THE TEMPTATION TO MAKE LIFE ABOUT YOURSELF

[Music] Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtimes a dream. Listen up, we've got a huge list of shoutouts tonight. We're going to start in Washington with Nora Winter Spokane. Then we've got Benjamin and Naomi in Washington DC. We also are going to give a shoutout and a happy birthday to Ember, who's nine. And Violet and Jonas, thank you for joining up. Evan, who really wanted a Hector and Sonny shoutout. I'm afraid you're not getting that tonight, but did you hear the compilation? Whoa, that's two whole hours. It's a few days ago, I think we put that one out. Then we've also got Aubrey from Michigan. And finally, Evie and I, from Perth in Western Australia. Welcome, welcome, welcome, come on in. Thanks for joining the club, the best club in town. And Coco's just over there to show you your seats. Or should I say your cozy comfy beds? Or your futon? What do you like to sleep on? Um, okay. We are going to visit Coco tonight. And not far from his cozy wooden cabin. Rise the perfect moonlit crescent of Harmony Cove. You'll know that. You may remember it's where Michelle the Lost Property Turtle lives. Sometimes we spot zen there too. Or tonight it is yet again the location of some magical goings-on. Her simple run of the mill sleepover turns into an extraordinary adventure. Yep, after helping his friend Michelle at the busy beach side, Lost Property Office, Coco feels a deep longing to explore the mysterious world beneath the waves. When wonderfully his wishes heard, a golden submarine slowly rises from the sea and carries him to the hidden realm of the Mare people, where he discovers wonder and magic. And there's new adventures happen all the time across the Koala Kingdom. It's not surprising that something special is staring elsewhere too. In the middle of nowhere, and we know who lives there. Hello, Potato and Beans. We've got Flick, a clever little fox, and Jumble, her gentle donkey companion. And they're setting off on their very first journey across the desert as there's nowhere treasure hunters. He's going to be a brilliant new series. So I've given you the heads up. Make sure you tune in on Wednesday and you will hear their very first adventure. But for now though, let's hop into bed and close your eyes. Shake out all your energy. Go on, shake, shake, shake, shake. All the energy that's stored up from the day from all the busy things you've been up to, just shake it all out. And whilst you're doing that, imagine packing your overnight bag. What would you put in yours? Because we're about to go and join Coco for his memorable sleep over. You can stop shaking now. This is Coco and the Sleepy Submarine by Annabelle Pitcher. Before we begin, here's a quick ad break. Then we'll start tonight's bedtime story. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, and unlock all our premium stories, you can join the Coco Club to join, follow the link in the show notes. Parents somewhere can be such a magical time for kids, but even with Camps booked and holidays planned, there are still plenty of hours in the day to fill. And when you're trying to avoid screen time that keeps kids sitting still, next playground offers something different, an active game system where everyone can jump, dance, and move their bodies to control the play. It's kids safe with no ads, no in-app purchases, no mature content, and no online chat with people you don't know. Next playground comes with five experiences ready to play, and with play pass, you can unlock over 50 games, many featuring characters your kids already know and love, from Bluey and Dora to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Avatar the Last Airbender. It transforms your living room into an adventure playground, with family-friendly games that get the whole family moving, imagining, and even practicing a little Avatar-style rock bending. So when there's in-between summer hours need filling, next playground helps make screen time feel active, safe, and shared. Check out nextplayground.com. That's n-e-x playground.com to learn more. [Music] It was a rather unusual night for Coco. Usually he'd be tucked up in bed in cozy cabin, but tonight his cozy wooden home in sleepy forest had been replaced by a stretch of soft golden sand in harmony cove. He was having a sleep over, and was feeling happy from the tips of his very ears to the ends of his fairy toes. It was wonderful to visit friends in different places, until they contendedly on the beach next to Michelle, the turtle, gazing at the stars which gleamed and glimmered overhead. The sky seemed wider than it ever did in sleepy forest, stretching far beyond the tops of the cliffs, and the stars were close enough to count. One, two, miss a few, 99, 100! Giggled Coco, marveling at the sheer volume of stars bathing him in silver-eray light. He shifted position on the sand, which felt warm with the memory of the day sunshine. What a day! What a day indeed, Michelle agreed. A busy one. I was glad of your help, Coco. Thank you. No need to thank me, Michelle. Coco replied, "I enjoyed every second of it." It was true. The little koala had had a lot of fun helping in the lost property office, where the turtle worked, carefully lining up the buckets, goggles, and other curious treasures that had been left behind on the beach. There had been a lot of visitors to harmony cove that day. Families carrying picnic baskets, youngsters building sandcastles, and swimmers racing in and out of the water. And the little office had bustled with cheerful chatter from morning until late afternoon. Michelle was an expert in handling all the queries and questions, finding out the precise information he needed to locate the lost items. Or was it yellow like the sun or yellow like the sand? He'd asked a tiny, tearful crab who had misplaced his sun hat. Michelle had nodded carefully as he'd listened to the squeaky reply, easily locating the hat among a basket of abandoned clothes at the back of the office. The crab had clapped his claws with delight when the hat was returned, and Coco had felt a warm blow of satisfaction at being part of the rescue. Only one item hadn't been reclaimed by the end of the day, a delicate shell necklace with a gleaming pearl pendant. Michelle had looked at it, his eyes narrowing with curiosity, as he'd held the necklace in his flipper. "I wonder," he'd muttered, placing the necklace in the front pocket of his satchel. But what he wondered had remained a mystery to Coco. Coco hadn't dwelt on it for long. Later in the afternoon, when the sun had dipped low, the two friends had gone swimming. They'd slipped into the crystal clear water, gliding slowly through the waves, chatting happily in the last glimmers of sunlight. Michelle had dived below the surface, his strong flippers carrying him down to the ribbons of seaweed that swayed gently in the water. Clusters of smooth pale rocks had glistened on the sandy ocean floor, and tiny shells had shimmered in the twilight. It had looked like treasure, and Coco had ached with longing as he'd watched it all from above. How wonderful it would have been to follow Michelle into the calm underwater world and explore the sparkly seabed for himself. Now, as night settled over harmony cove, and koalamoon climbed steadily above the cliffs, Coco gazed out across the moonlit ocean and wondered what might lie beneath the waves. There, in the hushed world below, he pictured murpy people singing quietly, shimmering bubbles of music emerging from their lips. They sang about things that Coco didn't understand, things that Coco ached to understand. The thought stirred something inside Coco, a deep, powerful yearning, not just to see those places from above, but to belong to them, if only for a little while. Coco lay still for a moment, listening to the soft rhythm of the waves breaking against the shore, pictures drifting through his mind like a dream. Coral arches shaped like grand doorways, glowing caverns filled with treasure, winding passages that led to secret underwater caves, how he longed to see it all. Then, as if the ocean itself had heard his wish, the surface of the water gave a slow, curious ripple. It spread outward in widening circles, and Coco lifted his head, pushing himself upright on the beach, and peering closely at the sea to see what might be rising from below. The ripple grew larger as the water bulged upward, sending tiny rings of light dancing across the ocean. "What is going on?" he asked, gazing at Michelle, who gave an enormous grin. "Oh, well done Coco!" Michelle gasped. "Well done, well done, well done!" "Well done!" Coco repeated, feeling rather baffled. "What do you mean? Well done!" "I don't mean to be rude, Michelle, but what am I supposed to have done?" Michelle simply chuckled, "Oh, you'll see!" he said, dusting sand off his stout little legs, and hooking his satchel over his shell as he stood up. "Come on!" And with that, the little turtle hurried off across the sand. Coco followed, and just at that moment, an almighty shape emerged where the ripple had once been. It rose up and out of the ocean, the top of something gold and shiny breaking through the moonlit surface. Coco's jaw fell open, as more of the golden vessel appeared. It was enormous. But pounding, he took in the small round windows and the tall gleaming periscope, and finally understood what he was seeing. "Is that? Is that a submarine?" he asked. "It is indeed," Michelle replied, glancing back over his shoulder to grin at the look of surprise on Coco's face, and we are climbing aboard. Coco stood for a few seconds, hardly daring to believe his eyes. "A submarine?" Coco watched as the golden vessel drifted towards the wooden jetty. The other mord boats seeming to move aside, as if understanding that this visitor to Harmony Cove was rather special. Coco hurried to catch up with Michelle, and together the two friends made their way to the water's edge. The wooden planks of the jetty gave a friendly creek as they stepped onto it, and the golden submarine rocked in slow, even motions with the tide. Coco paused for a moment. His eyes wide with wonder as he looked at the shining vessel floating on the water. The submarines, rounded golden walls, were not plain and smooth as Coco had first thought. As he stepped closer, he noticed delicate patterns pressed into the metal, beautiful, embossed shapes that caught the moonlight and twinkored. There were more people carved along the sides. Their flowing tails curling through strands of seaweed, their hair drifting behind them as if moving in real water. Each figure was carefully detailed, with tiny shells, intricate jewellery and bubbles worked into the design, so that the whole surface looked like a quiet underwater scene captured in gold. "It's beautiful," Coco breathed. "And it's all yours," Michelle said. "For tonight, at least, you summoned it, Coco. The merpeople sent it." Coco's eyes grew big and round as Koala Moon. "I summoned it." He put a quivering hand on his beating chest. "Me?" Michelle nodded. "You?" "But how?" "I didn't ask for it." The little Koala stroked at a loss to understand how someone as small as him could summon something as big as this. "I didn't do anything," Michelle. Michelle turned to Coco, with the same kindly expression he'd warned for the customers at the lost property office. "You yearned for it, Coco. You wished for it. You longed to go underwater and visit the merpeople, and they heard you. Your heart spoke to theirs. They sent this to collect you." At least, Coco stared up at the periscope where a tiny lantern shone in the darkness. The light flickered and danced, touching the patterns on the submarine. The mermaid shimmered, seeming to glide along the curved walls as though they were gently leading the way, ready to guide Coco into their underwater world. "Can we really visit the merpeople?" he whispered. "Really, really?" Michelle smiled. "Really, really." The two friends stepped closer to the submarine and as they did so, a long metal ladder appeared out of nowhere, magically lowering from the top of the golden vessel all the way down to the wooden jetty. It's rungs, gleaming softly in the lantern light. It led to a hatch on the deck of the submarine. The submarine rocked gently, making the ladder sway. Coco eyed it, feeling nervous, glad that Michelle was going first. He marveled as his friend placed a confident flipper on the lowest rung and climbed with ease, the satchel bouncing against his jade green shell. The lost necklace in the front pocket gave a little tinkle as if calling out to its owner wherever they were. When Michelle reached the top of the ladder, he turned and looked down at Coco with a reassuring smile. "Your turn," he said. Coco took a deep breath, placing a tentative paw on the ladder. He started to climb, rung by rung. "Keep going," Michelle said, peering over the top of the submarine. "You can do it, Coco." Coco continued upwards, trying to ignore the swaying motion of the ladder, acquired to creek of the jetty and the soft lap of water below. At last he reached the round hatch where Kawala Moon was reflected on the smooth domed surface. "Is that how we get in?" Coco asked. As if in reply, the hatch turned and hissed. With a soft click, it opened of its own accord, a warm welcoming glow spilling out from inside, like an invitation to adventure. Bye bye. "I assume so, Coco." He stood aside and held out a flipper. "After you." Taking a second deep breath, Coco gripped the edge of the round opening and carefully swung a leg over the rim of the hatch. He peered into the submarine, spotting a narrow metal ladder leading down to a softly lit cabin. The faint, steady hum of the vessel was low and comforting, like a distant pear. He placed a paw on the first rung of the ladder, testing it carefully before lowering himself down, step by step. The metal felt cool beneath his paws, and the round hatch framed a circle of moonlight that grew smaller as he descended. He was leaving the world above the water behind. When his feet finally touched the floor of the submarine, Coco gazed around at the snug cabin, polished brass dials lined the curved walls, coloured buttons, glowed like jewels, and thick glass windows looked out over the dark blue water of Harmony Cove. There was a sturdy wooden table strewn with rolled up maps, shelves crowded with bottles of shimmering sand, and strings of pearly shells that glimmered softly along the curved walls. Coco glanced back up at the hatch, waiting eagerly for Michelle. Four green flippers appeared, and soon the turtle was climbing down the ladder. With a soft thud, he reached the floor beside Coco, and looked around the cabin nodding with satisfaction. "Well then," he said. "Shall we get comfortable?" Coco followed Michelle across the cabin, where two wide cushioned seats had been placed in front of a large window set into the golden wall. The glass was thick and perfectly clear, polished until it shone like crystal. The two friends settled themselves into the seats, then peered out of the window, then noses almost touching the glass. Outside, the wooden posts of the jetty stood tall and familiar in the moonlight. For a moment everything was still. Then the floor beneath their feet began to rumble. Soft at first, then a little louder, like the gentle rumble of distant thunder. "We're setting off," Coco cried, his ears twitching in excitement. "We're about to leave." "We certainly are," Michelle replied, fastening about across his lap. "Are you ready for the ride?" Coco nodded as he strapped himself into. The submarine gave a small, careful shiver, and then, with a smooth steady motion, it eased away from the jetty. The wooden posts drifted slowly past the glass, followed by the shadowy shapes of the boats bobbing quietly on the water. Coco watched every inch of movement, hardly blinking. Almost without a splash, the submarine began to sink. Very slowly, the line of the water crept higher across the window until the moonlight disappeared, replaced by the soft dim blue of the sea. The bubbles slipped upward past the glass in lazy trails, and the surface of the ocean became a shimmering ceiling far above them. Coco let out a small gasp. "We're under the water," he whispered. "We're actually under the water." When the sandy bottom of Harmony Cove came into view, softly lit by the vessel's lamps, long ribbons of seaweeds wade back and forth, moving in slow, graceful motions, reminding Coco of grass blowing in the wind back in sleepy forest. A school of small silver fish darted past the window, turning in unison so their scales flashed like tiny mirrors. One curious fish paused for a moment, hovering near the glass as if to inspect the visitors, before flicking its tail and swimming away again. "Look at that," Coco, Michelle said pointing toward the seabed. Coco leaned forward, pressing his paws against the window. Her crab was shuffling sideways across the sand. Its claws raised importantly as it navigated across a cluster of smooth stones. Nearby, a starfish rested quietly, its arms spread wide like a little sun. Coco's heart filled with bubbling joy. He had watched this world from above. He had wondered about it, daydreamed about it, and now he was inside it. He remembered the deep, powerful yearning he had felt, the longing in his chest. How miraculous it was that his wish had been heard by the merpeople in a distant underwater land. "And now, I'm here," he said softly, his voice full of awe. Underneath the ocean, and on my way to meet them. With a satisfied sigh, Coco settled back into his seat as the submarine glided forward. It moved across the sandy floor of the cove, carrying them deeper into the calm, mysterious world beneath the sea. Gradually, the seabed began to change. The smooth sand gave way to gentle hills and rocky ridges, dotted with swaying forests of seaweed that rose tall and green like underwater trees. Bright fish slipped in and out of the leaves, vanishing and reappearing as if playing hide and seek. Ahead of them, the water grew darker. It felt hushed and secret, like stepping into a quiet hall where something important was waiting to be discovered. Strange and beautiful shapes began to appear. It was the stuff Coco had longed to see, the stuff he had dreamed of seeing. Great coral arch is shaped like grand doorways curved overhead. Their branches twisting and looping together to make a long, dark tunnel. The submarine passed through it, moving this way and that, navigating the tight corners with ease. It seemed to know where it was going, emerging from the last coral arch into a dark section of ocean where caverns shimmered in the darkness. They were filled with treasure, just like Coco had imagined. Piles of smooth jewels, polished shells and glints of silver and gold that sparkled softly in the dim blue light. In one cavern, pearls that looked just like the one on the necklace, glimmered and shone. "Who does it all belong to?" Coco whispered. "The mer people I expect," Michelle replied. Coco looked at the front pocket of the satchel, wondering about the lost necklace inside. The space narrowed, funneling the submarine along a thin path that twisted and turned beneath the waves. The passageway led to a series of underwater caves. Some were small and cozy, tucked into the rock like boroughs, while others stretched far back into the shadows. Coco pressed his furry face against the wind. his eyes wide and shining. At last the winding passageway opened into a glimmering stretch of ocean, and Coco felt his breath catch in his throat. "The land of the MIR people," he gasped. "Rook Michelle, look!" There was more magical than Coco could ever have imagined. Buildings rose from the seabed, tall and magnificent. Huge white pillars stood in long impressive rows, and smooth marble walls gleamed in the light that filtered down from Koala Moon somewhere high above the water. For a moment Coco floated above it all, seeing himself beneath the surface in the golden submarine as MIR people drifted around it. Their tails flashing silver and turquoise as they moved about their day. And then, quite suddenly, the submarine stopped by a wide stone platform. Outside the window, MIR people gathered their long hair drifting gently around their kind curious faces. With a gentle hiss, the hatch of the submarine unlocked. Coco stared at it, suddenly feeling disappointed. In all the excitement, he'd forgotten something rather important. He still couldn't breathe underwater. He would never be able to leave the submarine and meet the MIR people. Michelle seemed to have forgotten this vital detail too. He was already out of his seat unfastening his belt and hooking his satchel over his shell. He collapsed his flippers together. "Right," he said cheerfully. "Shall we go and say hello?" Coco hesitated, staring down at his furry toes. "But how can I, Michelle?" he asked in a small, sad voice. "I can't breathe out there." Michelle put a flipper around Coco's soft shoulders and chuckled. "You'll see," he said for the second time that evening. "Come on." Together the two friends climbed the ladder. Michelle first, Coco following close behind, still feeling rather wary. When Michelle pushed open the hatch, Coco held his breath, but not a single drop of water spilled inside. The ocean hovered above the submarine like a clear wobbly ceiling. "Hiss magic," Coco breathed in amazement. "They've enchanted the water just for you," Michelle replied. "I knew they would. You can't come all this way and stay in the submarine, can you?" Dazed, but happy. Coco followed the turtle out of the hatch, floating down to the stone platform where the murk people were waiting. He glanced at them, shyly. A tall mermaid with green eyes glided forward to meet them, her smile gentle and welcoming. "We heard your wish, Coco," she said in a soft, lifting voice. "It was a pure wish from a pure heart, and so we sent the submarine to collect you." Coco's cheeks warmed with surprise and pride. He looked around at the beautiful ornate buildings, hardly able to believe he was standing in the land he had dreamed about. The murk people watched him. Their eyes bright with interest. Among them, small groups of murk children swam in restless circles, whispering and pointing at the visitors. One female murk child hovered near the front of the crowd, peeking out from behind the others. She caught Coco's eye and waived. And as she did so, Coco noticed a shell bracelet with a pearl pendant twinkling on her wrist. "Michelle," Coco said, gesturing at the murk child, "look! That bracelet is identical to the last necklace." "Oh, good work, Coco!" Michelle replied, sounding delighted. "Good work, indeed." Exitedly, the turtle reached into the front pocket of his satchel before hurrying over to the little murk child. "I believe I have something that may belong to you," he said. The murk people leaned forward with interest. As Michelle carefully held out the shell necklace on his shiny green flipper. The murk child gasped. "My necklace," she said. Michelle placed the lost item into the murk child's waiting hands. Found on the beach at Harmony Cove, he said, in his steady professional voice. And now safely returned. The murk child beamed hugging the necklace close. Coco felt a warm glow spread through him. The same pride he'd felt earlier in the lost property office when the lost hat had been returned to the little crab. It was good to do nice things. So very, very good. Coco and Michelle stayed for a couple of hours after that, visiting the coral gardens, admiring the tall buildings, and watching the murk children dart and play among the seaweed. It was everything Coco had hoped for and more. At last, Michelle rested a gentle flipper on Coco's shoulder. "Timed ahead home," he said kindly. Coco nodded, feeling pleasantly, wonderfully tired. Together the two friends bid farewell to the murk people, promising to visit again soon. Wearily, they climbed back into the submarine, the round hatch closing softly above them. "Goodbye," Coco called. "Goodbye, we'll come again soon." The golden vessel eased away from the platform and began the slow, steady journey back through the winding passages and coral arches, leaving the shining city behind. Coco settled into his cushion seat by the window, watching the deep blue water drift past. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier as the submarine glided smoothly onward. Soon his head tipped gently to one side, and before they'd even reached the sandy floor of harmony cove, Coco had fallen fast asleep, dreaming of coral archways, sparkling treasure, and a little merch child with a gleaming pearl necklace smiling. [Music]