Speaker 1: Welcome to Snuggle Cozy Stories for Kids, a production of
Speaker 1: Slumber Studios. To listen ad free, check out our premium feed.
Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Simon. Tonight we have another story about Clive,
Speaker 2: the top cat of the town and his assistant, mister Tibbles.
Speaker 2: This time we'll join them on a sleepy adventure to
Speaker 2: find the midnight Cream. But first, let's take a moment
Speaker 2: to relax. Take a big, big stretch, just like a cat.
Speaker 2: Arch your back and stretch out your arms and legs
Speaker 2: as long as they'll go. And then let go of
Speaker 2: your cat stretch and call up in a little ball
Speaker 2: like a kitten. Feel how warm and safe you are,
Speaker 2: and now snuggle into whatever shape feels comfy for you.
Speaker 2: It's time for tonight's story. Perhaps you were with us
Speaker 2: for Clive and mister Tibble's last adventure. If so, you'll
Speaker 2: know that we ended our story as our two cat
Speaker 2: heroes fell asleep on the roof, so, of course that
Speaker 2: is where our next adventure begins. Clive, the top cat
Speaker 2: of the town, awoke to the sound of early morning
Speaker 2: birds on he opened his magnificent eyes and was momentarily
Speaker 2: surprised to see that he was on the roof of
Speaker 2: his house. Then he remembered the cat debut ball from
Speaker 2: the night before. He yawned widely and looked at the horizon.
Speaker 2: The sun had not yet risen. Instead, the sky was
Speaker 2: a pinkish gray color, and the roofs of the houses
Speaker 2: formed an inky blue silhouette against it. The tiles of
Speaker 2: the roof were still cool and slightly slippery. Clive supposed
Speaker 2: that it was lucky he had woken early, Otherwise the
Speaker 2: morning sun would have made the tiles too warm to
Speaker 2: lie on. But as he lay there, he couldn't help
Speaker 2: but feel a little odd. Clive got up and one
Speaker 2: by one, gracefully stretched out all of his limbs. To
Speaker 2: his left, mister Tibbles was still sleeping. His long white
Speaker 2: fur was rippling slightly in the morning breeze. Clive looked
Speaker 2: down at his own tortoise shellfair. It was rather untidy
Speaker 2: from the last few days of adventuring. Maybe that was
Speaker 2: the reason for the odd feeling. Taking his time, Clive
Speaker 2: groomed his whole body. As he smoothed out the end
Speaker 2: of his tail, he reflected on all he and mister
Speaker 2: Tibbles had been true recently. It had started with the
Speaker 2: simple replacement of his silk pajamas and somehow ended up
Speaker 2: here on the roof. Clive smiled. He certainly led a
Speaker 2: colorful life, but even after the last hair had been groomed,
Speaker 2: he still felt that strange sense of oddness. He couldn't
Speaker 2: put his finger on it. Of course, it may have
Speaker 2: been the natural tiredness that came at the end of
Speaker 2: a series of adventures, but he couldn't help but feel
Speaker 2: it was something else. Just then, mister Tibbles woke up,
Speaker 2: Seeing that Clive was already awake and groomed, he sprang
Speaker 2: up and began apologizing for oversleeping, but Clive waved mister
Speaker 2: Tibble's words away. They had much more important things to
Speaker 2: get on with. The sun was halfway above the horizon
Speaker 2: when the two cats shimmered along the roof and slinked
Speaker 2: inside the house. They landed lightly on the polished wood floor.
Speaker 2: Clive immediately made for the dressing room to change into
Speaker 2: a lounge wear outfit. This gave mister Tibbles enough time
Speaker 2: to dash to his quarters, groom his fair and change
Speaker 2: into a fresh waistcoat. As Clive buttoned up the last
Speaker 2: button on his outfit, he pondered this new odd feeling.
Speaker 2: He had thought that a fresh change of clothes would
Speaker 2: drive it away, but it was still there. He brushed
Speaker 2: the textured linen of his lounge pants and decided to
Speaker 2: try and forget about it. Clive padded through the house
Speaker 2: to the dining area. Mister Tibbles was already waiting for him. Together,
Speaker 2: they sat down at the wooden table that had been
Speaker 2: laid exquisitely for breakfast. The pale morning sunlight lit up
Speaker 2: the white cotton curtains. The only sound in the room
Speaker 2: was the soft tick of the antique clock, but outside
Speaker 2: the birds were still singing. The cats breakfasted on soft
Speaker 2: boiled eggs and horridge before they started with the day's tasks.
Speaker 2: Clive spent the morning in his study, catching up on
Speaker 2: the newspapers he had missed during his travels. He drafted
Speaker 2: a short letter to his favorite tailor and gave his
Speaker 2: poor print to order thirty new potted plants for the conservatory.
Speaker 2: Mister Tibbles checked that the house was still in order
Speaker 2: and that none of the workers had forgotten their duties.
Speaker 2: As the cats carried out their business, all was quiet
Speaker 2: and peaceful. Then at ten thirty, the clock chimed for
Speaker 2: the mid morning nap. Mister Tibbles and the workers all
Speaker 2: curled up in their quarters. Clive went to his favorite lounge,
Speaker 2: settled in his favorite armchair and closed his eyes. But
Speaker 2: the nap did not come. He padded the cushion of
Speaker 2: the armchair to make it softer, but still no nap.
Speaker 2: He tried different positions, a different armchair, and even a
Speaker 2: different lounge, and still the nap did not come. But
Speaker 2: Clive was a distinguished gentleman. He would not let such
Speaker 2: trifles ruin his mood. Instead, he left the lounge and
Speaker 2: padded down to the conservatory to assess where the thirty
Speaker 2: potted plants would go. The conservatory was pleasantly warm and
Speaker 2: full of sunlight. The hundreds of leaves seemed to glow
Speaker 2: an even brighter hue of green. Clive took his time
Speaker 2: wandering among the cacti and sniffing at the lilacs. He
Speaker 2: supposed it was just as wonderful to spend a morning
Speaker 2: like this as it was to take a nap. After
Speaker 2: the clock chimed eleven thirty, he heard the other cats
Speaker 2: returning to their business and decided to do the same.
Speaker 2: The day passed just as smoothly as the morning. Clive
Speaker 2: finished all his paperwork, lunched with mister Tibble's, caught up
Speaker 2: on his correspondence with his great aunt, and had the
Speaker 2: neighbor round for tea. When the time approached for the
Speaker 2: afternoon nap, Clive made sure to take a turn around
Speaker 2: the garden. He took a brisk walk around the greenhouses,
Speaker 2: jogged across the roof of the shed, and plucked his
Speaker 2: way through the overgrown grass of the orchard. But when
Speaker 2: the clock chimed four thirty and he came to settle
Speaker 2: in his favorite armchair, the afternoon nap did not come.
Speaker 2: Now Clive understood why he felt so odd. Something had
Speaker 2: affected his napping ability. This sometimes happened after a few
Speaker 2: days of adventuring, but luckily Clive was prepared. All that
Speaker 2: was needed was a dose of the midnight Cream. Clive
Speaker 2: hopped lightly off the armchair and went upstairs to his
Speaker 2: bedroom quarters. He strode across the room and into the bathroom,
Speaker 2: where he opened his cabinet. His eyes fell on the
Speaker 2: ornate crystal bottle on the center shelf of the cabinet,
Speaker 2: with its stopper shaped like a crescent moon. But for
Speaker 2: all the beauty of the bottle. It was empty. The
Speaker 2: midnight cream had run out. Clive put his paw to
Speaker 2: his head. He'd forgotten to get more. There was only
Speaker 2: one thing for it. He would have to get some
Speaker 2: more cream. Clive called for mister Tibbles and began searching
Speaker 2: for his adventure war. By the time mister Tibbles had
Speaker 2: appeared at the door, Clive was just buttoning up his
Speaker 2: spare traveling jacket. Mister Tibbles looked at Clive in surprise.
Speaker 2: He had thought all the adventures were over, at least
Speaker 2: for a little bit, but Clive informed him that they
Speaker 2: must replenish the midnight cream and that mister Tibble's assistance
Speaker 2: was necessary. It was essential that they gather a few
Speaker 2: items to aid their quest, and then traveled to the
Speaker 2: top of the observatory. Mister Tibbles twitched his whiskers in
Speaker 2: understanding and followed Clive out of the room and down
Speaker 2: through the house. To mister Tibble's surprise, they didn't stop
Speaker 2: at the front hall. Clive guided them to the basement door,
Speaker 2: which opened onto a staircase leading into the kitchen. It
Speaker 2: was a wonderful room, brightly lit with a fire fueled
Speaker 2: stove crackling merrily. The burnished copper pots and pans gleamed,
Speaker 2: and all the kitchen cats wore white pressed aprons. Clive
Speaker 2: walked respectfully through the kitchen. All the working cat's curtsied
Speaker 2: before him, and some even held out food samples for
Speaker 2: him to try. Clive only asked to see the silverware.
Speaker 2: Mister Tibbles had no idea what was going on. The
Speaker 2: head chef opened a cabinet, revealing the vast collection of
Speaker 2: silver plates, glasses, knives, forks, and goodness knows what else.
Speaker 2: They all glinted against the deep purple fabric that lined
Speaker 2: the inside of the cabinet. Clive peered inside, looking very
Speaker 2: carefully for something. Finally, he put his paw into the
Speaker 2: cabinet and fished out a huge, decorative silver spoon, which
Speaker 2: he thrust into mister Tibble's paws. Mister Tibbles looked at
Speaker 2: the spoon confused, but Clive was already heading back upstairs,
Speaker 2: and he knew he had to follow. Back in the hall,
Speaker 2: Clive opened the front door and ushered mister Tibbles out.
Speaker 2: It was getting cool outside. The sun was starting to
Speaker 2: set and the sky had become dusky and purple. The
Speaker 2: cats breathed in the scent of a jasmine flower blossoming
Speaker 2: nearby and took a moment to feel the evening breeze
Speaker 2: on their fur. Mister Tibbles was still clutching the spoon. Luckily,
Speaker 2: Clive had come prepared. He pulled a small Hessian bag
Speaker 2: out of his jacket pocket and gave it to mister Tibbles,
Speaker 2: who put the spoon inside and proceeded to carry it.
Speaker 2: Then the two cats trotted down the street and into
Speaker 2: the gathering dusk, their paws placking on the cobblestones. Once
Speaker 2: they reached town, and to mister Tibble's surprise, they didn't
Speaker 2: take the normal route towards the Great Hill, which was
Speaker 2: where the observatory was. Instead, Clive darted into a small
Speaker 2: side alley full of tiny, crooked shops lit with golden light.
Speaker 2: There they stopped at an antique shop with gold lettering
Speaker 2: on its window. Clive pushed the front door and it
Speaker 2: opened with a tinkling sound, which came from the small
Speaker 2: brass bell at the top of the doorframe. It was
Speaker 2: incredibly peaceful inside the shop. As soon as the cats
Speaker 2: stepped inside, the noise of the outside world was instantly muffled.
Speaker 2: Mister Tibbles peered into the room. It was long and
Speaker 2: thin and stretched on surprisingly far. It was exceedingly clean
Speaker 2: for an antique shop, with a rich scent of leather
Speaker 2: in the air. An incredible number of artifacts, paintings, and
Speaker 2: tasteful pieces of furniture had been placed carefully around the shop,
Speaker 2: making it feel like a well organized maze. Just as
Speaker 2: mister Tibbles began to wonder what they were doing there,
Speaker 2: a very small cat appeared. She had blue gray fur
Speaker 2: and a flattened face. Something about her gave off an
Speaker 2: air of authority and wisdom. Clive made a deep bow
Speaker 2: to the cat, who returned it with a respectful flick
Speaker 2: of her tail. After some polite introductions, Clive explained that
Speaker 2: they were on a quest for the midnight cream. The
Speaker 2: little cat understood immediately. She turned on her paws and
Speaker 2: led them briskly through the shop to a great wooden dresser,
Speaker 2: which was laden with all kinds of dishes. Some were
Speaker 2: small and made of glass, and others large pattened with
Speaker 2: flowers or leaves. There were big, plain ceramic dishes for baking,
Speaker 2: flat hand painted ones, and even tiny delicate ones that
Speaker 2: looked like they were one hundred years old. The cats
Speaker 2: surveyed the dishes, admiring their different patterns and sizes. Mister
Speaker 2: Tibbles wondered if perhaps they would be using a dish
Speaker 2: to drink the midnight cream from. In the end, Clive
Speaker 2: chose a small but beautiful dish made of white porcelain
Speaker 2: and pattened with daisies. The little cat wrapped it carefully
Speaker 2: in tissue paper and then placed it in the bag
Speaker 2: Mister Tibbles was carrying the spoon in. Clive paid with
Speaker 2: three dried fish. Then she led them back out of
Speaker 2: the shop and onto the street. Night had arrived. The
Speaker 2: street lights had been turned on, casting their orange light
Speaker 2: over the smooth, cobbled streets. There was a chill in
Speaker 2: the air that made the cats fluff up their fur automatically.
Speaker 2: Clive gazed up at the sky. It was inky blue,
Speaker 2: but perfectly clear. Already the first of the stars had appeared.
Speaker 2: Clive set off down the alleyway with a satisfied smile,
Speaker 2: weaving through the back streets towards the Great Hill. Mister
Speaker 2: Tibbles had never been this way before. The streets were
Speaker 2: narrow and winding, but they gave off a welcoming feeling.
Speaker 2: They passed bars and restaurants packed with customers. The sound
Speaker 2: of laughter and merriment punctured the night air, and everything
Speaker 2: was bathed in the orange glow of the street lights.
Speaker 2: Then they stopped outside a squashed looking door, which mister
Speaker 2: Tibbles doubted he would ever have seen if he'd come alone.
Speaker 2: Clive explained that it was the backstage door to the
Speaker 2: jazz club. Sure enough, mister Tibbles could hear the distant
Speaker 2: sound of a saxon phone playing a classy tune. Clive
Speaker 2: placed his paw on the door and knocked with an
Speaker 2: elaborate series of knocks. The cats waited. Then, just as
Speaker 2: it seemed that no one would answer, the door opened
Speaker 2: a crack, and a black, fluffy paw held out a
Speaker 2: small violin shaped case. Clive took it silently and the
Speaker 2: door closed. But before mister Tibbles could ask any questions,
Speaker 2: Clive had set off through a nearby alleyway, carrying the
Speaker 2: case carefully. Mister Tibbles hurried after him and soon found
Speaker 2: that they had arrived at the tramline that ran up
Speaker 2: the Great Hill. Clive checked his pocket watch. They were
Speaker 2: just in time for the last tram. He led them
Speaker 2: to the tram stop, and no sooner had they reached
Speaker 2: it than the sound of the tram could be heard.
Speaker 2: The cats looked around eagerly and saw it shining and
Speaker 2: red as it chugged its way towards them. They hopped
Speaker 2: onto the tram with the elegance that only a cat
Speaker 2: can have. Then they settled themselves down for the ride,
Speaker 2: placing the violin shaped case and mister Tibble's bag beside them.
Speaker 2: The tram crawled slowly up the great hill. The cats
Speaker 2: felt peaceful, seeing the town spread out around them, let
Speaker 2: up golden in the night. Eventually the tram came to
Speaker 2: a stop at the observatory. The cats got off with
Speaker 2: their luggage and landed lightly on the cool ground. They
Speaker 2: looked up at the familiar rounded building with its domed roof.
Speaker 2: Then they made their way to the large ivy bush
Speaker 2: that grew up the side of the building. Very carefully,
Speaker 2: they climbed the ivy to the top of the dome,
Speaker 2: taking extra care with all the things they had to carry.
Speaker 2: When they reached the top, they let out a mew
Speaker 2: of amazement. As far as the eye could see. The
Speaker 2: sky was full of stuf surrounding a thin crescent moon,
Speaker 2: but the vast mountains, usually so visible, were black against
Speaker 2: the sky, except for their snowy peaks, which had been
Speaker 2: bathed in ethereal silver moonlight. The breeze was soft but cold.
Speaker 2: The cats felt it dance over their fur as they
Speaker 2: took in their beautiful surroundings. Taking the silver spoon and
Speaker 2: dish from the Hessian bag, Clive placed them down carefully.
Speaker 2: Then he opened the violin shaped case. Inside was a
Speaker 2: beautiful old fiddle. It was a rich, reddish round color
Speaker 2: and looked like it had been varnished. Clive lifted it
Speaker 2: carefully out of the case, took the horsehair bow that
Speaker 2: lay beside it, and began to play the music of
Speaker 2: the fiddle seemed to reverberate off the mountains. Clive played
Speaker 2: and played. The tune was simple but soothing. It reminded
Speaker 2: mister Tibbles of folk songs and children's stories that someone
Speaker 2: had once told him Around a crackling fire. Then, just
Speaker 2: beyond the curve of the moon, a cluster of clouds
Speaker 2: started to form. The cats squinted to try and see it,
Speaker 2: but very soon there was no need. The clouds took
Speaker 2: the form of a great white cow. Gracefully, and in
Speaker 2: time to the music, the cow jumped over the moon
Speaker 2: and soared towards them. She was outstandingly lovely, made completely
Speaker 2: of white, fluffy clouds that continually swirled and changed. Using
Speaker 2: the dish and the spoon as her guide, she landed
Speaker 2: softly on the top of the observatory and gave out
Speaker 2: a sweet giggle. Clive stopped playing and bowed down low
Speaker 2: to greet her. Mister Tebbles did the same, but the
Speaker 2: cow laughed again, saying there was no need for such customs.
Speaker 2: But Clive was a gentleman, so he insisted upon it.
Speaker 2: Bowing low again, he told her that he had come
Speaker 2: to ask for the midnight cream. The cow nodded her
Speaker 2: head at once, then, using her tail, she lifted up
Speaker 2: the spoon and the dish and absorbed them into her clouds.
Speaker 2: When they were absorbed, a patch of white lights began
Speaker 2: to glow. It glowed brighter and brighter until the cats
Speaker 2: had to blink their eyes. But no sooner had they blinked,
Speaker 2: and the light disappeared, and in its place was another
Speaker 2: crystalline bottle with a crescent moonstopper that this time was
Speaker 2: full of cream. The cow gave the bottle to Clive,
Speaker 2: who thanked her earnestly. Then he unstopped the bottle, placed
Speaker 2: a tiny drop on his tongue, and gave another drop
Speaker 2: to mister Tibble's. The cream tasted sweet and floral, like
Speaker 2: vanilla mixed with honeysuckle or camer mile. As soon as
Speaker 2: it hit the cat's tongues, it sent a great wave
Speaker 2: of warm relaxation over them. Clive's fur seemed to soften
Speaker 2: all at once, and mister Tibble's paws felt heavy and tired.
Speaker 2: The cow must have noticed, because she quickly swept them up,
Speaker 2: cradling them like babies. The cow's clouds were surprisingly warm
Speaker 2: and dry. The cats felt themselves sinking into them, just
Speaker 2: like sinking into a freshly made bed. Suddenly, the evening's
Speaker 2: adventure seemed to catch up with them. Their eyes became droopy,
Speaker 2: and sleep was creeping over them. With a soft meow,
Speaker 2: Clive told the cow his address. She leaped lightly off
Speaker 2: the observatory roof and soared towards Clive's townhouse. The streets
Speaker 2: below were quiet, still lit up, golden, and bathed in peace.
Speaker 2: The cow and the cats traveled over everything as lightly
Speaker 2: as air, making no sound and appearing only as passing clouds.
Speaker 2: When they reached the townhouse, the cow floated quietly to
Speaker 2: the open window of Clive's bedroom. Using her long tail.
Speaker 2: She placed them inside on the bed and closed the
Speaker 2: window without a sound. Inside, the cats curled up. It
Speaker 2: were so warm and so almost asleep that it was
Speaker 2: impossible to do anything more than let their bodies sink
Speaker 2: into the bed. It was incredibly comfortable, and they were
Speaker 2: so relaxed that in no time at all they closed
Speaker 2: their eyes and drifted into an irresistible sleep. And in
Speaker 2: that sleep they dreamed of nothing except the night sky,
Speaker 2: swirling clouds, and the distant sound of a jazz cafe
Speaker 2: that perhaps one day they might visit on another adventures
Speaker 1: Wonder w