PREMIUM PREVIEW: Brambleton's Unexpected Adventure
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Hello everyone, this is Ria with a quick note. This is a preview of an episode exclusive to Little Stories Premium. Little Stories Premium gives you more of the stories you love, an ad-free listening experience, and access to Little Stories for Sleep, an exclusive bedtime podcast featuring brand new sleepy stories,

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This is Ria. Welcome to Little Stories for Tiny People. I came up with the idea for this story as I was skiing. Yes, I ski. And I know I probably seem like I would be an incredible skier, but I'm not. I aim to get down the mountain without breaking anything. That's the goal. And thankfully, I achieve that low bar every time.

Anyway, I was on the mountain recently and I thought, Brambleton T. Beadle should do something like this. So I wrote this story. Let's hear it. It's called Brambleton's Unexpected Adventure. Take it away, Fia and Bastion. There are no pictures. So you have to imagine the pictures in your mind. You can imagine them. Okay.

It was a brisk, windy day in March, and Brambleton T. Beadle was warm inside his little hut beneath a shrub. A mug of tea steamed from its spot on a table beside his easy chair, where he sat whittling a chess piece.

He was nearly done with the set, and he was pleased with how the pieces were turning out. He had the completed figures all lined up around his mug of tea, as if they were guarding it. He grabbed his magnifying glass and held it up so he could get a good look at the night he'd just finished. "Hmm, pretty good," he muttered, peering through the glass.

All he had left to do was a single pawn. He intended to begin it right away. He wanted to have the whole set done before the weekend, when his neighbor would drop by for a friendly game. Brambleton enjoyed playing chess, especially with his neighbor, who was just a tad bit better than himself.

It was the type of challenge he enjoyed, one that was difficult but predictable. And indoors. Yes, he'd start that pawn right away, just after a sip of tea. But as he lifted his mug, the front door of his hut burst open with a blustery gust of wind.

Brambleton, I am so sorry I knocked so lightly, but the door just flew open. I don't even know how it happened, but I'm so glad you're here. I have such a sad news to tell you. I was really hoping you're here. It was Brambleton's cousin, Delphine, and she was saying a lot of words. He saw her mouth moving, and he was fairly certain it was producing sound. I'm so glad that he gave me this gift.

But he had no idea what she was saying.

He had been so calm, so tranquil in his little hut, whittling his chess pieces. He'd been so focused on getting them done and lining them up like little sentries.

Of course, now, he saw, they were scattered all over the floor. I'll have to make sure I didn't lose any under the furniture, he thought vaguely. So can you come? Please say yes, Brambleton, you have to come. The gift certificate is for five beetles, so basically, you have to come. Say yes. Brambleton blinked rapidly.

Finally settling into this new, unexpected situation, Delphine, his dear, enthusiastic, upbeat cousin, was inviting him somewhere, and she wanted him to say yes. Oh dear. This happened now and then. Delphine

Delphine was an adventurous, daring sort of beetle. She was also the sort of cousin who wanted to include Brambleton, to bring him along with her friends, get out more, try new things. It was kind of her. But Brambleton broke out in hives just thinking about her invitations. And there were so many invitations.

Things like, Brambleton, we're gonna check out this amazing spider web we found over the ridge. Don't worry, we're all wearing anti-stick jackets. You should come. And, the gang and I are all going owl riding at midnight. We've got one extra seat. And, Dante and I are going parachuting off Danger Peak. You would love it. Say yes. Brambleton had said no to all of those invitations. He

He was especially glad he'd said no to that last one, which had resulted in Delphine breaking a leg. In fact, he realized, looking at her now, inside his little hut, the last time he'd seen her, she was on crutches. You got your cast off.

These were the first words Brambleton had said since Delphine had arrived, and, based on her expression...

They were jarring. "Bribbleton, did you hear even one word I've said?" Delphine said with a laugh and a shake of her head. "Uh, that's what we're celebrating! I just got my cast off, and that beetle, you know the one who broke my leg when he fell on top of me when I went parachuting? Well, like I said when you were off at La La Land or wherever

you go when you have that faraway look on your face. He gave me this gift certificate for boarding, and we're going today, and you have to come. Delphine brandished a bright red card and waved it above her antennae. It covers admission for five

A smile spread over Brambleton's face. It was as much from relief as it was from excitement. Delphine was not asking him to step onto a spider's web...

Or go owl riding, or parachuting, or cliff jumping, or hiking up a craggy mountain. She was asking him to go leafboarding. Something he actually knew how to do. Thanks to Delphine herself, of course. She had introduced him to the joys of balancing on a sturdy leaf and gliding down a river.

When do we leave? Wait, seriously? Yeah, sure. Oh, Brambleton, thank you. This is going to be a blast. As Delphine left, she called out, We'll all meet at the base of Strawberry Hill in 45 minutes. Brambleton, I'm so happy you're coming. I know you're not always up for this sort of thing, but you're going to love it. Just you wait. Oh, and don't worry about gear. Just bring yourself. The

Then Brambleton went about getting himself ready for the outing. He set out his chessboard and placed each little wooden figure in its proper position. All that was missing was that one pawn, but he'd be able to get it done before the weekend. He paused before leaving his hut.

running his mind over Delphine's parting words. Oh, and don't worry about gear. Just bring yourself. Hmm, that's strange, Brambleton thought. What could it mean? Does she want me to leave my leafboard at home? Then he shook his head and chuckled at his own silliness.

It was a joke, he realized. Just a joke he didn't quite get. He retrieved his leaf board from where he kept it in his outdoor shed and set off for Strawberry Hill.

As he trudged along, Brambleton acknowledged that despite the chill in the air and the blustery wind, spring had come to the forest. Small flowers bloomed here and there, and the sun seemed warmer and brighter than it had a week earlier. He'd been keeping his winter habits, remaining indoors in his cozy hut.

It was time to welcome spring. It was the perfect day for leafboarding, he decided. He felt a swell of gratitude for his cousin for pushing him to get out into the great outdoors. Yes, it would be a lovely spring day. But as Brambleton rounded a bend in the trail and Strawberry Hill came into view...

He noticed two rather startling things. One was something he had known, but had not remembered until that very moment. There was no body of water near Strawberry Hill. There was no lake. There was no river. Not a pond. Not even a bog.

Another thing he noticed was that Delphine and her friends were standing on a wooden platform at the base of the hill, wearing helmets and goggles and holding downhill leaf boards. Oh no.

Brambleton racked his brain, trying to remember what, if anything, he knew about downhill boarding. Hadn't he heard something about it on the radio recently? I'm Bedelia Frog, and this is Fly Recipes on the Fly. Today, we're going to sauté...

This is Flip Beetleson interrupting with some breaking news. Just one hour ago, Billy McBeetleflin, a resident of Creekside Lake...

lost a leg in a downhill leafboarding accident at Strawberry Hill. Billy is with me, Flip Beatleson, now in an exclusive interview with Lake Pond News. Billy, tell us about this frightening ordeal. Well, Flip, I'm an experienced downhill leafboarder. I should note that.

So this can happen to even the most expert of boarders. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself an expert, but yes, it can.

Chilling, Billy. Just chilling. The mud flow was certainly faster than I'd anticipated. Basically, my leg got tangled around an errant tree root, and I actually had to fly myself out of there. Brambleton! Over here! Delphine's cheerful voice brought Brambleton back to the present. He gulped and reluctantly made his way towards his cousin, and

and her friends.

Uh, hey guys. Dante nodded. Hey Brambleton. What's up Brambleton T? Thor said. Thor often called Brambleton, Brambleton T, as he had another close friend named Brambleton. It was a very common name among beetles. Anyway, Isabelle offered a puzzled smile and gestured at Brambleton's leaf. Planning to go leafboarding? Um, uh...

Brambleton had no idea what to say. What possible explanation could he have for bringing a leaf board to a day of downhill boarding?

Every beetle knew the two types of boards were completely different. A beetle could not simply use a leaf board meant for water on downhill terrain. Even Brambleton, with his very limited knowledge of such things, knew this would be ridiculous. And that was how he felt, standing there, apparently incapable of saying anything in response.

Thankfully, Delphine, who knew Brambleton better than almost any beetle, was a quick thinker. And so, in front of her clueless friends, the two cousins shared a silent conversation consisting entirely of a series of meaningful looks. It went something like this. You did not listen to anything I said in your house, did you?

Not really. You thought we were going leafboarding. Maybe. You're totally panicking, aren't you? Yes. Again, to be clear, this was all communicated through squints, glances, a few shrugs, and the fluttering of antennae. All was quiet until Delphine said, smiling, Brambleton and I are going leafboarding later.

"At sunset." "Uh, yeah," Brambleton said with a nod. "That's... that's right." "Cool. Alright, man." "Well, let's get going." "Dante," Delphine said, turning to her friend. "You've got the extra board, right?"

There is so much more to this story. You can hear the full episode by becoming a Little Stories Premium subscriber. Visit littlestoriespremium.com to join. And thank you, as always, for listening in.