Marina was a little mermaid with a sparkly tail and a very busy mind. Every night, when her mama mermaid said it was time for sleep, Marina would wiggle and giggle and wish she could just *stay* awake! She loved watching the glowing jellyfish dance and listening to the sleepy songs of the whales.
One day, Old Man Finn, the wisest sea turtle in the ocean, saw Marina looking worried. “What troubles you, little one?” he asked kindly. Marina explained she couldn’t seem to quiet her mind for bedtime. Old Man Finn smiled. “I have a secret,” he whispered. “A sleepy shell! It doesn’t *make* you sleep, but it helps you find the calm inside yourself.”
He gave Marina a beautiful, pearly shell. “When you’re ready for sleep, hold this shell close. Imagine all your busy thoughts are tiny bubbles floating *into* the shell. Watch them drift away, one by one.”
That night, Marina held the shell tight. She closed her eyes and imagined her thoughts – thinking about playing with the dolphins, building sandcastle towers, and collecting shiny pebbles – as little silver bubbles. Slowly, she pictured each bubble floating into the shell, disappearing from her mind.
It worked! Marina felt her body become heavy and relaxed. She wasn’t trying to stay awake anymore. She was just…calm. She drifted off to sleep, dreaming of underwater adventures.
The next day, Marina told all her mermaid friends about the sleepy shell. She showed them how to hold it and imagine their busy thoughts as bubbles. Soon, all the little mermaids were sleeping soundly, their tails resting peacefully on the coral reefs.
Marina learned that the shell wasn’t magic, but the quiet time and imagining helped her find a peaceful place inside herself. And that, she realized, was the best kind of magic of all. Now, every night, Marina holds her sleepy shell, sends her bubbles away, and dreams sweet dreams under the sea.
Close your eyes now, little one. Imagine *your* busy thoughts are bubbles, floating away, away, away… just like Marina. Sweet dreams!