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I am so excited for the spa day.
Candles lit.
Music on.
Hot tub warm and ready.
And then my chronic hives come back.
Again, in the middle of my spa day.
What a wet blanket.
Looks like another spell of itchy red skin.
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Hives during my next spa day?
Not if I can help it.
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Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy.
My name's Thomas.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
Tonight we'll enjoy the final installment of our Zodiac series following Pisces through her day in the modern world.
This dreamy, empathetic nature lover spends her day leading a group of young children through a botanical garden.
I've so enjoyed recording this series for you, and it's somewhat bittersweet that it's reached its end.
But I want to say a big thank you to Frankie, whose creativity and talent for story writing knows no bounds.
If you enjoy listening tonight, but you haven't heard the other stories from this series, of which there are, of course, 11 more, then be sure to go back and find them another time.
We've released them on a monthly basis over the past year.
And in the near future we'll also have a couple of long-length stitched versions of this series going up on the Get Sleepy Premium feed.
So keep an eye out for those.
And if you aren't yet a Premium subscriber, remember you can give it a try any time.
All the info you need is in the episode description, along with the links to become a member.
Now, my friends, before we enter the world of warm mists and green peacefulness, we must settle ourselves down for sleep.
In honor of the journey we're about to take, imagine your body as a beautiful plant.
You lie in your bed, snuggled under your covers and comforted by pillows, just as the roots of a plant are kept warm by rich soil.
Allow the roots of your body to reach down through the ground, anchoring themselves in the tranquility of the earth.
Here you will rest, supported by the richness of the land and nourished by the very sun itself.
Take some deep breaths.
As you breathe, dig your roots deeper still.
With each inhale and exhale, you are helping to continue the cycle of life on the planet.
As you gently breathe, your body is renewed.
Your exhale releases carbon dioxide, which is what plants need to grow and survive.
They turn the carbon dioxide back into oxygen, which again fuels us.
We are wrapped inexorably in a loving embrace with the natural world around us.
What a wonderful thought that is.
Now let's join Pisces as she walks through a park to a beautifully ornate greenhouse.
This is where our story begins.
Pisces walks up the stone path, enjoying the way the late winter snow crunches under her feet.
The trees and bushes of the park around her are blanketed in a few inches of snow.
The world seems to be green and white.
The sky is white, and it looks like the world is wrapped in cotton wool.
The evergreen trees stand in bold juxtaposition to the frost around them.
Large, glossy leaves poke out from the snow-dusted bushes and shrubs like emeralds.
Ahead of Pisces sits a large glass building.
Its domed central section is joined by two long wings that branch out on either side.
The iron frame of the building is painted white and the many glass panels reflect the sun, making the entire structure look like an ice palace.
It's a Victorian greenhouse and botanical garden.
In order to keep the many tropical plants inside it warm during these cold months, the glass panels of the greenhouse act as a kind of heater, allowing diffuse sunlight in and keeping the temperature up.
Pisces looks down at her clipboard once she reaches the front of the building.
She has volunteered to help a daycare center with their field trip to the botanical garden.
She will be assigned two small children to keep an eye on lead through the greenhouse and help with their project of the day.
To draw a picture of their favorite plant.
Pisces can barely contain her excitement.
She has listened patiently to all of her siblings recount their days on earth with mounting elation.
She is usually a little indecisive, but she's had plenty of time to plan this day.
Her empathetic trait and love of nature led her here.
She hears the shouts and laughter of children before she sees them.
A dozen very small kids, each one wrapped up like a cozy little present, come waddling up the path.
They are shepherded by a few adults.
The children's faces are flushed with excitement and the cold.
They remind Pisces of cheerful little birds hopping around her feet and calling to one another as she checks in with the headteacher.
Pisces is assigned a twin boy and girl named James and Alice.
They both introduce themselves to her at the same time and immediately launch into simultaneous monologues about their favorite colors, what they had for breakfast and what animals they would be if they had the choice.
Pisces manages to usher the chattering children into the entrance of the building.
The warm, moist air envelops them immediately.
Pisces helps Alice and James take off their heavy winter coats, woolen hats and fluffy scarves before taking off her own and hanging all of them on the racks, provided.
They definitely won't be needing them inside the greenhouse.
The main double doors of the greenhouse lead into a large chamber.
A stone walkway goes around the pond in the middle of the room.
Unable to control their excitement, the children run to the railing around the pond, Pisces jogging after them.
They press their little faces against the bars to get a better view.
The water of the pond is very clear, allowing them to see the mossy green bottom.
It's covered in large river stones, lush green freshwater plants, and shining fish.
A combination of goldfish and koi swim lazily through the water.
James points out that the fish are nearly as long as his arm.
Pisces takes turns lifting up each child so they can get a better view.
The orange and white fish are iridescent in the water.
As their little bodies move, they seem to shimmer and glow.
Pisces admires the fish with nearly as much joy as the children.
Her symbol is a pair of twin fish after all.
Alice and James are reluctantly lured away from the pond by Pisces.
They enter the first room and feel a change in the air immediately.
This room is hotter and drier than the rest of the building because it holds the desert plants.
Cacti and succulents crowd the dusty plant beds on either side of the room.
The children make a game of finding the cactus with the longest spikes.
They marvel at ones that seem to be crumpled like a piece of paper.
Others are tall, with branches like a tree.
James quickly finds one that looks like a brain, the aptly named brain cactus.
Some are nearly perfectly round, like the barrel cactus.
Alice points out that these ones wouldn't be fun to use as a football, to which her brother agrees.
The succulents are like plants from another world.
They don't have papery leaves, but thick ones that come in a variety of shapes.
They look like jewels carved from smooth stones rather than plants.
Some grow like normal bushes with many small branches of leaves, while others grow with one long stem and a group of leaves at the end, like a rose.
One of them even looks like someone made a dome out of jade stones, each one worn smooth and stacked on the next.
Upon closer inspection, this particular succulent has a small tree-like flower on top, giving it the impression of a tiny tree on a little grassy hill.
Pisces reads that it's called Chrysula alstoni.
Pisces and the children huddle around a squat hedgehog cactus, completely entranced.
None of them had ever seen a cactus in bloom before.
It sports a crown of pink flowers near its top.
Each one is a vibrant rose color, with yellow at its center.
The petals look like those of tiny daisies.
Next, the children bring Pisces over to a corner of the room covered in hairy, fuzzy cacti.
She lets the children debate with one another about whether or not these would still be spiky or if they would be soft like the fur of their cat at home.
After a few minutes, she settles the debate by pointing out the tiny spines hidden amongst the fuzz.
They all agree that the plants look like they've been wrapped in candy floss.
Pisces tells them that it's called an old man cactus, which makes the children change their observation from candy floss to an old man's beard.
They leave the desert behind for a very wet room indeed.
As soon as they walk through the doors, they feel transported back in time.
Ferns the size of trees are dotted around the room.
Their fronds caress the domed ceiling.
Their trunks are rough and patterned.
Where the fronds have been cut off, the taller the trees grew.
The children run their fingers down the rough bark, marveling at the feeling under their hands, like the scales of a snake.
Pisces, James and Alice crowd around one of the shorter fern trees, examining the way new fronds grow out of the plant.
They appear as tightly wrapped spirals that eventually unravel and open up over time.
They start so small, but unwrap to become enormous.
These fern trees are from the forests of New Zealand.
They like to grow in moist woodland, feeding on the rich soil.
They've been around since the days of dinosaurs, which is why they seem to transport visitors back in time.
Upon learning this, Alice and James waste no time in becoming their two favorite dinosaurs and stalking one another through the room.
New Zealand has more fern species than any other temperate country in the world.
About 40% of their native ferns are found nowhere else on Earth.
In addition to the large black tree fern, they are also known for the silver fern.
This one gets its name from the silvery colour of the underside of its fronds and is the national symbol of New Zealand.
From the rainforest room of New Zealand, the trio move on to a swampy room covered in yellow-green and gold moss around shallow pools.
At first, the children don't know what to make of this space.
There seems to be nothing but moss.
They spend some time petting the soft moss and comparing it to the fur of their grandmother's dog.
But then, Pisces calls them over to see something truly different.
A collection of pitcher plants hangs in a corner, overlooking a growth of Venus flytraps.
She explains how these plants get their energy from insects and the sun.
At first, the children are wary, but Pisces assures them that they are not harmful to anyone.
These plants have just found a different way to get the nutrients they need.
Alice leads the way to the next section as soon as Pisces tells her that they are about to enter the flower room.
The little girl pushes open the doors with excitement and they are immediately surrounded by every color of bloom they can imagine.
Orchids appear as brushes of white and purple.
Everywhere they look begonias sport, groups of orange and pink blossoms amongst white speckled leaves.
Peace lilies with large green leaves have delicate white flowers adorned with yellow pollen cones in the middle.
Vines of all varieties hang down, caressing the tops of heads as people meander through the heavily laden tables and overgrown flowerbeds.
Not only is there a wealth of colour in this room, but also of shades.
Oranges can be as bright as the skin of miniature mandarins growing ripe on little trees.
Or a pale orange, like the underside of a cloud at sunset.
Pinks range from magenta to pastel, just on one plant.
Tiny violet buds dangle down from a wooden trellis.
Alice is nearly overwhelmed by the beauty of the flowers.
She runs up to each new species within reach with a squeal of delight and a thousand questions for Pisces, about the plant.
Even James gives up his pretend embargo on flowers and chases after her pointing at any.
He sees in his favorite color fire engine red.
Pisces leads the children to a fuchsia bush.
The flowers look like ballerinas with petal tutus.
A few of the flowers have fallen to the ground, and Pisces picks one up.
She shows James and Alice how to gently detach the top of the flower and pull it through.
So the ballerina is hung by a single natural thread.
She then hangs the flower in her ear like an earring.
The children are amazed and take turns using the fallen flowers to create dangling ballerinas.
Pisces is sure to impress upon them the importance of not picking the growing flowers, but to use the ones that have already fallen.
A group of large bushes with broad leaves have what look like long-necked birds roosting in them.
As the trio get closer, they realize what looks like.
The heads of birds are actually flowers, called birds of paradise.
They are colourful plants with strange petals of orange, yellow and purple.
Next to them is a variety with all white flowers.
The children make a game of finding flowers that look like something else.
They point out an orchid with a pattern that looks like it has a bumblebee resting on its petal.
Another flower has only two petals that come together like a pair of red lips going in for a kiss.
There's even a plant with little pink heart-shaped flowers dripping down its stems.
The final room Pisces enters with the children is the largest one yet.
It houses a sea of greenery, as plants from all over the world sit next to one another for the enjoyment of the excited people moving along the paths.
A large pond weaves through the space, providing another environment for weird and wonderful water plants.
James and Alice race over to it, looking for more fish.
They can barely see below the surface of the water because there are so many green leaves resting on top.
Bolivian water lilies with huge circular, plate-like leaves float idly, hiding strong roots beneath the water.
They are next to the sacred lotus with its iconic pink flowers.
Water hyacinth takes up the rest of the available space, filling the gaps between the other broader leaves.
Banana trees with green bunches stand tall next to the gigantic Titan Arum.
Pisces tells the children about this plant. the flower of which grows as tall as a man.
At the moment, the green plant is clearly not in bloom.
Its huge petals are wrapped tightly around itself.
Pisces tells the children they should be thankful, because it's the smelliest flower in the world.
The two children devolve into a fit of giggles as they walk away.
They pass by a plant with a silvery trunk that seems to have been braided into a pattern.
Pisces tells them it's called a ficus and that, in nature, its trunk with strong roots allows it to grow in a variety of places.
The caretakers of the botanical garden have trained the plants to grow this way.
Alice responds to this information by showing Pisces her hair, which is in a long braid, and telling her that her mother knows how to braid hair so perhaps she can braid plants as well.
Pisces agrees with a smile, and they move along.
James points out a large plant sporting leaves with holes in them and asks why the plant seems to be missing a bit.
Pisces tries to keep her giggles down as she explains that this is a Swiss cheese plant.
It grows in the rainforest and has holes in its leaves to keep it from holding too much water.
James also notices that the roots of this plant are above ground.
So Pisces explains that this allows the Swiss cheese plant to climb like a vine and grow on bigger trees.
Satisfied with these answers, James moves on leading his sister to every interesting plant that catches his eye.
The two small children chatter together, always pointing out to their sibling when something is noteworthy.
Occasionally, they run back to Pisces to ask her a question or show her something they have noticed.
Pisces takes this time to appreciate the way the children seem to have an invisible tether between them.
Nothing is truly interesting unless they have shared it with their siblings.
And they always seem to know where the other one is, even without looking.
Pisces marvels at their connection and thinks about the connection she has with her own siblings.
The trio find a bench under a large palm tree and take a seat.
The children have an assignment for the day, to draw their favorite plants.
James and Alice spend several long minutes recounting to one another all the things they liked most, trying to pick which was the very best.
James decides to draw one of the fern trees.
He focuses very carefully on getting the perfect spiral for the frond.
His tongue sticks out as he slowly drags his green crayon across the paper.
Alice watches her brother for a while, before deciding that she is going to draw a bird of paradise.
She uses green to make a long stem that looks like a bird's beak.
Her enthusiasm is let loose as she creates sprays of purple and orange for the petals.
Pisces has been admiring her work for so long that she doesn't notice a unique addition to James' drawing until he is nearly finished.
A blue figure that he assures her is a dinosaur stalks around next to his fern tree.
She chuckles with delight.
Pisces leads the children back out to the front of the greenhouse.
The rest of their class and their teachers are waiting outside.
James and Alice run to their friends, eagerly showing them the pictures they have drawn.
Again.
The children are a constantly moving mass of little voices, each one speaking at the same time.
The teachers thank Pisces for her help, and then turn their attention to organizing their charges.
Just in time, James and Alice remember to turn around and wave goodbye to Pisces.
She waves back as the children form two lines and walk out of the park.
Pisces takes a moment to herself on a cozy bench.
Today has been filled with so many smiles and so much joy that she's hardly had time to take a breather.
She looks around at the park and the city beyond.
Humans are such wonderful beings.
They create such amazing things as greenhouses, art, stories, children, and so much more.
Pisces has no regrets about her day on Earth, only wishing that she and her zodiac siblings would have had the idea to come down sooner.
She smiles to herself, because she knows that they will not be long away again.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you.
