Paws & Tales

Ned the Beaver: Welcome to another episode of my personal podcast, *Ned Knows*. Today I'm talking to the creator of *Paws & Tales*, Dave Carl. Well, thanks for being with me today, Dave.

Dave Carl: It's a pleasure to be here, Ned.

Ned the Beaver: So, because I'm me, I happen to know that you have written the first ever *Paws & Tales* book. Tell me more about that.

Dave Carl: I'd love to. It's called *The Overcomers*, and reading this book will be like reading maybe five regular episodes. The club is in the middle of a big new adventure and there are new characters we introduced.

Ned the Beaver: That's fascinating, Dave. I have it though, by good authority, that this book centers around Ned and how he saves the day for everyone.

Dave Carl: Well, no, that's not what the book is about. It is significantly about the struggle against evil that lurks high up in Wild Mountain. If anything, I'd have to say it centers around Stacy.

Ned the Beaver: What? But I gave you really good notes when you were writing this. What happened to all my great ideas?

Dave Carl: Well, mostly I didn't read them. There were a lot of notes, Ned. In the book I did write, we meet Smidge, a badger who really wants to become someone who will make a difference.

And he meets up with Crockett, a genuine overcomer, who begins to teach him how to survive in the woods and how to take care of the miners digging for gold in the tunnels of Wild Mountain.

Ned the Beaver: Ned knows what this book was supposed to be about. In those notes you did not read, Ned inherits a million dollars, but he does not let anyone know about it. And he sneaks around and secretly helps those in need and uses all kinds of really neat gadgets to fight crime.

Dave Carl: I did read that part of the notes, but in this first *Paws & Tales* book, *The Overcomers*, we follow the club as they begin a new adventure and we see how Crockett battles bandits and the evil minion in only the way an overcomer can.

Ned the Beaver: Well, I did not know that you changed the whole book, Dave. This is a bitter disappointment. Well, this ends this episode of *Ned Knows*. Thanks for joining me, Dave Carl, who ignored all my notes. I'll see you all next time for another episode of *Ned Knows*. Stop tape!

Guest (Male): Welcome to the world of *Paws & Tales*. Wild Mountain can be a pretty dangerous place. Stay on the trails and stick with me. There's adventures to be had there too.

Stacy: Come on, CJ, jump!

CJ: It's too far!

Stacy: It wasn't too far for me!

Insight for Living: Insight for Living is proud to present *Paws & Tales*.

Narrator: Today's adventure begins outside the Wildwood Post Office, which is where folks in Wildwood gather whenever there's major news to be heard. And today's news is definitely major. It seems Captain Horatio, the lighthouse keeper, has gone and had himself a bit of an accident.

Guest (Male): No, he took quite a fall.

Guest (Male): Is he going to be alright?

Guest (Male): Oh, yeah. But for now, he's laid up in the Shady Days Rest Home.

Guest (Male): Who's looking after the lighthouse?

Guest (Male): Now, there's a question. Captain Horatio is looking for someone to hire.

Guest (Male): Who's going to climb that road every day?

Narrator: Now about that time, our two young friends, CJ and Stacy, happened to be wandering by.

CJ: Did you hear that? They're going to hire an assistant lighthouse keeper. I bet I could do it.

Stacy: That's an important job. They're not going to give it to a third grader.

CJ: Well, I'm asking for the job anyway.

Stacy: Good luck.

Narrator: So CJ headed over to the Shady Days Rest Home to pay a visit to Captain Horatio. Now, the captain is an old walrus who once sailed the seven seas.

But these days, he's a little long in the tusk for that sort of thing. So he settled here in Wildwood, where he tends the lighthouse, or did until yesterday's fall.

CJ: Good afternoon, Captain.

Captain Horatio: CJ! CJ, come in, come in.

CJ: It looks like I'm interrupting your lunch. Should I come back later?

Captain Horatio: No, no, please come in. I hate to eat alone. Here, you can have my Brussels sprouts.

CJ: No, thanks. To be honest with you, I don't really care for Brussels sprouts.

Captain Horatio: Who does? But the nurse makes me eat everything on my plate.

CJ: Well, I was sorry to hear about your accident. What happened?

Captain Horatio: I was just polishing the mirror in the lighthouse beacon when I slipped and fell off the ladder. Twisted my back something awful.

CJ: I heard you're looking for an assistant to take care of the lighthouse.

Captain Horatio: That's right. I just hope I can find someone soon. It's very important that the lighthouse be maintained every day. That light warns the ships that they're approaching land. If anything ever happened to it, a ship could come along and sail right smack into the rocks. Have just one Brussels sprout, huh?

CJ: No, thank you. Captain, what about me? I could take care of the lighthouse.

Captain Horatio: You, CJ? Well, you're just a boy.

CJ: But I know I could do it.

Captain Horatio: It's a long walk up to the lighthouse.

CJ: I can do that.

Captain Horatio: The oil has to be checked every day to make sure there's enough to keep the light burning all night long.

CJ: I can do that.

Captain Horatio: And the mirror has to be polished perfectly clean every day.

CJ: I can do that too.

Captain Horatio: Brussels sprout?

CJ: No, thank you.

Captain Horatio: Being assistant lighthouse keeper takes someone who's very good at following directions.

CJ: I'm excellent at following directions.

Captain Horatio: Then eat these Brussels sprouts.

CJ: How about if I just put them in my pocket and bury them in the woods?

Captain Horatio: The job's yours! When can you start?

Narrator: And before you knew it, CJ was headed up the jagged road that leads to the lighthouse.

CJ: Man, this is a long walk.

Timothy Owl: Yes, a very long walk indeed.

CJ: Who are you?

Timothy Owl: The name's Timothy Owl. Friends call me Timothy Owl for the most part.

CJ: I don't mean to be rude, Mr. Owl, but I really don't have time to talk. I've got to get to the lighthouse.

Timothy Owl: Of course, the lighthouse. Young cub has big, important business at the lighthouse. No time to stop and talk.

CJ: Thanks for understanding.

Timothy Owl: I'd watch my step if I were you. Young cub in a hurry could stumble right off the edge of the cliff and get smashed to smithereens on them jagged rocks down there.

CJ: Well, thanks for the warning. I'll be careful.

Timothy Owl: You do that. Just watch yourself now. Don't want anything to happen to you.

Narrator: About a mile later, CJ reached the lighthouse and soon he was hard at work completing the checklist Captain Horatio had made for him.

CJ: Refill oil in oil burner. Check. Make sure the flame is burning nice and bright. Check.

Timothy Owl: Good work.

CJ: Mr. Owl, you scared me. It's not polite to sneak up on people.

Timothy Owl: And it's not polite to talk back to your elders. Mind your manners.

CJ: Sorry, I was just—

Timothy Owl: The mirror, son. You forgot to polish the mirror.

CJ: Right. I just got to climb up on the ladder and polish the mirror, then I'm done. What's this mirror do anyway?

Timothy Owl: It reflects the light out to the ocean. Makes it big and bright so all the ships can spot it. Put a little elbow grease into it, son. You missed a spot.

CJ: I got it. Alright, I'm off. Don't want to miss supper.

Timothy Owl: You do that. Just watch yourself. One slip and you could—

CJ: Fall off the cliff and get smashed to smithereens on the rocks. Yeah, I got it.

Narrator: CJ scurried quickly but carefully back home and was reaching the edge of town when he tripped over something.

CJ: Whoa! Who would leave a baseball glove in the middle of the road? Wow, it's almost brand new.

Timothy Owl: Very nice. Lucky you. A new job and a new glove all on the same day. Very lucky, very lucky.

CJ: I can't keep the glove. It isn't mine.

Timothy Owl: Of course not. But you could certainly use it until its rightful owner is found. No harm in that, no harm at all.

CJ: I don't know. Maybe I should just hang it here on this branch so whoever lost it can find it when they come back.

Timothy Owl: Won't do. Just won't do. You can't leave a nice glove like that out in this salty ocean air.

CJ: Why? It's just leather. What harm will salty ocean air do to leather?

Timothy Owl: What harm will it do? Why, it'll make it all salty. Nobody likes a salty glove. No, sir. Just wouldn't do.

CJ: Maybe I should take it home.

Timothy Owl: Now you're talking. Take it home.

CJ: Something about this doesn't feel quite right, but I certainly don't want it to get all salty.

Timothy Owl: Just wouldn't do.

CJ: Salt and baseball glove.

Timothy Owl: Terrible combination.

CJ: Alright, I'll take it with me.

Ned the Beaver: Ned the Beaver here. Did you know that we have a big blank wall in the clubhouse that needs to get filled up? So how about this? Parents, take a photo of your child listening to *Paws & Tales* wherever they happen to listen.

It could be comfy places, funny places. You know we'd love to see them. And I will personally post these photos on that blank wall for all to see. Got some tape right here. Just send them into pawsandtales.org. This is so fun!

Narrator: All the next day, CJ found himself all distractible just thinking about that new glove. But then just as he was leaving school, walking alone and kind of dreamy-like, he overheard one of the fourth graders talking to a friend.

Guest (Male): Hey, Sted, have you seen my glove?

Guest (Male): No.

Guest (Male): I can't find it anywhere.

CJ: Figures it would be his glove. I should go tell him I found it, although I could just mind my own business and not say anything.

Timothy Owl: Minding your own business. That's a good thing to do. No harm in minding your own business.

CJ: And it isn't really a sin.

Timothy Owl: Of course not. It's not like he asked you.

CJ: Right. If he asked me and I said no, then that would be lying. But this isn't lying.

Timothy Owl: Absolutely not.

CJ: So how about this? What if I just wait until he asks me if I've seen his glove? Then I'll give it back to him.

Timothy Owl: Excellent plan. A very excellent plan.

CJ: Wait a minute. I have to tell him. It's just the right thing.

Timothy Owl: There you go with that "right thing" again. Say, aren't you late for your job at the lighthouse?

CJ: Yeah, I guess I am.

Timothy Owl: Very important job you got there. Got to be on time. That's the right thing to do.

CJ: Okay, I'm going.

Narrator: So without saying another word, CJ headed up the jagged road to the old lighthouse and did everything on his checklist. That evening, as he was walking back home, he got to thinking.

CJ: This is a long walk up to the lighthouse and back.

Timothy Owl: A very long walk. Seems rather silly to walk all the way up there every single day.

CJ: Maybe tomorrow I should fill the oil burner extra full and clean the mirror extra good and then I could skip a day.

Timothy Owl: Good thinking, son.

Narrator: So that's what he did. Now, several weeks passed and since his idea of only going to the lighthouse every other day had worked out so well, he figured he could probably just go every three days, maybe even four. Besides, he was awfully busy with his baseball practice.

CJ: Man, this extra practice is paying off. Yep, I think we're finally going to be good enough to whip those fourth graders.

Stacy: CJ, how are you finding the time for all this practice and still do your job at the lighthouse?

CJ: Don't worry about it. I got a special schedule worked out.

Stacy: Oh, man. The last time you had a special schedule worked out, we had to flush two dozen goldfish down the you-know-what.

CJ: It's no problem. I got it handled.

Narrator: Now all this time CJ still couldn't quite bring himself to use the new glove. But when the afternoon of the big game finally arrived, he just couldn't resist any longer.

CJ: If we're going to beat the fourth graders, I got to play my best. With that new glove, I'll make every catch.

Narrator: It seemed as if the whole town had turned out for the big game.

Guest (Female): I don't think we've ever played in front of this many people.

CJ: Wow, the fourth graders look a lot bigger in their uniforms.

Guest (Male): I hope you guys are ready to lose today, because that's exactly what you're going to do.

CJ: Let's get this game started. Then we'll see who the real loser is.

Guest (Male): Oh, yeah?

CJ: Yeah.

Guest (Male): Hey, wait a minute. Where'd you get that glove?

CJ: This glove?

Guest (Male): That is my glove. That's the glove I lost a couple of weeks ago. Give it back.

CJ: Who says it's your glove? It doesn't have your name on it.

Guest (Male): I lost it before I could put my name on it.

CJ: You can't prove this is your glove. Lots of baseball gloves look the same.

Guest (Male): But that one is mine. I'd know it anywhere. Admit it, CJ, that's my glove you got there.

Stacy: CJ, where did you get that new glove?

CJ: Well, I—

Stacy: Tell me you didn't steal it.

CJ: Of course I didn't steal it. I just went out and bought it.

Narrator: And just then, everyone noticed that a heavy fog bank had started rolling in from the sea.

Guest (Female): Wait a minute. Where's the light from the lighthouse? We ought to be able to see it through the fog.

CJ: The lighthouse should be working fine. I was just up there two days ago, or three. Let's see, it was on a Monday and today is Saturday. Oh, man, it's been six days! No wonder the light went out.

Guest (Female): My husband's boat is coming in. If there's no lighthouse to warn him, they'll crash right into the rocks! Somebody do something!

CJ: I've got to get up to the lighthouse and make things right.

Guest (Male): Oh, no you don't. You were supposed to make sure this didn't happen. This is all your fault.

Guest (Female): This is no job for a boy. We need an adult.

Guest (Male): The road is very jagged and there's a big cliff on one side. Whoever goes up there in this fog better know that road awfully good or they won't make it.

Guest (Male): Who knows the road up to the lighthouse?

Guest (Female): A ship is coming in. They're going to crash!

Guest (Male): Does anybody know that road?

CJ: I do!

Guest (Male): Doesn't anybody here who isn't named CJ know that road?

CJ: I'm telling you, I know that road better than anyone but the captain himself. I can fix this. Please let me go!

Guest (Female): Hi, I'm Charlotte from Virginia. Don't go away, there's more *Paws & Tales* coming right up.

Dave Carl: Hello, Dave Carl here. Where does your kid listen to *Paws & Tales*? We'd love to know. You can upload a photo of your kids listening to *Paws & Tales* in the car, half buried in pillows, while coloring or doing a puzzle. So many ways to listen.

We will be posting a bunch of these photos on pawsandtales.org. Just think, your kid's photo could be on the wall of the clubhouse in Wildwood.

CJ: I can get up to the lighthouse faster than anybody and I know how to get the light back on. You've got to let me go.

Guest (Male): Well, it doesn't look like we have any other choice.

CJ: You won't be sorry.

Narrator: And with that, CJ scurried up the jagged road towards the lighthouse just as fast as his young legs would carry him. But before CJ was even halfway to the lighthouse, night began to fall and the sky grew dark.

CJ: It was hard enough finding my way through the fog, but now that it's getting dark, I can hardly see the edge of the cliff.

Timothy Owl: One slip and you could be smashed to smithereens on them rocks down there.

CJ: Mr. Owl, that's not helping.

Narrator: Meanwhile, just a mile off the coast of Wildwood, the ship in question was unknowingly headed on a direct course for disaster.

Guest (Male): Captain, shouldn't we slow down going through this fog? Got to be getting close to land by now.

Captain: If we were close to land, we would see the beacon from the lighthouse. I say no. We wait until we see the light and then we'll drop anchor and wait for morning to sail into the port. That's an order.

Guest (Male): Aye, aye, Captain.

Captain: Keep a sharp lookout for the Wildwood lighthouse!

Narrator: Minutes later, CJ finally reached the lighthouse.

CJ: I don't understand. The flame's burning alright, but the beacon is hardly putting out any light at all.

Timothy Owl: The mirror, son. Check the mirror.

CJ: You're right. The mirror's filthy.

Timothy Owl: Just like I told you. The lighthouse needs to be taken care of every day.

CJ: But you said—

Timothy Owl: Now's no time to argue. What are you going to do about this?

CJ: Quick, throw me up the rag.

Timothy Owl: There you go.

CJ: It's starting to come clean. Just a little more.

Narrator: And as CJ polished the mirror, the beam of light suddenly pierced through the thick fog, shining out brightly for all to see. And just in the nick of time for our friends on the boat.

Guest (Male): Captain, the lighthouse is right in front of us! We're going to hit the rocks!

Captain: Drop anchor! Lower the sail! We've got to stop this ship right now! You're the captain. Let's pull with force! Anchor! Sails are secure, Captain! We did it! We're stopped!

Narrator: The next morning, the whole town gathered to welcome the ship safely into port. Even old Captain Horatio, the lighthouse keeper, was there, pushed along in a wheelchair by his nurse.

CJ: Captain Horatio.

Captain Horatio: CJ.

CJ: I'm so sorry I messed everything up. I didn't do my job at the lighthouse. I basically stole a baseball glove, and then I lied to everyone in town about it.

Captain Horatio: CJ, when you were doing all these things, did you know they were wrong at the time?

CJ: Yeah, I guess.

Captain Horatio: Well, how did you know?

CJ: I don't know. I just kind of knew.

Captain Horatio: That was your conscience. It's the little voice that God put inside each of us that lets us know when we're sinning.

CJ: Yeah, I heard it. Didn't pay any attention to it.

Captain Horatio: That's a very dangerous thing to do. Your conscience is like a lighthouse. It's there to warn you of approaching sin.

Every time you sin and you ignore it, the light gets dimmer. It's like the lighthouse mirror getting dirty. That sin can build up until you can't see the warning light at all. And then you go and crash right into the rocks.

CJ: I could hardly sleep last night thinking about what might have happened.

Captain Horatio: Your sin always affects others. Now, when you sin, confess it to God. Ask him to forgive you, to clean it away, and to help you not do it again.

CJ: Do you do that? Ask forgiveness?

Captain Horatio: Every day. When I've sinned, I try to take care of it right then. If you don't, it gets harder to hear God's warning. I ask forgiveness every day.

CJ: Man, this could have been really bad.

Captain Horatio: That's what that little quiet voice is for. God gave you a conscience to steer you clear of danger.

CJ: Well, that's for me. I better get going.

Captain Horatio: Any plans after school?

CJ: I'll be taking care of the lighthouse.

Captain Horatio: Good. Glad to hear it. I think you're going to do just fine.

Insight for Living: (Singing) Living in a world of so many questions. It's so hard to know which way to go or which road you should be on. And people say just live for the moment, whatever's best for you, that's what you should do and say, "how could that be wrong?"

But there's a voice inside of all of us that sheds a different light. It was given by the Lord above so we know what's truly right. When the way is dark for you and you're faced with making a choice, don't just go the way that the world might say. You've got to listen to that still small voice.

So when it's time for another tough decision and suddenly you hear that whisper in your ear, don't try and drown it out. No, you've got to stop and take hold of that heavenly wisdom. Let it shine on through, show you what to do and teach you what love's all about.

Like a lighthouse it will guide you, it's your beacon in the night. So in the storms of great temptation, keep your eye on that light. When the way is dark for you and you're faced with making a choice, don't just go the way that the world might say. You've got to listen to that still small voice.

If you want to keep walking on that straight and narrow path, you've got to follow that voice from the start. It will keep you from sin and it will never grow dim if you've hidden God's word in your heart.

There is a voice inside you, there is a light. A still small voice speaking God's wisdom, it will show you what's right. God's speaking to you. There is a voice inside you, there is a light. Oh, if you listen, he will show you what's right.

When the way is dark for you and you're faced with making a choice, don't just go the way that all the world might say. There inside, so let your conscience be your guide. Just listen to that still small voice.

God's talking to you. Just turn your heart and listen. There is a voice inside you, there is a light. Speaking God's wisdom, it will show you what's right. So much noise around. There is a voice inside you, there is a light.

You've got to hear that still small voice speaking God's wisdom, it will show you what's right. You got to hear on that still small voice speaking God's wisdom, it will show you what's right. Sometimes a whisper. There is a voice inside you, there is a light. Speaking God's wisdom, it will show you what's right.

Insight for Living: To get a copy of today's program, *The Lighthouse*, you can place your order online at pawsandtales.org. *The Lighthouse* was written by Clark Corcum and directed by David Carl. Our script supervisor was Phil Waller. The song *Still Small Voice* was written by Sandy Howell and Nick Brown. Music was by Tim Hosman and our sound designer was Eric Basil. *Paws & Tales* is an Insight for Living production.