Welcome to Story Quest, a weekly podcast where we bring your stories to life!
In this episode we bring Isabella’s story – Kitty, Kaitlyn and the Mystery of Tomorrow – to life.
If you have a story idea, you could be like Isabella and have it turned into a Story Quest. All you have to do is send us your story idea here. We know you have the best imaginations and together we can create the most brilliant stories!
That’s just what Isabella did. You can watch the story she suggested come to life below, plus she tells us all about the inspiration behind the story at the end.
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Read along to Kitty, Kaitlyn and the Mystery of Tomorrow!
You can read along to the story while you listen. Just follow the text below. Don’t worry if you find a word tricky – you can pause the video whenever to give yourself more time.
Kitty and Kaitlyn and the Mystery of Tomorrow
Tomorrow is a strange place isnât it? – because it never truly arrives. We think about what we have to do TOMORROW or what lessons we might have at school TOMORROW or what we might have for lunch – but when we wake up, all of a sudden tomorrow has magically turned into TODAY and tomorrow has well – just moved to the next day.
So Tomorrows are quite mysterious arenât they? Almost anything is possible. Sometimes thatâs kind of cool – like the day before Christmas when we imagine all the gifts we might get under the tree but other times it can be difficult not knowing what will happen – like when weâre starting a new school or club and we donât know anyone or our way around.
Kitty and Kaitlyn were two best friends – they didnât spend much time thinking about tomorrow – life was pretty simple. They sat together in class, played at each otherâs houses, had swimming lessons on Thursdays and sometimes their families met up at the weekend for a pizza evening. All pretty standard kid stuff, right?
Well things were about to get as far from standard as possible and it all started thanks to the kids preparing for a test – called the SATS – maybe youâve done it yourself? Some schools do it in Year 6.
Kitty was the kind of kid who found things pretty easy – she always got good marks on the tests and so wasnât that bothered. Kaitlyn on the other hand – well – things didnât come as easily. She tried and tried to remember how to turn a fraction into a percentage or what the angles in a triangle were meant to add up to but try as she might she never seemed to remember. So as you can imagine the thought of the tests was much MUCH scarier – and even though Kitty tried to help her, it was no good.
âItâs so unfair! If only I could see the questions before! I might stand a chance!â
âI think thatâs kind of called cheating??â said Kitty but she smiled – after all there was no way to see the paper – right? Kaitlyn was just joking.
âI just wish I could see what tomorrow was going to bringâŚâ Kaitlyn said, wistfully.
Neither of the girls noticed strange lights flashing in the sky and a strange judder in the earth under the house – maybe they thought a bus had gone past, a slight rumble was all they could feel.
Kitty had gone home and Kaitlyn was cleaning her teeth – as she looked into the bathroom mirror something really strange happened – the surface seemed to ripple and then she could see test papers appear! So clear she could see each question!
âWhatâs happening!â she exclaimed and wiped the mirror in case it was a trick caused by the light and steam – but sure enough the image of the paper remained.
She squinted hard and decided to remember the questions – really concentrating – and then rushed to her room to write them down. OK it was weird but, hey it couldnât hurt – maybe it was a message from tomorrow! After sheâd written them down she practiced and practiced and came up with some answers. She hated to practice for tests but she felt like sheâd been given a strange gift from the future.
The next day everyone was a bit nervous about the SATS but to her friend Kittyâs astonishment Kaitlyn seemed weirdly confident. And to her delight Kaitlyn found out that yes! The image in the mirror had been right! All the same questions appeared and she answered the questions with ease.
Kitty was the one looking miserable at the end of the day.
âIf I never have to write what a fronted adverbial is ever again – thatâll be too soon!â
Kaitlyn smiled, for once feeling as if she might just be winning.
The images in the mirror returned a few days later – the class were working on the end of term play and everyone was excited to see what part they would get. Kaitlyn wasnât that bothered but she knew Kitty had set her heart on being the Queen of Hearts (it was about a pack of cards or something – you know how random end of term plays can be – and it probably had a message about all working and playing together in harmony).
Kaitlyn was thinking about her friend and the mirror mists began to show her the typed up list of parts – and yes! Kittyâs name was next to QUEEN OF HEARTS – sheâd nailed it! She sent her friend a message telling her not to worry, as Kaitlyn was SURE sheâd get the part and Kitty sent a smiley face back. The next day Kitty was delighted to see her friend had been right – and to be honest was a bit puzzled how Kaitlyn could be so sure but was too delighted to think much about it.
Kaitlyn found that tomorrow became a much more familiar place – she only had to think about what might happen and the mirror would show her – in ghostly images, which were always right.
But after a while – even though she was ACING school, things were changing. And it was all to do with – you guessed it – something set to happen TOMORROW.
The tomorrow in question was Kaitlynâs birthday. She was lucky that her birthday was, (although kind of after everyone elses) – a summer birthday – it was always in the school holidays and the weather was usually great. She stood at the bathroom mirror and just thought vaguely about what presents she might get. Sheâd set her heart on an electric scooter but mum had been like the sphinx and not said a word.
Before she could stop it the mirror misted and swirled and showed her exactly what she was getting. Some Japanese comics, bath bombs and yes – sure enough the electric scooter. She could see it clearly – bright red and shiny. And whilst she smiled she felt a bit sad too – after all, how could she seem to be surprised when she already knew? She went to bed and sort of wished that the mirror hadnât shown her anything.
The next day she was pleased to get her presents of course but even her parents noticed she didnât seem super surprised.
And then something even worse happened. Another evening came, and Kaitlyn was brushing her teeth again and she was thinking about the trip to the safari park her parents had organised for the next day – with Kitty and her parents. Suddenly there was a flash in the mirror and she saw an image of a car screeching to a halt! She could hear the brakes squeal and the people inside shouting – what on earth had she seen?!! – and what was about to happen? She was so scared she barely slept and the next day when they set off in the car.
âPlease drive carefully dad!â she urged – her dad was puzzled but said he would and why was she so worried all of a sudden?
She was so anxious that she barely said a word for the whole journey. Everyone noticed and dad said a dozen times that yes he was driving super carefully. The journey had gone fine – and yes – dad DID have to break hard at one point – when they were going around the safari trail and some monkeys had scampered in front of the car – but the shouts from everyone inside werenât scared shouts – it was comical – especially as the monkeys had scampered over the windscreen and seemed to make faces at the children. But Kaitlyn couldnât find it funny at all.
Sheâd had enough. She told Kitty about everything – how the mirror had been showing her what would happen and how it was beginning to ruin everything.
âMaybe you should talk to your mum – sheâs pretty cool. Sheâll know what to do.â Said Kitty. Kitty was not only clever but very sensible. She was also really good at street dance. She was a great friend and Kaitlyn gave her a big hug. It was a relief to tell someone what had happened. So she told her mum. Now mum raised her eyebrows a bit when Kaitlyn said the mirror had been telling her the future, but she looked thoughtful and then said this.
âSometimes itâs better not to know whatâs to come. Thereâs a famous saying – Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift – thatâs why itâs called the present!â
Mum seemed to understand more than she was saying – who knows maybe sheâd seen things in the mirror too (Mums usually know far more than they tell you, but the mystery of mums is another story altogether). Kaitlyn agreed that she was more than happy to stick with the present and leave the mysteries of tomorrow to stay – well – as mysteries!
It had FELT like a gift to see the future but now it felt more like a curse. And from that point on, the universe seemed to listen and Kaitlyn never could see into the future again – to see what the mysteries of tomorrow might bring – and do you know, that was kind of OK. So she might not ace all the tests but she also never had to pretend to be surprised about nice presents or good things happening – and she wasnât scared of things which – well, might not end up being as bad as they might seem.
So thatâs the story of Kitty, Kaitlyn and the Mysteries of Tomorrow. Would YOU like to see into the future? Sounds pretty cool doesnât it, but like Kaitlyn found out – it can be better not to know – after all, as mum said – TODAY is the REAL gift and thatâs why itâs called the present!
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