Kids bed time stories

Adventures in Jungle Juice

Thomas lived with his parents in a big old house in Surrey, his mum and dad Pat and Phil were used to Thomas wandering about the house talking to himself. "He's in his own world again" said Pat to Phil. Like a lot of teenagers with Asperger Syndrome Thomas had few friends. And was bullied constantly at school, by others kids who didn't understand his difference.

Little did his mum and dad know that he wasn't talking to himself, there was somebody actually in the room with him. This person was a tiny caveman named Dodo, he was so small he could fit in the palm of Thomas's hand.

Thomas first encountered Dodo at a car boot sale, before he started his secondary school. The caveman just came alive one night whilst Thomas was on his computer, playing video games. Thomas heard something drop on the floor, and turned around to see the caveman walking about; he couldn't believe his eyes at first. But the caveman looked up at him and said simply "don't be afraid, all I want to be is your friend". Thomas got down on his hands and knees and stared at the little man, "you know it's rude to stare" said the caveman. "It must be my glasses, I need new glasses" Thomas said to himself. The caveman was dressed in sheep skin, and had a bobbed mop of black hair. He had tiny black eyes and a long nose, he very much reminded Thomas of a cartoon character.

"I can't believe this I bought you in a car boot sale last August, and you've suddenly come to life" said Thomas. "I've come alive because I need your help Thomas", said the caveman. "What's your name? asked Thomas. "My name is Dodo, and I come from the land Jungle Juice"

"How do you know my name" asked Thomas?, Dodo answered simply "I've been listening to your mum call you for your dinner lots of times". "But my friend we need to get cracking, as I said I need your help, you must travel with me to Jungle Juice."

Thomas suddenly felt excited but at the same time anxious, as he would be travelling to a strange and new place. Normally going a trip into town was enough for him, all those people and loud noises. But somehow this felt exciting to Thomas, it would be good to have an adventure.

Thomas felt as if Dodo genuinely wanted to be his friend, unlike all of the other kids at school who made fun of him. He couldn't get into or understand their jokes, or all the other social cues that others took for granted. The teachers were just as bad, because Thomas struggled with math. The teachers would laugh in his face whenever he got a question wrong. So to go to the land of Jungle Juice would be a great relief, to be away from his daily life.

"In our land we have a special yellow patterned egg that is magical, and brings good luck to our people" said Dodo. "The elder of our tribe has been looking after it, but recently our village was attacked by the great big green dragon that lives in the Sand Mountain.



And he took the egg back to the mountain and has kept it there ever since, what I need you to do Thomas is help me retrieve it back to my tribe."

Thomas was excited by all this, "how are we going to get there?" asked Thomas. "If you close your eyes and repeat after me- "smaller, smaller." replied Dodo. Thomas did as he was told and closed his eyes, and repeated, "smaller, smaller." As Thomas was saying this he felt his body shrink, it was such an odd feeling, "now you can open your eyes" said Dodo. Thomas did just that to find that he was the same height as Dodo, and his whole room seemed like the land of the giants.

"Come this way Thomas" said Dodo, leading him into a little hole in the skirting board. The type of hole that mice come out of, when they come into a house. They entered the hole, and once inside it looked like they were entering a cave. The cave was the colour of sand, and the ground beneath their feet was black gravel. All of this felt unreal to Thomas, only the kind of things he read about in books or saw in fantasy cartoons on the television.