The Little Sea Dragon

The Little Sea Dragon - Author : Aysel Banu YAVUZAL

Deep down under the bright blue sea, there was a reef full of color. Pink corals waved like little hands, and yellow fish darted between the rocks. In the middle of it all lived Finn, a leafy seadragon. His body was golden-tan, covered in leafshaped fronds of olive green and amber. He moved slowly, swaying like a leaf in the water. 1

Finn loved his cozy reef. He liked to drift past the purple sponges and watch the sunlight dance on the sand. His long snout sniffed the salty water, and his gentle dark eyes blinked slowly. Leaves covered him like a soft green and gold coat, so he always felt safe. Every day was calm and quiet and warm. 2

One morning, a tiny shape zipped past Finn's nose. It was a little seahorse with a bright coral-orange body and a pale yellow belly. Her big blue eyes sparkled, and a strand of pink seaweed was wrapped around her curled tail like a bracelet. "Hello! I'm Pip!" she said, swimming fast circles around him. 3

Finn blinked his gentle dark eyes. "I'm Finn," he said slowly. "You swim very fast." Pip laughed and did a happy flip. "You swim very slowly!" she said. "But that's okay. I like slow things too. Sometimes." Finn smiled. Nobody had ever zipped around him like that before, and it made him feel tickly and glad. 4

"Do you want to go on an adventure?" Pip asked, wiggling her tiny fins. Finn thought about his quiet reef. He thought about the safe, swaying leaves on his back. Then he looked at Pip's sparkling blue eyes, and something inside him said yes. "I would love to," he said. "But I cannot swim fast." "That's all right," said Pip. "I can swim slow." 5

So the two friends set off together. Pip darted ahead, then zoomed back to Finn. Finn swayed along, his leafy fronds drifting behind him like a soft green cape. "Look at that purple coral!" said Pip. "Look at that sleepy starfish!" said Finn. They saw a striped fish, a wiggly eel, and a crab wearing a shell like a hat. 6

Soon the water grew deeper and darker blue. Pip's bright orange body glowed like a little lantern. "Are you scared?" she asked. Finn's long snout wiggled. "A little," he said. "But I am not scared when you are near." Pip took his tiny fin with her tiny tail. "And I am not scared when you are near," she said. "Let's keep going together." 7

They swam past tall towers of rock and curtains of green weed. Finn moved slowly, and Pip moved fast, but they always waited for each other. Pip found a shiny shell and put it on Finn's snout like a hat. Finn laughed so hard that his leafy fronds shook. "You are funny," he said. "You are kind," said Pip, and she did a happy loop. 8

Then the water began to sparkle with tiny floating lights. "Ooh!" said Pip. "What is that?" Finn looked with his gentle dark eyes. A soft glow was coming from behind a wall of seaweed. "I don't know," he said. "But it looks like something wonderful. Shall we peek?" Pip nodded so fast her pink seaweed bracelet wiggled. 9

They pushed through the soft green seaweed, slowly and carefully. On the other side, the water opened wide. Finn gasped, and his snout went still. Pip's big blue eyes grew even bigger. Before them lay a hidden meadow, glowing and bright, with flowers of the sea swaying in every color they had ever dreamed of. 10

There were pink sea plants like little trees and yellow ones like curly ribbons. There were blue plants that sparkled and red ones that looked like tiny stars. Tiny fish swam between them like floating jewels. "It's a secret meadow!" whispered Pip. "A magical place," said Finn softly. "And we found it together." They floated side by side, feeling warm and happy. 11

Pip swam fast loops around the flowers, and Finn swayed slowly between them. "Look how fast I am!" said Pip. "Look how slow I am!" said Finn. Then they both laughed, because both things were true and both things were fun. Finn's leafy fronds glowed in the colorful light, and Pip's orange body shone. "Being different is the best," said Pip. 12

"Yes," said Finn. "You zip, and I float. You are tiny, and I am long. But we both fit right here in this meadow." He wrapped his curled tail gently around a pink plant. Pip rested on his long snout, like a little bird on a branch. "Best friends can be different," she said. "And that makes our adventures extra special." 13

They played in the meadow until the light grew soft. Pip found a shiny pebble to keep, and Finn found a soft green leaf to wear. "We should come back here again," said Pip. "We will," said Finn. "Every day, if you like." "Every day!" said Pip. "But first, let's go home. I'm hungry." Finn laughed and nodded his long snout. 14

Slowly and quickly, quickly and slowly, the two friends swam home. Pip darted ahead and waited. Finn swayed behind and smiled. When they reached the bright coral reef, all the little fish came out to say hello. "Where did you go?" they asked. "To a secret meadow," said Pip. "We found it together," said Finn.