By Bill Conley
Moral
of the Story:
Words can either build someone up or
tear them down, and once they are spoken, they can't be taken back. It’s
important to speak kindly and think before we talk, especially when joking or
teasing. Being funny is great, but never at the expense of someone else’s
feelings. When we choose kind words, we create friendship, trust, and joy in
the hearts of those around us.
Nora the Narwhal lived in the
sparkling waters near Coral Cove.
She was fast, curious, and had a
big, silly personality that made everyone laugh.
Nora loved making jokes—so much that
other sea creatures called her the “Queen of Giggles.”
One morning, during sea school, Nora
joked, “Hey Toby, did you forget to brush your fins today?”
The class chuckled.
Toby the Turtle gave a weak smile
and sank a little lower in his shell.
Nora didn’t notice. She was already
thinking of her next joke.
At lunch, she teased Clio the Clam
for always eating slowly.
“You're still chewing that same
bite?” she laughed. “At this rate, lunch will be dinner!”
Some fish laughed. Clio did not.
That night, Nora told her mom,
“Everyone laughed at my jokes today. I was hilarious!”
But her mom looked thoughtful. “Were
they laughing with you—or just not wanting to be the next one teased?”
Nora tilted her head. “What do you
mean?”
“Sometimes,” her mom said gently,
“we try to be funny, but we hurt someone without realizing it. It's always good
to ask, ‘Did my words bring joy—or did they cause harm?’”
Nora went to bed thinking hard.
The next day, during shell painting
class, Nora cracked another joke.
“Wow, Milo, did a crab sneeze on
your shell? What a mess!”
The class giggled—but Milo didn’t.
He blinked quickly and looked down.
After school, Milo didn’t swim home
with the group. He drifted behind alone.
Nora’s stomach flipped.
Later that evening, she swam to his
reef.
“Hey Milo,” she said quietly, “are
you okay?”
He shrugged. “I guess.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt your
feelings,” Nora said. “I was just joking.”
Milo looked up. “But it didn’t feel
like a joke. I tried really hard on that painting.”
Nora’s heart sank.
“I’m really sorry,” she said.
Milo gave a little nod. “It’s okay.
Just… try not to make fun of me next time.”
Nora swam home slowly. Her usual
bounce was gone.
She told her mom everything.
“I don’t want to be a narwhal who
makes others feel bad,” she said.
Her mom gave her a hug. “Then you
already know what to do. Use your words to lift others up, not push them down.”
The next morning, Nora came to
school with a different plan.
When she saw Toby, she smiled and
said, “Hey! Your new shell shine looks awesome.”
Toby lit up. “Thanks, Nora!”
When Clio slowly slurped her lunch,
Nora sat beside her.
“You always enjoy your food,” she
said kindly. “That’s pretty cool.”
Clio smiled. “Want to try a bite?”
“Sure!” Nora said. “It smells
great.”
And when Milo finished his newest
shell painting, Nora swam over and said, “I love the colors you used. It’s
really creative.”
Milo beamed. “Thanks! I was nervous
to show it.”
“Well, don’t be,” Nora said. “It’s
amazing.”
That afternoon, Miss Jellyfish made
an announcement.
“We have a kindness challenge this
week. Each day, try to use your words to make someone feel good.”
Nora grinned. She had already
started.
At recess, she cheered for a shy eel
who finally made it across the seaweed maze.
“Way to go!” she shouted. “You did
it!”
When her friend Ray tripped over his
flipper, instead of laughing, Nora helped him up.
“No worries,” she said. “It’s
happened to me, too.”
At the end of the week, the class
voted on the Kind Words Starfish Award.
Guess who won?
Nora the Narwhal.
As she floated to the front of the
class, she blushed.
“I used to think being funny meant
making jokes,” she said, “but I learned that it’s even better to be kind.”
Everyone clapped—including Milo,
Clio, and Toby.
From that day on, Nora still made
people laugh—but she made sure it was laughter that made everyone feel
included, never small.
And when she messed up—and sometimes
she did—she said sorry quickly and made it right.
Because Nora had learned something
powerful:
Words matter. And when you use them
wisely, they bring the whole ocean a little closer together.
Moral
Poem to End the Story:
Before you speak, think how it
feels,
Kindness in your words can heal.
Lift others up with what you say—
And brighten hearts along the way!
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