Charles Dickens: The Child's Story - Music Free

0:00Hi, and welcome to Sleepcove with me, Christopher Fitton. The podcast to get a great night's sleep tonight. I'm reading The Child Story by Charles Dickens. Originally published in the mid-1800s, The Child Story is a timeless account of the journey we all take. From carefree childhood and spontaneous youth, through adulthood and marriage and into our golden years. It's now almost 150 years after its original publication. And I found this story still quite profound and a little emotional, and I really hope you do too. Please remember to subscribe and follow the show, and I also read all your comments and

1:07reviews too. This version of The Story has no music in the background. If you'd prefer The Story with relaxing music, I'll leave the link in the show notes and the top pinned comment. So that's begin. The Child Story by Charles Dickens. Once upon a time, a good many years ago, there was a traveler and he set out upon a journey. It was a magic journey and was to seem very long when he began it and the very short when he got halfway through. He travelled along a rather dark path for some little time without meeting anything. Until at last he came to a beautiful child.

2:12So he said to the child, What do you do here? When the child said, I am always at play, come and play with me. So he played with that child the whole day long and they were very merry. The sky was so blue, the sun was so bright, the water was so sparkling, the leaves were so green, the flowers were so lovely and they heard such singing birds and saw so many butterflies that everything was beautiful. This was in fine weather. When it rained, they loved to watch the falling drops and to smell the fresh sense.

3:14When it blew, it was delightful to listen to the wind and fancy what it said as it came rushing from its home. Where was that they wondered, whistling and howling, driving the clouds before it, bending the trees, rumbling in the tunis, shaking the house and making the sea roar in fury. But when it snowed, that was best of all. For they liked nothing so well as to look up at the white flakes falling fast and thick, look down from the breasts of millions of white birds and to see how smooth and deep the drift was and to listen to the hush upon the paths and roads.

4:17They aplenty of the finest toys in the world and are most astonishing picture books, all about simutars and slippers and turbans and alls and giants and genie and fairies and blue beets and beanstorks and riches and cabins and forests and valentines and allsons and all new and all true. But one day of a sudden the traveller lost the child, he called to him over and over again but got no answer so he went upon his road and went on for a little while without meeting anything. Until at last he came to a handsome boy so he said to the boy, what do you do here?

5:19And the boy said, I'm always learning, come and learn with me. So he learned with that boy about Jupiter and Juneau and the Greeks and the Romans and I don't know what and learned more than I could tell or he either for he soon forgot a great deal of it. So they were not always learning, they have a merious games that ever were played. They rode upon the river in summer and skated on the ice in winter. They were active afoot and active on horseback, at cricket and all games at all at Prisoner's pace, hair in hounds, folly my leader and more sports than I could think of.

6:22Nobody could beat them. They had holidays too and twelfth cakes and parties where they danced till midnight. In real theatres where they saw palaces of real gold and silver rise out of the real earth and saw all the wonders of the world at once. As to friends they had such dear friends and so many of them as I want the time to reckon them up. They were all young like the handsome boy and were never to be strange to one another or their lives through. Still one day in the midst of these pleasures the traveller lost the boy as he had lost the child and after calling to him in vain went on upon his journey.

7:26So he went on for a little while without seeing anything. Into the last he came to a young man. So he said to the young man, what do you do here? And the young man said, I'm always in love, come and love with me. So he went away with that young man. And presently they came to one of the prettiest girls that ever was seen. Just like Fanny in the corner there. She'd eyes like Fanny and hair like Fanny and dimples like Fanny's and she loved and coloured just as Fanny does while I was talking about her. After the young man fell in love directly. Just as somebody I won't mention.

8:27The first time he came here did with Fanny. Well he was tea sometimes. Just as somebody used to be by Fanny and they quarreled sometimes. Just as somebody and Fanny used to quarrel and they made it up and sat in the dark and wrote letters every day and never were happy as Sunder and were always looking out for one another and pretending not to and were engaged at Christmas time and sat close to one another by the fire and were going to be married very soon. All exactly like somebody I won't mention and Fanny. But the traveller lost the Monday as he lost the rest of his friends and after calling

9:32to them to come back which they never did went on upon his journey. So he went on for a little while without seeing anything until at last he came to a middle aged gentleman. So he said to the gentleman, what are you doing here? And his answer was, I'm always busy. I'm busy with me. So he began to be very busy with that gentleman and they went on through the wood together. The whole journey was through wood. Only it had been open and green at first. Like a wood in spring and now began to be thick and dark. Like a wood in summer, some of the little trees that had come out earliest were even

10:36turning brown. The gentleman was not alone but had a lady of about the same age with him who was his wife and they had children who were with them too. So they all went on together through the wood, cutting down the trees and making a path through the branches and the fallen leaves and carrying burdens and working hard. Sometimes they came to a long green avenue that opened into deeper ones. Then they would hear a very little distant voice crying. Father, father, I am another child. Stop for me. And presently they would see a very little figure, growing larger as it came along, running

11:42to join them. When it came up, they all crowded around it and kissed and welcomed it and then they all went on together. Sometimes they came to several avenues at once and then they all stood still. And one of the children said, Father, I am going to see and another said, Father, I am going to India. And another, Father, I am going to see my fortune where I can. And another, Father, I am going to heaven. So with many tears at parting, they went solitary. Down those avenues, each child upon its way and the child who went to heaven rose into

12:43the golden air and vanished. Whenever these pastings happened, the traveller looked at the gentleman and saw him glance up at the sky above the trees, while the day he was beginning to decline and the sunset to come on. He saw too that his hair was turning grey, but they never could rest long. Whether they have their journey to perform and it was necessary for them to be always busy. At last, there had been so many partings that there were no children left and only the traveller, the gentleman and the lady went upon their way in company. And now the wood was yellow and now brown and the leaves, even of the forest trees, began

13:44to fall. So they came to an avenue that was darker than the rest and were pressing forward on their journey without looking down it when the lady stopped. My husband said the lady, I am called. They listened and they heard a voice a long way down the avenue say, Mother, Mother, it was the voice of the first child who had said, I am going to heaven. And the father said, I pray not yet, the sunset is very near, I pray not yet. But the voice cried, Mother, Mother, without minding him, though his hair was now quite white and tears were on his face. But the mother, who was already drawn into the shade of the dark avenue and moving away

14:50with her arms stood around his neck, kissed him and said, my dearest, I am some and I go. And she was gone and the traveller and he were left alone together. And they went on and on together until they came to very near the end of the wood, so near that they could see the sunset shining red before them through the trees. And to one small, while he broke his way among the branches, the traveller lost his friend. He called and called, but there was no reply. And when he passed out of the wood and saw the peaceful sun going down upon a wide purple prospect, he came to an old man sitting on a fallen tree.

15:53So he said to the old man, what do you do here? And the old man said with a calm smile, I am always remembering, come and remember with me. So the traveller sat down by the side of that old man, face to face with the serene sunset. And all his friends came softly back and stood around him. The beautiful child, the handsome boy, the young man in love, the father, mother in children, every one of them was there and he had lost nothing. So he loved them all and was kind and full bearing with them all and was always pleased to watch them all and they all honoured and loved him. And I think the traveller must be yourself, dear grandfather, because this is what you do

17:01to us and what we do to you.