Babalu and the Fizzy Feeling

In a castle that shimmered like spun sugar lived a kind boy named Babalu. His best friends were talking squirrels who wore tiny, acorn-cap helmets and a baby dragon named Sparky, whose sneezes smelled like cinnamon toast. Babalu’s most important job, he felt, was making sure everyone in the castle felt happy and safe.

One sunny morning, Babalu and Sparky decided to build the tallest block tower the world had ever seen. The Great Hall echoed with the happy clatter of wooden blocks as they stacked them higher and higher, almost tickling the sparkly chandelier on the ceiling.

But just as Babalu placed the very last block, the tower began to wobble. It wiggled and jiggled, and then… CRASH! The blocks tumbled down like a hundred wooden raindrops, scattering all over the polished floor.

Sparky’s happy face crumpled. A big, fizzy feeling started bubbling in his tummy. He stomped his little dragon foot and let out a hot puff of gray smoke. 'Grrr-huff! Grrr-huff!' he grumbled, his shoulders slumping.

Babalu, wanting to fix things right away, quickly started stacking the blocks again. 'Don't worry, Sparky! We can build it again!' he said cheerfully. But Sparky didn't want a new tower. He was full of fizz and frustration! He let out another 'Grrr-huff!', and a tiny flame singed the new blocks Babalu was holding.

Just then, Professor Hoot, the wise old owl, glided down from a bookshelf. 'Babalu,' he cooed softly. 'Sometimes a big feeling is like a fizzy potion in a bottle. You can't just put a cork in it. You have to let the fizz out safely.'

Babalu understood. He stopped building and sat next to his friend. 'Professor Hoot is right,' he said softly. 'It's okay to have fizzy feelings. Let’s get your grrr-huffs out.' He grabbed two big, fluffy pillows from the throne. 'Let's stomp on these as hard as we can!'

Sparky looked at the pillows, then at Babalu. He took a deep breath and gave a mighty stomp. THUMP! Babalu stomped too. THUMP! Soon they were both stomping and giggling, letting all the fizzy feelings out until there were none left, only happiness.

With the grrr-huffs all gone, Sparky gave Babalu a warm, happy hug. They didn't build the tallest tower again. Instead, they built a silly, wobbly castle just for fun. Babalu learned that looking after a friend sometimes means not fixing the problem, but helping them with their big, fizzy feelings first.