Inky the Squid hid inside a seashell, curled up as small as he could. The ocean was too big, too deep, too full of unknowns. It made his tiny body tremble.
He preferred staying safe, away from danger.
But something was wrong.
The waves weren’t their usual bright blue. They had turned a sickly green, swirling with murky patches. The coral looked pale. Fish darted about in panic.
Snap! Snap!
Coral the Crab clacked her claws angrily. “The Golden Tide is fading! We need you, Inky!”
Inky’s eight legs wobbled. Me? But I’m just a small squid!
Still, he couldn’t ignore his friend. Taking a deep breath, he squiggled out of his shell and into the unknown.
The journey was not easy.
First, he had to dodge plastic monsters—drifting bottles, tangled nets, and shiny wrappers that trapped unsuspecting fish. He zipped and zagged, barely making it through.
Next, he met a grumpy octopus curled around a sunken ship. The octopus squinted. “Hmph. If you must go on, take this.” He handed Inky a strand of glowing seaweed, pulsing with golden light.
Inky didn’t know why he needed it, but he tucked it into his tentacle and swam on.
Then, he reached the final challenge—a whirlpool guarded by electric eels.
They crackled with sparks, their sharp eyes watching him. Inky’s heart pounded. What if they zapped him?
But then he looked past them. Just beyond the whirlpool lay the ocean’s heart—where the Golden Tide had once glowed, now dark and poisoned.
He had to be brave.
With a swift flick of his tentacles, he darted past the eels. They zapped, but he was too quick!
At last, he reached the dark water. Holding the glowing seaweed, he released a cloud of ink—but this time, something magical happened.
The ink mixed with the seaweed’s golden light, swirling like a sparkling storm. The murky water shimmered, then cleared.
The ocean sparkled! The Golden Tide returned!
As sunlight streamed through the waves, Coral cheered, and the fish swam happily once more.
Inky stretched his tentacles and smiled. “Bravery isn’t about size,” he said, “it’s about heart.”
And from that day on, he never hid again.