Bedtime Story: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble – YouTube Dictation Transcript & Vocabulary

1.[Music] Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Ste Sylvester Duncan lived with his mother and father at Acorn Road in oat stale one of his Hobbies was collecting Pebbles of unusual shape and color on a rainy Saturday during vacation he found a quite extraordinary one it was flaming red shiny and and perfectly round like a marble as he was studying this remarkable Pebble he began to shiver probably from excitement and the rain felt cold on his back I wish it would stop raining he said to his great surprise the rain stopped it didn't stop gradually as rains usually do it ceased the drops vanished on the way down the clouds disappeared everything was dry the Sun was shining as if the rain had never existed in all his young life Sylvester had never had a wish gratified so quickly it struck him that magic must be at work and he guessed that magic must be in the remarkable looking red Pebble where indeed it was to make a test he put the pebble on the ground ground and said I Wish It Would Rain Again nothing happened but when he said the same thing holding the pebble in his hoof the sky turned black there was lightning and a clap of Thunder and the rain came shooting down what a lucky day this is thought Sylvester from now on I can have anything I want my father and mother can have any anything they want my relatives my friends and anybody at all can have everything anybody wants he wished the sunshine back in the sky and he wished a wart on his left hind fetlock would disappear and it did and he started home eager to amaze his father and mother with his Magic Pebble he could hardly wait to see their faces maybe they wouldn't even believe him at first as he was crossing Strawberry Hill thinking of some of the many many things he could wish for he was startled to see a mean hungry lion looking right at him from behind some Tall Grass he was frightened if he hadn't been so frightened he could have made the lion disappear or he could have wished himself safe at home with his father and mother he could have wished the lion would turn into a butter fly or a daisy or a gat he could have wished many things but he panicked and couldn't think carefully I wish I were a rock he said and he became a rock the lion came bounding over sniffed the rock a hundred times walked around and around it and went away confused perplexed puzzled and bewildered I saw that little donkey as clear as day maybe I'm going crazy he muttered and there was Sylvester a rock on Strawberry Hill with the Magic Pebble lying right beside him on the ground and he was unable to pick it up oh how I wish I were myself again he thought but nothing happened he had to be touching the pebble to make the magic work but there was nothing he could do about it his thoughts began to race like mad he was scared and worried being helpless he felt hopeless he imagined all the possibilities and eventually he realized that his only chance of becoming himself again was for someone to find the red Pebble and to wish that The Rock next to it would be a donkey someone would surely find the red Pebble it was so bright and shiny but what on Earth would make them wish that a rock were a donkey the chance was one in a billion at best Sylvester fell asleep what else could he do night came with many stars meanwhile back at home Mr and Mrs Duncan paced the floor frantic with worry Sylvester had never come home later than dinner time where could he be they stayed up all night wondering what had happened expecting that Sylvester would surely turn up by morning but he didn't of course Mrs Duncan cried a lot and Mr Duncan did his best to soothe her both longed to have their dear son with them I will never scold Sylvester again as long as I live said Mrs Duncan no matter what he does at dawn they went about inquiring of all the neighbors they talked to all the children the puppies the kittens the Colts the piglets no one had seen Sylvester since the day before yesterday they went to the police the police could not find their child all the dogs and oat went searching for him they sniffed behind every rock and tree and blade of grass into every nook and goalie of the neighborhood and Beyond but found not a scent of him they sniffed the rock on Strawberry Hill but it smelled like a rock it didn't smell like Sylvester after a month of searching the same places over and over again and inquiring of the same animals over and over again Mr and Mrs Duncan no longer knew what to do They concluded that something Dreadful must have happened and that they would probably never see their son again though all the time he was less than a mile away they tried their best to be happy to go about their usual ways but their usual ways included Sylvester and they were always reminded of him they were miserable life had no meaning for them anymore night followed day and day followed night over and over again so Vester on the hill woke up less and less often when he was awake he was only hopeless and unhappy he felt he would be a rock forever and he tried to get used to it he went into an endless sleep the days grew colder fall came with the leaves changing color then the leaves fell and the the grass bent to the ground then it was Winter the winds blew this way and that it snowed mostly the animals stayed indoors living on the food they had stored up one day a wolf sat on the rock that was Sylvester and howled and howled because he was hungry then the Snows melted the Earth warmed up in the spring sun and things budded leaves were on the trees again flowers showed their young faces one day in May Mr Duncan insisted that his wife go with him on a picnic let's cheer up he said let us try to live again and be happy even though Sylvester our Angel is no longer with us they went to Strawberry Hill Miss Mrs Duncan sat down on the Rock the warmth of his own mother sitting on him woke Sylvester up from his deep winter sleep how he wanted to shout mother father it's me Sylvester I'm right here but he couldn't talk he had no voice he was ston dumb Mr Duncan walked aimlessly about while Mrs Duncan set out the picnic food on the rock alala sandwiches pickled oats sassafras salad Timothy compote suddenly Mr Duncan saw the red Pebble what a fantastic Pebble he exclaimed Sylvester would have loved it for his collection he put the pebble on the Rock they sat down to eat Sylvester was now as wide awake as a donkey that was a rock could possibly be Mrs Duncan felt some mysterious excitement you know father she said suddenly I have the strangest feeling that our dear Sylvester is still alive and not far away I am I am Sylvester wanted to shout but he couldn't if only he had realized that the pebble resting on his back was the Magic Pebble oh how I wish he were here with us on this lovely May Day said Mrs Duncan Mr Duncan looked sadly at the ground don't you wish it too father she said he looked at her as if to say how can you ask such a question Mr and Mrs Duncan looked at each other with great sorrow I wish I were myself again I wish I were my real self again thought Sylvester and in less than an instant he was you can imagine the scene that followed the Embraces the kisses the questions the answers the loving looks and the fond exclamations when they had eventually calmed down a bit and had gotten home Mr Duncan put the Magic Pebble in an iron safe someday they might want to use it but really for now what more could they wish for they all had all that they had wanted the end [Music]