Dip's Wobbly Tower

Dip loved visiting Grandpa’s house. It smelled like sawdust and honey, and the floors creaked like they were telling secrets. Dip’s favorite thing in the whole world was making Grandpa laugh. He would tell silly jokes and wiggle his eyebrows until Grandpa’s shoulders shook with a big, booming giggle. 'You're my little comedian!' Grandpa would say, ruffling Dip's hair.

One afternoon, Dip was carefully building the tallest tower in the world with Grandpa's wooden blocks. Up, up, up it went, almost touching the ceiling! He reached for one last block when the tower started to... wiggle. It wobbled. And then—CRASH! The blocks tumbled down all over the floor. Suddenly, a big, wobbly feeling bubbled up inside Dip's tummy. He didn't feel funny at all.

Dip stared at the messy pile of blocks. He tried to chase away the wobbly feeling with his special power: a joke. 'Knock-knock,' he mumbled. 'Who's there? Woody. Woody who? Woody you help me?' But the joke felt empty. The wobbly feeling didn't go away. It just got bigger and pricklier, like a grumpy hedgehog curled up in his chest.

Grandpa knelt beside him. 'That was a big crash,' he said softly. 'And it looks like it brought a big, wobbly feeling with it.' He gave Dip a warm hug. 'It's okay to feel grumpy when things fall down. Let’s give that feeling a name. Is it a grumpy storm cloud?' Dip nodded. 'Okay,' said Grandpa. 'Let's take a big breath and blow that cloud away. Ready? WHOOSH!' Dip took a deep breath and blew out hard. A tiny bit of the grumpy feeling blew away with it.

Dip felt a little lighter. Instead of a tall tower, he and Grandpa built a silly, lopsided castle with a goofy, crooked door. They laughed as they placed the last block on top. It was a real, happy laugh this time. Dip learned that feelings could be wobbly, but a hug, a deep breath, and a silly castle with someone you love could always make things better.