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This. 
Is time for the podcast? 

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Yeah, the podcast is starting. 
What's? 

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The podcast, it's all going to 
be all right in the air. 

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It's going to be. 
You've got some worries, my dear

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little rest your busy minds 
because it's finally time. 

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The stories from now and then. 
Hey everybody, Captain 

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Blunderface here. 
I'm back in the old library and 

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welcome back to Stories from Now
and Then. 

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I'm really into this story today
and Debra got us. 

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I hope you will pay close 
attention because there is a 

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character who is a cat, so you 
might love it. 

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No, I'm not trying to set your 
expectations one way or another.

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I just think you might like it. 
No, no, no, this is not a 

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spoiler in any way. 
So you're telling me that any 

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reaction whatsoever is a spoiler
of some kind? 

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Even if I say it's a great 
story, I can't just give you a a

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completely blank look every 
time. 

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Well, before we bring Nicola in 
to tell us all about the story 

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of musicians of Bremen, we have 
a shout out for Heiress and his 

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baby sister Esme from San 
Antonio, TX. 

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Eris loves singing the intro 
music and listening to the 

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stories over and over. 
So Eris, this story is for you 

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and Esme 2O and it looks like we
just got a message from our 

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sponsor. 
Today's episode is brought to 

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you by the official Stories from
Now and Then Coloring Book 

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companion. 
You can color along as you 

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listen to the stories. 
To pick up your copy, head over 

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to storiesfromnowandthen.com or 
check out our Instagram profile.

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And with that, all you got to do
is just rest your busy minds 

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because it's finally time. 
Take it away, Nicola. 

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Thank you, Captain. 
Today's story is about four 

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unlikely friends and a journey 
they go on together. 

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We're going back in time for 
this story, and we're going to 

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the country of Germany, in 
particular, a town called 

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Bremen. 
This story is called the 

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Musicians of Bremen. 
There once was a man who owned a

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donkey which had carried his 
sacks to the mill industriously 

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for many years, but whose 
strength had come to an end, so 

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that the poor beast grew more 
and more unfit for work. 

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The master decided to stop his 
food, but the donkey, 

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discovering that there was no 
good intended to him, ran away 

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and started on the road to 
Bremen. 

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There, thought he, I can become 
the town musician. 

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When he had gone a little way, 
he found a dog lying on the road

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and panting like one who was 
tired from running. 

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Hello, what are you panting for,
worthy hound? 

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Asked the donkey. 
Oh, said the dog, just because 

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I'm old and get weaker every day
and cannot go out hunting, My 

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master wanted to kill me, so I 
have left him. 

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But how shall I gain my living 
now? 

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I'll tell you what, said the 
donkey. 

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I am going to Bremen to be town 
musician. 

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Come with me and do music too. 
I can play the lute and you 

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shall beat the drum. 
The dog liked the idea and they 

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travelled on. 
It was not long before they saw 

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a cat sitting by the road making
a face like 3 rainy days. 

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Now then, what has gone wrong 
with you old whiskers? 

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Said the donkey. 
Who can be happy when his neck 

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is in danger? 
Answered the cat. 

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Just because I am advanced in 
years and my teeth are no longer

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sharp, and I like sitting before
the fire and purring better than

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chasing the mice about. 
My mistress wanted to drown me. 

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I have managed to escape, but 
good advice is scarce. 

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Tell me, where should I go to 
come with us 2 to Bremen. 

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You understand serenading. 
You can also become a town 

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musician. 
The cat thought it a capital 

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idea and went with them. 
Soon after the three runaways 

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came to a farmyard and there sat
a rooster on the gate crowing 

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with might and mane. 
You crow loud enough to deafen, 

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said the donkey. 
What is the matter with you? 

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I prophesied fair weather, said 
the rooster, because it is our 

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good mistress's washing day, and
she wants to dry the clothes. 

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But because tomorrow is Sunday 
and company is coming, the 

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mistress has no pity on me and 
has told the cook to put me into

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the soup tomorrow, and I must 
have my head cut off tonight. 

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So now I am crowing with all my 
might as long as I can. 

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Oh, you old redhead, said the 
donkey. 

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You had better come with us. 
We are going to Bremen, where 

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you will certainly find 
something better than having 

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your head cut off. 
You have a good voice, and if we

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all make music together it will 
be something striking. 

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The rooster liked the proposal, 
and they went on all four 

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together, but they could not 
reach the city of Bremen in one 

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day, and they came in the 
evening to a wood, where they 

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agreed to spend the night. 
The donkey and the dog laid 

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themselves down under a great 
tree, but the cat and the 

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rooster went higher, the rooster
flying up to the topmost branch 

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where he was safest. 
Before he went to sleep he 

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looked round towards all the 
four points of the compass, 

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north-south, East, West, and he 
thought he saw a spark shining 

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in the distance. 
He called to his companions that

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there must be a house not far 
off, for he could see a light. 

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The donkey said, Well, then, we 
must rise and go to it, for the 

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lodgings here are very bad, and 
the dog said, yes, a few bones 

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with a little flesh on them 
would do me good. 

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So they took the road in the 
direction where the light was, 

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and soon saw it shine brighter, 
and it got larger and larger, 

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till they came to a brilliantly 
illumined robber's house. 

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The donkey, being the biggest, 
got up at the window and looked 

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in. 
What do you see? 

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Grey Beard, said the rooster. 
What do I see, answered the 

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donkey. 
A table covered with beautiful 

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food and drink, and robbers are 
sitting round it and enjoying 

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themselves. 
That would do nicely for us, 

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said the rooster. 
Yes, indeed, if we were only 

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there, replied the donkey. 
The animals then consulted 

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together how they should manage 
to drive out the robbers, till 

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at last they settled on a plan. 
The donkey was to place himself 

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with his four feet on the 
windowsill, the dog to climb on 

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the donkey's back, and the cat 
on the dogs, and at last the 

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rooster was to fly up and perch 
himself on the cat's head. 

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When that was done, at a signal 
they began their music all 

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together. 
The donkey braid, the dog 

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barked, the cat mewed, and the 
rooster crowed. 

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Then with one great smash they 
dashed through the window into 

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the room so that the glass 
clattered down. 

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The robbers jumped up at this 
dreadful noise, thinking that 

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nothing less than a ghost was 
coming in, and ran away into the

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wood in a great fright. 
The four companions then sat 

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down at the table, quite content
with what was left there, and 

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ate heartily. 
When these 4 musicians had 

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finished, they put out the 
light, and each one looked for a

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suitable and comfortable 
sleeping place. 

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The donkey lay down on the 
dunghill outside, the dog curled

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up behind the door, the cat on 
the hearth near the warm ashes 

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from the fire, and the rooster 
set himself on the hen roost. 

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And as they were all tired from 
their long journey, they quickly

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went to sleep. 
Soon after midnight, as the 

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robbers in the distance could 
see that no more lights were 

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burning in the house, and as all
seemed quiet, the captain said 

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we ought not to have let 
ourselves be scared so easily, 

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and sent one of them to examine 
the house. 

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The robber who was sent found 
everything quiet, went into the 

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kitchen to light a candle, and 
thinking the cat's shining fiery

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eyes were live coals, he held a 
match to them to light it. 

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But the cat, who did not want a 
match near its eyes, flew in his

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face, spat at him, and 
scratched. 

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He was dreadfully frightened, 
ran away, and was going out of 

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the back door, when the dog who 
was lying there jumped up and 

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bit him in the leg as he ran 
through the yard past the 

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dunghill. 
The donkey gave him a good kick 

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with his hind foot, and the 
rooster, being awakened and made

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quite lively by the noise, 
called out from the hen roost. 

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The robber ran as hard as he 
could back to the captain and 

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said, Oh dear. 
In the house sits A horrid old 

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witch who blew at me and 
scratched my face with her long 

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fingers. 
And by the door stands a man 

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with a knife who stabbed me in 
the leg. 

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And in the yard lies a black 
monster who hit me with a club. 

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And up on the roof there sits a 
judge who called out Bring the 

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Rascal up here. 
So I made the best of my way 

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off. 
From that day on, the robbers 

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never again went near the house,
but the four musicians liked it 

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so well that they decided never 
to leave it, and they stayed 

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there the rest of their days. 
This story is such a good 

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reminder that even if you can't 
work as hard as maybe you used 

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to be able to, you can still be 
a wonderful friend, a creative 

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musician, and a cosy homemaker. 
I'm so glad that these four 

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friends found a space where they
could be together and live in 

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peace and quiet, warm and 
comfortable. 

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They never did make it to 
Bremen, but if you go there 

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yourself, you'll see a statue of
the four animals in a town 

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square for people to remember 
these four clever friends. 

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Oh, that's a good one. 
Thank you so much, Nicola. 

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I always like it when it turns 
out all right in the end. 

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So Deborah Katis, do you think 
you learned any teamwork skills 

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from that one? 
Really, You already knew too 

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much of what would happen just 
by the way I was talking about 

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the story beforehand and my 
micro facial expressions. 

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Well, then you liked it. 
That's the important part. 

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And remember, if you'd like a 
shout out, just send us Adm on 

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Instagram at Storiesfrom Now and
then. 

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We'd love to hear from you. 
See any pictures you've drawn of

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the stories or any coloring 
pages? 

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And if you want to get a free 
printable coloring page, just 

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head over to our website 
storiesfromnowandthen.com. 

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Stories from Now and Then is 
narrated by the amazing Nickel 

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Award, music by Captain 
Blunderface and Deprecatus 

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usually plays with people that 
have library cards for the most 

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part. 
Stay groovy out there everybody,

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and we'll see you next time on 
Stories From Now and Then.