Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Auggie Carves a Jack O’Lantern (Auggie #8)

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Starting point is 00:01:19 That's Sweetnight.com and code Get Sleepy 2.0. If you love Get Sleepy or any of the other shows we produce here at Samba Studios, you'll love our app called White Noise Deep Sleep Sounds, with hundreds of sounds to choose from and the option to create custom mixes for your perfect soundscape, it can help you sleep better, improve focus, reduce anxiety, relieve tinnitus and calm babies. As a listener of Get Sleepy, we have an exclusive offer for you. Download the White Noise DeepSleep Sounds app and get 30 days free access to all of the premium content. Just go to deepsleepsounds.com slash get sleepy.

Starting point is 00:02:10 That's deepsleepsounds.com slash get sleepy. Welcome to get sleepy. When we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. My name's Thomas and I'm your host. Thank you for tuning in. Tonight, we enjoy our eighth rendition of one of Get Sleepy's most popular series, written by Alicia Stefan and read by Simon. Many of you are already fans of our feline duo, Orgy and Meatball. In our past stories, they've had many household adventures together, although Orgy might argue that Meatball is nothing but a sidekick. Tonight, we'll hear about what happens when they join in the family's holiday tradition of carving

Starting point is 00:03:12 jackalantons. As always, the activities will be carefully monitored by Orgy and generally disrupted by the infamous Meatball. And if you've never met Orgy and Meatball before, don't worry. You can enjoy tonight's story all on its own and find their earlier tales and another time. So, I hope you're feeling calm and clear. But if there's a bit of tension in your body and noise in your mind, let's try to just unwind that. together. To do so, try visualising a big ball of yarn. Right now, you're holding it in your hand.

Starting point is 00:04:13 It's all bundled together in a twisting, intertwining sphere of material, and it feels quite heavy when it's all bundled up like this. This ball of yarn is much like your active mind. Everything's interlocked, winding round in lots of directions, perhaps feeling trapped in your head. So, simply place the yarn on the floor, find the tip at the end of the material, and press one finger down on it. Then, gently push the ball of yarn away from you. Watch as the strand up. unravels, gradually moving further away, shrinking in size and changing shape in just the same way. You can let any pressure or disruptive mind noise unwind all that bundled tension just rolls out until the yarn is completely loose. No more twists and turns. Just a long,

Starting point is 00:06:06 lightweight strand, replacing the heavy cluster of the yarn's previous form. And now you can relax. Imagine a golden autumn day where the skies are blue, And the sun still warms your face. Despite a certain coolness in the air, this is where our story begins. If she'd been asked to consider it, Orgy might have said that mid-afternoon was her favorite time of day. Of course, she had not been asked,

Starting point is 00:07:22 and so she didn't bother to consider. All times of the day had their ups and downs. For example, morning could be very noisy, what with the preparations of the humans and so on. However, food was dispensed at that time, and this pleased her. Likewise, the evening activities could create a serious commotion under some circumstances. The humans made delicious food in the kitchen, but they didn't always share it. And the dishes created such a clatter. However, the evening also came with snuggles on the couch and sometimes even a warm fire.

Starting point is 00:08:13 So, evening was acceptable. Mid-afternoon, on the other hand, had very few drawbacks, being a generally quiet time. On some days, there were no bothersome humans at all. In the afternoon, the little ones were still away with the yellow bus, and the man and the woman had their inscrutably boring activities to attend to. Best of all, at that time of day, some really good sunbeams could be found in the living room. Ideally, the cat bed might be sitting right inside one of them. And that was perfection.

Starting point is 00:09:04 But even if the cat bed had been rudely moved to the wrong place, Orgy could content herself with the armchair by the window, or a rhombus of sunlight on the floor. Being a cat, she was capable of moulding herself into a number of convenient shapes, one of which was suitable for almost any configuration of sunlight. She felt quite smug about it. Some time ago, her luxurious status as the only guy. cat had been grievously damaged by the arrival of the orange inconvenience named Meatball. He had been small and manageable at first, and she had found it possible to ignore him

Starting point is 00:09:58 most of the time. However, he had since grown unbelievably large. First, he'd been all arms and legs and ears. And then his body had caught up. These days, she occasionally had the uncomfortable feeling. He might be exceeding her in stature. But Orgy tried to shake off these negative thoughts whenever they encroached. She was, and always would be, the superior cat in the house, she told herself, superior in every way.

Starting point is 00:10:47 Luckily, meatballs's size seemed to exceed his intelligence. He took most of his cues about behaviour from Oggy. If she was heading for the food bowl, he would head for the food bowl. If Augie was sitting outside the bedroom door, he would also stand watch until the door was opened by the humans. and if Orgy settled herself for nap time, Meatball would also unfailingly join in. This part could be an annoyance for Orgy

Starting point is 00:11:26 because there were only so many truly comfortable spots in the living room and she wasn't interested in sharing. Nonetheless, afternoons were an appealing time. Now, on one particular afternoon, in the heart of the cooling season, everything was truly right with the world. It was especially sunny that day, and the afternoon temperature was still just warm enough

Starting point is 00:11:58 that the humans had the windows half open. A gentle breeze occasionally wafted through these open places. It carried with it a scent that was completely unique to the time of year, a heady mix of earthiness, dried leaves, and wood smoke. As Orgy lolled about in a sunbeam on the floor, she rested between the world of dreams and an enticing breeze that told her the cozy days of autumn were in full swing.

Starting point is 00:12:38 She knew from past experience that warm afternoons and crisp evenings awaited. As Orgy dozed, she was vaguely aware of meatball stretching and turning over on the couch. A tiny squeak escaped his throat as he yawned widely. There was no other sound in the room as the two cats basked in the afternoon glow. But then the garage door opened. The humans had returned. Orgy remained temporarily motionless, willing it to be her imagination. But as the car roared into the cavern underneath the living room,

Starting point is 00:13:31 she knew that their intrusion could not be wished away. Fool that he was, Meatball instantly awoke, propping himself in a sphinx-like pose. His ears perked up with shameless delight, Sleep, cast off, and nap time ended. He was, as usual, glad to see the humans and accept their patronising attentions. The interior door to the walkout basement opened, and their children came stomping inside, chattering with excitement.

Starting point is 00:14:15 Behind them, the adult humans seemed to be awkwardly carrying some items inside, Orgy raised herself into a defensive seated position. After all, the small humans were known to go straight for any exposed cat belly, eager to thrust their grubby little hands into its soft fur. As expected, the girl and boy delightedly clambered up the stairs within seconds. Behind them, the slower thump, thump, thump of their fun. father's feet could be heard. When he came into view, Orgy's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He was carrying a very large, very orange, very round object. Behind him, the woman appeared with a similarly large

Starting point is 00:15:14 orange object, but this one was more oblong. Ignoring Orgy and Meatball, the children ran to the door that led onto the deck and threw it open, glathering loudly the entire time. The parents then deposited the two orange things on the table outside, dusting off their hands and clothing. As Meatball leapt eagerly from the couch to the floor, Orgy reflected sourly that nap time was certainly finished. Based on her wisdom and long experience, Orgy chose to remain in the living room. There was quite a kerfuffle happening around the portal to the deck. Children were unnecessarily opening and slamming the door.

Starting point is 00:16:14 The smallest child seemed quite out of his head with excitement and began thumping one of the orange spheres as if it were a bongo drum. He only calmed down slightly when his mother admonished him. It was clear that something was very irregular about this afternoon, and that any chance of further peaceful relaxation was gone. Meatball was scolded by the humans, as he foolishly put himself in the path of the activity. A man had disappeared briefly and returned with a stack of newspapers. He then directed the older child to move the orange things. briefly so he could spread newspaper all over the outdoor table. Meatball had not been able to squeeze

Starting point is 00:17:16 through the door, so he perched himself on the back of the family room couch and peered out the window at the view of the back deck. His body was alert and his ears were pricked up. Further revealing his excitement, his tail switched back and forth with agitation. Horky yawned, and he leaned. and then cautiously moved a little bit closer to the family room. The woman was outside now, centering the orange spheres on the paper, and lecturing the children in markedly patient tones. Meanwhile, the man came inside and grabbed a marker out of the pencil jar and then a knife out of the knife block on the counter.

Starting point is 00:18:12 With those in hand, whistling cheerfully to himself, he carefully pushed open the screen door and exited onto the deck. The screen door snapped just behind him. The hubbub was now outside. Orgy was conflicted. On one hand, she liked things to be quiet. On the other hand, she felt with every fibre of her being that whatever nonsense was occurring on the deck,

Starting point is 00:18:48 It was her responsibility to supervise it. After all, the humans couldn't be trusted to do much of anything correctly, and she did not want her outdoor relaxation space permanently disturbed. Grumbling inwardly, she stalked toward the door and gracefully pushed her way through the cat flap. Her generous belly seamlessly molded to its borders and slipped through with a whisper. Outside, she was once again assaulted by four voices talking at once. The little humans were bouncing with glee as the adults sternly instructed them to contain themselves. Oggy had seen this type of scene before. Simmering like pots with their lids on, the children stepped back as the man produced his

Starting point is 00:19:54 marker. Then they watched as he began to draw upon the orange spheres. The children giggled and occasionally burst out talking as they pointed at their father's drawings. The woman stood off to the side, arms folded, watching. The man stood back with his hands outstretched and seemed to seek approval. A consensus had been reached. Augie's eyes strayed to the screen door where she saw something really pathetic. Meatball was on his hind legs, massive mitts pressed against the lower pain of the door. She couldn't hear him, but she could see his mouth moving in a desperate series of muse. Orgy watched him passively, but secretly she was filled with a sense of sense of sense.

Starting point is 00:21:01 satisfaction. Because, you see, Meatball was afraid of going through the cat door. Time and time again, Orgy had modelled proper cat door usage right in front of him. One need only nose around the edge, push the head out energetically, and the rest, however, rotund, seemed to follow. But for some reason, Meatball found the cat flap intimidating. He would sniff around it with his big muzzle, but as soon as the flap got under his forehead, he would back up in alarm. Orgy didn't understand this behavior.

Starting point is 00:21:52 For all that he was a large cat, the door was not too small for him. His unwillingness to learn this basic feline skill was another example of his inferiority as a cat. She thought to herself. Meatball's failure to use the cat door worked out quite nicely for her. Very often, she was able to get rid of him just by going outside. Once there, she could regain her sense of balance, watch the birdies, and throw threatening glares at the squirrels all by herself. It reminded her of a simpler time when she was the one and only cat.

Starting point is 00:22:41 in the house. To her disappointment, the boy noticed Meatball's predicament and went dashing over to the door. Squatting down, the child earnestly pushed the flap in and out as Meatball watched intently. He urged Meatball just to try it, he said over and over. Come outside. It's nice out here. But Meatball's courage was insufficient for the task. Orgy sat in the corner of the deck, smelling the glorious sense of the leaves and enjoying the sunshine. But, sadly, the man took pity on Meatball and opened the door for him. The big orange cat came squeezing awkwardly through and hopped up on a deck chair where he could see the activities more clearly. Orgy was a bit put out.

Starting point is 00:23:48 Why should everything be so easy for meatball, she thought with annoyance? And now the truly strange part of the activity commenced. The man issued cautionary words, and the children stepped backward in tandem. Then he produced the utensil and began to carve away parts of the orange spheres. He cut the top of each one right off. When he set down the tool and gave the all clear, the children surged forward, peering at the interiors of the orange things, and making squeaky sounds. Orgy was not surprised that the boy lost his composure first.

Starting point is 00:24:41 He jammed his chubby little arm right inside one of the orange spheres and pulled out a fistful of something slimy. The girl squealed. in a most irritating way, and near chaos ensued. Every child was up to their elbows in the mysterious contents of the squashes, which were mostly orange strings dotted with little white seeds. The mess came out in smushy piles that were heaped onto the table and into large bowls. After a bit, the woman fetched a large spoon and scraped the insides,

Starting point is 00:25:27 of the orange things, cleaning up the last of it. Then she instructed the children to step off to the side and separate the mess, putting piles and piles of seeds into one bowl and everything else into another. At this moment, while the humans were distracted, Meatball made his move. With a mighty spring, he vaulted himself from the chair onto the table. and in the split second where he stood in the centre, seeming almost to be alarmed by his own daring, Orgy observed that everything on the table was orange.

Starting point is 00:26:16 There, Meatball stood in a half-crouch between the rotund orange spheres and the piles of slippery seeds. Orgy viewed the scene with mild distaste as her fellow feline looked quite ridiculous. and was surely about to be ejected. Immediately, the girl and her mother cried out, No, Meatball! The little boy dissolved into a series of delighted cackles,

Starting point is 00:26:48 raising his messy hands in the air, as if to indicate that a great victory had been won by his furry friend. The man stepped in with alacrity and picked up Meatball firmly, dropping him to the deck. Unbothered, the orange cat circled the table and hopped back up on the chair. This, despite having his fur, look quite messy, which Augie found incredible. Reflexively, she washed her own face as if she could wipe away meatball shame. The man removed the utensils from the table, as the woman instructed the children to finish their sorting task.

Starting point is 00:27:40 She had a tone of barely contained patience, and Augie sensed that a shift in activity was coming. The woman soon announced brusquely that they were all done. The man appeared and held the door open as the woman ushered the little boy into the house, hands raised above his head, and instructed him not to touch a single thing. Uki heard them disappearing into the upstairs, and moments later, the bathwater started running. Meanwhile, the man asked the older child to hold the door for him while he brought the bowls inside. Perhaps realizing that the portal would soon close, Meatball bolted through the open door. As usual, his greatest interest lay wherever the people were going.

Starting point is 00:28:45 Augie watched the door swing closed and felt a sense of relief. The deck belonged to her once again, as if, cleansing the space, another breeze wafed through. She lifted her nose to the air, sniffing delicately, her whiskers trembling. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the bigness of it, the entire world. lay beyond her little backyard spot, the dry, golden and orange leaves whispered by the thousands, even as some descended, swinging side to side in the air, destined for the ground. Instantly, a crackling noise could be heard as naughty squirrels plunged through the piles of leaves that waited there.

Starting point is 00:29:48 They wouldn't venture on the deck while Augie was visible. visible, but she knew the cheeky little rodents would make an appearance when the coast was clear. The afternoon's sun was golden, and it still gave up some lovely warmth. But the cool breeze felt like a gentle warning. The day was soon going to end, Oggy knew, and on a larger scale, so was the season. But just for a moment, she savored her little bubble of ice-up. isolation. Oggy was suspended in glorious sights and smells of the season, safe from prying eyes in her special outside place. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the sink running

Starting point is 00:30:46 inside the nearby kitchen. She peered into the window, which was slightly open. After a moment, she discerned in the interior gloom that the man and the girl were washing bowls at the sink. She suspected meatball could be found nearby. Although she didn't care to mix herself up in whatever antics were happening with meatball and the humans, she also knew there could be snacks. That was always a possibility. This posed a dilemma. Augie mulled over her options as the autumn breezes whispered in her ears.

Starting point is 00:31:37 But soon, the muffled noises from the kitchen became too enticing. With some reluctance, she stalked across the deck and slipped through the cap flap to join the others inside. By the time she got there, the man had set aside the big bowl and was helping the girl wash her hands with her sleeves rolled up. She stepped down from the little stool the children used to reach the sink and hastily dried her hands. on a nearby towel. Then she ran over to where the bowl sat on the counter and stood on tiptoe to peer inside it.

Starting point is 00:32:25 The man joined her and slowly spread all the seeds, which were now clean, across a pad of paper towels. Then, gently, the two of them pressed all the seeds until they were dry. Orgy wisely sat some distance away. She knew from past experience that humans could get absorbed in their kitchen tasks

Starting point is 00:32:53 and unwittingly step on a nearby cat if one was too much in the way. But Meatball had no such life experience, and he eagerly followed every step the man made, hoping a morsel of food might fall on the floor near him. Orgy watched this placidly, knowing that Meatball would learn his lesson sooner or later. If not today, then another time soon, she thought, with a little wicked satisfaction.

Starting point is 00:33:32 The seeds were tossed with some other ingredients in a bowl, and the man pushed buttons on the stove that made a beeping noise. Then, while the heat slowly began to emanate from the large metal kitchen beast, the man and the girl spread the seeds all over a metal tray, just as they were placing the tray in the tree. the oven, the little boy came pounding down the stairs, uttering a roar of excitement. His mother followed, looking damp and disheveled, and then collapsed gratefully on the nearby family room sofa. The boy tried to peer into the window of the oven, switching the little light on and off until his father urged him to stop. Then, deprived of another outlet for his energy, he enveloped Meatball in an enormous hug, squeezing him quite securely.

Starting point is 00:34:39 Orgy watched in amusement as Meatball stared over the boy's shoulder with alarm. Then she turned quite mercilessly and strolled away into the family room to claim the prime spot in the unoccupied corner of the sofa. Turning in a circle one time, She heavily settled her ample bottom into the corner where there was just enough space to wedge herself securely in. As she put her chin on her paws, the woman reached over and scratched her ears gently, which she was happy to allow. It was always good when the humans knew their place, and ear-scratching was one of their most important functions. The girl disappeared during all this and soon returned in her own pajamas.

Starting point is 00:35:40 The late afternoon light was quickly disappearing, and Orgy sensed that a cozy time was coming. This was acceptable to her, as she currently had the prime position on the sofa. She closed her eyes and only left her ears and nose awake, as she monitored the room by sound and smell. Her nose detected that there was an unenose. unusual smell that was filling up the room. It was toasty and salty, and a bit different from the

Starting point is 00:36:20 usual foods. She wondered idly what it was, but she also had a sense that it wasn't something for kitties, so her interest was limited. While the woman cycled through the menu on the big story box, the man went out onto the deck and retrieved the orange things one by one, pushing. Pushed through the door, he set them on the counter of the Kitchen Island. Orgy knew this was happening, because she felt an ever-cooler breeze blow in from outside as the storm door opened and closed. She twitched her whiskers and turned one ear, but otherwise feigned sleep. After all, she did not want to invite any sort of hug, like the one meatball had suffered from

Starting point is 00:37:16 the child earlier. The small humans cheered suddenly. Orgy cracked open her eyes and saw that the woman had found a colourful programme the family had watched numerous times before. Turning her head slightly, Augie was caught off guard to see that the orange things on the counter

Starting point is 00:37:39 were looking at her with faces. One was smiling jaggedly and the other looked surprised with just a big oh for a mouth. Instantly, Meatball jumped up on a stool and vaulted himself onto the counter. He was sniffing the smiling orange thing when he was brusically removed by the man.

Starting point is 00:38:09 No, Meatball, the man said firmly. Meatball appeared unconcerned. There was a beeping noise in the kitchen and the man opened the oven, pulling out the tray. The toasty smell flooded the room, and the children wandered in, jabbering nonsense. The man sternly warned them to stay clear of the stove, and they returned to their seats. But he poured the contents of the tray into a bowl and set it on the large ottoman near the sofa. In it were all the seeds, but they were now warm and fragrant.

Starting point is 00:38:53 The woman sat up and leaned over gingerly picking up a few of the seeds. Then she popped them in her mouth. How odd, Oggy thought. Meatball came sniffing around the ottoman and was told that the bowl was not for cats. But Augie knew that the humans always said such things and that it was meaningless. She and Meatball were the only ones qualified to decide what was wrong. really for cats after all. But Augie was feeling very sleepy now. Meatball jumped up on the sofa and crammed himself in next to the woman begging for pets. Augie tugged her nose under her paws

Starting point is 00:39:50 and dozed a bit, even as the story on the glowing box concluded and food preparation ensued in the kitchen. Even as everyone ate pizza, which Meatball attempted to steal, and cleaned up their dishes, even as the grown humans went around the room sliding the windows all the way shut to keep out the fresh chill as the night came on. Orgy only became fully alert again when she noticed the man doing something with the orange spheres. He took their headlids off. and deposited something inside each one. Then, with some ceremony, he carried them to the front door, asking the children to hold it open for him.

Starting point is 00:40:46 Orgy didn't like to act too interested in things. She supposed that was Meatball's job, but she was rather curious about this surprising visit to the front steps at such a late hour. With studied indifference, she stretched herself in the now empty family room. Then she casually hopped down from the sofa and walked into the living room where Meatball was already eagerly craning his neck to see out the front door. But Orgy was so much more clever, and she knew the perfect vantage point from years of experience.

Starting point is 00:41:34 She hopped up on the armchair where she watched the dogs outside every day. and peered around to the front steps. And just as she did, the man put a flame first inside one of the squashes and then the other, and they lit up from within. The children reverently ooed and arred and clapped with approval.

Starting point is 00:42:04 Orgy was admittedly transfixed. As the humans re-entered the house and locked the door, the cheerful orange things sat on the steps like old friends. Their faces glowed, flickering slightly, when the October wind blew through them. And as the fallen leaves skittered across the stoop, and the partially bare branches rattled,

Starting point is 00:42:34 Orgy was filled with a lovely feeling of security and satisfaction. The wild world was outside, and she was inside. and the orange squash faces were out there, standing guard for all of them. Much later that night, when the moon was glowing in the sky, and all the humans were tucked up tight in their beds. Orgy watched the flames in the orange spheres, stutter and go out, and she found herself hoping just a little bit, that they would be back again tomorrow.

Starting point is 00:43:25 Hopping down from the armchair, she briefly observed meatball. It was once again sprawled indelicately on the couch. Giant legs outstretched. Then she ambled over to her bed and found the softest spot. Settling down, she dropped her tail over her nose. First, her eyes, and then her ears became still. And while her new friends on the steps were sleeping,

Starting point is 00:44:06 So did she.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Auggie Carves a Jack O’Lantern (Auggie #8)

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