Fearless Susan - Part 1: Troll Troubles 🗡️ | Cozy Kids Stories

0:13 ♪ Foggy Oak Farm ♪♪ Foggy Oak Farm ♪♪ Come on down to ♪♪ Foggy Oak Farm!♪- Hi friends. Welcome to Foggy Oak Fairy Tales. Each week, we'll bring you a new story. Some weeks, we'll share a story based on what's been happening on our real-life Foggy Oak Farm, where we have all sorts of animals and adventures. Other weeks, we'll use our imaginations and create new adventures together. I'm so glad you're here. This week, we have a story about a would-have-been Cinderella who wasn't. Fearless Susan will show us you can find your own story and make your own adventures anytime you like.

1:15 Once upon a time, in a faraway land and long ago, there lived a young girl named Susan. Susan, like many other young fairy tale girls, lived in a large house with her father and mother. Unfortunately, when she was very young, her mother died of a sickness. And Susan and her father were left sad and bereft as so many tales begin. You may find it familiar, and certainly I don't think you'll be surprised if you've listened to other fairy tales. To understand that in his grief and loneliness, and in his desire to give young Susan a family.

2:08 Her loving father married again. Susan then became the new daughter and sister to a stepmother and two step sisters. The father thought they were kind and lovely and knew many things they could teach to Susan, and he didn't think about the fairy tale implications of this decision making process. As a merchant who traveled long distances for work, after his marriage to her stepmother, Susan's father prepared to go on another long journey. If this were a normal Cinderella story, her father would have left for the journey and died along the way, leaving Susan with a stepmother and step sisters who would slowly transform from helpful caring, loving family members, into evil and twisted individuals who lived for nothing, but to make dear Susan's life a misery, until she could await the fateful meeting and marriage to her destined prince.

3:15 But this is not a Cinderella story. Susan liked to read, and Susan was aware that in this particular time and place, all of the events of her life were leading her towards a Cinderella story. And Susan did not want to be part of a Cinderella story. You know, Susan said to herself, one day shortly after her father left, I think things have been headed down a certain path that I don't care for, almost for my entire life. I feel like this is the beginning of the story that I don't want to be mine. Everything's lined up for my father to pass away, my stepmother and step sisters to turn into some kind of monsters who hate me and make my life a misery.

4:14 And all that could mean, based on what I've read, is I'll be unhappy until I go get married to some stranger? No, no, thank you. I am going to choose a different path. I'm done with the story that is the beginning about me. It's not interesting to me, and I'm going to find something that is. Let's see. You know, what I think is interesting is I've never been scared before. I like exciting things. I'm not afraid. And I want to know about the wide world beyond my house. In fact, I kind of would like to know why I've never been afraid of anything in my life.

5:00 I bet if I follow that impulse, I'll find adventures that are more suited to me and who I am. I, Susan, am going to go into the world to learn about how to be scared. As unusual as this decision was, especially considering that many of her friends were involved in the beginnings of fairy tale stories of their own. Susan made her decision to go into the world to learn about fear. She packed a small bag, said her loving goodbye to her family, hoping that this decision would change the course of everyone's lives, and set off down the road in search of adventure, and to learn how to be scared.

5:46 Susan walked for days, not seeing another person. It wasn't a time of year really when people were traveling, and since she was forging out and creating her own story, you might think the universe wasn't entirely sure what to do with her, but around day four, she came to a new village. As she was walking towards the village, she began to hear a terrible bellowing, seemingly coming from everywhere, and although she finally made it into the village with the bellowing growing louder, there was not a person in sight.

6:25 Susan wondered, "Where is everyone? What is that terrible sound? Why are all of the houses dark and shutters drawn? I'm going to find out. And, unafraid of the noise and the terrible screaming that she heard, because as we know, Susan didn't feel fear, she walked towards the noise. Just outside the village, she came to a gigantic, long, dark, old stone bridge, beneath which was coming the terrible source of the screaming. It was a gigantic, terrifying, troll, Susan unconcerned about the gigantic terrifying nature of the troll in front of her, called out to the creature.

7:17 "Excuse me, excuse me, can you tell me why are you screaming so loudly?" in response Susan heard."OOOOOOOOOHHHHHH OWWWWW""Excuse me, Susan said, louder this time, excuse me, can I help you somehow?""What?""said the voice of the troll in confusion from deep under the bridge.""Yeah, can I help you? It sounds like you're hurting or you're pretty upset. Maybe there's something I can do to help you feel better." Susan asked the troll,"I have, I have something stuck in my foot.""Called the troll. It's too small for my fingers to reach, and it hurts terribly.

8:14 I can't tell where in my foot it is, and I can't walk. I can't go to get a food. All I can do is sit here. And no one has come to offer to help me." The troll cried in distress. "Well, I'm offering now," Susan responded. "Let me see if I can help. Susan carefully climbed down the bank and up to the troll in the dark shadows under the bridge." She approached the troll's giant foot looking all over the heel and the pad of the foot, which were two times her height...there was nothing. "Can you tilt your foot down so I can look in between your toes?"

9:08 Susan asked the troll. "Groaning, the troll lowered its foot, and Susan carefully began searching in between the troll's toes. The troll's biggest toe was twice the size of Susan's head. It was a very big troll.""Aha!" Susan exclaimed. "There is a small sword stuck between your toes. If you can hold still, I'll get it out for you.""As still as I can." The troll responded. Susan climbed up and stood with one leg on the troll's big toe and one leg on the troll's second biggest toe, reaching down she grabbed the handle of the sword and pulled almost immediately the troll's moaning ceased.

10:11 "It fears much better!" said the troll. "Thank you. You have saved me from a very difficult predicament. Please allow me to share my thanks with you. For saving me, please take this sword. And if you have need of me in the future, you can simply hold out the sword and call to me. I will come and help you. Wherever I may be." Susan thanked the troll, stuck the sword, into her belt, and turned and returned to the village. Calling out to the villagers that the troll was saved and they didn't need to worry.

10:57 In gratitude, the villagers asked her to stay with them and make a life in the village as she was both brave and clever. But Susan responded that she had a goal and an adventure waiting for her. She explained she wanted to go and learn how to be scared. The villagers told her that if she continued down the road, they had heard there was a dragon that was causing some problems for a village a few days away. That they thought might be a good way to learn how to be scared. As they gave her directions, some of the villagers brought her things to add to her traveling path.

11:44 It included some normal food to keep her fed, a water skin so that she would have plenty to drink, and a large, very old looking, dried ham. That one was a little bit confusing. It was too big to go on the pack. She needed to carry a separate sack for it, and Susan asked them to explain what exactly was the deal with the ham. One villagers stepped forward. "This is a magic, dried ham." She told Susan,"We have saved this in our village for a hundred years. It was given to us by a helpful witch. long ago."

12:33 In case we ever had need of it. Even a small piece will make anyone who eats it fall into a deep sleep. If you're going on adventures with monsters, you may have need of some magic, even if it's not, in the manner you might expect. Susan thanked villagers. Took the offered magical food and set off on her journey again. After several days, Susan came across a long line of people who seemed to be fleeing from whatever was behind them. Susan stopped one of the line of people and asked what was going on.

13:17 At that point, they explained that the dragon that usually lived happily on their mountain had something very wrong with it. It was blowing so much smoke and fire that the sky was covered in a haze. The crops weren't getting enough sun or water and many of their livestock had run away. They were leaving to try to go to another village to get help. When they had tried to talk to the dragon, it had roared so ferociously and spouted so much fire out of the cave that they weren't even able to get a word and edge-wise.

13:55 And it wasn't safe to go in the cave with all of that fire. So although they had liked the dragon and had gotten along with it well in the past, they weren't sure what to do at this point. Well said Susan. I think I can help. It sounds like it might be scary and I'm definitely looking for something scary and even if it's not scary, it sounds like I might be able to help. And I like to help people. In fact, I just helped a different village figure out an issue with the troll they were having. I think I can handle a dragon.

14:32 The villagers looked at Susan in disbelief. Several of them even had the energy to chuckle at the idea that Susan was going to be able to deal with a giant angry dragon better than they had been able to. All right lady, if you can make the dragon stop, we'll give you our finest and fastest horse to speed you on your journey. We don't think you can, but sure if you want to help you go right ahead, said one of the villagers. They all nodded in agreement. Well that sounds like a great deal. Susan said, and she marched along past the line of people towards the smoking mountain.

15:24 That's it for this week, but stay tuned for part two where Susan meets the dragon and gains some new abilities. Even if she doesn't manage to learn how to be scared. Remember, you're part of the story too, what did you think of this story? What did you imagine when you were listening? We'd love to hear your part of the story. If you and your grown-up want, you can share your thoughts or a picture you drew with our foggy oak podcast family. You might find it easiest to share with us on Facebook @foggy oak farm, but we have lots of options on our website.

16:15 Foggyoakfairytales.com. You can also check out pictures from the farm and learn more about us. Thanks for being part of the story, and I hope you'll join us next week. #