Carl the crocodile was *very* excited. It was his first ever sleepover! He was going to stay at Penelope the penguin’s igloo, and all his friends were going too – Horace the hippo, Beatrice the bunny, and Finley the fox. But Carl had a secret. He was terrible at relaxing. He thought sleepovers were for staying UP and being silly!
As soon as they arrived, Penelope suggested a quiet game of ‘Spot the Snowflake’. Carl immediately started doing cartwheels. “Too slow!” he boomed, bumping into Horace. “We need something *fast*! Like… a tickle fight!” He launched into a tickle attack, but Horace just giggled and waddled away. Beatrice hopped behind a cushion, and Finley politely asked, “Carl, maybe we could try Penelope’s game?”
Carl tried. He really did. He stared at the snowflakes painted on Penelope’s ceiling, but his tail kept swishing and his jaws kept snapping. He tried telling jokes, but they were all about… well, crocodiles eating things (which didn’t seem very funny to a bunny). He even tried building a tower of ice blocks, but he kept accidentally knocking it over with his big, clumsy feet.
“You’re being a little… energetic, Carl,” said Penelope gently. “Sleepovers are fun, but they’re also about being cozy and calm.” Carl slumped. He didn’t *mean* to be disruptive. He just didn’t know *how* to be calm. He felt a little tear roll down his scaly cheek.
Finley noticed. “Hey, Carl,” he said, “Why don’t you tell us about your favorite thing to do? Maybe we can all try it!” Carl sniffled. “I… I like collecting shiny pebbles. But that’s not very exciting.” Beatrice hopped out from behind the cushion. “Shiny pebbles sound lovely! What makes them special?”
Carl’s face brightened. He started describing his pebble collection – the smooth, grey ones, the sparkly, rainbow ones, the ones that looked like tiny eggs. Horace chimed in with stories of collecting smooth river stones, and Penelope showed them her collection of sea glass. Soon, everyone was sharing their favorite treasures, and a peaceful calm settled over the igloo.
As they talked, Carl felt his eyelids getting heavy. He yawned, a big, crocodile yawn. He realized that being cozy and sharing stories with friends was actually *really* fun. He didn’t need to do cartwheels or tell silly jokes to have a good time.
Penelope dimmed the lights, and everyone snuggled into their sleeping bags. Carl, feeling warm and sleepy, closed his eyes. He dreamt of shiny pebbles and friendly faces. He learned that night that being silly was great, but sometimes, the best adventures are the quiet ones, shared with friends who accept you just the way you are. And even a silly crocodile can enjoy a peaceful sleepover.