker 1: thinks you'll find out what it is before too long.
[18:16] Speaker 1: You've had a long day and you're feeling very tired.
[18:22] Speaker 1: You climb the tower into your turret room and snuggle
[18:28] Speaker 1: under the covers of your four poster bed. Your arms
[18:35] Speaker 1: and legs feel very heavy, and your eyes keep drooping closed.
[18:45] Speaker 1: But before you drift off to sleep, you can't resist
[18:50] Speaker 1: peering out the window by your bed for one last look.
[18:55] Speaker 1: That's snoozing on sea. The sky is a deep blue,
[19:04] Speaker 1: and the first stars wink at you through the clouds.
[19:11] Speaker 1: The moon is rising over the sea, round and shiny
[19:16] Speaker 1: like a silver coin. The cobbled streets are empty, and
[19:23] Speaker 1: so is the square. A feeling of sleepy quiet has
[19:31] Speaker 1: settled over the village. You yawn, it's time to come
[19:38] Speaker 1: away from the window and rest your head against the pillows.
[19:48] Speaker 1: But then you hear something strange, a clip clop clopping
[19:54] Speaker 1: noise it sounds like hoofs on cobble se stones. You
[20:04] Speaker 1: peer out the window again and your mouth falls open.
[20:11] Speaker 1: A horse is trotting through the village streets. But it's
[20:16] Speaker 1: no ordinary horse. It is a horse from the carousel,
[20:23] Speaker 1: your favorite one. The horse that is painted green with
[20:29] Speaker 1: a shiny red saddle clip cropping behind it. Are the
[20:37] Speaker 1: rest of the carousel horses, bounding up and down, swishing
[20:43] Speaker 1: their manes and neighing gently. With each bound they lift
[20:51] Speaker 1: higher and higher into the sky, until finally they are floating.
[21:02] Speaker 1: You watch in amazement as each horse passes by your window.
[21:10] Speaker 1: As they pass, they turn to you and, in soft
[21:15] Speaker 1: neighing voices, wish you good night. Then they keep going,
[21:25] Speaker 1: bounding along through the sky until they disappear behind the
[21:31] Speaker 1: shadowy mountains. Then you hear another sound, a beautiful, swelling
[21:42] Speaker 1: song that sounds like the sweetest lullabi you've ever heard.
[21:49] Speaker 1: But where is it coming from? You peer out of
[21:55] Speaker 1: the window and see, to your surprise that the bounding
[22:01] Speaker 1: carousel horses have been joined by the musical instruments you
[22:07] Speaker 1: saw in the shop windows earlier. Today. They are drifting
[22:14] Speaker 1: through the air like clouds and making music as they
[22:20] Speaker 1: go violins, pianos, harmonicas, guitars and flutes all float one
[22:32] Speaker 1: by one past your window, filling the sky with incredible music.
[22:44] Speaker 1: Next come the toys, Teddy bears, dolls, leopards, and monkeys.
[22:54] Speaker 1: Good Night, they call as they go past. Good Night.
[23:02] Speaker 1: One Teddy sees your puzzled expression and asks you if
[23:07] Speaker 1: this is the first time you've seen the good night parade.
[23:14] Speaker 1: Yes you not, it is in that case, says the bear.
[23:22] Speaker 1: Enjoy your first parade and good night. You watch out
[23:31] Speaker 1: the window in wonder. It seems the whole village has
[23:38] Speaker 1: come alive to float past your window and wish you
[23:44] Speaker 1: good night. After the toys have passed by, you see
[23:52] Speaker 1: an enormous shooting star, the weather vane from the top
[23:57] Speaker 1: of the town hall. It streaks through the sky, casting
[24:05] Speaker 1: a coppery glow all over the village. Good Night, it
[24:12] Speaker 1: whispers to you in a voice that sounds as soft
[24:17] Speaker 1: and shiny as glitter. Good Night and sleep well. The
[24:27] Speaker 1: Fox and the Crown prances through the air after the
[24:31] Speaker 1: star and wishes you a good night with a flick
[24:36] Speaker 1: of its coppery tail. Good Night, good night, good night.
[24:44] Speaker 1: Call the flock of copper geese flying past your window
[24:49] Speaker 1: with their wings beating rhythmically. Next come the mermaids from
[24:57] Speaker 1: the fountain in the square. They swim past your window
[25:04] Speaker 1: and sing you good night in voices as watery as
[25:09] Speaker 1: the ocean, flicking their shiny tails this way and that
[25:16] Speaker 1: as they go. And after the mermaids are the puppets.
[25:25] Speaker 1: The ballerina puppet dances past you, and the acrobat puppet
[25:31] Speaker 1: tumbles along after her. Good night, they say, and sweet dreams.
[25:42] Speaker 1: But that's not all out from the moonlight ocean gallops
[25:49] Speaker 1: a herd of foam horses, followed by tumbling foam polar bears,
[25:56] Speaker 1: the frothy ship, and the dancing fairies. Yes, all the
[26:02] Speaker 1: wonderful creatures you saw in the sea spray this afternoon.
[26:09] Speaker 1: They drift past your window, smelling of salt. Good night,
[26:17] Speaker 1: they say, softly, good night. You see other sea creatures
[26:26] Speaker 1: rising up out of the waves, beautiful glow in the dark,
[26:31] Speaker 1: jellyfish with tentacles that dangle like chandeliers, as well as shiny,
[26:39] Speaker 1: flickering fish and leaping dolphins. But you don't see anything
[26:47] Speaker 1: after that. The sweet music of the good night parade
[26:53] Speaker 1: has allulled you into a heavy sleep. Elfrida smiles at
[27:03] Speaker 1: you at breakfast the next morning. Now, she says, have
[27:11] Speaker 1: you discovered the magical secret? Snoozing on Sea is the
[27:18] Speaker 1: only village in the world where every night there is
[27:23] Speaker 1: a special good night parade. You tell Elfrida you fell
[27:31] Speaker 1: asleep before the parade could finish. She nods. No one
[27:38] Speaker 1: has ever seen the parade end. That's part of its magic.
[27:45] Speaker 1: Once Elfrida stayed up long enough to see the moon
[27:50] Speaker 1: and the stars join the parade, she remembers how they
[27:57] Speaker 1: whirled through the sky, stopping at her window to wish
[28:02] Speaker 1: her a good night in silvery voices. As for what
[28:09] Speaker 1: happened after that, she couldn't say. She fell fast asleep
[28:17] Speaker 1: before she could find out. The rest of your stay
[28:25] Speaker 1: in Snoozing on Sea is wonderful. Your days are filled
[28:32] Speaker 1: with fun. You ride on the carousel and visit the
[28:38] Speaker 1: puppet theater. You swim in the sea and hunt for
[28:44] Speaker 1: starfish in the rock pools. You visit the bakery bright
[28:52] Speaker 1: and early each morning to buy bread and pastries when
[28:58] Speaker 1: they are still piping hot from the oven. On sunny afternoons,
[29:06] Speaker 1: you lie under the shade of the apple trees in
[29:10] Speaker 1: Elfrida's orchard, and on rainy afternoons you sit curled in
[29:18] Speaker 1: an armchair with one of Elfrida's soft dozy cats snuggled
[29:24] Speaker 1: up on your lap. But the best part of every
[29:31] Speaker 1: day is the evening, snug in your bed in the turret,
[29:39] Speaker 1: you open your window and watch the magnificent parade go
[29:45] Speaker 1: by until your eyes fall shut and you slip into dreams,
[29:54] Speaker 1: with the music of the parade still ringing in your ears.
[30:03] Speaker 1: On your last morning in Snoozing on Sea, you can't
[30:08] Speaker 1: help but feel a little sad. You promise Elfrida you'll
[30:14] Speaker 1: be back as soon as you can. She passes you
[30:20] Speaker 1: a small wooden box tied with a ribbon. It's something
[30:26] Speaker 1: for you to remember Snoozing on Sea by Elfrida, says.
[30:34] Speaker 1: That night, you are lying in your own warm bed
[30:39] Speaker 1: when you remember Elfrida's gift. You unwrap it to find
[30:47] Speaker 1: a silver music box. You turn the key and lift
[30:54] Speaker 1: the lid. You hear the strings of a very firm
[31:00] Speaker 1: a tune, the music of the good Night Parade. You
[31:09] Speaker 1: notice a piece of folded paper tucked into the box.
[31:15] Speaker 1: It is a note from Elfrida, and it reads, now
[31:21] Speaker 1: you can take the good Night Parade with you wherever
[31:25] Speaker 1: you go. Your friend Elfrida Ida down you wonder what
[31:34] Speaker 1: she means. Then, from underneath your window you hear a
[31:41] Speaker 1: strange sound, the clip clopping of hoofs. You look down
[31:50] Speaker 1: to see a brightly painted carousel horse going by. You
[31:58] Speaker 1: peer past the hall and gasp with wonder. After the
[32:05] Speaker 1: horse follow the floating instruments and the toys, teddies, dolls,
[32:13] Speaker 1: wooden animals, and spinning tops. Behind them are the coppery
[32:22] Speaker 1: fox and the swooping flock of geese. The shooting star
[32:30] Speaker 1: lights up the evening with a coppery glow, and behind
[32:38] Speaker 1: the star is the rest of the parade, coming to
[32:44] Speaker 1: wish you a special good night before you close your
[32:49] Speaker 1: eyes and fall into a deep, refreshing, dream filled sleep

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