The Girl and the Sleepy Seal

The Girl and the Sleepy Seal - Author : Ebru Mina TOMURCUK

On a breezy seaside morning, a girl named Lila pulled on her red rubber boots. She wore her mustard-yellow raincoat over teal dungarees and tucked a small canvas satchel across her body. Her two curly hair puffs bounced as she ran along the shore, collecting smooth pebbles and tiny shells. The waves went swish, swish, swish, and the gulls called high above. 1

Near the rock pool, something unusual caught her eye. A silvery-blue seal lay on the sand, his speckled fur glistening. He wore a knitted nightcap with a pom-pom that slipped over one eye, and his flippers left trails of dreamy sparkles. A small star-shaped mark glowed on his forehead. He yawned a big, wobbly yawn. 'Oh dear,' he mumbled, 'I'm so sleepy, but I can't stop dreaming.' 2

Lila knelt beside him. 'Hello,' she said gently. 'I'm Lila. What's your name?' The seal blinked his droopy dark eyes. 'I'm Sam,' he whispered. 'My dreams and my real adventures got all mixed up. I can't tell which is which, and I'm too tired to think.' Lila noticed his long white whiskers drooping. 'Don't worry,' she said. 'We'll sort them out together.' 3

Sam tried to explain. 'Last night I dreamed I was flying over the moon,' he said, 'but then I woke up and thought I really did. And yesterday I really did chase a bright red ball, but now I think it was just a dream.' He sighed. 'It's all a jumble.' Lila opened her satchel. 'Let's make two piles,' she said. 'One for dreams, one for real adventures.' 4

Sam nodded, but his eyelids drooped. 'First,' Lila said, 'tell me one dream.' Sam's whiskers twitched. 'I dreamed I was dancing with starfish,' he said. 'They wore tiny hats and sang silly songs.' Lila smiled and wrote 'DREAM' on a smooth shell. She placed it in her left pocket. 'That's a dream,' she said. 'Starfish don't really sing.' Sam looked relieved. 5

'Now tell me something real,' Lila said. Sam thought hard. 'I really did swim through a cave lined with glowing seaweed,' he said. 'It was dark and sparkly.' Lila wrote 'REAL' on another shell and put it in her right pocket. 'That sounds real,' she said. 'Caves can glow with seaweed.' Sam's droopy eyes opened a little wider. 'You're good at this,' he said. 6

They went on for a while. Sam told her about a dream where he rode a cloud like a boat. Lila put that in the dream pocket. He told her about a real race with a speedy crab. Lila put that in the real pocket. With every shell, Sam seemed a little less muddled. 'I'm starting to see the difference,' he said. 'Dreams feel floaty. Real things feel solid.' 7

But Sam's flippers still sparkled with sleepy magic. 'I'm still so tired,' he yawned. 'I think I've been playing too much and resting too little.' Lila nodded. 'My mom always says a happy day needs a little of each.' She looked around. 'Let's find you a cozy spot for a nap.' Sam's nightcap slipped over his eye again. 'A nap?' he said. 'I'm not sure I remember how.' 8

Lila led Sam to a quiet cove where soft moss grew on a flat rock. 'Here,' she said. 'It's warm and safe.' Sam curled up, but his flippers kept twitching. 'I'm too excited,' he said. 'My dreams are still swirling.' Lila sat beside him. 'I'll help you rest,' she said. 'Close your eyes. I'll tell you a calm story about the sea.' 9

Lila spoke softly. 'Once there was a wave who loved to travel,' she began. 'It rolled past sleepy fish and gentle whales. Then it found a quiet beach and rested.' Sam's breathing slowed. His whiskers stopped twitching. The sparkles on his flippers faded to a soft glow. Lila kept talking, and soon Sam's nightcap rose and fell with his steady breathing. He was fast asleep. 10

While Sam slept, Lila sorted the shells in her pockets. She made a little chart on the sand: dreams on one side, real on the other. When Sam woke, he would see clearly. She also found a shiny blue pebble and saved it for later. The sun climbed higher, and the sea whispered. Lila felt peaceful too, watching over her friend. 11

After a long while, Sam stirred. He opened his big dark eyes and blinked. 'I feel... fresh!' he said. He sat up and stretched his flippers. 'The dreams are quiet now, and the real adventures are clear.' He looked at Lila's sand chart. 'You sorted them all!' He smiled. 'I can see which was which. Thank you, Lila.' His star mark glowed brightly. 12

Sam wiggled his flippers. 'I feel ready for a small adventure,' he said. 'Something real and bright, before bedtime.' Lila grinned. 'I know just the thing.' She pulled out the shiny blue pebble. 'Let's see who can skip it across the water the most times.' Sam laughed. 'You're on!' They took turns, and the pebble skipped three times, then four. 13

Sam's first skip splashed. Lila's second skip bounced twice. On Sam's third try, the pebble skimmed five times! 'Five!' he cheered. 'That's a real adventure.' Lila clapped. 'And now,' she said, 'the sun is setting. Time for bed.' Sam nodded. 'I'm ready to rest now,' he said. 'I know my dreams will stay in their place.' He yawned, but it was a happy yawn.