Fergus Fish Says Sorry
A gentle story about apologies and making amends.
Fergus was a bright orange fish who lived in a coral reef. This morning he woke up feeling grumpy. His fins felt prickly and his tail felt cross. He did not know why.
He swam fast through the water, flick, flick, flick, without looking where he was going. Right in front of him was a beautiful sandcastle, built by his friend Shelly the crab.
Crash! Fergus swished right through it. Sand puffed up in a cloud. Towers fell. Walls crumbled. Shelly dropped her tiny shell flag and stared with her mouth open.
“Fergus!” she cried. “I worked all morning on that!” Fergus felt a squirmy feeling in his tummy. He wanted to say, “It was not my fault,” but that was not true.
He took a big, bubbly breath. “I am sorry, Shelly,” he said. “I was grumpy and I was not looking. I am very sorry I broke your sandcastle.” His voice was small, but he meant every word.
Shelly’s eyes were wet, but her claws softened. “Thank you for saying sorry,” she said. “It still makes me sad. But I feel a bit better.” Fergus thought for a moment. “Can I help you build it again?”
Together they scooped sand, and patted it into towers. Fergus used his fin to smooth the walls. Shelly used her claws to carve tiny windows. By the afternoon, it was taller than before.
“It is even better this time,” said Shelly. Fergus’s grumpy feeling had floated away like a bubble. He said, “Next time I feel grumpy, I will swim slowly and watch where I go.” Shelly planted the flag on top and said, “Good idea.”
✨ Key Takeaways
- Saying sorry means saying what we did and that we wish we had not.
- Helping to fix a mistake shows that we care.
- Feeling grumpy is okay, but we can take care not to hurt others when we feel it.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- What happened to Shelly’s sandcastle?
- What did Fergus do after he said sorry?
- What can you do when you feel grumpy?
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