Once upon a time, in the deep and quiet part of the ocean, there lived a baby whale named Mara.
All the whales in Mara’s family sang.
It was what whales did.
Long, deep, beautiful songs that travelled for miles and miles through the dark water. 🎵
Mara tried to sing too.
Oooooo-WAAAH-wooble-SQUEAK.
Oh dear.
That was not right.
😳 Everyone Heard
The song wobbled.
It squeaked in the middle.
It went high when it should go low.
It went low when it should go high.
And at the end it did something nobody could explain.
BLURP.
Three fish stopped swimming.
A crab looked up.
Even a sleepy sea turtle opened one eye.
Mara sank down to the bottom of the ocean.
Her face was as red as a crab, which is hard to see underwater but it was definitely happening.
“I can’t sing,” Mara said. “My song is broken.”
“Don’t sing then,” said a mean little fish.
Mara said nothing.
But inside she felt very small.
🌊 A Friend Who Listens Differently
Chloe was on a whale-watching boat when Mara surfaced nearby.
All the other whales sang their perfect songs.
But Chloe had heard something else.
Something wobbly and squeaky and strange.
And Chloe had loved it.
“That one,” said Chloe, pointing at Mara. “That one is my favourite.”
The grown-ups looked confused.
“That one sang off-key,” someone said.
“I know,” said Chloe. “It was the most interesting one.”
Chloe leaned over the railing.
“Sing again!” Chloe called to Mara.
Mara looked up.
“My song is wrong,” said Mara.
“It’s not wrong,” said Chloe. “It’s yours.”
🎵 The Song Finds Its Shape
Mara thought about this.
She opened her mouth.
Oooooo-WAAAH-wooble-SQUEAK.
She waited.
Chloe clapped both hands together.
“Yes! Again!”
So Mara sang again.
And again.
And the more she sang, the less she wobbled.
Not because she was becoming more like the other whales.
But because she was becoming more like herself.
Her song found its own shape.
Wobbly in the places she liked.
Squeaky where it wanted to be.
And at the end, that little —
blurp —
which was actually, when you listened properly, quite lovely. 🎵
The other whales stopped.
They listened.
And one by one, they joined in around her song.
Not covering it.
Harmonising with it.
Because it was different, and different fit perfectly. 🐋