Sebastian & the Transformers: The Team Awakens

Sebastian & the Transformers, part 1. A free five-minute bedtime story from CloudSheep.

In a village at the edge of the forest lived a boy named Sebastian, and Sebastian had a remarkable secret: whenever he wished, he could turn into a soft grey wolf. One golden evening he set off toward the trees with his sister Ray, who could spread her arms and become a swift, clever hawk. "Stay close," Ray called, circling above him. "Adventure this way."

Down the mossy path they met a bull named Boulder, stamping and huffing. He was a transformer too — but not from their village, and he looked in a foul mood. Sebastian looked closer and saw a thorn wedged in Boulder's hoof. Carefully, ever so carefully, he worked it free. "Ahhh — thank you," Boulder said, and the storm went out of his face. "Mind if I come along?"

Deeper in the trees, a troop of cheeky monkeys began pelting them with acorns and swinging out of reach on the vines. Boulder charged to drive them off — but oops — he tangled himself in a net of leafy vines. He pulled and wriggled and could not get loose. The monkeys howled with laughter from the branches above.

Then, quiet as moonlight, a sleek panther named Onyx dropped down from a ledge. He was a transformer as well. He sent the monkeys scattering with one low roar and tore the vines away from Boulder. "There you go," said Onyx. "I've been looking for a brave team like yours. Together, we might drive back the shadows that have been troubling this forest." Everyone agreed at once.

The map led them to a cave where the light gave out early. It was dark and dim at the mouth, and darker still as they went on — and then, out of that deeper dark, came the shadow-zombies. Dozens of them, tall and drifting and grim. "We split up," said Sebastian. "Boulder, Onyx — hold them here. Ray and I will find whatever is making them." The two teams peeled apart and moved.

In the deepest chamber, Sebastian and Ray found a shadow crystal humming softly to itself. And then a great, sleepy Shadow Beast rose up over them, grumbling like a storm cloud. Whoosh — a tiger named Ember bounded in beside them. Ember had once worked for the Shadow Beast; seeing this brave team standing their ground, she chose them instead.

Together the five of them stood tall and hummed one low, steady, brave note. The Shadow Beast huffed, yawned, and simply faded back into the dark to rest — not gone forever, just tired for now. In the quiet that followed they saw it: an enormous dark crystal, deep in the stone. Nobody touched it. "Leave it be," said Sebastian. "I think the Beast and the darkness are tied to that thing somehow." Ember joined the team, and now they were five: Sebastian, Ray, Boulder, Onyx, and Ember. "We did it — together," said Ray. And under a quiet moon they walked home to rest. Goodnight, brave friends.