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Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy.
I'm your host, Thomas.
Thanks so much for listening.
Tonight we'll join a man named Reggie on his mission to make a wish come true.
We'll witness the power of magic dreams and personal connection, and learn about secrets that have long been hidden away in the stars.
The story was written by Quentin, and will be read by Jessica.
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Tomorrow, Heather will be reading us a story about a young couple setting off on a relaxing drive along Route 66 to a special and sleepy diner that's open 24 hours a day.
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Thank you so much my friends.
Now as usual we'll enjoy a bit of relaxation before tonight's story.
So just take this opportunity to get comfortable lying on your back.
And even if you don't usually sleep on your back, just for the next few moments, that's going to be the best way to experience this relaxation exercise.
So now place your hands on your belly and take a deep inhale, feeling your stomach rise as you take in the air.
And then exhale, noticing how it lowers as the air leaves your body.
Allow that breath to continue nice and steady and out, and then let your attention focus on your toes and just imagine that there's a light switch for your toes.
Right now it's switched on, as it has been all day, but you're ready for bed now.
So just turn that light switch off, noticing how that causes your toes to relax as the energy powers off.
Next, move your attention to your feet and turn off the light switch there as well.
Now turn off the switch for your lower legs, your thighs, your hips, allowing everything below the waist to relax.
Focus now on your abdomen and turn off the light switch there.
Then your chest, your back, your shoulders, your arms, your hands and fingers, Then up to your neck, switching off the power there too.
And finally, when you're ready, turn off the light switch for your head.
Your whole body has switched itself off.
And now you can deeply relax into the night.
Feel free to adjust your position and just get as comfy and settled in as can be.
When you're ready, Picture yourself floating high up into the sky, beyond the tops of the tallest buildings, beyond the clouds, the moon and all the other planets of our solar system.
Our story begins here, among the stars.
Dust gas, light and the vacuum of space are all that separate Earth from the Wish Upon a Star Agency and its faithful helpers.
Hidden behind the stars of the Corona Borealis constellation, there's a secret troop of wish-granters.
They carry out the bidding of the splendid lights that humans cast their hopes on.
Often people make wishes on stars as a joke, as an afterthought or when they're young and getting tucked into bed.
But these wishes don't disappear in the quietness of space.
They are heard and sometimes answered.
Reggie Staples has heard all kinds of wishes over the years.
He's a seasoned veteran who is highly respected by his peers.
And he's one of hundreds of wish-granters.
They live together, spread throughout the headquarters of the Wish Upon a Star Agency.
The structure of the building is like a honeycomb, made of a material still unknown to humans.
It is extremely dense but feels comfortable to the touch.
Six hexagonal chambers make up the habitat.
Each chamber is as large as a small town and is subdivided by dozens of smaller rooms.
These serve as living quarters for the galaxy's most inconspicuous people, the wish-granters.
Reggie looks like a middle-aged man at the cusp of his golden years, but he is truly old.
How old?
Nobody but he really knows.
Reggie purposefully hides his age because he enjoys letting the younger wish-granters guess incorrectly.
He never plans to tell them if they guess his actual age.
He just likes to muse over the years of incorrect guesses whenever he finds a solitary moment to enjoy a cup of his favorite lemon tonic.
He'll take a sip and smile at the memory of a singularly humorous attempt.
His dark brown eyes will light up with a mischievous twinkle.
And he'll chuckle to himself, flexing deep laugh lines carved into his face.
He expects today will be fairly uneventful.
32,653 wishes from adults and children alike fill his queue.
The agency can't possibly make them all come true.
But some lucky number of souls will be granted good fortune and other delights.
At the thought, a tender smile travels a well-worn path across Reggie's face.
He doesn't need recognition or praise.
His job is to make people's wishes come true.
What more could a person ask for in life?
Well, there is one more thing Reggie wants.
Years and years ago, he made a wish of his own.
It was so long ago that he has practically forgotten making it.
But the stars he works for have not.
Today is the day Reggie the Wish Granter will see his very own wish come true.
Often humans wish for trivial things an extra inch of height, fame and fortune, or a bit of attention from a romantic interest.
These wishes have the same chances of being granted or ignored as other requests.
A successful application to a dream job, a boost to a researcher's insight into a scientific mystery or a parent's plea for their child's success.
It doesn't matter who or what Reggie believes is more or less worthy.
The stars decide which fantasies are fulfilled, and their methodology is unknowable, even to him.
The bell attached to Reggie's workbench rings lightly to draw his attention to a specific wish in the queue.
The bench has an uncommonly sturdy quality.
It's carved from an asteroid and shaped to Reggie's specific requirements.
He reaches for the bell to silence it.
Then he lowers his hand to a switch underneath the bell stand and flicks it to the on position in the center of the workbench is inverted, revealing a yellowed sheet of parchment.
Reggie picks up the paper.
Its texture is reminiscent of velvet, but it's as strong as the toughest metal wire.
He knows instantly that this isn't just any old wish.
The stars have decided this is a wish that should receive his immediate attention.
These come from time to time and are all part of the job, so Reggie isn't too surprised.
The first thing he needs to know is the name of the wishmaker.
He scans the upper left section of the wish and reads aloud, Celeste Mirasol.
Celeste is 43 years old and a resident of a coastal city in Greece.
A picture is included for reference.
Reggie studies it carefully to make sure he'll be able to recognize the woman when he meets her in person.
In the picture, Celeste's curly hair is tied high above the crown of her head in a tight bun.
It's mostly black, but the tips of her curls are dyed an electric green.
Her skin is a dark brown and accented by magenta eyeshadow.
She isn't smiling in the image.
Instead, she wears a pensive expression.
She looks as if she's just been asked where she plans to be in 10 years.
Next, Reggie moves to the most important detail of his mission, Celeste's wish.
His eyes twinkle as he reads the details.
He runs a hand through his hair and chuckles.
What a lovely thought, he muses to himself.
When Reggie has finished perusing, he rolls up the wish.
Then he slides it into a copper tube, which he retrieves from beneath the workstation.
He seals the tube with a screw-on cap, secures it in the side pocket of a red slim-fit peacoat and throws the garment over his shoulders.
I'm off, he says in a mellow voice that carries throughout the honeycombed workspace.
Reggie tugs on a pair of black leather gloves and heads for the exit.
His fellow wish-granters respond to his announcement with excited well-wishes and good-natured envy.
Reggie can't hear every response, but he deciphers a few exchanges on his way to the chamber's inner door.
He's off to deliver a high priority wish, says one co-worker.
Others nearby joke whether Reggie should be trusted with such a precious item.
And still more remind him, with a smile, that he doesn't have to hurry back.
It's always a treat to travel down to Earth, after all.
Reggie waves a gloved hand both to say goodbye and to acknowledge he's heard all the jokes and farewells.
He passes through the inner door into a narrow hallway.
The walls, floor, and ceiling are black.
Reggie continues walking straight ahead towards a small room that sits in the center of the habitat and connects each of its six chambers.
It says, Stargaze.
For all the wish-granters, this is their favorite room in the entire habitat.
It is their way to travel to Earth.
Reggie doesn't know how it works.
It's the power of the stars.
He walks into a six-sided room with a ceiling so tall he couldn't begin to guess its height.
In the center of the room is an oval-shaped pod.
It's open, and it seems as if it's waiting for him.
Reggie can see a comfortable-looking seat and armrests inside the pod.
He's only traveled to Earth in this manner five times before over the course of multiple decades.
His steps towards the pod and its comfortable-looking seat are shaky, and his attempt to lift himself up is a little clumsy.
But when he's settled in the seat, the pod closes in on itself like a shellfish preparing to sleep in its underwater shelter.
The seat warms a little under his touch, like the most comfortable of recliners in a spa.
It means he's on his way.
And just a few moments later, the pod chirps.
He's arrived.
Reggie releases a slow, calming breath.
The pod opens and his breath catches in his chest just as he's inhaling another dose of oxygen.
A bright light from a distant star warms his skin.
Basking in the comfortable warmth.
He delights in how the rays envelop every inch of his skin like a blanket.
He is on Earth, there's no doubt.
He sees blue-green liquid.
It's lapping up against a sandy shoreline right before his eyes.
So much water everywhere.
It's hard for him to comprehend the vastness.
He feels as if he's witnessing the most spectacular phenomenon ever.
It's stunning to think this planet has seven seas and four oceans of water on this scale of magnitude.
Reggie composes himself and looks around.
The beach has grainy sand and beautifully sculpted trees a dozen feet from the shoreline.
Beyond the trees is the base of a massive rock.
It rises steeply to a height Reggie can hardly believe is possible.
He looks the massive rock up and down several times.
It has shrubbery and trees protruding from its surface.
Small animals run along its craggy steps as easily as a person walking up a ramp.
This must be a mountain, he thinks to himself.
It's so tall.
It's as if it's trying to compete against the clear blue sky, which obviously has no equal in height other than the stars and vacuum beyond the planet's atmosphere.
The agency has given Reggie extensive training in Earth geography and cartography, so he knows from a glance that he's in Greece.
A beautiful and ancient Earth nation.
From the landmarks around him and his mission briefing, Reggie can make a guess.
The beautiful water he can hardly pull his eyes from is known as the Ionian Sea.
Yes, this is the right place.
Reggie's pod is facing the sea.
That means his wishmaker will be somewhere along the shore to his right.
He removes his pea coat and changes into a pair of trousers and a long-sleeved shirt, both made of light, breathable fabric.
As soon as he's clambered from the pod, it lifts off into the air and seems to disappear.
It's camouflaged from prying eyes and human technology.
Reggie knows that it will remain suspended 20 feet above the ground until he calls it back.
He begins trudging purposefully over the sand, and after a 10-minute walk, he finds her.
He hears her first as a beautiful melody is carried on the sea breeze.
Reggie wants to stop and listen.
He might pull up a chair if there were one within reach.
The song is coming from directly ahead.
About two dozen steps from the tideline, a semicircle of humans is grouped closely together, blocking Reggie's view of the music source.
He makes his way forward and in the center of the group he finds the woman who made the wish Celeste Mirasol.
She's sitting on a stool, eyes closed, head bowed and lips glued to the end of a brilliantly polished silver instrument.
Reggie remembers from his training that it's called a saxophone.
Celeste and her audience sway gently and slowly to the song's rhythm.
It's a very peaceful tune, something Reggie would like to hear again, perhaps just before he drifts off to sleep at the end of a long day.
He stands with the rest of the audience, and even finds himself mimicking their gentle dance.
The music is lovely, touching a part of him he wasn't expecting to be awakened.
Celeste is completely engrossed in the music.
She doesn't even look up to appreciate the audience's attention.
It's as if the instrument in her hands and her own considerable talent have transported her to a private world that no one else can enter.
After several very pleasant minutes of music, Celeste ends the song.
She lets the saxophone, which is attached to a shoulder strap, rest in one hand and she uses her other to shake hands with each of her new fans who have stepped forward to give her praise.
Reggie remains a comfortable distance away, waiting for the others to pay their respects to the artist and leave.
At last, when the others have gone, Reggie moves forward.
Greeting him with a warm handshake, Celeste thanks him for listening.
You played wonderfully, says Reggie.
You gave us all an unexpected gift.
Celeste replies that it was unexpected for her too.
She turns slightly and retrieves her saxophone case from beside the stool.
Then she places the case on the seat and begins breaking down the instrument so it can be safely stowed away.
Celeste tells Reggie that she hadn't planned on having a show.
She just happened to have her instrument with her and decided to take a quick walk down the beach.
As Celeste talks, she continues to put away the saxophone.
She slides the mouthpiece into its mold and looks over the disassembled instrument.
Then she gives a satisfied nod and closes the case.
After a ritualistic wrap of her knuckles on the lid, she's done.
Celeste turns her full attention back to Reggie.
The air coming off the waves smelled so clean, she says.
And then the sound of the tide hitting the beach, the birds calling out to each other and the people playing in the water.
It all felt so perfect.
I just wanted to play.
Reggie nods along encouragingly.
He's enjoying Celeste's friendliness and positive energy.
Impromptu conversations with strangers are a very rare occurrence for him.
After all, he knows every wish-granter in the agency habitat.
But Reggie has a job to do.
He needs to steer the conversation towards Celeste's wish.
He asks her what song she was playing.
He hadn't heard it before.
Celeste smiles shyly.
She knows he couldn't have heard it.
She explains that she's the composer, and before today she had only played it for her friends.
They are putting together an album.
Really? says Reggie, feigning surprise.
This is a detail he already knew from the information he'd received through the agency, but the awe in his voice is genuine.
He's impressed that any individual could be so talented, using their imagination, to create such a beautiful arrangement of sounds.
Now, they're getting the conversation closer to his purpose.
Reggie asks Celeste what she plans to do with the album.
I have a wish, she says.
Reggie's eyes twinkle.
A wish, he says.
That's an interesting word.
Celeste laughs quietly.
Then she tells him something she's never told anyone before.
She's always dreamed of helping people with music.
It's healing, energizing, rejuvenating.
Reggie nods encouragingly as she speaks, urging her to continue.
The songs are soft and relaxing, says Celeste.
They all have a therapeutic sound.
She wants them to speak to people's souls and be healing.
Reggie smiles his widest grin and his laugh lines stretch all the way up to his twinkling eyes.
Grasping Celeste's hand, he says, I have no doubt that your wish will come true.
With these words, his mission is complete.
Celeste smiles and returns his handshake with both hands.
You're such a nice man, she says She almost feels like she knows him.
Reggie smiles again and tells her that he should be heading home.
He thanks Celeste for sharing her lovely music, then turns to walk back the way he came.
Goodbye, Celeste calls after him.
Then she adds, by the way, my name is Celeste.
What's yours?
Reggie turns towards Celeste.
My name is Reggie, he says, and I'm 233 years old.
Celeste laughs and tells him he looks amazing for his age.
You better believe I do, Reggie replies with a wink.
He waves one final time and walks back to his pod.
The vehicle responds promptly to Reggie's call.
And once it has assured him that there's no inquisitive eyes around to witness his departure, he clambers inside.
Safely camouflaged inside the pod, Reggie says, let's go home.
The seat warms up again and Reggie is carried back to the habitat as quickly as he arrived on Earth.
A day's work is completed, a wish successfully granted.
Now Reggie retires to his bedroom to sleep and prepare for another day.
He closes the door and changes into his pajamas.
His bed is ready and waiting for him.
Suddenly, a bell attached to the nightstand chimes for his attention.
Reggie frowns, wondering if he's being called back to work.
He presses a switch and a centerpiece in the nightstand flips over.
Inside, Reggie sees the piece of yellowed velvety parchment he expected.
But as he examines the wish, his breath catches in his chest.
This wish has his name on it.
And there's a message addressed to him.
Decades ago, our faithful steward, Reggie Staples, made a wish.
And now the stars will grant his greatest desire.
Lie down on your bed, Reggie.
After returning the parchment to his nightstand, Reggie begins to lower himself into his bed.
But then he hesitates and calls out to the room.
Play Celeste Mirasol's song.
The room responds playing the gentle melody he heard for the first time just minutes before on Earth.
Loop it, please, says Reggie.
And then, feeling satisfied, he lies down in his bed.
As soon as his head touches the pillow, a sequence of images begins to materialize on the ceiling.
One after another, he finally sees them all.
These are the faces of each person whose wish he's granted in his long tenure, with the Wish Upon a Star agency.
Reggie has never met most of his wishmakers or seen the outcomes of their granted wishes.
The people are smiling and laughing, and their faces all say the same thing.
This is the best day of my life.
These reactions plainly show what the wishes meant to the people who made them.
Reggie has longed to see them.
The final image is of Celeste.
She holds up a silver-colored album and is surrounded by people.
Reggie can tell that they're thanking her for her music.
What job could be more fulfilling, thinks Reggie.
And as Celeste's face disappears, he decides he's finally ready for sleep.
He closes his eyes and slows his breathing.
And as he relaxes, he imagines his consciousness drifting into space to rest with the stars he serves.
Amen.
Amen.
