The Moonlight Parade (EVERYONE)
2022/02/05
Today we’ll be reading a story called The Moonlight Parade. It’s a story about friendship, love, loss, and change.
A Carefully Built Pretend podcast is written and produced by Melissa Oliveri - http://www.melissaoliveri.com
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All music by Cannelle - http://www.cannellemusic.com
Music and Stories brought to you by Things with Wings Productions and Phaeton Starling Publishing.
FULL TRANSCIPT:
Pssst! Over here!
Take my hand, I’ll take you to a Pretend Land!
Are you ready?
1 -2 -3, Wheeeeeeeeee!
Welcome to A Carefully Built Pretend. My name is Melissa, and I’m so glad you’re here!
Today we’ll be reading a story called The Moonlight Parade. It’s a story about friendship, love, loss, and change.
Are you ready? Here we go!
Many years ago, in a place like many places, with fields and trees and the occasional house, was a farm with many horses. The horses raced around the fields; tall, short, old, young, light, dark.
One of those horses, rather young and rather dark, was very special. She was special because she was kind, gentle and smart.
Nearby lived a girl, rather young and rather tall. Every day she would ride her bike down the dirt road, wind blowing her hair into tangles, just to see the horse. The girl was also kind, gentle and smart.
They would stand in the fields for hours. The girl would talk and the horse would listen, the girl would sing and the horse would doze off, and sometimes the girl would lean on the horse and they would just stand in silence.
At dusk, when all the other horses would run across the fields like their wild ancestors, the horse would shield the girl from their pounding hooves, and they would both watch the parade as the moon came up.
Day after day, night after night, the girl and the horse would stand and watch the moonlight parade.
Over time, the girl started coming every other day, then once a week, then the visits became fewer and fewer until the girl stopped visiting at all.
She had grown up and moved to a place like many places, with tall buildings and cars and the occasional tree.
The horse grew up too, and became a mom. She taught her foals to be kind, gentle and smart, and all of them grew up to be very special horses.
But at dusk, when the other horses started their parade, she would watch and wonder what happened to the girl.
Far away, in a small city house, the girl had also become a mom. She taught her baby to be kind gentle and smart.
She kept busy every day, but at dusk she would look out her tiny window at the rising moon and remember the field, the parade and the horse. Night after night she thought of the horse and wished she could stand with her and talk, and sleep, and sing.
Many years later, on a warm and sunny day, the girl came back to the place with the fields and the trees… and the horse. The girl had grown older, her hair was getting grey and she spoke more quietly, but that day she had a sparkle in her eye.
The girl walked to the field and called the horse’s name. The horse had grown older, her mane was tangled and she walked more slowly, but when she heard the girl’s voice she also got a sparkle in her eye.
They spent some time standing very close. The girl talked and the hose listened, then she sang a little song and it was time to go.
They both felt very sad, and as the girl walked away the horse whinnied a loud, proud and heavy-hearted goodbye.
Years went by and the horse thought of the girl and the girl thought of the horse.
One night, the horse was very tired and lay down to sleep.
But as the moon started to come up, and the horses started their parade of pounding hooves, the horse lifted her head, shook her mane, and got up to join them. She ran and ran in the field with the other horses.
As the moon rose higher and higher she ran faste
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