Transcript for Parent Storytellers
In a cozy little bedroom on the second floor of a blue house lived a very special lamp. It wasn’t just any lamp – it was a talking lamp! The lamp had a round shade that looked like a friendly face, with two buttons that worked like eyes and a little chain that hung down like a nose.
Every evening when children turned on the lamp, it would come to life and tell the most wonderful bedtime stories. The lamp knew hundreds of tales about princesses and dragons, talking animals, and faraway places.
“Hello there!” the lamp would say in a warm, glowing voice whenever someone pulled its chain. “Would you like to hear a story tonight?”
One evening, a boy named Miles came to stay the night at the house with the talking lamp. Miles had heard about the magical lamp from his friends but didn’t quite believe it could really talk.
When bedtime came, Miles reached out and gave the lamp’s chain a gentle pull. Click! The light came on, and the lamp’s shade seemed to smile.
“Well, hello there!” said the lamp cheerfully. “You must be Miles. I’ve been waiting to meet you. Would you like to hear a story tonight?”
Miles’s eyes grew wide. “You really can talk!” he gasped. “How do you know my name?”
“Oh, I know lots of things,” the lamp said with a twinkle in its button eyes. “I know that you love stories about adventures, and I know that you’re wearing mismatched socks – one blue and one green!”
Miles looked down at his feet and laughed. “You’re right! Okay, lamp, tell me a story, please!”
“What kind of story would you like to hear?” asked the lamp.
Miles thought for a moment. “Do you know any stories about Oni Pepperoni?”
“Oni Pepperoni?” The lamp brightened. “Those are some of my very favorite stories! Did you know Oni has a friend who’s a unicorn that rides a bicycle through water? And another friend who’s an astronaut cow from Mars?”
“Tell me!” Miles said excitedly, snuggling under his blanket.
The lamp began to tell a story about Oni Pepperoni and his adventures with Sparkle the Unicorn. Miles listened with wide eyes as the lamp described how Oni and Sparkle climbed a rainbow all the way to the top.
Just as the story was getting really exciting, there was a strange sound from under the bed.
Oink! Oink!
Miles looked confused. “What was that?”
“I’m not sure,” said the lamp, its light dimming slightly as it tried to see under the bed.
Suddenly, a small pink piglet scurried out from beneath the bed, looking very mischievous.
“Oh my! We have a visitor!” said the lamp.
The piglet ran around the room, its little hooves clicking on the wooden floor. It stopped right next to the lamp, wiggled its curly tail, and then…
PFFFFFFT!
The piglet let out an enormous toot – much bigger than you’d expect from such a small animal!
“Oh my goodness! Who was that?” the lamp exclaimed, its shade wobbling back and forth.
A huge cloud of sparkly green smoke filled the room, so thick that Miles couldn’t even see the lamp anymore.
“Lamp! Where are you?” Miles called out, fanning the air with his hands.
The piglet squealed with delight and disappeared back under the bed.
Slowly, the sparkly cloud began to clear. But as it faded away, Miles gasped in amazement. The bedroom wasn’t a bedroom anymore!
“Wow!” Miles whispered. “What happened?”
The lamp, still standing beside Miles, looked around in surprise. “I think we’re in… Storyland!”
All around them was what looked like a magical carnival, filled with rides and games and sweet-smelling treats. There was music playing and colorful lights twinkling everywhere. But what made this carnival special was that everything was based on the Oni Pepperoni stories!
“Look at that!” Miles pointed to a huge Ferris wheel that rose high into the sky. Each car on the wheel was shaped like a different character – one looked like Sparkle the Unicorn, another like Captain Milky Way the astronaut cow, and the biggest one was shaped like Oni Pepperoni himself!
“And there!” The lamp’s light beam pointed toward a set of spinning teacups, except they weren’t teacups at all – they were giant avocados! “That must be from the story about Ava Avocado,” the lamp said.
Miles couldn’t believe his eyes. There were game booths where you could toss rings onto the Black Yeti’s fuzzy arms, and cotton candy stands selling treats that looked like rainbow clouds.
“Can we explore?” Miles asked the lamp excitedly.
“I think that’s why we’re here,” the lamp replied, hopping along beside Miles. Even though the lamp didn’t have legs, it could somehow bounce from place to place, its cord trailing behind it like a tail.
As they walked through Storyland, they met all sorts of characters from the Oni Pepperoni stories. Lucky the Leprechaun was running the ring toss game, and Froggy (who had turned into a turtle) was giving rides on his shell to tiny children.
“Miles! Lamp! Over here!” called a voice.
They turned to see a little girl with purple boots waving at them.
“That’s Betty!” the lamp whispered to Miles. “From Oni’s rainy day adventure!”
Betty ran up to them with a big smile. “Would you like to ride the Ferris wheel? It goes all the way up and over the rainbow!”
“Can we?” Miles asked the lamp.
“Of course!” the lamp replied. “That’s the best part of Storyland – experiencing the stories from the inside!”
Miles, Betty, and the lamp (who balanced carefully on the seat) climbed into the Oni Pepperoni car of the Ferris wheel. Slowly, the wheel began to turn, lifting them higher and higher into the sky.
As they reached the very top, Miles gasped. They weren’t just high up – they were actually climbing over a real rainbow that arched across the sky!
“This is amazing!” Miles said, reaching out to touch the rainbow. It felt warm and tingly under his fingers.
“Every story becomes real in Storyland,” the lamp explained. “That’s the magic of it.”
After riding the Ferris wheel three times, Miles, Betty, and the lamp tried the avocado teacups, played games to win stuffed vegetable toys, and ate cotton candy that tasted like whatever flavor you imagined.
As the day went on, more friends joined them. Scout the giraffe from Oni’s Halloween adventure showed them how to spin extra fast in the avocado cups. Nora from the North Pole helped them build a snow fort, even though it was warm in Storyland.
Just as they were finishing their third cotton candy cloud, the lamp’s light began to flicker.
“Oh dear,” said the lamp. “I think our time in Storyland is coming to an end.”
“Already?” Miles asked, disappointed. “But we’re having so much fun!”
“Don’t worry,” the lamp assured him. “Storyland is always here, inside the stories. Any time you want to visit, all you need to do is listen to an Oni Pepperoni story and imagine yourself there.”
Betty and their other friends gathered around to say goodbye. Even the mischievous piglet appeared, looking sorry that their adventure was ending.
“Will you come back soon?” Betty asked.
“We’ll try,” promised Miles, giving her a hug.
The piglet snorted and wiggled its tail. Then, more gently this time, it let out another little toot.
A small cloud of sparkly pink smoke surrounded Miles and the lamp. When it cleared, they were back in the bedroom, as if they had never left.
Miles looked at the lamp in wonder. “Did that really happen?”
The lamp’s shade nodded. “Storyland is real for those who believe in stories.”
Miles yawned, suddenly feeling very sleepy after their big adventure. As he snuggled under his blanket, he noticed something on his pillow – a small tuft of cotton candy that sparkled like a rainbow.
“Goodnight, lamp,” Miles whispered, his eyes growing heavy.
“Goodnight, Miles,” replied the lamp softly. “Sweet dreams… and remember, more adventures await tomorrow.”
As Miles drifted off to sleep, the lamp stayed on, its gentle light keeping watch and perhaps, if you looked very carefully, you might have seen it wink.