Neville the Pebble
On the shore of a beautiful sea, there lived a little pebble named Neville. He was jagged all around, rough and uneven, but perfectly content. The waves were gentle, the wind was soft, and the sun shone warmly in the sky. Life was peaceful, and Neville never imagined it could be any other way.
But then, a storm came.
The wind howled, the sky darkened, and the once-calm waves turned wild. Neville barely had time to brace himself before the raging sea swept him away from his comfortable spot. He tumbled helplessly, tossed and turned by the furious tide.
“Stop! I’m so dizzy!” Neville cried, but his tiny voice was lost in the roar of the storm.
He crashed against other pebbles, rolled along the seabed, and was carried far and wide. Each collision chipped away at his rough edges, though he was too frightened to notice. He longed for the stillness of the shore, for the quiet days when nothing ever changed. But the storm did not listen.
For what felt like forever, Neville was thrown and reshaped by the ocean’s force. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the storm passed. The sea softened, and the waves, now gentle, carried him back to the shore.
Dazed, Neville lay still for a moment. Something felt different. When he finally looked at himself, he gasped. His jagged edges were gone! The roughness that had once defined him had been smoothed away. His surface gleamed under the sun, polished by the very waves he had feared.
Nearby, a wise old shell chuckled. “The waves have shaped you, little one. The storm may have been harsh, but look at you now. You’re stronger, smoother, and more beautiful than before.”
Neville blinked, taking in his new form. He had been afraid of change, but now he saw the truth: the storm hadn’t just taken him away, it had transformed him.