Transcript for Parent Storytellers
Once upon a day, there was Oni Pepperoni and a very smart dog named Bodie.
Bodie had fur as golden as the sun and a wiggle that could make almost anyone smile. His tail did not wag a little. It wagged his whole body. His paws tapped. His ears bounced. His nose sniffed everything.
Bodie really was the happiest dog on earth.
He loved running through puddles. He loved chasing smells. He loved digging little holes and then looking surprised when sand got on his nose.
Most of all, Bodie loved to eat.
Oni Pepperoni loved Bodie very much. Bodie was smart, careful, and always knew when someone needed a friend.
Oni, on the other hand, was very silly.
One morning, Oni put on his shoes, packed a tiny snack, and looked at Bodie.
“Beach adventure?” Oni asked.
Bodie tilted his head.
Then his whole body started wiggling.
“I’ll take that as yes,” Oni said.
So the two friends set off toward their favorite park above the ocean. The path curled past tall trees, sandy patches, and little yellow flowers. Far below, waves rolled toward the beach and made soft white lines in the water.
Bodie trotted ahead, nose down, tail up.
Oni followed behind, humming a song he had just invented.
“Bodie is golden, Bodie is smart, Bodie has a very happy heart.”
Bodie looked back and barked once, as if he approved.
When they reached the open field near the cliff, Bodie froze.
His ears lifted.
His eyes got wide.
Right in the middle of the path was a puddle.
Not just a tiny puddle.
A very good puddle.
It was wide and shiny and muddy around the edges. It had been made by rain and ocean mist and maybe a little bit of dog-dream luck.
Bodie looked at Oni.
Oni looked at Bodie.
“Don’t even think about it,” Oni said.
Bodie thought about it.
Then he ran.
Splash.
Bodie jumped straight into the puddle with all four paws. Mud flew up. Water splashed sideways. Bodie spun in a circle, then another circle, then a third circle for no reason at all.
Oni laughed so hard he had to sit down on a dry patch of grass.
“Bodie, you are not a dog anymore,” Oni said. “You are a puddle monster.”
Bodie jumped out and shook one paw. Then another paw. Then he looked very proud of himself.
For one quiet second, everything was peaceful.
Then wet Bodie ran straight toward Oni Pepperoni.
“Wait,” Oni said.
Bodie came closer.
“No shaking,” Oni warned.
Bodie stopped right in front of him.
His fur puffed.
His ears flapped.
His whole body twisted.
And then he shook.
Mud and water flew everywhere.
It landed on Oni’s shoes. It landed on Oni’s shirt. It landed on Oni’s nose.
One tiny muddy drop landed right on top of his head.
Oni blinked.
Bodie sat down and smiled.
Oni slowly looked at his muddy arms, his muddy knees, and his very muddy shirt.
“Bodie,” he said, “you have made me into a mud sandwich.”
Bodie wagged his tail.
Oni shivered a little. The wind from the ocean felt cool on his wet clothes.
“Well,” Oni said, “now I am cold and wet. How am I supposed to enjoy the rest of our day?”
Bodie sniffed the air, as if he were thinking.
That was when Oni saw it.
Hanging from a tall eucalyptus tree was a giant swing. It had a wide wooden seat and two thick ropes that reached high into the branches. The swing moved gently in the breeze, back and forth, as if it were saying, “I know how to fix this.”
Oni pointed. “Bodie, I have an idea.”
Bodie’s ears popped up.
“If I swing fast enough,” Oni said, “the wind will dry me off. And maybe the mud will fly away.”
Bodie looked at the swing.
Then he looked at Oni.
Then he gave one happy bark.
Oni climbed onto the swing and gripped the ropes. He pushed off with his feet.
At first, the swing moved slowly.
Back. Forth. Back. Forth.
Then Oni pumped his legs harder.
Back. Forth. Higher. Faster.
The ocean air rushed past him. His wet shirt fluttered. A little mud flew off one sleeve and landed on a bush.
“It’s working!” Oni shouted.
Bodie ran beside the swing, barking happily.
Oni swung higher.
Bodie ran faster.
Oni laughed. “This is the best drying machine ever!”
But Bodie did not want to only watch.
He wanted to join.
As the swing came low, Bodie jumped.
Oni gasped as Bodie landed right on his lap.
The swing wobbled.
The ropes creaked.
Bodie’s warm body pressed against Oni, and his tail thumped against the wooden seat.
“Bodie!” Oni said. “You are too wiggly for swing science!”
But Bodie leaned back against him, happy as could be.
The swing kept moving.
Back. Forth. Back. Forth.
Oni held on tight with one arm and hugged Bodie with the other.
Bodie’s warm dog breath puffed into the cool air.
Oni noticed something strange.
“Bodie,” he said, “your breath is like a little heater.”
Bodie panted proudly.
The wind dried Oni’s shirt. Bodie’s warm fur dried Oni’s arms. The mud started to crack and fall away in tiny flakes.
Oni smiled. “You made me muddy, but now you’re helping me dry.”
Bodie gave him a little lick on the chin.
Then something very odd happened.
The swing went higher than before.
Too high.
Oni looked down.
The grass looked far away.
The ocean looked close.
The beach below looked soft and golden.
“Bodie,” Oni whispered, “I think this swing might be a flying swing.”
Bodie wagged.
The swing rushed forward one more time.
The ropes stretched.
The wind lifted them.
And then the swing let them go.
Oni and Bodie flew through the air.
Not too fast.
Not too scary.
Just a big floating leap, like a hawk gliding over the cliff.
Oni held Bodie tight.
Bodie’s ears streamed behind him.
They sailed over the flowers, over the sandy path, and down toward the beach.
Then they landed softly on a pile of dry sand.
Puff.
Sand bounced around them like a tiny cloud.
Oni sat up.
Bodie popped up beside him, looking extremely pleased.
Oni looked back up at the cliff.
Then he looked at Bodie.
“That,” Oni said, “was not normal park behavior.”
Bodie barked once.
“I agree,” Oni said. “It was wonderful.”
They ran along the beach together. Bodie splashed through the edge of the waves, but this time he shook far away from Oni.
“Thank you,” Oni called.
Bodie barked, proud of his good manners.
They found smooth rocks, seaweed shaped like noodles, and one shell that looked like a tiny spoon.
Oni picked it up. “Maybe Shelly would like this,” he said, thinking of his shell-loving friend who had once made a rainbow sparkle with beach treasures.
Bodie sniffed the shell and sneezed.
“Okay,” Oni said. “Maybe not that one.”
Soon they reached a flat part of the beach where a person was flying a small electric airplane from the cliff above. The plane was bright red, with little wings that hummed softly as it turned through the sky.
Oni watched it loop in a wide circle.
Bodie watched too.
The airplane dipped lower, then lower still, until it landed gently in the sand near them.
A small note was taped to the wing.
Oni picked it up and read it aloud.
“Dear finder, please return this plane to the island if it lands on the beach. It knows the way.”
Oni looked at Bodie.
Bodie looked at Oni.
“That sounds like an invitation,” Oni said.
The little airplane made a friendly buzzing sound. Its door opened just wide enough for one silly kid and one smart dog.
Oni climbed in. Bodie squeezed beside him and curled his tail around his paws.
“Ready?” Oni asked.
Bodie gave one soft bark.
The electric airplane rolled across the sand, lifted into the air, and flew out over the water.
The ocean spread beneath them, blue and silver. The waves looked smaller from above, like folded blankets. Oni could see the beach, the cliff, and the tall trees where the giant swing still swayed in the wind.
The plane carried them to a small island not far away. It landed on a flat patch of grass near a quiet shore.
Oni and Bodie stepped out.
The island was peaceful. There were smooth stones, soft grass, and a few brave little flowers growing near the rocks.
They sat together and looked back toward the mainland.
The sun was starting to set.
The sky turned orange, then pink, then a soft purple.
Bodie rested his chin on Oni’s knee.
Oni scratched behind his ears.
“What a day,” Oni said. “We ran through puddles. We got muddy. We dried off on a giant swing. We flew like a hawk. Then we took an electric airplane to an island.”
Bodie sighed a happy dog sigh.
Oni smiled. “And you were smart the whole time.”
Bodie looked up.
“Well,” Oni said, “mostly smart. The mud shake was not your smartest moment.”
Bodie licked Oni’s hand.
Oni laughed. “Fine. I forgive you.”
They sat quietly as the last bit of sun slipped behind the hills.
Then the little electric airplane hummed again, ready to take them home.
Oni stood and stretched.
“Come on, Bodie,” he said. “Let’s go home before you find an island puddle.”
Bodie’s ears lifted.
Oni pointed at him. “No.”
Bodie wagged anyway.
And together, Oni Pepperoni and Bodie the smart dog climbed back into the airplane, carrying a little sand in their shoes, a little wind in their hair, and a whole day of adventure tucked safely in their hearts.