A Bedtime Story

The Giggle Garden's Grumbly Guardian


Listen Later

Visit the “A Bedtime Story” show website to submit your story ideas for a future episode!

In the sunniest corner of the world lay the Giggle Garden, a place where flowers didn't just bloom, they giggled. Tiny bells on their petals chimed with soft chuckles, and the leaves rustled with whispery snickers. This was a problem for Finnegan, the garden's guardian gnome. He was extremely sensitive to noise.

"Far too much merriment!" Finnegan would grumble, sweeping leaves with a broom made of dandelion fluff. "A garden should be quiet! Reflective! Perhaps a little bit dusty, for atmosphere!"

His job was to keep the garden neat, but the giggling made it impossible to concentrate. He tried everything to quiet the flowers. He gave them stern looks. He threatened them with extra watering. He even tried humming a very, very boring tune. The flowers just giggled harder, their little bells jingling with glee.

One morning, the royal inspector, Dame Penelope, arrived. Dame Penelope was known for her stern demeanor and her love of order. Finnegan puffed out his chest. "Welcome, Dame Penelope! You'll find my garden immaculate, save for a minor… 'giggle infestation.'"

Just then, a particularly robust sunflower let out a booming "Hee-hee-hoo!" that shook its petals. Dame Penelope, who had been adjusting her monocle, nearly dropped it.

"Ahem," Finnegan said, glaring at the sunflower. "I'm working on that."

He decided a drastic measure was needed. He spent hours mixing a special "Quiet Potion" from dewdrop silence, moonlight whispers, and a tiny pinch of dust from his own grumpy cap. He poured it carefully onto the giggling flowers.

For a moment, silence. Finnegan beamed. "Success!"

Then, one tiny bell on a bluebell gave a soft ding. And then another. And another. Soon, the entire garden erupted, not in giggles, but in a chorus of the most beautiful, melodic, chiming laughter Finnegan had ever heard. It wasn't noisy; it was a symphony of soft, joyful sounds.

Dame Penelope, who had been frowning, suddenly found her lips twitching. A tiny smile appeared. Soon, she was chuckling softly, tapping her foot to the rhythmic, chiming laughter of the garden. "Why, Finnegan," she said, her voice twinkling, "this isn't a 'giggle infestation'! It's a 'joyful symphony'! It's magnificent!"

Finnegan stood there, broom in hand, utterly bewildered. He had tried to silence the laughter, and instead, he'd made it more beautiful. He realized that perhaps, just perhaps, some noise wasn't so bad after all. Especially when it sounded like happiness. He even found himself swaying slightly to the rhythm. From that day on, Finnegan still kept the garden tidy, but he also found himself humming along with the chiming laughter, a tiny, almost imperceptible smile hidden in his beard.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

A Bedtime StoryBy Matthew Mitchell