Ellie the eel was a very wiggly, very slippery little eel. She lived in a beautiful kelp forest and every night, she swam to the Coral Castle for bedtime stories with Old Man Turtle. Tonight was no different, except… Ellie was trying *really* hard to be a big eel and swim all by herself. She didn’t want to ask her mama to swim with her, even just a little bit.
“I can do it, I can do it!” she wiggled, zooming past swaying kelp and colorful starfish. But the kelp forest was bigger than she remembered, and soon, Ellie realized she didn’t recognize anything. She’d taken a wrong turn! A little bubble of worry popped inside her.
Ellie swam around and around, getting more and more lost. She bumped into Barnaby the crab, who was scuttling sideways. “Excuse me, Barnaby,” Ellie said, her voice a tiny wobble. “Have you seen the Coral Castle?”
Barnaby blinked his little crab eyes. “The Coral Castle? Oh dear, you’ve gone the wrong way! It’s past the shimmering shells and the bubbly rocks. You’re quite far off course.”
Ellie’s fins drooped. She felt a little tear bubble up. “I… I tried to do it myself,” she whispered. Barnaby gently tapped her nose with a claw. “It’s okay to ask for help, little one! Even big eels need a friend sometimes.”
Just then, Finley the fish zipped by. “Need a ride?” he called cheerfully. “I’m heading towards the Coral Castle!” Ellie happily accepted, and Finley zoomed her through the water, pointing out the shimmering shells and bubbly rocks.
Soon, they arrived at the Coral Castle. Old Man Turtle was waiting with a stack of storybooks. Ellie thanked Finley and Barnaby, feeling much braver now. She even gave her mama a big hug.
“I learned something tonight,” Ellie told her mama. “It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s nice to have friends.” Old Man Turtle smiled. “Indeed it is, little Ellie. Now, let’s hear a story about a brave little eel who learned a very important lesson.” And as Old Man Turtle began to read, Ellie snuggled close, happy and sleepy, knowing that even a wiggly, slippery eel could be brave and ask for help when she needed it.