0:00:06 > 0:00:08Hello. I'm Sam.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12There's a concert tonight, and everyone's invited.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14It's about to begin,
0:00:14 > 0:00:16so take your seat.
0:00:16 > 0:00:17Are you comfy?
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Good.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22The concert is in tonight's bedtime story,
0:00:22 > 0:00:25which is called The Bear And The Piano,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28and it's by David Litchfield.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31One day, in the forest,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35a young bear cub found something he'd never seen before.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39"What could this strange thing be?" he thought.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Shyly, he touched it with his stubby paws.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Plonk!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48The strange thing made an awful sound.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52So, the bear left.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54But the next day, he came back.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58And the day after that, too.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01And for days and weeks
0:01:01 > 0:01:03and months and years.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Until, eventually,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09the sounds that came from the strange thing were beautiful.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13And the bear had grown big and strong and grizzly.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19When the bear played, he felt so happy.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23The sound took him away from the forest,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27and he dreamed of strange and wonderful lands.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30It wasn't long before the other bears in the forest
0:01:30 > 0:01:32were drawn to the clearing.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Every night, a crowd gathered to listen to the magical melodies
0:01:36 > 0:01:40coming from the bear and the strange thing.
0:01:40 > 0:01:46Then, one night, a girl and her father came across the clearing.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51They told the bear that the strange thing was a piano,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and the sounds it made were music.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58"Come to the city with us," they said.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00"There is lots of music there.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04"You can play grand pianos in front of hundreds of people,
0:02:04 > 0:02:09"and hear sounds so beautiful they will make your fur stand on end."
0:02:10 > 0:02:13The bear knew that if he left the forest,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16the other bears would miss him very much.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20But he longed to explore the world beyond the woods -
0:02:20 > 0:02:25to hear more wonderful music and play better than ever before.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30And, before long, the bear's name was up
0:02:30 > 0:02:34in big, bright lights in the big, bright city.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40He played sold-out concerts in giant theatres.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Every night, he performed with such passion and such grace
0:02:44 > 0:02:49to wild applause and standing ovations and huge admiration.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54The bear recorded albums that went platinum.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57He was interviewed for magazines. He won awards.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59He met new people every day,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and created headlines everywhere he went.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07The city was everything he had hoped it would be.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12But, deep down, something tugged at the bear's heart.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18He had fame and awards, and all the music in the world.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22But he missed the forest. He missed his old friends.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27He missed his home.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30So, the bear decided to go back.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33He speedily crossed the river,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and excitedly bounded into the forest.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42He couldn't wait to tell his friends about his time in the city.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46But when the bear reached the familiar clearing,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49it was empty.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53No piano. No bears. No anything.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56The bear started to worry that his friends had forgotten him,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00or that they were angry that he had left them behind.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Then, a friend stepped into the clearing.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07"Hello," cried the bear.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12"I'm back. I've missed you so much."
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Without saying a word, the grey bear ran back into the forest.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21"Wait!" called the bear. "I'm sorry I left. Please stop!"
0:04:21 > 0:04:24But his friend just kept running.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29The bear stumbled after him, moving deeper and deeper into the forest,
0:04:29 > 0:04:34until he saw something that made his fur stand on end.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39For the bear had not been forgotten.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42His friends weren't angry, but proud.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49The bear realised that, no matter where he went or what he did,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53they would always be there, watching from afar.
0:04:53 > 0:04:59They'd even kept the piano safe in the shade, ready for his return.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03So, after the bear had told his friends about his life in the city
0:05:03 > 0:05:06and the many concerts he had played,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09he sat down to play once more -
0:05:10 > 0:05:14this time, for the most important audience of all.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20That story was called The Bear And The Piano.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Bear's beautiful piano-playing made him famous.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28And though he was a long way from home,
0:05:28 > 0:05:33his friends remembered him and were very proud.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Now Bear's concert is over, you better get into bed.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37Sweet dreams.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39I'll see you soon.