Oscar Otter and the Friend in the Water
Large text for little eyes.
Oscar Otter Feels All Alone.
Oscar Otter lived by a calm, winding river where the reeds whispered secrets and dragonflies zipped like tiny helicopters.
It was a beautiful place… but Oscar felt lonely.
The ducks had duck friends. The frogs had frog friends. Even the turtles had turtle friends who moved at the exact same speed.
Oscar sighed. “I wish I had someone to play with.”
He tried skipping stones alone. He tried sliding down muddy banks alone.
He even tried playing tag with a fish, but the fish cheated by swimming away.
“No fair,” Oscar muttered.
One afternoon, Oscar wandered to a quiet part of the river where the water was smooth as glass. He leaned over and froze. “There you are!” he gasped. Another otter stared back at him.
The Mysterious Mirror Otter.
Oscar waved. The otter waved back. Oscar blinked. The otter blinked too. “Whoa,” Oscar whispered. “You’re very polite.”
He stuck out his tongue.
So did the otter. He spun in a circle. So did the otter.
Oscar laughed. “You’re the best copycat ever!”
He splashed the water—SPLASH! The otter splashed back.
Oscar clapped his paws. “Do you want to be friends?” The otter nodded. Oscar grinned. “You don’t talk much, but I like that.”
From that moment on, Oscar visited the river every day to play with his new friend, who never argued, never ran away, and always followed the rules perfectly. “This is the best friendship ever,” Oscar said proudly.
Learning to Like Himself.
One day, Oscar felt a little sad again.
“Everyone else has real friends,” he sighed to the otter in the water. “I only have you.” The otter looked thoughtful… exactly like Oscar did.
Oscar tilted his head. “You know what? You’re always here. You never laugh at me. You always join my games.” He smiled slowly. “You like me,” Oscar said.
The otter smiled too.
Oscar practiced jokes.
The otter laughed (well… smiled). Oscar practiced swimming faster.
The otter kept up. Oscar practiced being brave by floating on his back.
The otter floated too.
“I think…” Oscar said softly, “I’m not so bad to hang out with.”
For the first time in a long while, Oscar felt warm and proud inside.
A New Confidence, New Friends.
The next morning, Oscar felt different, taller somehow, even though otters don’t really get taller overnight.
He waved goodbye to his reflection. “Thanks for being my friend.”
As he turned around, a young beaver approached.
“Hey,” said the beaver. “I’ve seen you playing by the river. Want to build a dam together?”
Oscar smiled, a confident smile. “Sure!”
Soon, a frog joined. Then a duck. Then even the cheating fish came back (and promised not to cheat this time).
Oscar laughed as they all played together.
That evening, Oscar returned to the quiet water and looked down.
“Guess what?” he said. “I made new friends today.”
The otter in the water beamed back at him. “But I couldn’t have done it without you,” Oscar added. “You taught me how to be my own friend first.”
The river shimmered softly as the sun set, and Oscar walked home feeling happy, brave, and no longer lonely at all. Because once you learn to enjoy your own company, the world feels a lot friendlier.
The End!
