About this episode Join Rocky, the curious river stone, on a soothing bedtime adventure filled with gentle wonders and quiet discoveries. Narrated in a warm, cozy voice reminiscent of a caring grandparent, this story invites children into a peaceful world where exploration and imagination intertwine. Perfect for winding down the day, listeners will feel comforted and inspired to dream about their own gentle journeys beyond the river's bend.
0:00 Are you all snuggled in?0:02 Good.0:02 Let me pull the covers up just a little bit more.0:07 There.0:07 Did you know a single, smooth river stone can travel hundreds of miles, just by letting the water carry it?0:17 It reminds me a little of our friend Pip, the sunflower seed, who felt the pull of the sun and grew toward the light.0:28 Well, tonight’s story is about a little stone named Rocky, who felt the pull of the river.0:36 He was small and gray and perfectly smooth, and for a very, very long time, he had sat in the exact same spot on the bottom of a clear, cool river.0:50 Every day, he watched the minnows dart by and the sunbeams dance on the water above.0:58 And every day, he dreamed of seeing what was around the next bend.1:04 One afternoon, the sky grew dark and the water began to move much, much faster.1:11 A storm was coming.1:13 The river, which usually whispered, began to ROAR.1:18 Rocky could feel the water pushing at him, stronger than ever before.1:24 Part of him was a little scared.1:27 His spot was safe and quiet.1:30 But another part of him… oh, another part was SO excited.1:35 This was it.1:36 This was his chance.1:38 He held his breath, which is a funny thing for a stone to do, and wiggled just a tiny bit.1:46 He wanted the river to know he was READY.1:50 He felt the rumble of bigger rocks rolling past him in the dark water.1:56 He just hoped he was brave enough for a real adventure.2:02 Then… WHOOSH!2:03 A great, powerful surge of water lifted him up, up, up from the sandy bottom!2:10 He was tumbling and turning, end over end!2:14 For a moment, he couldn’t tell which way was up.2:18 But it wasn’t scary… it was like a dance!2:22 He rolled past the tangled roots of a willow tree, which looked like ancient, bony fingers waving hello.2:32 A tiny fish with scales like a rainbow zipped past and seemed to wink right at him.2:39 He saw the world in a blur of greens and browns and sparkling light.2:46 It was bigger and faster and more WONDERFUL than he had ever, ever dreamed.2:53 As the storm passed, the river began to slow down.2:57 The wild dance became a gentle sway.3:01 Rocky felt himself drifting lower… and lower… until he settled with a soft little thump.3:09 He looked around.3:10 He wasn’t in his old spot anymore.3:13 He was in a quiet little hollow, tucked beside a patch of moss that was the greenest green he had ever seen.3:23 Sunlight filtered down through the calm water, making little golden patterns on the sand.3:32 He was safe.3:33 He was home.3:34 But he knew now that home wasn’t just one place.3:38 It was any quiet spot where you could rest after a grand adventure, with a whole new world to watch.3:48 And from his new little nook, Rocky could see even farther down the river.
