Once upon a time, nestled in a cozy den under a big oak tree, lived a little fox named Finn. Finn had soft russet fur and bright, curious eyes, but he was a very quiet little fox. He felt lots of big feelings inside – bubbly happy feelings, sometimes quiet sad feelings, excited wiggly feelings, and gentle sleepy feelings – but he often found it hard to tell anyone how he felt.
When his friends, Squeaky the squirrel and Hoppy the rabbit, bounced with joy about finding the best berries, Finn felt happy too, like sunshine warming his tummy. But when they asked him, "Aren't you happy, Finn?" all he could do was give a little twitch of his nose. He wanted to shout, "Yes! I'm sunbeam happy!" but the words got stuck somewhere between his tummy and his mouth.
Sometimes, when the sky was grey and rainy and playtime was cancelled, Finn felt a droopy kind of sad. His ears felt heavy, and his tail didn't swish. His mama would ask, "Are you alright, little one?" and Finn just wanted to show her the grey heaviness he felt, but he didn't know how. He wished there was an easier way to show the world the busy feelings happening inside him.
One sunny afternoon, while exploring near the Whispering Stream, Finn found a collection of smooth, colourful pebbles. As he turned them over in his paws, he noticed something wonderful. Some pebbles had lines and curves that looked like little faces! One had a curve pointing up, just like his mouth felt when he was happy. Another had a curve pointing down, like his mouth when he felt droopy. One even had two little dots that reminded him of his eyes just before he fell asleep!
Finn carefully gathered the 'feeling shapes', as he decided to call them, and carried them back to his den. The next morning, when the sun streamed in and he felt wonderfully awake and cheerful, he showed the 'happy shape' pebble to his mama. She smiled wide and said, "Oh, little Finn, you're feeling sunny today!" It worked! She understood!
Later, when Hoppy accidentally tripped and scraped his knee, he sat looking teary. Finn felt a little bit sad and worried for his friend. He gently showed Hoppy the 'sad shape' pebble. Hoppy looked at it, then at Finn, and gave a small sniffle, murmuring, "Yes, I feel a bit like that inside." Finn sat quietly beside him, and just sharing that simple shape made them both feel a little less alone with their feelings.
Using the feeling shapes became a quiet way for Finn to talk. When he was hungry, he'd show a shape that looked like a round tummy. When he was ready for a game, he'd show the happy, excited shape. And just by paying attention to his friends, and thinking about which feeling shape matched their faces, Finn started to understand how *they* were feeling too. He noticed Squeaky's twitchy nose when he was nervous or Hoppy's perky ears when he was curious.
The feeling shapes were like a little key that unlocked the door between Finn's inside world and the outside world. He found it easier to make friends because he could share how he felt, and he became a kinder friend because he understood others better. He didn't always need the pebbles anymore, but they had taught him that showing your feelings, even in a simple way, and noticing how others feel, helps everyone feel closer and understood.
Now, as the moonbeams peeked into the den, Finn snuggled down, holding his favourite smooth 'sleepy eyes' feeling shape. He felt a quiet, happy warmth knowing that he could share his feelings and understand his friends. All his feelings, big and small, were okay. And with that peaceful thought, little Finn the fox closed his eyes, ready for sweet dreams.