In a peaceful little pond surrounded by tall
grasses and swaying willow trees, there lived a friendly turtle named Toby.
Toby loved to play with his friends—Freddy the Frog, Bella the Bunny, and
Oliver the Otter. But there was one little problem: Toby was always late.
No matter how many times he promised to meet
his friends at a certain time, he never arrived when he said he would. “I’ll be
there soon!” he’d say, but by the time he got there, his friends had been
waiting for ages.
“Toby, you’re always late!” sighed Bella one
day, tapping her foot.
“I didn’t mean to be,” Toby said with a
sheepish grin. “I just got distracted watching the dragonflies.”
Freddy the Frog shook his head. “You always
have an excuse! We waited and waited, but the game started without you.”
“I’ll be on time next time, I promise!” Toby
said. But his friends weren’t sure they could believe him anymore.
One bright morning, Oliver the Otter had an
idea. “Let’s throw a surprise party for Toby! Maybe if he sees how much we
care, he’ll realize how important it is to be on time.”
Bella clapped her paws. “That’s a great idea!
We’ll make his favorite treats—lily pad cupcakes and sweet berry punch.”
The friends set the party for noon and told
Toby to meet them by the big rock at the edge of the pond. “You won’t want to
be late for this, Toby!” Bella reminded him.
Toby nodded eagerly. “I’ll be there right on
time!”
The next day, his friends gathered early.
They decorated the pond with colorful leaves and floating flowers. Everything
was perfect! The only thing missing was Toby.
Minutes passed. Then an hour.
“Where is he?” Freddy croaked.
Oliver sighed. “He’s late again.”
By the time Toby finally arrived, the
decorations had started to wilt, the food was almost gone, and his friends
looked disappointed.
“What’s wrong?” Toby asked, looking around at
the half-eaten cupcakes and empty punch bowl.
Bella crossed her arms. “Toby, this was
supposed to be a surprise party for YOU! But you took so long to get here that
you missed most of it.”
Toby’s heart sank. “You did all this for me?”
Freddy nodded. “Yes, but a promise is like a
clock—it must always run on time. When you don’t show up when you say you will,
it makes your friends feel unimportant.”
Toby frowned. He had never thought about it
that way. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. I just lose track of time.”
Oliver patted his shell. “We know, but we can
help! Let’s practice being on time together.”
From that day on, Toby worked hard to be more
reliable. He asked Oliver to teach him how to read the shadows on the rocks to
tell time. He asked Bella to hop by his log to remind him of their plans.
Slowly but surely, Toby became better at keeping his word.
One afternoon, his friends planned another
picnic. Toby promised to be there by lunchtime. This time, he arrived early,
just as the sun hit the middle of the pond.
“You did it, Toby!” Bella cheered.
Freddy handed him a big slice of watermelon.
“Now you’re truly part of the team.”
Toby beamed. He had finally learned that
being on time showed his friends they mattered to him. From that day forward,
he never missed an adventure.
Moral of the Story: A promise is like a clock—it must always run on time.
Being reliable shows others that you care, and keeping your word is one of the
best ways to be a good friend.
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