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Zorah woke up from her dream with Filbert and his magical carnival in complete amazement. Had Timmy and Hushglow truly been there with her? Or had her mind just inserted copies of them there as some kind of way to process everything that had gone on during the first day of school?
The answer had the potential to change everything, forever.
And the only way to find out was to meet with Timmy before class and share passwords...
The Epic Bedhead Saga is a serialized audio drama for Dreamers of all ages — exploring memory, belonging, and the quiet courage it takes to face the things we love, and sometimes fear, most.
CAST:
Tyler Michael Jonsson as Percival and Timmy
Tiffany Ward as Zorah
Erin Culpepper as Constance
PRODUCTION:
Written, produced, and directed by Tyler Michael Jonsson
Podcast cover art by Andrea Revilla
Additional artwork by Simona Ruscheva
Music and Sound Effects from Epidemic Sound
Creators and Guests
What is The Epic Bedhead Saga?
A family-friendly fantasy audio drama for Dreamers of all ages: four children, one shared dream, and something in the dark that feeds on forgetting.
Zorah Shepard keeps waking up with glitter and nuts tangled in her hair. Timmy has a best friend who hums in color. Constance has a checklist for everything. Garren has a fastball and a weight he won't talk about. Thrown together by a seventh-grade group project, they discover that their dreams overlap in a hidden world tended by ancient, whimsical creatures called Dreamtenders, and that something is growing in its shadows.
Funny, heartfelt, and about friendship, grief, memory, and the quiet courage it takes to keep believing.
There is a moment in growing up when the world tells you that wonder is something to be outgrown, and that the things you feel most deeply should be kept quiet. This is a story about kids who refuse to believe that.
Start with Episode One and follow along. New episodes every Wednesday.
Isn't it fascinating how one word can alter the course of a life so dramatically? Over the many thousands of years that I have served as the Shepherd of Slumber, I have overheard many words change countless lives.
Percival:Yes. No. Positive. Negative. Approved. Denied. Free. Inconclusive. Match. Clear. Sorry.
Percival:These are but a small sampling of the single words that have most often come at the head of life changing news. In yet another example of just how incredibly unique and special the children of our saga are, they have managed now to add a new word to my lexicon of life changing words.
Percival:A word that I have never before seen used in such a magnificent and unexpected way. Splendiferous. In the dictionary, it is defined as extraordinarily or showily impressive. Certainly, it is an accurate description of the Dreamtender Filbert. And now, in addition to it describing a rather silly wallaby, Zorah and Timothy stand on the verge of the word splendiferous completely upending everything they thought they knew.
Percival:They prepare now for a new day of school and a meeting that will either confirm or refute the hypothesis of their Dream Experiment. And it all hinges on one very peculiar word and two separate slips of paper.
Percival:Episode Ten: The Password
Zorah:I wrote so much I started worrying that my pen would run out of ink. I yanked open the drawer under my desk to check and yep, backup pen secured. Just in case. Wait, when did I turn into some weird cross between Timmy and Constance? How did it happen this fast?
Zorah:No. No time for questioning my life choices right now. This Dream Archive entry had to be complete before my alarm went off. This was too important to screw up. And to think just a few short hours ago, I was terrified to write a single word.
Zorah:Now I filled the pages with scribbled thoughts and frantic sketches like my life depended on it. For reasons I can't fully or even partially explain, I knew it did. Zorah Shepard, Dream Archiver. The name gave off a certain mysteriously cool sort of vibe. I wondered if The Archivers would ever get to wear a cool superhero outfit someday.
Zorah:Too much? Probably. But it was still fun to think about. Fact of the matter is, I've never really been part of something like this before. Timmy and I had discovered something truly amazing.
Zorah:My mind raced going over all the possibilities this discovery uncovered. We were onto something big, something important. A realization struck me. We needed to be careful. We couldn't just go around school handing out nuts to people and asking them to go on dream adventures with us.
Zorah:This discovery had to be handled delicately. Just between Timmy and me for now. I wondered how we would break the news to Garren and Constance. Could we? Should we?
Zorah:Timmy had a hard enough time convincing me to go through with our experiment and I was already desperate for dream answers. How would we possibly approach this with Garren and Constance? The answer lay somewhere in the middle of our group project. Maybe if we gently pushed the entire group to start Archiving their dreams, they'd be open to try a whole group experiment? I was getting ahead of myself.
Zorah:Technically, I wasn't a hundred percent sure that Timmy and I had even been in a true shared dream. Maybe my brain put Timmy and Hushglow in my dream last night. But Timmy was in his bed across town dreaming about water skiing antelopes eating talking apples. Only one way to find out, the password. If we both showed up to school this morning with the same word written down, that would confirm it once and for all.
Zorah:I took a blank sheet of paper and ripped it in half, top to bottom, then turned one of the long half sheets sideways. In big letters, I wrote, Splendiferous. Yes. I Googled how to spell it. Don't judge me.
Zorah:I folded it neatly and slid it into my pocket where it would stay until it was time to compare. I smiled just thinking about Filbert. How could I ever forget about that silly little wallaby? Didn't seem possible. When we were together, nothing bad could ever happen.
Zorah:Only bright, fun, wondrous things. And that amazing carnival. I wish I could stay there forever. Was it true? One morning I decided to just let it all go and that was that.
Zorah:I finished writing my first true Dream Archive entry. Almost. It was missing one small detail.
Zorah:Zorah, remember. Remember Filbert. Remember the magic. Don't let it go again.
Zorah:With that, I gently closed the Archive and set it back inside my desk drawer. After a quick breakfast and an especially annoying argument about squirrels with my little brother Keelo, I ran out to the bus stop. My stomach twisted into knots as I walked into the school.
Zorah:No big deal, Zorah. It's not like you're about to find out whether you discovered a link between real life and the dream world. I reached my locker and spun in the code. 31 to the right, 10 to the left, 7 to the right. The locker popped open and my giant math textbook came toppling out and smashed directly into my nose.
Zorah:I knew that was gonna happen. Also, ouch! I started to bend over to grab the rogue book when suddenly, my forehead smacked directly into another forehead. My eyes crossed as the world became blurry.
Timmy:Zorah, I am so sorry.
Zorah:My eyes remembered how to work. It was Timmy. He held out my textbook with a concerned look.
Timmy:I didn't mean to bonk heads with you, honest.
Zorah:He said, gently rubbing his forehead in the same spot where mine hurt. I smiled as I grabbed the book and carefully set it back into my locker. It's okay. I knew that stupid thing was gonna fall out when I packed it in there yesterday. It's my own fault, I admitted.
Zorah:Timmy returned my smile with one of his own. We both stood in awkward silence for what felt like an hour. Nerves got the better of both of us, so I broke the ice. Have any fun dreams last night? I asked, making a poor attempt at a joke.
Timmy:Oh, yes. I certainly did. What about you?
Zorah:Well, it was certainly interesting. That's for sure. You were there and your friend Hushglow. I tiptoed around the topic as best I could.
Timmy:And you were in my dream too, Zorah. You and your friend Filbert.
Zorah:Okay. This was getting real, really real. I hadn't told Timmy about Filbert before. In fact, I didn't even remember Filbert until this morning. With my pulse racing, I looked at Timmy as he fidgeted with his fingers.
Zorah:Did you write down the password? Timmy reached into his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. I did the same. We each held them out in front of us like they were magical relics from an ancient long lost civilization.
Zorah:So now what? I asked, my voice wavering.
Timmy:I guess we exchange papers and see what the other person wrote.
Zorah:Slowly, Timmy and I exchanged papers. We each pulled back staring at the slips like they contained the answers to the world's most important question. Timmy gave me a quick look in the eye. I gulped loudly then gave the slightest nod. I slowly unfolded Timmy's paper.
Zorah:Splendiferous.
Zorah:I blinked. I blinked again. I blinked a few more times. Nothing changed.
Zorah:Splendiferous.
Zorah:It really happened. Our dream experiment worked. Timmy looked back at me with a giant smile on his face. I knew that he knew it would work, but now that it was official, he was allowing himself to be happy.
Timmy:He really is a Splendiferous Wallaby,
Zorah:Timmy said. I laughed and then stepped in closer. Dude, this is incredible, I whispered. I can barely believe it. It actually worked.
Timmy:Of course it did. Hushglow never lies.
Zorah:I had one more question to ask. Hushglow is a giant floating glowing jellyfish, right? I'm not going totally crazy?
Timmy:No, you aren't going crazy. But he isn't a jellyfish, he just looks like one.
Zorah:Ah, yes. It's Hushglow, the not-jellyfish. Right, I said. My brain lit up with a million thoughts at once. Timmy, do you know what this means? What we've discovered here could change everything.
Timmy:Well, yes, it could.
Zorah:Timmy said, shuffling his feet against the linoleum.
Timmy:But I don't think that it will, at least not yet.
Zorah:What do you mean? Why not?
Timmy:Zorah, you agreed to do my dream experiment because you wanted to find answers to why your dreams were acting funny. There was a big part of you that already wanted to believe, and I've believed that my dreams are real my whole life. But remember what I told you at the carnival? Most other kids our age, they don't believe that. Not anymore.
Zorah:A hint of sadness crept onto his face.
Timmy:It wouldn't matter how many people we told about our shared dream. The other kids, the grown ups, they'd just laugh, say we were stupid, make us feel like we don't belong.
Zorah:He stared off into the distance. My heart ached at the memories I knew he was reliving.
Timmy:Zorah, they're not going to believe us even though we're telling the truth.
Zorah:I hated to agree, but he was right. This was exactly the kind of thing that if your teacher overheard you talking about it, you'd be sent to the counselor's office because they were "worried about you." Nobody was going to believe us. And that just simply wasn't good enough. I let out a deep sigh.
Zorah:You know what? You're right. They won't believe us. I probably wouldn't believe me either if I hadn't done the experiment myself. I stepped closer.
Zorah:So you know what we have to do? We prove it. One kid at a time if that's what it takes. Timmy's face lit up with a giant smile.
Timmy:One kid at a time.
Zorah:Because that's what The Archivers do!
Constance:The what now?
Zorah:I jumped. Constance had managed to sneak up on us without either of us noticing, clipboard in hand, eyebrows raised so high they were practically floating off her face.
Zorah:Oh, hi, Constance.
Zorah:Timmy and I were just going over our Group Member Responsibilities, making sure we were ready to go before class. Timmy raised his hand slightly like he was about to say something. He did not. Constance narrowed her eyes.
Constance:Well, if you had actually read the Group Member Responsibility Checklist, you'd know that the very first and most important item is Be On Time.
Zorah:She flipped her clipboard to the page in question and pointed her razor sharp number two pencil directly at the item in question.
Constance:Mrs. McDermott sent me to get you. Language Arts started two minutes ago. You guys already missed Advisory.
Zorah:I turned and glanced at the window into Mrs. McD's classroom. Everyone was staring at us. How did we not hear the bell or see the kids going to class?
Zorah:Mrs. McD gave us a tiny little jazz hand wave. I wanted to climb into my backpack and seal myself inside for the rest of the day.
Zorah:I gave it serious thought but managed to talk myself out of it. Constance made a prissy noise, turned, and strolled back into the classroom.
Constance:Hmmmmmphhhh. They're on their way, Mrs. McDermott.
Zorah:She announced way too loudly, glaring back at us with her stupid little smirk.
Zorah:Once again, I felt like Rex getting caught in the cookie jar. Unlike Rex, I didn't have a doghouse to hide in until the embarrassment passed. Timmy, on the other hand, appeared completely unbothered by the social apocalypse we were walking into. I wish I could shrug off people's opinions the same way Timmy does. To him, this probably felt like just another day at school.
Zorah:To me, it felt like he had some kind of superpower.
Percival:We prove it one kid at a time because that's what The Archivers do. My heart beamed with pride as I listened to Zorah and Timothy resolve to bring their miraculous discovery to the masses. They had done it. They had truly proven that it is possible for people to enter into shared dreams. The possibilities of this discovery were truly endless.
Percival:What would they discover next? What sort of marvelous adventures might they have in store? How would this revelation direct their futures? But I ought not put the cart before the horse as it were. First, they had two very important questions to answer.
Percival:One, how would they tell Garren and Constance? And secondly, just how long had the entire class been staring at them in the hallway?
Announcer:Thank you for listening. If you'd like to support the show and help bring the story to life, please consider joining us on Patreon at patreon.com/epicbedheadsaga. Patrons receive episodes one week early and exclusive behind the scenes content.
Announcer:You can also find us at epicbedheadsaga.com and on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. And if you're enjoying the show, please follow us on your podcast app of choice. It helps more than you know. The Epic Bedhead Saga is written, produced, and directed by Tyler Michael Jonsson. Episode 10 features Tyler Michael Jonsson as Percival and Timmy, Tiffany Ward as Zorah, and Erin Culpepper as Constance.
Announcer:This episode was made possible with the support of our Dreamtender tier patrons, Nancy and Grant Jonsson. We'll see you next time. Until then, keep dreaming.