Hello Storytime crew and welcome back.
As always I am so glad that you're here.
Today's story is about big energy,
Fast choices,
And learning that the voice inside our head is not always telling us the truth.
Because sometimes when we make a mistake,
Our thoughts can get very,
Very loud.
And that voice can often say things like,
I always mess up.
Everyone's mad at me.
I should have known better.
But here's the thing,
Storytime crew.
A mistake is something you make.
It's not who you are.
And today we're diving deep into the sparkling waters of Bubble Gum Bay which is just around the corner from Rainbow Reef.
It's where the coral curls like rainbow castles,
And the seaweed sways like it's dancing to music only it can hear.
Tiny crabs wear tiny hats for absolutely no reason at all.
A very dramatic seahorse once fainted because someone served soup in a mug instead of a bowl.
And somewhere nearby,
An elderly clam named Susan is trying very hard to have a peaceful afternoon nap.
Which,
Once you know all about Bubblegum Bay,
Honestly feels highly unlikely.
Because our favorite little fish,
Sunny and Van,
Are nearby.
Sunny is a Siamese fighting fish with shimmering blue and violet fins that float behind him.
And Van,
Well Van is a viper fish with big eyes and a long wiggly body and teeth that make him look like he's being personally hired to guard a haunted shipwreck.
But don't worry,
Ben isn't scary.
Not really.
Sully and Van are best friends.
Two bubbles in a bath,
Two peas in a pod.
Two tiny underwater whirlwinds who love fun,
Races,
Dares,
Jokes,
Snacks and any idea that begins with the words hmm do you reckon we should Which,
As you may know,
Are often the very exact words that come right before Trouble puts on a fancy little hat and does a little dance.
So let's take a big deep breath in and out.
And let it out.
Let your shoulders soften.
And let your jaw relax.
And let's swim down,
Down,
Down,
Down into Bubblegum Bay.
Where the water sparkles,
The seaweed wiggles and two very energetic little fish are about to discover that Echo Cave repeats everything it hears,
Even the things we say to ourselves.
One bright morning,
Sunny and Van were racing near the edge of Bubble Gum Bay.
Bubblegum Bay wasn't an ordinary corner of the ocean.
The coral curled like rainbow castles.
The seaweed swayed like it was dancing to a song only it could hear.
Crabs wore tiny hats on Tuesdays,
And one elderly clam named Susan complained loudly if anyone disturbed her afternoon nap.
In the middle of Bubblegum Bay live two best friends who were known by almost everyone.
Sunny the Siamese Fighting Fish and Ben the Viper Fish.
Sunny was small and sparkly and very dramatic.
His fins shimmered blue and violet,
Floating behind him like a silky underwater cape.
Wherever Sonny went,
He seemed to arrive as though a crowd should be cheering him on.
Van was long,
Wiggly and wild eyed with a mouth full of teeth that made him look much scarier than he actually was.
Then Space said,
I might eat your lunch.
But his heart said,
Would you like to play a game and maybe share your snacks with me?
Sunny and Van were best friends.
You could say they were like brothers.
Two tiny whirlpools of energy.
They loved racing through coral tunnels.
They loved inventing games.
They loved dares and jokes and silly songs and strange noises and any idea that arrived suddenly and made their fins tingle with excitement.
Trouble was Sonny and Van often acted before they gave much thought to their next adventure.
Their bodies move quickly.
Their mouths moved quickly.
And their ideas moved even quicker.
Sometimes they interrupted.
Sometimes they bumped into things.
Sometimes they splashed through quiet spaces without meaning to.
Once,
They used Odin the Octopus's meeting notes as a treasure map and followed them all the way to Susan the Grumpy Clam.
Susan wasn't treasure.
And guys,
Susan was furious.
Sunny and Van weren't bad fish they never ever ever set out to upset anyone they were funny and bright and full of life but because they often got themselves into all kinds of sticky situations they had to carry some heavy thoughts and feelings around with them Sunny sometimes thought,
I always ruin everything.
And Van sometimes thought,
Everyone only notices my mistakes.
Now guys,
I never said these thoughts out loud.
I simply tucked them away and kept swimming.
One clear morning,
Sunny and Van were racing near the edge of Bubblegum Bay.
Last one to the purple sponge is a soggy sardine!
" shouted Sunny.
Van shot after him.
Looks like you're the soggy sardine,
Sonny.
They zipped between coral towers,
Twisted through seaweed,
And sped past a group of tiny fish doing peaceful breathing exercises.
A crab's Tuesday hat spun off his head as they rushed by.
Sorry!
They called both at the same time.
They kept racing until they reached a dark opening in the side of a rocky cliff.
A large sign stood in front of them.
It said,
Do not enter.
Echo Cave is closed.
Sound testing in progress.
Sunny stopped and Van bumped into him from behind.
The cave entrance was tall and shadowy.
Tiny crystals glittered along the walls inside.
From somewhere deep within the cave came the soft sound of dripping water.
Sunny stared at the sign.
Van stared at the cave.
Echo Cave,
Whispered Sunny.
Closed,
Whispered Van.
From inside the cave,
Their voices floated back.
Closed,
Closed,
Closed.
Finn's eyes widened.
Whoa!
Did the cave talk back to us?
He said.
Sunny's fins twitched with excitement.
It even has manners,
He exclaimed.
They hovered beside the sign.
For a moment,
Neither of them moved.
Then Sunny tilted his head to the left.
Do you think that maybe we could just have one kind of teeny tiny little peek?
And looked at the sun again.
Hmm.
Yeah,
Maybe just a very respectful teeny tiny little peak will be okay.
Super duper careful teeny tiny kind of peaks at sunny.
A pig that definitely won't cause any problems.
We'll be in and out in a heartbeat,
Said Van,
With an element of total certainty.
They both nodded solemnly,
As if this made the decision an extremely wise one.
Then they slipped beneath the sign and swam inside the cave.
The cave was cool and blue and quiet.
The wall shimmered with silver crystals.
Every sound bounced back at them.
Sunny whispered,
Hello.
Hello,
Hello,
Hello.
Van gasped with absolute delight.
Say something funny,
He said.
Sunny grinned,
Okay.
Sea cucumbers wear undies!
Undies!
Undies!
Undies!
Then burst out laughing.
The cave laughed back.
Sunny love too,
Spinning in a little circle.
Van took a deep breath and shouted,
BAM!
The cave answered at once.
Bum bum bum!
The two fish dissolved into hysterical giggles.
They continued to shout silly words into the cave.
Stinky flippers!
Flippers,
Flippers,
Flippers!
Soggy sausages.
Sausages,
Sausages,
Sausages.
They laughed until they could barely breathe and bubbles puffed from their noses.
Deeper and deeper they swum,
Following the echoes.
Their cave twisted and curled around them.
The entrance grew smaller behind them.
The light from Bubble Gum Bay faded into a soft blue glow.
Sunny puffed out his chest.
I'm the king of the ocean!
Ocean!
Ocean!
Ocean!
Van lifted his chin.
I'm the spookiest noodle in the sea.
Sea,
Sea,
Sea.
Sunny spun dramatically around.
His fins floated behind him like ribbons.
Then he spotted two narrow rocks and decided,
Very suddenly,
This was the perfect place for a triple twist.
He launched forward.
He twisted once.
Twice.
Almost three times.
Then his beautiful flowing fin caught on a sharp piece of coral.
Rip.
Sunny froze.
A small tear fluttered in his shimmering blue fin.
The cave went quiet.
Van's smile vanished.
Sunny stared at the tear.
His whole body seemed to shrink.
Oh no,
He whispered.
No,
No,
No!
Okay,
We spin back.
Sunny's eyes filled with tears.
I'm so silly,
Silly,
Silly,
Silly.
The words bounced from wall to wall.
Sunny flinched.
Van swam closer.
It's absolutely not true,
Van said.
True,
True,
True.
Sonny tucked his torn fin against his side.
Oh,
I've ruined everything.
Everything,
Everything,
Everything.
Cave repeated the words again and again and again until they seemed to press against the walls.
Fans tummy twisted.
He wanted to help Sunny,
But his own body was starting to buzz with worry.
Darted sideways too quickly and bumped a loose rock with his tail.
The rock shifted.
Then another rock rolled and three more tumbled down with a deep rumbling crash.
A pile of stones fell across part of the tunnel behind them.
Not enough to trap them forever,
But enough to make the way back really difficult to see.
Then stand at the rocks.
His mouth fell open.
Oh no.
"'What have I done?
' he whispered.
" Done.
Done.
Done.
His eyes filled with tears.
Oh,
I've ruined everything too,
Too,
Too,
Too much.
Sunny and Van hovered in the dim cave.
The echoes drifted around them.
The cave didn't know the words were hurting them.
It was simply repeating whatever it heard.
But the more the cave repeated those words,
The heavier they felt in Sunny and Van's bodies.
Sunny curled his torn fin closer,
And Van lowered his head.
For once,
Neither of them felt like joking or laughing.
Back in Bubble Gum Bay,
Pearl the puffer fish was arranging her calm corner.
Pearl's calm corner was a very serious place.
It had a soft sponge cushion,
Smooth grounding stones,
Lavender kelp tea.
And a very small sign that read,
Please do not bring nonsense into this space.
Pearl was placing the final cushion into position when she paused.
Grief.
It was quiet.
Hmm,
Too quiet.
Odin the octopus was nearby,
Sorting seaweed scrolls.
With eight arms,
Odin could organize almost anything.
He could roll scrolls,
Tie knots,
Write lists,
Sip tea,
And point sternly all at the same time.
Pearl turned to him.
Have you noticed something?
She said.
I haven't looked up.
No shouting.
And no racing said Pearl.
And no one's crashed into my calm corner.
I didn't frown.
Mmm,
No sunny and no van.
Pearl and Odin look towards the edge of Bubblegum Bay.
Far away,
The dark mouth of Echo Cave waited in the cliffside.
Pearl puffed up slightly.
They went in,
Didn't they?
Odin sighed.
Yep,
They absolutely most definitely went in.
So together they swam towards the cave.
Inside Echo Cave,
Sunny and Ben tried to find the way out.
The tunnels twisted,
The shadows stretched,
And each small sound returned to them.
Van whispered,
I'm scared,
Scared,
Scared,
Scared.
Sunny whispered,
Me too,
Too,
Too,
Too.
Van's voice trembled.
Everyone's going to be so mad at us.
Sunny swallowed.
They'll say we weren't listening.
Listen,
Listen,
Listen.
That we always cause trouble.
Trouble.
That we're too much,
Too much,
Too much,
Too much.
That echo was the softest and somehow it hurt the most.
Then another voice called somewhere beyond the rocks.
Sunny?
Better?
Sunny and Van lifted their heads.
Van gasped.
Are we there?
Pearl's voice followed.
Please tell me nobody has been shouting rude words at a cave.
Pearl muttered something about needing more lavender kelp tea.
A moment later,
Odin appeared around the bend with a lantern in one arm,
A rope in another and a very,
Very serious look on his face.
Pearl floated beside him,
Puffed up just enough to show she was relieved,
Worried and annoyed all at the same time.
Odin looked at Sunny's fin.
Then he looked at the rocks.
Then he looked at the two small fish.
Guys,
What happened?
Sunny's lip wobbled.
We came in even though the sign said not to.
Van stared at the floor.
Then Sonny tore his fin,
And I knocked down the rock,
Said Van.
Pearl's puff softened slightly,
And Odin swam closer.
Are you hurt,
He asked.
Only my fin,
Whispered Sonny.
Van's eyes brimmed with tears,
And my feelings.
Feelings,
Feelings,
Feelings.
Pearl floated beside him.
Oh Van!
Fans voice cracked.
We always mess it up.
Sunny nodded sadly.
I'm stupid.
Odin lifted one arm.
Pause.
The cave repeated the words then fell silent.
Odin looked at Sunny.
Yeah,
Okay,
You made a mistake.
But there's no way that you're stupid.
Sunny blinked.
Odin turned towards the cave.
And we're not taking advice from a rude rock tunnel anyway.
Perle nodded firmly,
Exactly this cave has got zero qualifications.
Van gave the tiniest little smile and Odin looked back at the boys.
This cave repeats whatever it hears and guess what?
Our minds can do that too.
So when an unkind thought is repeated over and over,
It starts to sound like our truth.
Sunny looked around the cave.
And loosened.
Move closer.
That thought you just had,
Sunny,
The one where you said,
I'm stupid.
It's not the truth,
She said gently.
The truth is you swam too fast.
You forgot to pause and you ended up hurting your fin.
Sonny looked down at his fin.
You're right,
Pearl,
That does sound true.
It is true,
Said Odin.
One of those statements attacks who you are in a really,
Really mean way,
Like a bully.
The other explains exactly what happened.
Can you see the difference?
Than swallowed.
So when I said I ruin everything,
That isn't the truth either.
Nope,
Said Odin,
Absolutely not.
The truth is,
He got scared.
He moved too quickly and he bumped a rock.
Pearl nodded.
Exactly.
And the truth always leaves room for repair.
Odin smiled at the world.
Sunny took a slow breath.
So what do we say instead?
Odin's voice was calm.
He can say,
I made a mistake and I can learn from it.
How I looked at Van.
You can say,
I can repair what happened.
Sunny tried the words quietly.
I made a mistake and I can learn from it.
Echo came back a lot softer than before.
Van took a shaky breath.
And he said,
I can repair what happened.
This time the cave didn't feel so frightening.
The words didn't feel like heavy stones.
They felt like small little lights in the dark.
Odin secured the rope around a stable rock.
And guided Sunny carefully past the fallen stones.
And Pearl stayed close beside Van.
Now Van wanted to rush,
His body was buzzing with the urge to get out of there as quickly as he possibly could.
Then he heard the echo in his mind.
So he stopped.
We took one slow breath.
And then he moved again,
Slowly.
And carefully.
But not perfectly.
Because he did bump his tail and apologize to the wall,
But he didn't panic.
Soon the blue light of Bubblegum Bay appeared ahead.
Sunny swam out first and followed and Odin and Pearl came out after them.
And outside the water felt warm and free and open.
Pearl took an enormous breath.
Then puff down to her normal size.
And Odin inspected Sonny's fin.
It will heal he said but it does need some rest sunny nodded i'm sorry we went in when the sign said not to fan lowered his eyes i'm sorry we scared you guys Pearl's face softened.
Thank you for apologizing.
You did have us very,
Very worried.
Odin looked at the cave entrance.
So what do you think needs to happen now?
He asked.
Sunny thought for a moment.
Hmm,
We need to help move the rocks.
Then nodded.
We need to make the sign bigger,
He added.
Pearl lifted one fin.
Hmm,
Yes,
Much,
Much bigger.
Odin added possibly with the words sunny and fan this means you.
Vance nodded solemnly.
Yeah,
That feels fair.
Sunny glance back at Echo Cave.
I also need to practice not saying mean things to myself about myself.
Ben nodded,
Yep,
Me too.
Pearl smiled.
That sounds like a very,
Very good idea,
Boys.
The next morning,
Sunny and Van returned to Echo Cave.
This time they didn't sneak in.
They didn't race.
They didn't slide under the signs like the suspicious little rascal they were the day before.
They came with Odin and Pearl.
And Odin had decided that if Echo Cave could repeat unkind words,
It could also repeat helpful and kind ones too.
So they set up a safe little space near the entrance,
Not deep inside,
Just far enough for the echoes to return.
Pearl,
Place soft sponge cushions around them.
And Odin hung a new sign.
Echo practice today.
Kind words only.
Sunny floated in front of the cave.
His fin was still sore but it was starting to heal.
He took a breath and said,
I'm learning to pause.
Pause,
Pause,
Pause.
The cave returned the words gently.
And move beside him.
I'm not bad when I make a mistake.
Pearl puffed slightly,
This time with pride.
Odin said,
I can choose my next right step.
Step,
Step,
Step.
How it licked her chin.
She added,
I can be dramatic and still be wise.
Wise,
Wise,
Wise.
Sunny looked at her.
That one feels very you,
Pearl.
Pearl smiled.
Self-awareness is a great gift,
My friends.
Ben's eyes suddenly brightened.
An idea had arrived.
Usually,
Van's ideas arrive like a cannonball wearing a moustache and sunglasses.
But this time,
He took a moment to pause.
He took a breath.
And he looked at Odin.
Can I say something funny?
I didn't consider him for a moment.
Is it safe?
Yeah.
Is it kind?
Odin asked.
It contains the word bum,
But no one's being personally attacked.
Pearl thought about this for a moment.
Alright,
One respectful bum will be allowed.
Van turned to the cave and shouted,
I'm a brave little bum noodle.
Noodle,
Noodle,
Noodle.
For one quiet second,
Nobody moved.
Then Sunny burst out laughing.
Pearl tried to stay dignified,
But her laugh slipped out too.
Even Odin smiled.
Van took a bow.
Thank you.
Thank you very much,
He chuckled.
And from that day on,
Sunny and Van still had big energy.
They still loved racing,
And they still loved jokes,
And they still had ideas that made Pearl's left eye twitch.
But they began to practice their pause.
Not every time,
And not perfectly,
Because guys,
There's no such thing as perfect.
But more than before.
When Sunny's mind whispered,
I always mess up,
He answered,
It's okay to make a mistake because mistakes are how I learn.
When Van's mind whispered,
Everyone thinks I'm not listening,
He answered,
I'm still great even when I don't get it right the first time.
And when either of them started to feel like they were too much,
Odin reminded them that big energy wasn't a bad thing.
It simply needed care and guidance and a little space to slow down.
Pearl usually added that it also needed to stay away from her calm corner and less invited.
Which,
Guys,
Was fair.
Really fair.
That evening the sun shimmered over Bubblegum Bay.
The coral glowed.
The seaweeds swayed.
Susan the Clam enjoyed a really peaceful nap with no treasure maps involved.
What a novelty.
Sunny and Van floated near the edge of the reef side by side.
Sunny looking at his healing fin.
Then looking at the cave.
I'm glad the cave doesn't only echo mean things so suddenly.
Ben nodded.
Yeah,
Me too.
It echoes whatever we say to it.
The two friends were quiet for a moment.
Then Sunny smiled.
Hey Van,
You want to race to the purple sponge?
Van's tail wiggled.
Yeah!
They both launched forward.
Then,
At exactly the same time,
It came to a grinding halt.
They looked at each other.
Pause,
Asked Sonny.
Yeah,
Pause,
Said Finn.
They looked ahead.
They look sideways.
They looked up and down.
No crabs,
No hats,
No signs,
No calm corners,
No elderly clams.
The path was all clear.
Sunny grinned.
Van grinned back.
Then off they raced through the sparkling blue water,
Fast and free,
With a kinder echo following behind them.
I made a mistake and I can learn from it.
I can repair what happened and always give it another try.
I am still great even when I get it wrong.
So my little legends,
That's the story of Cheeky Unlovable Sunny and Van and the Echo Cave Catastrophe.
Today,
Sunny and Ben discovered something really important.
The words we say to ourselves are really,
Really important.
Because sometimes when we make a mistake our thoughts can start echoing inside of us.
Saying things like,
Ugh,
I always mess up.
Huh?
Everyone's mad at me.
Or I'm bad.
I'm too much or I should have known better.
But guys just because we have a thought that's loud doesn't mean it's the truth.
In fact,
There is very little truth to these thoughts at all.
And just because you made a mistake doesn't mean you are a mistake.
Sunny and Ben learned that their brains can be a little bit like echo caves.
They can repeat the same words again and again.
If we keep saying unkind things to ourselves.
Those words can start to feel very big and very heavy in our bodies.
They also can become our truth.
But remember there is absolutely no truth to them whatsoever.
But if we practice kind words,
Brave words,
True words,
Then these can echo in our mind too.
Our minds can feel calmer and safer when we practice the kind and braver words because they are the truth.
So the next time you make a mistake,
I'd love you to try Sunny and Ben's echo cave reminder.
Put one hand on your heart.
Taking a nice,
Slow,
Deep breath.
And quietly saying to yourself,
Okay I made a mistake,
But I'm not a mistake.
I can pause and try again.
I can repair what happened.
I'm still good,
Even when I got it wrong.
Because guys,
You are,
You are still good when you forget.
You are still good when you rush.
You are still good when your body moves before your brain has a chance to catch up.
You are still good when your big energy gets a little bit too big.
You're learning,
And learning can be messy.
Sometimes it comes with tangled fins.
Sometimes it comes with bumped rocks.
And sometimes,
Apparently,
It comes with a very brave little bum noodle shouting into a cave.
So guys thank you for joining me for today's story i am so glad that you came diving through bubblegum bay with sunny van pearl and odin Until next time Little Legends,
Keep choosing kind words,
Keep practicing your pause,
And if you ever find a cave that echoes everything you say,
Maybe start with something really kind and helpful.
Or at the very least one respectful little bum joke.
Bye!
