Once upon a time, there was a turtle who wishes he has friends. His name is Bie. Siblings he has many, at times he couldn't even tell them apart.
His mom would go, "Gosh, there's so many of you. Is everyone doing alright?" and chorus of "Yes!" would be heard in reply.
Meanwhile his father would say, "Glad you've learnt how to take care of yourself son. Have a great adventure."
Bie thinks a great adventure should be shared with a friend. He dreams of meeting another animal that doesn't look like him and together they will descend into the oceans and let the current take them away.
His siblings say, "Bie, you have to stop dreaming and start swimming. You can't be having an adventure by simply basking in the sun."
So Bie sets off. He moves his frontal flaps and pushes with his hind limbs. His siblings follow suit, while those who had started out before him cheer in encouragement.
His nose soon touches the water, and the salty taste delights him. He pedals ahead faster and before he realises it, his whole body has submerged into the vast ocean.
From the waves a voice whisper to him, "Welcome, friend."
The soft velvety voice startles Bie, but he quickly replies. "Who are you? Where are you?"
"I am the Ocean, and I am all around you," answers the Ocean.
"Am I your friend? How is that so?" Bie asks.
"We are friends because we are the same. You and I are both existing on the same plane, and we need each other. You need me to swim so that you can go places. I need you to be part of my ecosystem. Therefore we're friends."
"That is awesome. Let's go on an adventure!" beckons the young turtle.
The Ocean began to pull Bie in deeper, taking him sightseeing over colourful coral reefs, grazing across the plot of seagrass, and later plopping into sunken ships to plays with fishes, eels and crabs.
"Ocean, you are a great friend. You've even helped me find food and new friends. I am glad to have found you," says Bie at the end of the day. He feels tired but the excited at the same time.
The Ocean ripples in delight. "I am happy to have a friend in you. You've helped me too. By eating the seagrass you help me maintain my ecosystem. They will grow better and healthier tomorrow, now that you eated their older blades. I hope you will eat more tomorrow," beams back the equally excited Ocean.
"You bet." promises Bie. He pedals back to his siblings, eager to share his adventure with the Ocean. "Good night, Ocean," he calls as he leaves.
"Good night to you too, Bie," replies the Ocean contentedly.
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Author's note: After watching Sammy my son got really interested in turtles, he started asking questions (what do they eat, who is their friend, are they friends with Upin Ipin, where do turtles sleep, don't they buy clothes like dogs... And when my answers led to more questions (how come they don't have owners like dogs and cats that belongs to Auntie Connie, what do you mean they are wild, why do they need to stay in the ocean, what is ecosystem) So I got into a bit of research and told him this story to demonstrate what ecosystem is... My grammar sucks, I know. I was hoping to add in bit of illustration to distract you from that... Anyway my 3-going-on-4 year old son sorta gets what ecosystem is all about...
