Deep beneath the shimmery blue waves lived Ollie, a cheerful little octopus with eight wonderful arms. Ollie loved his home in the colourful coral reef, filled with swaying seaweed and friendly fish. His arms were amazing – they could wave hello, wiggle with excitement, and reach for tasty sea-berries.
One sunny afternoon, Ollie floated near a patch of sea-grass. He saw his friend, Shelly the Snail, moving very, very slowly. Shelly was trying to push a beautiful, sparkly pebble towards her little cave home, but it was just too heavy for her.
"Hello, Shelly!" Ollie called out softly. "That's a lovely pebble! Do you need some help?" Shelly looked up, tired. "Oh, Ollie, yes please! It's so pretty, but it's very hard to move." Ollie smiled kindly. He reached out one of his gentle arms, carefully wrapped it around the pebble, and lifted it ever so slightly.
Slowly and carefully, Ollie helped Shelly guide the pebble all the way to her cave. He placed it gently by her doorstep. "Oh, thank you, Ollie!" Shelly beamed. "You are so kind and helpful!" Ollie felt a warm wiggle inside; helping his friend felt really good.
A little later, Ollie saw Finley the Fish darting back and forth. Finley was trying to gather soft, green seaweed to make his bed cozier, but the gentle current kept pulling the strands away. Every time Finley grabbed one piece, another floated off.
"Having trouble, Finley?" Ollie asked, drifting closer. Finley sighed, "I am! This seaweed just won't stay put." Ollie chuckled softly. "Maybe my arms can help!" He stretched out three of his arms, like gentle nets, and carefully gathered a soft bundle of seaweed.
With another arm, he gently tucked the seaweed into Finley's favourite sleeping spot under a large coral branch. "Wow, Ollie!" chirped Finley. "You gathered that so fast! Thank you for being such a gentle helper!" Ollie's heart felt full and happy.
As the water grew darker and the moon jellies began to glow, Ollie waved goodnight to his friends. He realized his eight arms weren't just for wiggling and waving; they were perfect for being kind and helpful. Feeling tired but very happy, Ollie swam back to his own cozy spot, curled up his amazing arms, and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of helping his friends under the sea.