Transcript for Parent Storytellers
In the deep blue ocean, where the water sparkled like jewels and colorful coral swayed gently in the current, lived a little fish named Benny. Benny had bright orange and white stripes, just like a clownfish, and he was always curious about the world around him.
One sunny morning, when the sunlight filtered down through the water in beautiful golden beams, Benny woke up feeling particularly adventurous.
“Today feels like a perfect day for exploring!” Benny said to himself, stretching his fins and swimming in a happy circle.
Benny had a special fishing net that his grandfather had given him – it was just the right size for a little fish like him to carry. The net was woven from the finest seaweed and had tiny shells decorating the edges.
“I think I’ll go fishing today,” Benny decided. “Maybe I can catch something interesting to show Mama!”
Benny swam through the coral reef, past the sea anemones that waved hello with their colorful tentacles, and out toward the deeper parts of the ocean where bigger fish liked to swim.
As he swam along, trailing his little fishing net behind him, Benny hummed a happy tune. The water was warm and clear, and schools of tiny silver fish darted around him like underwater confetti.
Suddenly, Benny felt a tug on his net. Something had swum right into it!
“Oh my!” Benny exclaimed, carefully pulling his net closer to see what he had caught.
To his surprise, there was a small, shimmering fish with beautiful purple and blue scales. The little fish looked confused but not scared.
“Hello there,” said the little fish politely. “I’m sorry I swam into your net. I was chasing a piece of floating seaweed and wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“That’s okay!” Benny replied kindly. “I’m Benny. What’s your name?”
“I’m Niko,” said the little fish. “I was just exploring the reef looking for my favorite type of kelp for lunch.”
Benny looked at Niko and then at his net. He had wanted to catch a fish, but now that he had actually met one, it felt strange to think about keeping Niko as his catch.
“You know what, Niko?” Benny said, opening his net wide. “I think you should be free to swim wherever you want to go.”
“Thank you, Benny!” Niko said gratefully. “You’re very kind. Would you like to explore together? I know some really interesting places around here.”
“I’d love that!” Benny replied, and the two new friends swam off together.
They hadn’t gone very far when they heard a friendly voice calling from above.
“Hello down there, little fish!”
Benny and Niko looked up to see Charlie, the same friendly frog who had recently taught her baby frogs how to count at their pond tea party. Charlie was visiting the ocean for the day, wearing tiny flippers on her webbed feet.
“Hi Charlie!” Benny called up to her. “What brings you to the ocean?”
“I heard there was going to be an underwater tea party today,” Charlie explained, swimming down to meet them. “Some of my pond friends told me about it, and I thought it sounded like fun!”
“An underwater tea party?” Niko asked excitedly. “That sounds amazing! Where is it?”
“Follow me!” Charlie said with a big smile. “It’s near the big oak kelp forest, where the whale family likes to gather.”
The three friends swam together toward the kelp forest. The tall, brown kelp swayed back and forth like underwater oak trees, creating a peaceful, shaded area in the ocean.
As they approached, they could see a magnificent sight. A family of whales had arranged themselves in a circle, and on their backs were tiny tables made from large, flat shells. Smaller sea creatures were sitting around the tables, sipping tea from acorn caps and tiny conch shells.
“Welcome to our underwater tea party!” called out the largest whale, whose name was Walter. “We have plenty of room for more friends!”
Benny, Niko, and Charlie swam up to join the party. Walter had a particularly large, flat spot on his back where they could all sit together.
“This is incredible!” Benny said, looking around at all the sea creatures enjoying their tea. There were seahorses, colorful fish, a few crabs, and even an octopus who was using all eight arms to serve tea to different guests.
“What kind of tea do you have?” asked Niko curiously.
“We have kelp tea, sea grass tea, and even some special bubble tea that tickles your nose!” explained a friendly sea turtle who was floating nearby.
The three friends each chose a different tea to try. Benny picked the kelp tea, which tasted fresh and salty like the ocean breeze. Niko chose the sea grass tea, which was sweet and smooth. Charlie decided to try the bubble tea, which made her giggle every time she took a sip.
“This is the most wonderful tea party I’ve ever been to,” Charlie said, thinking about the tea party she had just had with her baby frogs by the pond.
As they sipped their tea, the whales began to sing a beautiful, deep song that echoed through the water. Other sea creatures joined in, creating the most amazing underwater concert.
Just then, they noticed something floating down from above. It was a collection of green, oval-shaped objects.
“Are those avocados?” Benny asked, watching them sink slowly through the water.
“They must have fallen from a tree near the shore,” Walter the whale explained. “Sometimes fruit falls into the ocean. The avocados won’t hurt anything – they’ll eventually become food for the sea creatures who live near the bottom.”
“Can we help collect them?” Niko asked. “We could make sure they get to the right places.”
“What a thoughtful idea!” said the octopus, whose name was Isla. “I can use my eight arms to gather them up quickly.”
Soon, all the tea party guests were working together to collect the floating avocados. Benny used his fishing net to scoop up several at once, while Niko and Charlie helped guide them toward Isla’s waiting arms.
“Teamwork makes everything easier,” observed Walter as they finished collecting all the avocados.
As the afternoon went on, the underwater tea party became even more fun. The sea creatures shared stories, played gentle games like “follow the current,” and enjoyed delicious snacks made from sea vegetables and tiny shrimp.
Benny realized that this day had turned out much better than he had originally planned. He had set out to catch a fish for dinner, but instead he had made new friends and experienced something truly special.
“You know,” Benny said to Niko and Charlie as they floated together, watching the whale family’s synchronized swimming, “I’m glad I let you go, Niko. If I had kept you in my net, we never would have had this amazing adventure together.”
“And I’m glad I got lost chasing that seaweed,” Niko replied. “Otherwise I never would have met such a kind friend.”
“This reminds me of my own tea party with my baby frogs,” Charlie added. “The best parties are the ones where everyone feels welcome and happy.”
As the sun began to set above the ocean, casting beautiful orange and pink colors through the water, the tea party guests started to say their goodbyes.
“Thank you for including us in your tea party,” Benny said to Walter and the other whales.
“You’re always welcome here, young friends,” Walter replied warmly. “The ocean is big enough for everyone to share wonderful adventures.”
Benny, Niko, and Charlie swam together back toward the coral reef where Benny lived. Along the way, they planned their next adventure and promised to stay friends forever.
When Benny finally reached his home, his mama was waiting for him, just like always.
“Hello, Benny!” she said, giving him a warm hug. “Did you catch anything interesting with your fishing net today?”
Benny thought for a moment, then smiled the biggest smile. “I caught something even better than a fish, Mama. I caught new friendships and an amazing adventure!”
He told his mama all about meeting Niko, swimming with Charlie, joining the whale tea party, and helping collect the floating avocados.
“That sounds like the most wonderful kind of catch,” his mama said proudly. “You learned that sometimes the best treasures aren’t things you can hold in a net – they’re the experiences you share with friends.”
As Benny settled down to sleep in his cozy coral home, he thought about all the amazing things that had happened that day.
“Today I learned that being kind to others leads to the best adventures,” he said sleepily. “I learned that working together makes hard jobs easier, like when we collected all those avocados. And I learned that the most special parties are the ones where everyone feels welcome and included.”
Benny closed his eyes and dreamed of swimming with whales, sipping tea under the kelp forest, and all the new adventures he would have with his friends Niko and Charlie.
And as the gentle ocean currents rocked him to sleep, Benny knew that tomorrow would bring even more opportunities for kindness, friendship, and underwater fun.