Finley the dolphin was a very playful dolphin. He loved to zoom and swirl and leap out of the waves! But sometimes, Finley had trouble sleeping. When the sun went down, and the ocean grew dark, Finley would wiggle and wobble and wish he could just close his eyes.
One evening, Finley saw Old Man Tiber, the sea turtle, looking very sad. “What’s wrong, Tiber?” Finley asked, gently nudging him with his nose. Tiber sighed. “I’ve lost my favorite seashell! It helps me remember all the beautiful things about the ocean, and now I can’t sleep without it.”
Finley knew just how Tiber felt about not being able to sleep! “Don’t worry, Tiber!” Finley chirped. “I’ll help you find it!” And with a flick of his tail, Finley began to search. He asked Shelly the starfish, and Crabby the crab, but no one had seen Tiber’s shell.
Finley swam deeper and deeper, using his echolocation – a special dolphin skill – to ‘see’ with sound. *Ping! Ping!* He bounced the sound off the coral and the rocks. *Ping!* There it was! A glimmering, pearly shell tucked under a big, green seaweed plant.
Finley quickly brought the shell back to Tiber. Tiber’s face lit up! “Oh, Finley, you are a wonderful friend!” he exclaimed, holding the shell close. “Thank you so much!” Tiber closed his eyes, holding the shell, and soon he was fast asleep.
Watching Tiber sleep peacefully made Finley feel warm and fuzzy inside. He realized that helping others felt even better than zooming and swirling! He took a deep breath, remembering the gentle rocking of the waves and the soft glow of the moon.
Finley closed his eyes. He imagined himself swimming through a peaceful, starry ocean. He wiggled his tail slowly, and breathed in and out, nice and slow. He felt calm and sleepy. Helping Tiber had helped *him* too!
Soon, Finley was drifting off to sleep, dreaming of sparkling waves and happy sea turtles. He learned that when you are kind and help others, a peaceful sleep comes easily. And that’s a very good thing indeed. Now close *your* eyes, little one, and dream sweet dreams, just like Finley the dolphin.