Welcome to Disney's Magic of Storytelling podcast, brought to you by Wake Med Children's, because inside every child is a story waiting to be told.
Our storyteller is ABC 11's Diane Wilson.
101 Dalmatians, Detective Lucky.
A blustery wind was blowing outside, but the Dalmatian puppies all 99 of them were snug and cozy in their new house.
The puppies crowded around Nanny, who was reading them a bedtime story.
Lucky loved bedtime stories.
He especially loved ones about detectives.
He wished he could be a detective.
When Nanny's story was over, Pongo and Perdita tucked the puppies into bed.
But Lucky wasn't tired, not even a little bit.
He couldn't stop thinking about all the mysteries he would solve if he were a detective.
One by one, the other puppies drifted off to sleep.
Soon Lucky was the only one still awake.
Suddenly his ears twitched.
Creak!
Squeak!
Bang!
What was that strange sound?
Lucky bolted upright.
Maybe this was it.
The mystery he had wished for.
Maybe the sound was a clue.
Luckily, carefully climbed out of bed.
His parents were in the living room, Roger and Anita.
No one would notice if Lucky slipped through the doggy door.
He could go outside, find some clues, crack the case and be back before anyone even knew he had left.
Lucky scampered outside.
He looked around.
He had never been outside alone at night.
The wind had died down, but it was very dark.
All around him, Lucky saw a strange, shattery shape.
Lucky thought about going back inside, but he knew that a true detective will solve his case no matter what.
If he wanted to be a detective, he'd have to go on, dark or no dark.
Lucky sniffed the air.
An unfamiliar smell made his nose twitch.
Maybe it was another clue.
Lucky pressed his nose down to the dirt and sniffed again.
There it was, the same smell.
His tail wagged as he followed the scent into the woods.
This is exactly what a real detective would do.
Lucky thought eagerly as he tracked the smell to a hollow log.
Lucky poked his head into the log to see what was inside and found two spooky eyes staring back at him.
Lucky yelped in surprise.
He backed out of the log as quickly as he could and ran right into a tree.
Thunk!
Strange noises filled the air and Lucky felt something brushed by his head.
Woo, woo, woo, flap, flap, whoosh.
Lucky was surrounded by spooky sounds and he didn't know what was making any of them.
And to make matters worse, he'd been so busy tracking the smell that he hadn't noticed how far he had roamed.
He had no idea where he was or how to get home.
There was only one thing to do.
Run!
Lucky raced through the forest, ducking under branches and leaping over rocks.
When the trees began to thin, he charged forward, running faster and faster until wham!
He knocked right into someone.
In a flurry of fur and tails and hisses and growls.
Lucky and the stranger tumbled over and over and over.
Then a familiar voice said Lucky, is that you?
It was sergeant tibbs, the cat, who'd help rescue lucky and his siblings from gorilla deville.
Sergeant tibbs lucky, cried in relief help, i'm lost and i don't know how to get home.
Sergeant tibbs knew just what to do.
He led lucky to an old barn where the two filled the colonel in a lucky situation.
No question about it, we've got to get this pup back to the dalmatian plantation, the colonel announced, but it's too late for the twilight bark.
I'm afraid Lucky's heart sank.
You mean I have to stay here all night, he asked.
No need for that, the colonel said kindly.
This calls for the midnight bark.
The colonel lumbered over to the door and howled into the night.
Lucky waited anxiously for a response.
At last it came.
Bark, bark, bark.
Yip, yip, yip.
Yip, yip, yip.
Arf, arf.
Arf, arf.
The barks echoed across the countryside to the Dalmatian plantation, where a sleepy Pongo opened his eyes.
It's a lost pup, he whispered to Perdita.
I'll go help.
Follow the barks.
They'll lead you home again, the colonel told Lucky.
Good luck, lad.
Thank you, Lucky told the colonel and Sergeant Tibbs.
Then listening closely, he ran into the night.
The colonel was right.
Following the sound of the barks, Lucky soon realized that he was on the path home.
And now that he was less scared, Lucky was able to solve all the mysteries that he stumbled upon.
Even the freaky old gate that had started it all.
Back at the Dalmatian plantation, Pongo was shocked to see Lucky bound up to him.
The midnight bark was for you, he asked.
Dad, Dad, I solved a mystery, Lucky exclaimed.
Just like a real detective.
Tell me about it in the morning, Pongo whispered as he led Lucky back to bed.
And no more mysteries tonight.
Lucky agreed and snuggled up to his siblings, ready to fall asleep after his big adventure.
Suddenly his ears twitched.
What was that strange sound?
Maybe it was a clue.
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