Welcome to Story Quest, a weekly podcast where we bring your stories to life!
In this episode we bring Alexis’s story, Chu Chu’s Big Adventure – to life.
If you have a story idea, you could be like Alexis 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 Alexis did. You can watch the story they suggested come to life below, plus they tell us all about the inspiration behind the story at the end.
Listen out for brand new Story Quest episodes every Thursday!
Thank you to EMILIA who created the character MARIANNE AZRA! Using the Story quest character creator! Thank you EMILIA for creating such an excellent character! You can create YOUR own Storyquest characters on the Funkids website! Just go to funkidslive.com/storyquest – and use our special Storyquest Character Creator – and your character could appear in someone’s story!
Why not read along to Chu Chu’s Big Adventure here?
Chu Chu’s New Adventure
Once upon a time, in a small, cozy town, there lived a cheerful and adventurous child named Chu-Chu. Chu-Chu loved nothing more than playing with friends, listening to the trains whistling by, and dreaming of distant lands. In fact it was because he loved trains so much that he’d got his nickname – Chu Chu – you know like the sound of a steam train? In fact he’d had the nickname so long I don’t think anyone could remember his real name!
So anyway one sunny day, Chu-Chu’s parents announced they were moving to another country. Chu-Chu’s heart fluttered with both excitement and a little bit of worry. They had heard stories of the new land, where the skies were bigger, the trees were different, and even the trains sang different tunes. He was really excited about seeing all of it, but well… especially the trains. He LOVED trains.
But as they arrived in their new home, everything seemed so unfamiliar. The streets, the language, and even the food were unlike anything Chu-Chu had known. At first, Chu-Chu missed their old town and felt like a stranger in this new, strange place.
He started at a new school where he was sat next to a girl called Mariane. She had a croped Pink cardigan,white frilly dress with pink socks,white shoes and seemed like the most popular kid in the school. Part of the reason was that she was amazing at art and gymnastics and had won a whole shelf ful of trophies and medals. Chu Chu hadn’t won ANYTHING EVER so it was all a bit intimidating. And I’ll be honest he really didn’t manage to chat to anyone, everyone seemed so confident and loud and outgoing and Chu Chu was … well completely different. Or at least he thought he was.
Outside of school things weren’t so bad. Together, Chu chu and his family explored their new surroundings, learning about the different trees and enjoying the new flavors of food. They knew that Chu chu was finding the move a bit tricky but they reminded him “With family and good friends, you can overcome any difficulty.”
Which was all well and good but as Chu chu thought, “I don’t HAVE any friends”
There’s a famous story called the Railway children and in it some children move to the country because their dad has gone away and they cheer themselves up by waving at the passengers on the trains that pass on the railway. Chu Chu as you know LOVED railways and trains and he LOVED the story of the Railway Children so he thought maybe he could cheer HIMSELF up by watching the trains too – so he took himself down to the tracks and – at a safe distance relaxed on a grassy hill to watch them go by. The whoosh and the whirr was soothing and soon he fell asleep, lulled by the hot sun and the clickety clack of the track.
He found himself drifting into a dream more vivid than any before. In this enchanting world, he transformed into ‘Loco Hero’, a train superhero endowed with incredible powers. Clad in a suit that gleamed like polished steel and a cape fluttering like a conductor’s flag, he raced alongside the tracks with the speed of a bullet train. His eyes sparkled with the determination of a seasoned engineer as he embarked on daring adventures, his heart pounding with the rhythm of a chugging locomotive.
Through towering mountains and sweeping valleys, Loco Hero patrolled the railways, his senses attuned to the slightest irregularity. He could hear the distant cry of a train in peril, feel the tremor of misaligned tracks beneath his feet. With a burst of speed, he’d rush to the rescue, his cape billowing behind him like a billowing cloud of steam. He repaired broken rails with a mere touch, his hands moving with the precision of a master craftsman. He redirected trains away from danger with the grace of a dance, guiding them to safety with a conductor’s expertise.
In his dream, no train was too fast, no repair too complex for the mighty Loco Hero. He saved runaway trains from the brink of disaster, using his extraordinary strength to slow them down just in time, and rescued stranded passengers with a comforting smile. High above the tracks, he soared like an express train, ensuring every journey ended as safely and punctually as if he were at the controls himself.
Annnnnd then he woke up with a snort. That’s really embarrassing when that happens isn’t it? Especially if a little bit of drool has come out of your mouth too. And it’s especially embarrassing when you find that you’re not alone and someone is looking at you and giggling.
“Marianne!” he spluttered – “what are you doing here?”
“My dad’s the station master” she shrugged. “Mum told me to bring him his lunch.”
Well now Chu Chu was completely awake.
“WOW – so like your DAD is in charge of like the whole STATION?”
Mariane nodded and shrugged as if that wasn’t a big deal.
“Our whole family LOVES trains” she said and Chu chu broke into a huge smile.
“No way – I love trains too, I mean, that’s kind of how I got my nickname.”
She laughed at this “Well I did wonder!”
So that’s how Chu Chu found out that perhaps he wasn’t completely different to everyone else, and in fact Mariane became one of his very best friends. I mean he couldn’t do gymnastics or do art very well – but he knew about trains, and so did she – in fact she even taught HIM a thing or two!
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