The Moon and the Maker's Mark

Kathryn Nicolai (0:01)

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Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Everyone, in which nothing much happens. You feel good, and then you fall asleep. I'm Kathryn Nicolai. I write and read all the stories you hear on Nothing Much Happens. Audio engineering is by Bob Wittersheim. We give to a different charity each week, and this week we are giving to Looking Out Foundation, amplifying the impact of music by awarding grants, engaging community, and creating powerful partnerships. Learn more about them in our show notes. You may have already noticed that tonight's is a particularly long episode, and I just want to say that in the time of AI scraping my content to build look-alike shows with computer voices on pretty much a weekly basis, we at Nothing Much Happens have a team of hard-working, creative humans doing all the things this show and work requires. In fact, I intended to write a story just of the regular length, with setting out to do a little less this month to take some extra rest myself. But when I started writing this story, it just kept going. And I care so much about bringing you original, soothing and charming content that I wrote twice as much as I normally would. Now, would AI do that for you? Harumph. So, if supporting humans, making the things you care about is important to you, you can do that by sharing this show with others, leaving a five-star review, and of course by subscribing to our premium membership for pennies a day. It's all at nothingmuchhappens.com.

Now, as I step down from my soapbox and put on my Mr. Rogers cardigan, let me remind you that all you need to do now for good sleep is listen. I'll tell her story twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through. If you wake again in the night, don't hesitate to just push play, and you'll drop right back off. Our story tonight is called The Moon and the Maker's Mark, and it's a story about a friendship born on an autumn day, and plans made in the dark of night. It's also about quart jars and canned pumpkin, burnished copper and baking cookies, and a soft spell made by loving hands. When I started Nothing Much Happens, I was thinking about stories, not e-commerce. But as the business crew, we needed a storefront, and Shopify made that part much easier. It's simple to set up. The design tools help you build a beautiful store without being a web designer. And Shopify makes checkout easy for customers. I really like that Shopify lets me stay focused on my creative work, while giving us the tools we need to actually run the business. If you're ready to hear the cha-ching of your first sale today, head over to shopify.com/nothingmuch to start your free trial today. That's right, start your free trial at shopify.com/nothingmuch. That's shopify.com/nothingmuch.

So snuggle down, my little trick or treaters. I will take the next watch. You have done enough for the day. Let your whole body relax, and your attention just rest on the sound of my voice. Take a deep breath in through your nose.

Let it out your mouth.

Nice, one more, breathe in.

And out, good. The Moon and the Maker's Mark. I knocked on the back door of the bakery, and looked up and down the alley, to see if anyone was out this late. But it was as quiet as the grave. At the corner, a streetlamp guttered for a moment. And in a dimly lit window, high up, three buildings over, a shadow moved behind a curtain. Otherwise, not a soul stirred. Well, not that I could tell anyway. Souls aren't my specialty, you see. Each of us in the circle of witches here in the village had a bit of extra talent in some particular branch of magic. And mine wasn't in peering through the veil. Mine was something more tangible and, dare I say, delightful. That was why I was standing in the alley behind the bakery late at night with a basket of handmade cookie cutters. Just as I raised my hand to knock again, I heard the lock turn, and the door opened. The baker stepped back to let me in and locked the door behind us again. What's this about? she whispered, though we were alone now in the bakery.