turtle tot stories | tmnt 2012

Bedtime Story

Splinter tucked his sons into their bed, looking down at them affectionately. It had been another day of nonstop play, and now as night fell upon New York City, Splinter was putting his sons to bed, to let them have sleep and rest for another day of play.

All four of his sons shared one big bed that he'd built a few months ago, and they loved their one big bed much better than they liked their individual mats and pillows on the floor. The four little turtles were snuggled in the bed under Leonardo's Space Heroes blanket, prepared for rest.

"Good night, my sons," Splinter murmured, kissing each little green head. "Sleep well."

He turned and headed for the door, but before he could leave, his sons all cried at once,

"Wait!"

Splinter stopped in surprise and turned back around.

"Yes, my sons?" he asked.

"Daddy, will...will you tell us a bedtime story tonight?" Mikey asked, clutching his part of the blanket. "Please?"

"I do not know," Splinter replied. "You four really must get some rest-"

"PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEE?" All four turtles cried out at the top of their tiny lungs.

"Very well," Splinter sighed, sitting down in a chair next to the bed. "But you must go straight to sleep afterwards. Understood?"

"Yes, Daddy!" his sons chorused with big, innocent smiles.

Splinter cleared his throat, and then he began to tell his story.

"Once, there lived a family of sparrows, living together in their nest in a cherry tree. There was the mother, the father, and the baby."

Splinter remembered being told this story when he was a child back in Japan. He realized his sons were looking expectantly at him, waiting to hear the rest of the story, and he continued.

"The baby sparrow longed to spread his wings and fly like his parents could. He wanted nothing more but to soar through the sky, as all birds did. But his parents warned him not to. They told him he was not yet ready to fly, that he was too young."

"So what happened then?" Little Donatello asked, his eyes wide with interest.

Splinter chuckled.

"The little sparrow ignored his parents. He thought he was ready. So when his parents were away in search of a meal to eat, he jumped out of his cherry tree and tried to fly."

"Stupid bird," Raphael muttered.

"You are right, Raphael. It was rather stupid of the sparrow to do. But once we act, we cannot change what we have done."

"What happened to the sparrow?" Leonardo asked.

"The little sparrow tried his hardest to fly," Splinter continued the story. "But he could not, for like his parents said, he was too young and too weak. He fell to the ground and could not get back up."

Michelangelo gasped, eyes wide with shock. Splinter chuckled at his sons' great interest in the story, and he went on.

"Only when the little sparrow's parents returned home were they able to help him get back into his nest. The sparrow learned a very valuable lesson that day: you must listen to what people have to say to you, and you should never attempt dangerous things on your own. And, most importantly, you should always listen."

"Did the sparrow ever fly?" asked Donatello.

"Yes, Donatello," Splinter answered. "The sparrow did fly eventually."

"So he lived happily ever after?" Mikey squeaked.

"Yes, Michelangelo," Splinter smiled. "He did."

He stood up.

"And now it is time for you four to get some rest."

Immediately, the four little turtles broke out into wails and complains of disappointment.

"Just one more story!" Mikey begged.

Even Raphael was disappointed, wailing in disagreement.

"Remember what the sparrow learned," Splinter reminded his sons. "He learned to always listen. Especially to his parents."

There was quiet for a moment. Then Leonardo nodded. The others followed his lead, nodding reluctantly. Splinter chuckled.

"I will tell you another story tomorrow night," he promised.

"Okay!" Mikey said quickly.

The four little turtles snuggled up beneath Leonardo's Space Heroes blanket, closing their eyes. Splinter kissed each of them on their little green heads; Michelangelo grinned as Splinter kissed his.

"Good night, my sons," Splinter said.

"Good night, Daddy," was the sleepy reply from all four of them.

Smiling, Splinter walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.