Speaker 1: Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world.
I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories.
In fact, you're listening to an episode of Dad's Bedtime
Stories that almost didn't happen because I was on a
family trip and just got back now with very little
time to do an episode. As a result, I decided
that I would do a bedtime story Time episode. And
that's where I take one of your ideas for sort
of a standalone episode. I storyboard it, you know, make
up all the major points that I want to have happen,
and you know, I use a little bit of AI
assistance to turn it into a story because I just
didn't have time to make my own today. I am
pretty happy with how this turned out, though. Let's check
out the story idea that inspired it from Harriet.
Speaker 2: Hello.
Speaker 3: My name is Harriet. I'm ten years old in punk Charlotteville, Virginia.
I'd like to suggest a bedtime story tie that is
about a girl who when she turns ten on her birthday,
she discovers that she has magic powers.
Speaker 2: I would.
Speaker 3: Prefer if she had the powers of like video game
like she could pause, she could control people if they
got close enough stuff like that, and I would also
prefer for her name to be Harriet, but you can choose.
Thank you. I love your podcast.
Speaker 1: Bye well, Harriet. I hope you like what we came
up with. As I said, I spent some time storyboarding
the entire thing when I had a chance to, but
you know, the specific dialogue and stuff like that was
partially helped by AI in this case, so I think
it's important to be honest that. But at the same time,
I still think it's a pretty fun story and I
hope you guys enjoy it too. If you like the podcast,
don't forget to rate it and review it on whatever
platform you're listening on. Hit that like button if you're
on YouTube and I don't know, comment or whatever. Now
it's time to get as comfy as you can in
that bed, close your eyes, and imagine yourself doing what
the kid in the story does. Harriet had loved video
games for as long as she could remember. She loved
racing games, building games, adventure games, puzzle games, space games,
and even games where you played as a confused goose
whose main goal appeared to be stealing sandwiches. Harriet did
not simply play video games, though she studied them. She
learned every shortcut, discovered every hidden room, and tested every
suspicious looking wall to see whether it was secretly breakable. Tomorrow,
Harriet would turn ten. She expected cake presence and possibly
a new portable game console if the unusually rectangular package
in her parents closet meant what she thought it meant.
But she certainly did not expect her parents to sit
her down in the living room and tell her that
her family had magical powers. Harriet. Her father said, seriously,
there's something we need to explain before your birthday. Her
mother sat beside him, looking excited but also slightly nervous.
Harriet lowered the controller she was holding. Am I in trouble?
Speaker 3: No?
Speaker 1: Her mother said, did you find out? I looked in
the closet. Parents glanced at each other. What closet? Her
father asked, never mind. Her father leaned forward and rested
his elbows on his knees. Harriet, there's no easy way
to tell you this, but the thing is every person
in our family, when they turned ten years old, that is,
develops a sort of special libility. Harriet waited for him
to smile, but he didn't. You mean like being able
to whistle really loudly or something like that, She asked. No,
said her father, I mean a superpower, Harriet. You're you're
gonna get superpowers. Harriet just stared at him. Her mother nodded.
Our family has descended from several ancient wizard families. She explained.
The old magic has been passed down from parent to
child for hundreds of years. It's changed over time, though
we don't usually cast spells with wands anymore. Instead, the
magic sort of becomes part of us, and everyone gets powers.
At ten, Harriet asked, Ah, usually during the night before
their tenth birthday, she explained. Harriet looked from one parent
to the other. So what can you do? She asked suspiciously.
Her father grinned. Her mother stood up. We thought you
might ask that. They led Harriet through the kitchen and
hewed into the backyard. Sunlight shone across the grass, and
a few birds watched from the fence, as though they'd
purchased tickets to whatever show was about to happen. Harriet's
mother raised one finger. She moved it through the air
as though she were drawing on an invisible sheet of paper.
A glowing blue line appeared behind her fingertip. Harriet stepped closer.
Her mother drew a round body, four tiny legs, two wings,
a curling tail, and a head with two small horns.
When the drawing was complete, she tapped it. The glowing
picture shook itself, stretched, and popped out of the air.
A tiny blue dragon flapped around Harriet's head. Harriet ducked.
The dragon landed on her shoulder, sneezed a puff of
glittering smoke, and tried to eat a loose strand of
her hair. You made that, Harriet cried. I've always loved art,
her mother said. My power lets me bring my creations
to life. They only last a short time, though. The
dragon gave Harriet's ear an affectionate lick, then dissolved into
blue sparks and drifted away in the breeze. That was amazing,
she said. Harriet turned towards her father. So what can
you do well me, I'm h incredibly strong, really almost
invulnerable even He walked to the far end of the yard,
where a gigantic landscaping rock rested near the fence. It
was nearly as wide as the kitchen table. Her father
bent down, wrapped his arms around it, and lifted it
over his head. Harriet's mouth fell open. Her father tossed
the rock into the air and rose high above the
roof of the house, stopped and came hurtling back down.
Harriet screamed a little bit, but her father just leaned forward.
The rock struck him directly on the top of the
head and exploded into dozens of pieces. Her father remained standing.
He was dusty, but he didn't look hurt at all.
Harriet just stared at him. Her mother just folded her arms.
I liked that rock, Well, I didn't know alos to
demonstrate the true nature of my powers, her father replied.
Harriet looked at the shattered rock that was scattered across
the ground. Now tomorrow I'm gonna get something like like that. Well,
your powers will probably match your personality, her mother explained.
Mine came from my love of drawing. Your father's came
from his determination to solve every problem by hitting it
or lifting it. He had a rough childhood. I don't
solve every problem that way, her father protested, Well, not anymore.
Her mother responded by simply giving him a look, a
look that meant sure you don't, honey. That night, Harry
had climbed into bed without knowing what to believe. Her
parents had definitely just demonstrated superpowers, unless they'd somehow arranged
an advanced hologram trained miniature dragon and maybe some sort
of exploding rock. Well, if not, everything they'd told her
had to be true. Harriet closed her eyes and tried
to imagine what power she might receive. Perhaps she would fly,
perhaps she would turn invisible. Maybe she'd be able to
control electricity, or speak to animals, or create animals out
of electricity. She hoped she didn't receive the power to
like organize closets or something like that. Her bedroom needed that,
but she certainly didn't want it as a power. Sometime
after midnight, Harriet woke to a strange humming sound. A
beam of light shone through the ceiling and surrounded her bed.
Her blankets lifted into the air, and Harriet lifted with them.
She floated several feet above her mattress, unable to move
or call out. The light became brighter, It rushed through
her skin and filled her body with a weird, tingling energy.
For a moment, Harriet saw glowing symbols spinning around her, hearts, arrows, buttons,
a health bar. Then the light vanished. Harry had dropped
onto her bed with a bounce. When morning came, she
wondered whether it had all been a dream. She jumped
out of bed and immediately tested every power she could
think of. She drew a cat in the air with
her finger. Nothing happened. Rabbed the frame of her bed
and tried to lift it. It remained exactly where it
was and exactly as heavy as she remembered. She ran
down the hallway as fast as she could, but she
was not super fast. Finally, Harry had climbed onto her bed,
jumped into the air, and stretched out both arms, but
she did not fly. She landed face first in her pillows.
At breakfast, Harry had dropped into her chair. I didn't
get any powers, her parents looked up from decorating a
stack of birthday pancakes. Are you sure, her mother asked.
I tried everything. I can't fly, I can't lift heavy things,
run fast, or draw dragons. Well, did anything unusual happen
last night? Her father asked. Harriet told them about the
beam of light and the floating above her bed. Her
father pointed his fork at her, Well, that's the sign.
Same thing happened to me, he said, except I floated
into the ceiling and cracked the plaster. I'm sure you
have powers, honey, You'll just have to wait and see
what they are. After breakfast, Harriet opened her Presence. The
rectangular package was, as expected, a new portable game console.
She was thrilled, but she still couldn't stop thinking about
her missing powers. Eventually, Harriet went into the big living
room and turned on one of her favorite games. On
the screen, a blocky adventurer stood in a forest, holding
a sword in one hand and a pickaxe in the other.
Harriet picked up the controller, and a sudden pulse raced
down both of her arms. Bright energy burst from her
fingers and streamed into the controller. The television flashed. The
blocky adventurer shot out of the screen and landed on
the carpet beside her. Harry had dropped the controller. The
character stood perfectly still. It was nearly as tall as Harriet,
with square boots, square hands, and a sword that appeared
much sharper now that it was no longer made of pixels.
Harriet slowly picked the controller back up. She pushed the
movement stick forward. The adventurer marched straight ahead. She pushed
it left and the character turned left. She pressed the
jump button and the adventurer leapt into the coffee table,
knocking over a bowl of birthday candles. Harriet gasped, then
she smiled. Oh, she whispered, I definitely got powers. Using
the controller, Harriet guided the blocky Adventurer through the kitchen.
Her parents were cleaning up breakfast when the character marched
through the doorway, swung its pickaxe and removed one perfect
cube from the wall somehow. Harriet's mother stared at the
square hole. Her father stared at the adventurer. Harriet held
up the controller. I think I figured out what my
power does, she said. Harriet's father slowly walked around the
blocky Adventurer. Can it understand us, he asked. Harriet looked
at the character. Hello. The adventurer stared straight ahead. Harriet
moved one of the controller sticks, and the character turned
towards her father. I don't think it does anything unless
I control it. Her mother stepped closer to the square
hole in the kitchen wall. Can you make it put
that piece back? Harriet examined the controller. I can try.
She pressed several buttons. The Adventurer switched from its pickaxe
to a gray block, walked over to the wall and
placed the block inside the hole. It fit perfectly, and
as soon as it was placed, the little outline around
it disappeared. That's incredible, her father said, so your powers
connected to video games. Harriet stared at the Adventurer. But
I can't leave him standing in the kitchen forever. Well,
you should be able to send him back, honey, her
mother said. Magic still responds to focus and intent. Just
picture the character returning to where it came from or
something like that. It'll probably work. Harry had gripped the
controller and concentrated. She pictured the forest inside the game.
She imagined the Adventurers standing beneath the blocky trees again.
The character began to glow. A second later, it turned
into a streak of light and shot back into the television.
On the screen, the Adventurer reappeared in exactly the same
place it had been before. Harriet's father clapped his hands.
All right, now we need to test other parts of
your powers, maybe different games or something. Her mother gave
him a warning. Look carefully, of course, carefully, why would
I do anything? And carefully, he said, then he paused,
do we have like a dinosaur game or something. They
began with something that seemed safer though, a racing game.
Harriet loaded one of her favorites, a game filled with
enormous ramps, impossible tracks, and cars equipped with rocket engines.
Her mother looked at the screen. Ah, this does not
seem safer to me. Don't worry. We'll simply see if
she can bring something else out of the video game.
Oh and Harriet, make sure you bring this one outside
the house please. He guided her over to the back door,
opened it up, and pushed her outside gently. Harriet selected
a bright racing car and focused on it with her mind.
Energy rushed from her hands into the portable console once again.
A streak of light shot out of the console and
formed itself into a rocket car. It landed with a
heavy thump. A full sized rocket racing car was sitting
in the grass. It had wide tires appointed front end
and two enormous rocket boosters attached to the back. The
sight of the car was decorated with glowing lightning bolts.
Harriet walked around in amazement. It's real. Her father knocked
on the hood. It certainly feels real. Harriet opened the
driver's door and climbed inside. There was no steering wheel,
or petals or gear shift. The dashboard was covered with
glowing lights, but the only way to control the car
appeared to be through the game controller. Her father climbed
into the passenger seat. All right, we should test it,
he said. Harriet's mother stood outside the car with her
arms crossed. BE very careful, guys, maybe just a few
meters forward and then stop it or something. That's exactly
what I was thinking, said Harriet's father. Harriet pressed the
accelerator trigger. The rocket boosters exploded to life, and the
car blasted across the lawn, smashed through the wooden gate,
and flew onto the road. Harriet screamed. Her father screamed
louder the break, he shouted, I don't remember which button
it is. Harry had pressed one, and the car jumped.
It soared over a parked truck, landed on the other side,
and continued speeding down the street. She pressed another button
and the rocket boosters became even louder. The car shot
forward so quickly that houses became a blur. They crashed
through a stack of recycling bins, balanced over a flower
garden and knocked the giant plastic ice cream cone off
of the roof of a nearby shop. It landed in
the back seat. Her father twisted around. I've always wondered
how heavy that thing was. Dad, right, emergency, he said,
turning back around. Harry had tried to steer around a
delivery van. The car swerved, hit a ramp that someone
had left beside a construction site, and launched into the air.
For a moment, Harriet and her father were flying over
the town. Ahead of them stood a water tower, and
they were headed directly for it. Stop, her father yelled.
Harriet panicked and slapped the pawse button, as she sometimes
did when she was in a particularly scary part of
a game. Everything suddenly became silent. The car froze midair.
Her father froze beside her with his mouth open and
both hands pressed against the dashboard. Outside, birds hung motionless
in the sky. A construction worker stood below them, holding
a sandwich halfway to his mouth. Water pouring from a
fountain had become a clear, motionless sculpture that kind of
looked like it was plastic floating. Words appeared in front
of Harriet. Continue, Reset, load, Save, point. Harriet stared at them.
She pressed the car door open. The car remained frozen
in the air, but Harriet was able to climb out.
She stepped carefully onto nothing and well fell out of
the car flat onto her face about five feet down.
It'd hurt quite a bit, but nothing else around her moved.
She looked around at the water tower, which was only
a few seconds away from being smashed by the rocket car.
The words continued to float in front of her face. Somehow,
well it probably I don't want to head continue, she said. Instead,
she selected load safe point, not sure exactly what would happen.
A new window appeared. There was only one save moment
listed today's date. At ten forty two am. Harriet realized
that it was right around the time when the race
car had first appeared in the backyard. She selected it
hit except and the world stretched around her. Harriet flew
backward through a tunnel of light. She saw the car
racing and reverse, the recycling bins rebuilding themselves, the ice
cream cone returning to the shop, and the backyard gate
leaping back onto its hinges. Then she was sitting inside
the parked car again. Her father climbed to the passenger seat.
We should test it, he said. Harry had remembered hearing
those exact words before this time. She held up one hand.
I think we should find somewhere safer before we test
a rocket car, she said. Just think about what could
go wrong. I mean, who would be dumb enough to
do that? Her father considered this, That is an excellent idea.
They climbed out. Harry had looked through the games on
her portable console. A racing car is probably not the
best thing to test in the middle of a town.
Maybe something slower, her mother suggested. Harr had stopped on
the cover of her favorite space game. I have another idea.
Her mother looked at the picture of several space ships
firing lasers at one another. Is it a safer idea?
Dear well, I won't have any recycling bents, she said.
As she selected a silver spaceship and focused energy flowed
into the console. The ground shook and a sleek spacecraft
appeared in the backyard, replacing the car that was there
before and crushing part of the fence beneath its landing legs.
Her father winced, ugh, I guess we can fix that. Later,
Harriet pressed a button on the console and a hatch
opened on the side of the ship. Well, why don't
you both come with me, she said. Her parents exchanged
a nervous look, but they climbed aboard. Inside there were
three padded seats, glowing control panels, and a wide front window.
Harriet sat in the pilot's chair with the controller in
her hands. Her parents strapped themselves in. Ah, honey, maybe
just a little test, like three meters off the ground,
and then we land again. Harriet pressed the launch button.
The ship blasted straight upward. Her parents screamed as the
house dropped away beneath them. Harriet quickly discovered that flying
the ship felt exactly like playing the video game. She
tilted the controller and the spacecraft rolled smoothly through the sky.
She flew over the town, crossed a river, and zoomed
to ward a nearby city. Tall buildings rushed past beneath them.
Then Harriet pulled back on the controller. The pointed straight up.
Clouds flashed around them. The sky darkened from blue to black.
A moment later, they burst out of Earth's atmosphere. Her
father stared through the window at the glowing curve of
the planet that is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,
he said. Her mother just gripped both sides of her
seat with everything she possibly could, then quickly drew a
seat belt around herself and brought it to life. It
would be even more beautiful if we were still standing
on it safely, she said. Harriet just laughed and pushed
the ship forward. They flew through space, leaving Earth behind.
Stars filled the window, and the Moon grew larger until
Harriet could see every crater and ridge across its surface.
Guided the ship around the far side, and for a
few moments, Earth disappeared completely. Her parents became very quiet.
Then the blue planet rose above the Moon's horizon. Harriet
slowed the ship so they could stare at it. After
a complete trip around the moon, Harriet's father cleared his throat. Oh,
this has been wonderful. Uh we are going home now,
her mother said firmly. Harriet turned the spacecraft back towards Earth.
She entered the atmosphere carefully, remembering to slow down before
reaching the city. The ship passed through the clouds, crossed
familiar fields, and descended toward their neighborhood. Harriet landed in
the front yard. It wasn't the softest landing in history,
but only one garden decoration fell over. The three of
them climbed out. Harry had focused on the game, and
the spaceship dissolved into light. Before streaming back into the console.
She looked down at the list of games. There were
dragons to summon, magic, kingdoms to explore, underwater cities to visit,
and dozens of characters she could bring into the real world.
I wonder what else I can.
Speaker 3: Do, she said.
Speaker 1: Then Harry had yawned so widely that she nearly dropped
the console. Her legs suddenly fell weak. Her father caught
her before she fell. Ugh, you used too much magic,
he said, What do you mean, Well, your body only
has a limited amount of magic, he explained, you must
have used a lot creating all of those constructs. It's
time to rest, dear, you recover mod of the best
when sleeping. He carried her inside and placed her on
the couch. Harriet's mother covered her with a blanket. Harriet
closed her eyes. In her mind, she saw men us
and save points, game worlds and endless possibilities. She could
pause time, She could return to earlier moments in time.
She could pull almost anything out of a video game
and use it. She'd only been ten for a few hours,
but boy was she excited about what else it would bring.
Harriet smiled as she quickly fell asleep. Tomorrow she tries
something else. Good Night, everyone.
Speaker 4: Us never Union name one in.
Speaker 2: New York.
Speaker 4: No more Union, no more.
Speaker 2: Never mo in New York. Long Union m as