A Friend

The day had finally arrived. Tony was going to a brand-new aquarium for a sleepover! He was so excited, he just couldn’t wait. His cub scout group had been invited to spend the night sleeping with the fishes.

His dad was waiting for him to finish packing. He needed a change of clothes, his toothbrush, and one stuffed animal. His dad had been very clear about that. Luckily, Tony knew exactly who to bring with him. He grabbed his hammerhead shark, Sledge. Packing him away, Tony flew down the stairs to follow his dad out the door.

Together, they said goodbye to his mom and sisters and left. It was such a long drive, Tony took two naps! By the time they arrived, it was already getting dark. On their way in, Tony pondered what he was really excited to see. The sharks. This new aquarium was all about its sharks. He was excited to see them, but he was also terrified. Giant monsters with their big gills, dead eyes, and rows of pointy teeth were nightmare material. Tony would need to be very brave in order to get close to them.

All the other boy scouts were already there, so they had to wait in line as everyone brought their things in. They were gonna meet in a big room with a tiger shark swimming around in a big tank. Tony was already super scared. They were in line, but he really wanted to go back to his suitcase for Sledge. Tony really needed his protection.

After catching a glimpse of the big tank ahead, he tugged on his dad’s arm and asked if he could go get Sledge. After a moment of consideration, he said yes, but Tony would have to be quick. They needed to meet with everyone in the big room to talk about behavior and such. He dodged and wove his way through the crowded hall until he made it back to the suitcase. Grabbing onto Sledge and hugging him tightly to his chest, Tony made his way back to his dad. It wasn’t easy to squeeze through all the people, but being small had its perks. He found his dad pretty easily, and they sat down.

The scout leaders began talking, but Tony paid absolutely no attention. His eyes were trained on the giant form of the tiger shark lazily swimming around in its tank. It was so cool! With Sledge there, he wasn’t scared at all.

Once the meeting was over, they went back to the shark tunnel. Sharks were all around them! They laid out their sleeping bags along the side of the tunnel and snuggled up. Tony was hypnotized by all the sharks swimming above him as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

They looked at everything the next day! They saw Nemo’s and Dory’s and octopuses and big crabs and even more sharks. There was a small pool where Tony got to pet actual sting rays! It was fantastic.

The last thing they visited was the gift shop where all sorts of new friends could be found. His dad let him pick one thing. Tony thought real hard. Sledge was pretty lonely. He needed a friend. Or maybe even… a big brother? Tony picked out a large hammerhead with big teeth. He wasn’t sure what to call him until his dad gave him the perfect idea. Sledge’s older brother would be Razor, because of his super sharp teeth.

Tony cradled Razor the whole way home. He was very soft. He couldn’t wait to tell everybody at home about his awesome time at the aquarium.