Hello! Welcome to Stories Podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon.
Today's story is a throwback episode.
Tune in to hear one of our classic stories from the archive that you might have missed the first time around.
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Let's go. M -I -C -K -E -Y All new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus.
And all our friends are here.
Like Pluto. Goofy. Donald.
Minnie Daisy Hey everybody And me, Mickey Mouse Welcome to the clubhouse I'll be right here Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus Now available on Disney Junior and Disney Plus Learn more at ondisneyplus .disney .com Thanks, enjoy the episode The Three Billy Goats Gruff Homer Gruff, Woody Gruff, and Charlie Ray Gruff were very hungry Billy Goats The three brother goats were in the midst of a growth spurt and just could not get enough to eat.
Amber Lee Gruff, the boy's mother, could not believe how ravenous they were.
You boys are going to eat me out of house and home, Amber Lee cried out almost daily, and she was not wrong.
Homer, Woody, and Charlie Ray had already eaten all of the grass that comprised the Gruff family lawn.
There were a few errant strands remaining, but the rest of the lush green lawn had been gobbled up, and all that was left was a flat expanse of dirt in its place.
At one time there had been carefully groomed hedges surrounding the Gruff family property But the Gruff brothers had eaten all the greenery off those And all that were left were spindly twigs which the boys had begun to gnaw on as well When Amberley caught Homer, the biggest and the hungriest of the Gruff brothers Chomping on some aluminum cans he'd found in the recycling bin She decided enough was enough Homer Gruff, that metal is gonna upset your stomach You stop eating that can right now But Ma, he replied mournfully I'm so hungry If you boys need to keep eating and you can't wait until dinner...
We can't, Ma! interrupted Woody, the second hungriest gruff brother, who'd seriously been contemplating an aluminum can snack as well.
If you really can't wait, then y 'all need to move on to greener pastures because you've eaten up everything around here.
You need to get on out of here and cross over that old stone bridge and find something healthy to eat in that meadow on the other side.
Oh, I forgot about the meadow, exclaimed Charlie Ray.
He was the smallest of the Gruff brothers, but he had a sizable appetite of his own.
There's grass for miles, and dandelions!
I love dandelions! Homer, Woody, and Charlie Ray immediately began to salivate at the thought of all that delicious vegetation.
But don't you boys forget, that crabby old troll, Cherlene, lives under the old stone bridge, and she might give you a hard time, so you'd best keep an eye out.
Don't worry, though.
Her bark is worse than her butt.
we sure will maul said homer and we'll be home for dinner too i know you will said amberlee you could always count on the gruff brothers to be on time for meals homer woody and charlie ray couldn't get outside fast enough oh man that meadow is gonna have such good sweet grass said homer as he trotted down the lane toward the old stone bridge And dandelions, said Woody.
I'm going to eat all of them.
You can't eat all of them, Woody.
They're my favorite, Charlie Ray called out.
Oh, I'm going to eat them all, all right, and you can't stop me, Woody replied, teasing him in that annoying older brother way.
I can't if I get there first, Charlie Ray yelled.
And then he took off in the direction of the meadow, leaving his two older brothers in his wake.
Aw, man, said Woody.
Charlie Ray was very fast, and Woody wasn't sure he could catch him.
He took off after his younger brother.
Homer hung back a moment.
There was really no reason to race.
The meadow was so huge that no matter how hungry the brothers were, they'd never be able to finish all the grass or all the dandelions.
But he chuckled at his silly little brothers and took off after them anyway.
Charlie Ray was far, far ahead of his brothers, but he did not dare slow down.
Charlie Ray was fast, but Woody was almost as fast, and if Charlie Ray slowed down, he thought Woody could very well overtake him.
i will not let him eat all them dandelions charlie huffed and puffed as he ran he rounded a corner and then finally he spotted the old stone bridge that led to the meadow charlie ray peeked behind his shoulder no woody in sight i'm gonna win he said to himself joyously as he began to bound across the bridge to charlie ray the sound of his hooves clattering against the old stones was the the sound of success, until he heard the low groan emerging from the stream underneath.
Who's that trip -trapping up on my bridge?
a deep, gravelly voice asked.
It was Charlene, the troll.
Oh, no! Charlie Ray couldn't believe he'd forgotten his mother's warning.
Why hadn't he crossed quietly?
Charlene emerged from her dwelling underneath the bridge and looked Charlie Ray up and down.
You know there's a troll to pay, don't you?
Charlene asked, smacking her lips together.
Charlie Ray tried hard to make eye contact with her instead of staring at her slimy, olive -green skin or any of the throbbing, gooey -looking warts that adorned her face.
But it was very difficult.
Um, what's the toll, ma 'am?
Charlie Ray asked, trying to be nice so maybe she'd be inclined to go easy on him.
I said troll! You have to pay me!
This is my bridge and I'm mighty hungry right about now.
It's almost my supper time.
lamb is my favorite food but maybe a nice young goat would be just as yummy she advanced towards him her yellow eyes glistening devilishly things were not looking good for charlie ray but then he got an idea you know ma 'am i'm pretty skinny i haven't had my gross part yet i don't think i'd make a very good dinner but my brother is right behind me and he's way bigger if i were you i'd wait for him shirlene cocked her head to the side and looked at charlie ray she couldn't tell if he he was lying or not.
You sure your brother's right behind you?
Yep. What's his name?
Woody. How old is he?
A year older than me.
How much bigger is he?
Way bigger. Fine, said Charlene.
You can go, but if I'm still hungry when you pass back over this bridge on your way home, I'm gonna cook you up for sure.
Okay, thanks, said Charlie Ray, and he took off again with a big smile on his face.
Charlie Ray was pretty sure Woody would be able to get out of this situation without being eaten.
His mom had said her bark was worse than her bite, but Shirlene would definitely slow him down.
More dandelions for me!
Now for a quick ad break.
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The scariest part of summer isn't the sunburn.
It's the spending. There are the last -minute road trips, pricey snack hauls, and bottomless SPF restocks, and your wallet's feeling the heat.
Cool it with DoorDash and save big on your seasonal must -haves during Summer of Dash Pass.
Ice cream is my favorite treat in the summertime, and when it gets simply too hot to move, I love to DoorDash a sundae from one of the ice cream places nearby.
nearby. DoorDash has a huge selection of ice cream options near me, plus anything else I could ever want, so I never have to go without an icy dessert on a hot summer night.
And it won't break the bank!
Starting June 26, Summer of DashPass is your excuse to stock up on all things summer.
Sunscreen, headphones, watermelon, whatever's in your cart.
And get it with $0 delivery fees and reduced service fees on eligible orders.
Sign up for DashPass now if you aren't already a member and enjoy a summer full of savings.
Check daily for massive summer savings on restaurants, groceries, and brands from June 26th through July 30th.
DashPass benefits apply only to eligible orders.
Terms apply. Come on, everybody.
Let's go. M -I -C -K -E -Y All -new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Plus.
Yay! And all of our friends are here.
Like Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Minnie, Daisy.
Hey, everybody. and me mickey mouse welcome to the clubhouse i'll be right here mickey mouse clubhouse plus now available on disney junior and disney plus learn more at on disney plus dot disney dot com when woody rounded the corner and spotted the old stone bridge a wide smile spread across his face as he sped up he could see his little brother just crossing into the meadow now and he knew that he could catch him if he ran as fast as he possibly could i can still win he said to himself self joyously as he began to bound across the bridge to woody the sound of his hooves clattering against the old
stones beneath him was the sound of success until he heard the low groan emerging from the stream below who's that trip trapping upon my bridge a deep gravelly voice asked it was shirlene the troll oh no woody couldn't believe he'd forgotten his mother's warning why hadn't he crossed quietly?
Chirlene emerged from her dwelling beneath the bridge and looked Woody up and down.
You know there's a troll to pay, don't you?
Chirlene asked, smacking her lips together.
Woody tried hard to make eye contact with her instead of staring at her wild and matted purple hair or her dark green fingernails that were so long they curled back in on themselves, but it was very difficult.
Did you say troll or toll?
Woody asked, trying to be nice so maybe she'd be inclined to go easy on him.
I said, Troll, you have to pay me.
This is my bridge, and I'm mighty hungry right about now.
It's almost my supper time, and I'm in the mood for goat.
She advanced toward him, her yellow eyes glistening devilishly.
An uneasy feeling was growing in Woody's stomach, but then he realized.
Charlie Ray had escaped the situation, and if he could do it, Woody could too.
He got an idea. You know, ma 'am, I might be a pretty big big billy goat, but you ain't seen nothing until you see my brother.
He's right behind me and he's way bigger.
If I were you, I'd wait for him and have a really gourmet meal.
Shirlene cocked her head to the side and looked at Woody.
She couldn't tell if he was lying or not.
You sure your brother's right behind you?
Yep. What's his name?
Homer. How old is he?
A year older than me.
How much bigger is he?
Way bigger. Fine, said Shirlene.
You can go, but if I'm still hungry when you pass back over this bridge on your way home, I'm gonna cook you up for sure.
Okay, thanks, said Woody, and he took off again with a big smile on his face.
Charlie Ray would definitely not get to eat all the dandelions now.
Woody felt a little guilty about throwing Homer under the bus like that, but he was confident that Homer would figure it out.
After all, his mom had said that her bark was worse than her bite.
Dandelions, here I come!
Homer Gruff was not in a tremendous hurry to reach the meadow, so he was jogging along at a normal pace when he rounded the corner and reached the old stone bridge.
If he squinted his eyes, he could just make out his two brothers in the meadow on the other side, playfully bickering like they always did, which was silly because Homer could see that there were more than enough dandelions for both of them to eat their fill.
He was still chuckling aloud to himself about their silliness when his hooves clattered against the old stone bridge.
Who's that trip trapping up on my bridge?
A deep, gravelly voice asked.
It was, of course, Shirlene the troll.
Oh, right, Homer said, remembering his mother's warning.
Shirlene? That's right, Shirlene said, a little taken aback.
There's a troll to pay, you know.
Haha, troll, said Homer.
I see what you did there.
Like his brothers, Homer was hopeful that by being friendly.
He'd get Charlene to go easy on him.
I'm hungry for dinner and your brothers before you convinced me that you'd make a delicious meal.
She advanced toward him, her yellow eyes glistening devilishly.
Homer was pretty annoyed that his brothers had passed this problem off to him, but he figured maybe they were too little to know better.
Well, Charlene, if you're hungry for dinner, maybe you should come on over.
My mom's making something delicious.
She's a real good cook and I'm sure she'd love to have you.
I think you guys know each other.
She's Amberly Gruff.
Oh, Amberley? We went to school together.
Charlene cocked her head to the side and looked Homer up and down.
She couldn't tell if he was lying or not.
People weren't often that nice to the troll that lived under the bridge.
What's your mom making?
She asked him. Lasagna.
When will it be ready?
Probably about like a half an hour from now.
Homer's stomach growled, thinking about it.
Will there be dessert?
Definitely. What kind of dessert?
Pie, I think. Strawberry rhubarb.
shirley and thought for a second okay i'll come but if you're telling me stories just to get out of paying me the toll i'll eat you and your brothers for dinner that's fine ma 'am said homer he was telling the truth anyway let me go get my brothers in the meadow and we'll come back across the bridge and pick you up for dinner deal deal okay thanks homer bounded off to collect his bickering brothers in the meadow homer woody and charlie ray returned in about 15 minutes to collect like Charlene.
Woody and Charlie Ray had been surprised when Homer told them the plan, but they were mostly just glad that Homer hadn't gotten gobbled up by the big scary troll.
Amber Lee was also surprised when her sons returned home with Charlene in tow, but she was happy to set an extra place at the table for her old classmate.
The dinner went pretty well.
Charlene had plenty of funny stories to tell them about the many creatures that crossed her bridge and the many tolls she'd asked them to pay.
I've never actually eaten anybody, she confided in the Gruff family.
It's just something I say.
Amberlee smiled, satisfied that she'd been right about Charlene's bark being worse than her bite.
They all got along famously over the lasagna and the strawberry rhubarb pie.
When it was time to go, Charlene looked at all of them.
Thank you for having me over.
I don't have any family, and it gets kind of lonely under my bridge.
This was really nice.
Well, I know we enjoyed having you, too.
Why don't you come again for dinner next week?
It would be fun to hear some more stories about your toll collecting, Amberlee said with a smile.
Yeah, we'd like that, echoed Homer, Woody, and Charlie Ray.
Well, okay, said Charlene.
Her green cheeks flushed pink for a moment, and she smiled a big smile.
In fact, she didn't stop smiling for her entire walk home.
Dinner with the Gruff family became a weekly event for Charlene, and she stopped threatening to eat the creatures that crossed her bridge.
Homer, Woody, and Charlie Ray crossed over it almost every day to feast on the delicious grasses and dandelions in the big meadow.
Best of all, the grass on the lawn at the Gruff family house finally grew back, which made Amberlee very glad.
The End Today's story was adapted and performed by me, Amanda Weldon.
Stories Podcast was created by Daniel Hines.
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