The Seahorse and the Cotton Bud

Seahorse came shooting out of her dad's tummy like all her brothers and sisters into a swirling world of blues, greens and everything in between. Taking a deep breath, the little Seahorse took in the Ocean, relished in its flow over her gills, and she knew.

Without the help of any stuffy old books, Seahorse knew the Ocean, rolled, hissed, bubbled and caressed the old into the new. That was its mission and so it was hers too.

One day she was happily swimming along when she came across a strange object. It was white and fluffy on both ends but pink and stiff in the middle.

"Excuse me, but what are you?" She asked.

"I'm a used Cotton Bud," the strange thing answered. The little Seahorse looked at Cotton Bud and noticed that the poor thing couldn't move on its own.

"Are you lost friend Cotton Bud?"

"Yes I'm quite lost, I think. I was supposed to go somewhere...but I don't remember where..." it sighed sadly.

Seahorse looked at Cotton Bud in all its odd melancholy and decided that this was going to be her bit of contribution to Ocean's mission: she was going to help Cotton Bud find its place!

"Don't worry, I'll help you," and so with a gentle but reassuring tug, Seahorse curled her ridged tail around Cotton Bud just so, and off the duo went. For years they floated, drifting where the current would take them. This was usually the fastest way, as Seahorse couldn't swim very well with her tail wrapped around Cotton Bud, but she refused to let go.

Alas, Seahorse's loyalty to her friend was to be her downfall. When the pair tried to hide from a school of ravenous barracuda, the pink of Cotton Bud's body stuck out like a sore thumb from the corals. In a flash of fin and scale, Seahorse was snapped up and swallowed whole.

Once again Cotton Bud was alone in the deep blue Ocean. He didn't understand why Seahorse would dedicate her whole life to help him, but Cotton Bud refused to let Seahorse's efforts go to waste, "I promise Seahorse, I'll finish the mission!"

And so Cotton Bud drifted with the tides; in and out, in and out... until he was barely a speck. Exhausted, Cotton Bud was about to give up when a sardine accidentally swallowed him whole.

In the belly of the sardine Cotton Bud suddenly found that he was not alone, there were more things like him! All colourful and tiny and lining the walls of the sardine's stomach. 'Hooray!' Cotton Bud thought, 'I've finally found where I'm supposed to be!'

---

A couple of days later, a small boy was enjoying his father's fresh catch of sardines. Vaguely, the little boy wondered what those colourful bits were. But his puzzlement soon faded as his parents ruffled his head affectionately and the house was filled with laughter and smiles as the family enjoyed the bounty of the Ocean.