Kids Bedtime Stories

Animal Crossing Bedtime Story

Cosy up and snuggle down for tonight you travel to the enchanting winter world of Animal Crossing.

You wake to find yourself in a log cabin. The dark hardwood walls and rustic furniture create a warm and cosy atmosphere. There is a wood burning stove and dotted around the room, red candles provide a subdued light. The sofa is covered by a patchwork quilt and there are piles of books everywhere. In the kitchen area the dining table has a red and green tablecloth and, in the centre, an illuminated reindeer sculpture sparkles like a jewel. The highly polished pots and pans glisten in the light of the candles and a full kettle sits on the stove. By the door there are some tools; you notice a shovel, a fishing rod and a net.
In your knitted hat with earflaps, woolly Argyle sweater and your thick soled ski boots you are prepared for the cold outside. Putting on a pair of brightly coloured gloves you open the door.

To your surprise, the path leading from the cabin is blocked by a large snowdrift. You know these are formed through a combination of heavy snowfall and wind, but the air is calm, and the sky contains only a few scattered snowflakes. You realise that the drift must be quite old, and your theory is confirmed when touch it. Over time, the surface of the snow has melted in a freeze-thaw cycle forming a crisp layer of ice.
The drift is much too deep to walk through, even though you are wearing your boots. For a moment you wonder if you should return to the warmth of the cabin, but you are excited to see what lies beyond the drift; to explore the island. You return to the cabin, but only to retrieve the shovel. Closing the cabin door, you begin removing the snow from the path. It is hard work but after a while you find yourself at the end of the path. The road is clear of snow, and you’re able to get your bearings.

To your left the road gently slopes towards the edge of the island. You can clearly see where the snow-covered sand meets the blue of the sea. To your right the road winds its way between the snow-capped cedar trees towards the village. You can just make out the shapes of houses nestled amongst the trees. Their chimneys are puffing out soft grey smoke that swirls in the air before condensing into thick clouds that hover above the rooves. Breathing deeply, you can smell winter in the air. Scraping your boots against the rough surface of the road to remove the snow that has accumulated on the soles, you set off.

Walking towards the houses, you begin to observe your surroundings in more detail. Holly bushes have started to appear, festooned with bright red berries. The apple, pear and peach trees are topped with snow and look like giant scoops of ice cream. You notice some cedar trees are covered in festive lights which sparkle against the white snow covering the branches. On the ground, your eye is caught by the slow movement of a snowball being pushed along by a dung beetle. These creatures are very industrious and can push a ball much bigger than themselves.

As you approach the houses you see the villagers are also very busy. They are clearing snow from their paths or crafting items in their gardens. Some of the villagers are shaking the cedar trees decorated with fairy lights. You know that shaking trees can provide wood, fruit and sometimes even bees and you are excited to see what the cedars will produce. To your delight they drop ornaments, small red, green and gold balls which look just like baubles. You are interested to know what the villagers intend to craft with them and so you move closer.

One of the villagers explains that when you follow a DIY recipe and the ornaments are combined with snowflakes, you can make special items. These could include illuminated reindeer sculptures or bright red candles on a base of holly leaves. The villager explains they have already decorated all the cabins and are now preparing for a party on the beach. You ask if you can help, and a villager points you in the direction of a large garden containing some very unusual furniture.

Stepping into the garden, you realise that all the furniture is made of ice. There are chairs, counters, tables and even a bed. You sit on one of the chairs and are surprised to find that it is very comfortable and not at all wet or cold. You ask the villager how the furniture is crafted, and you are told that every day two snowballs spawn near the garden. These must be rolled in the snow until they are precisely the right size to make a Snowboy. The reward for making a perfect Snowboy is a large snowflake, and these are used to craft the ice furniture. Looking around the garden you notice several Snowboys, but you are alarmed to see that they are all at different stages of melting. The villager explains that each Snowboy only stays for four days but that each day you are rewarded with a large snowflake. All the Snowboys ask in return is that you remember them.

You are excited to tell the villager that you saw a snowball earlier. It was being pushed by a dung beetle. The villager becomes quite anxious and says that you must find it quickly. The dung beetles steal the snowballs and then the Snowboys can’t be made. Borrowing the villager’s net, you set off in search of the dung beetle, determined to retrieve the snowball.

You find the dung beetle some distance from the place where you first saw it. The snowball is much bigger than it was before, and the dung beetle is having difficulty moving it. With no hesitation, you scoop the dung beetle up in your net and push the snowball back towards the garden.

When you arrive, you tell the villager something strange has been happening with the snowball. You explain that for a while, as you rolled the snowball along, it gathered more snow and got larger. But then, for no reason you could see, it stopped growing. The villager smiles and doesn’t seem to be concerned. It turns out that all the snowballs behave in exactly the same way. They reach a maximum diameter that is perfect for the Snowboy’s body and then stop. The real problem is that the snowball that makes the Snowboy’s head has to be smaller. The Snowboy’s head has to be exactly the right size or there will be no perfect Snowboy and that means, no reward. The villager uses a Snowboy to show you how big the head has to be. You make a mental note of the size and then set off in search of the second snowball.

You find it close to where you found the first snowball, but there is no dung beetle. It is very small and so you start to kick it. As it rolls, it gathers snow and quickly increases in size. Once big enough, you start to push it through the snow and rush to get back to the garden. Just before you reach the garden you realise it has stopped growing which means that it is too big. In your eagerness to give the snowball to the villager, you forgot to check the size. You don’t want to disappoint the villager and so you try to think of a solution. You wonder if you could just remove chunks of snow by hand, but that would spoil the shape. Then you remember how you removed the snow from your boots. You push the snowball onto the road. Then as you move along the road you are delighted to see that the snow is coming off evenly. As you arrive at the garden, the ball is exactly the right size and a perfect sphere. You call to the villager and together you carefully place the snowball head on top of the body. The Snowboy appears and rewards you with a DIY recipe and a large snowflake. The villager reads the recipe and is overjoyed to see that it is for the ice bear. This means they can enter the sculpture competition at the beach this evening. Together you begin crafting the bear.

It is late in the afternoon when the winter beach celebrations begin. You spent the whole afternoon helping the villager to craft the ice bear and then transport it together with the ice furniture down to the beach. It has been a busy day, and you are looking forward to the festivities. On the beach, the ice furniture looks amazing, and you are delighted to see the evening stars reflected in the mirror-like tops of the ice counters and tables. Some of the villagers have started serving food and drink while others gather under a small pavilion where a wooden dance floor has been constructed.

Your friend the villager offers you a delicious cup of hot chocolate and says that Tom Nook, the island manager, is about to judge the ice sculptures. A few moments later the villager is shaking you by the hand and thanking you for all your help. The ice bear has won first prize. The villager is very excited and is going to join the others for a celebratory dance. You are invited to join, but you prefer to take a few moments to yourself and enjoy your hot chocolate.

A short distance from the main celebrations, you find an ice chair by a small campfire and careful not to spill your hot chocolate, settle down. You are still surprised by how comfortable ice furniture is and how the chair makes you feel safe and secure. In the distance the sound of music and laughter drifts in the cold air.

As you sit and stare out over the deep dark ocean you begin to notice green flecks of light in the sky. At first you think they are the lights of aircraft, but there are too many of them and they have begun to form long vertical stripes. After a few minutes they have joined together and form a huge green blanket waving in the sky. You realise they are the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights. This is a very rare and spectacular sight, and you wonder if you should tell the villagers, but you are tired now. The sounds of this wintery world melt away as you sink deeper into your chair. Like the snow boys, you too hoped you're remembered as you close your eyes and drift away, awaiting your next adventure.