Emily Brown and the Thing CBeebies Bedtime Stories

Hello, I'm Charlie.

It's almost time for you to get tucked up in bed.

It's time for the girl in tonight's story to go to bed as well.

But something keeps on bothering her.

Shall we find out what it is?

The story is called Emily Brown And The Thing,

and it's by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Emily Brown

and an old, grey rabbit called Stanley.

Emily Brown and Stanley were trying to get to sleep after a busy day.

But a noise was keeping them awake.

Splish!, went the noise.

Splosh!, went the noise.

It seemed to be coming from the window.

There was a Thing sitting on the windowsill.

Large tears were dripping onto his pyjamas.

"Oh, Emily Brown. Emily Brown!" wept the Thing.

"I can't find my cuddly however hard I look.

"It's not in the dark and scary wood and it's not under my pillow.

"You and Stanley must come and find it for me

"because I just can't sleep without my cuddly."

So Emily Brown and Stanley put on their wet weather wind coats,

their see-in-the-dark glasses and their special boots for climbing.

They searched down low in the tangles

and they searched up high in the tree tops.

They ran away from wolves. Grr!

And they lifted up trolls

And, eventually, they found the Thing's cuddly right at the top

of the twistiest, thorniest tree in the dark and scary wood.

"Thank you," said the Thing.

"Don't mention it," said Emily Brown.

"And now you must be quiet. Stanley and I are trying to sleep."

"I promise," said the Thing, cuddling his cuddly.

Emily Brown shut the window.

A short while later,

Emily Brown and Stanley were trying to get to sleep again.

But a noise was keeping them awake.

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble, went the noise.

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble.

It seemed to be coming from the kitchen.

It was the Thing again!

"Oh, Emily Brown. Emily Brown!" grumbled the thing.

"All I had for tea was 100 hamburgers

"and one small apple for the vitamins

"and now I'm ever so hungry and thirsty.

"You and Stanley must fetch me my bedtime milk

"because I just can't sleep when my tummy is rumbling."

So Emily Brown and Stanley sighed heavily

and put snow snugglers on their heads and ski plankers

on their feet and their fluffiest winter warmers over everything.

They skied off through the wild and whirling wastes,

through blizzards and hurricanes

till their hands were frozen and their legs were sore

searching for a mug of milk for the Thing's bedtime snack.

Stanley had to distract a polar bear

who thought the milk belonged to him! Grr!

"Thank you," said the Thing.

"Don't mention it," said Emily Brown.

"And now you must be quiet. Stanley and I are trying to sleep."

"I promise," said the Thing, dropping most of his milk

over his pyjama top.

Emily Brown shut the refrigerator door.

Five minutes later, Emily Brown and Stanley were still trying

to get to sleep, but a noise was keeping them awake.

Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, went the noise.

Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!

It seemed to be coming from the cellar door under the stairs.

I hope it's not that Thing again.

Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!

It was the Thing.

Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!

"Oh, Emily Brown. Emily Brown!" coughed the thing.

"I'm feeling very poorly. I need my special green medicine.

"You and Stanley must fetch it for me from the whiny witches' cavern

"under these stairs because I just can't sleep

when my throat is tickling.

So Emily Brown and Stanley gritted their teeth

and pulled out their see-in-the-dark glasses again,

their special tangly ropes and bottles for carrying medicine in.

They crept through the twisty, turny witches' caverns under the stairs

and they put their hands on cobwebs and they bumped into bats.

They had to tell the whiny witches lots and lots of stories

-in return for the medicine.

-WITCHES CACKLE

SLURPING

"Thank you," said the Thing.

"Don't mention it," said Emily Brown.

"And now you really, really do have to be quiet.

"Stanley and I are trying to sleep."

Emily Brown had hardly even shut her eyes before the noise started again.

Scratch, scratch, scratch, went the noise.

It seemed to be coming from under the bed.

It was that Thing again.

"I've got this very itchy leg," began the Thing.

But, this time, Emily Brown had had enough.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

"Stop!" shouted Emily Brown.

"I've had enough!"

"We rescued your cuddly from the dark and scary word.

"We fetched you milk from the wild, whirling wastes.

"We borrowed medicine from the weird and whiny witches.

"Stanley and I are exhausted!

"There's nothing wrong with your leg. What's really the matter?"

Two large tears crept down the Thing's cheeks

and onto his furry chest.

"I'm scared," whispered the Thing.

"Oh, so that's been the problem," said Emily Brown,

drying his tears and handing him his cuddly again.

"What are you scared of?"

"Oh, I don't know..."

"..Things," said the thing.

"But you are a Thing," said Emily Brown.

"Am I?" said the thing in surprise.

"I wondered what I was."

"You're definitely a thing," said Emily Brown,

tucking him in tightly

and putting his hot water bottle underneath his hairy legs.

"Am I scary?" asked the Thing.

"You're not at all scary," said Emily Brown.

"You're a very nice Thing and when Stanley and I are trying to

"get to sleep, we always find it helps to think of nice things.

"Maybe you should try doing that yourself."

"Maybe I will," said the nice Thing, yawning very wide.

"Night, night, Emily Brown. Sleep tight. Sweet dreams."

That story was called Emily Brown And The Thing.

Emily and Stanley were bothered again and again by that poor Thing.

I'm glad they could help him feel better

and they all got to bed in the end.

Now it's time for you to get into your bed and think of lovely things.

I hope you have happy dreams.

I'll see you again soon for another bedtime story.

Sleep tight.