0:00 An owl’s eyes are so large, they are fixed in their sockets; to look around, an owl must turn its whole head.0:08 It’s a bit like how our friend Silas the snail learned that moving slowly helped him see the world in a new way.0:17 Well, tonight’s story is about a little owl who was just starting to learn how to see his world, too.0:24 His name was Barnaby, and he lived in the coziest, warmest hollow of a great oak tree.0:31 He loved the feeling of the soft moss his mother had lined the nest with.0:37 He loved the sound of the wind rustling the leaves outside.0:41 But there was one thing Barnaby did not love.0:45 He was afraid of the dark.0:47 Every evening, as the sun would dip below the hills, painting the sky in orange and pink, a little knot of worry would form in Barnaby’s fluffy tummy.0:58 His parents would hoot softly, getting their wings ready for the night's hunt.1:04 "Time to fly, little one," his father would say, his voice deep and kind.1:10 But Barnaby would just snuggle deeper into the nest.1:14 The shadows grew long and strange, and the world outside his home turned into a big, dark, unknown place.1:22 He could hear all the nighttime sounds—the crickets chirping, the rustle of little creatures in the leaves below—and each one made him feel smaller and more scared.1:34 He wanted to be brave, like his parents.1:38 He wanted to soar through the silent, starry sky.1:41 But the fear was like a heavy blanket he couldn't shake off.1:46 One night, as Barnaby was peeking out from the edge of his nest, trembling just a little, he saw a tiny, blinking light.1:55 It hovered near a leaf, then zipped to a twig, then danced in the air.2:01 It wasn't a scary light.2:02 It was a gentle, playful little spark.2:05 "Hello?" Barnaby whispered, his voice barely a squeak.2:10 The light blinked and came closer.2:12 It was a firefly, and she had the kindest glow.2:16 "Hello," she buzzed back softly.2:18 "My name is Flicker.2:20 Why are you hiding in your nest?" Barnaby felt his face get warm.2:25 "I'm...2:25 I'm afraid of the dark," he admitted.2:28 Flicker blinked her light slowly, thoughtfully.2:32 "Afraid?" she said.2:33 "But the dark is when the best lights come out to play." Barnaby tilted his head.2:39 Flicker danced away a few feet.2:42 "Come see," she whispered.2:44 Hesitantly, Barnaby hopped from his nest onto the branch.2:48 It was the farthest he’d ever gone at night.2:52 Flicker led him to a patch of moss at the base of the tree.2:56 And there, Barnaby gasped.2:58 The moss was glowing with a faint, magical green light.3:02 Then, Flicker showed him how the moon made the dewdrops on a spider's web sparkle like a necklace of diamonds.3:11 She showed him a whole family of fireflies, blinking their lights to one another across the clearing, like they were telling secrets.3:21 Barnaby realized Flicker was right.3:24 The dark wasn't empty.3:26 It was filled with a different kind of light.3:29 A quieter, softer magic.3:31 He took a deep breath, and for the first time, it didn't feel shaky.3:36 He stretched his wings—his small, brave wings.3:40 And with Flicker glowing right beside him, he took a tiny, wobbly flight to the very next branch.3:47 It wasn't a long flight, or a high flight.3:50 But it was a start.3:52 And looking out at the glittering, glowing, secret-filled night, Barnaby felt a little bit of the dark's magic become his OWN.
