Captain Nia and the Sneezing Submarine
Bright Bloomer Bedtime Stories
Ages 5 to 7 · About 3 minutes
An ocean adventure bedtime story for ages 5 to 7. Captain Nia and a witty octopus solve a submarine mystery and learn about teamwork and caring for the sea.
Captain Nia was guiding her submarine past a coral reef when it sneezed.
Not a polite little sneeze.
A gigantic bubble burp that made her notebook flutter.
“Bloop,” Nia said, “submarines do not have noses.”
Bloop flashed its round dashboard lights.
A second bubble burst rolled past the window. A passing octopus spun halfway around.
“Goodness,” said the octopus through the underwater radio. “Was that a weather announcement?”
“I think my submarine has hiccups,” Nia replied.
“Then we should investigate before it says something embarrassing to a whale.”
The octopus introduced himself as Professor Ink.
He circled Bloop and spotted a long ribbon caught near an outside water intake.
“Here is your trouble.”
Nia checked the controls and stopped the intake system.
She stayed safely inside the submarine.
“Can you hold the loose end away while I use the grabber?”
Professor Ink raised an arm. Then another.
“I have eight arms,” he said, “but I shall try not to be boastful.”
Nia guided Bloop’s little mechanical grabber toward the ribbon.
Slowly. Carefully. No bubble burps required.
The ribbon came free. Nia placed it in Bloop’s sealed collection basket.
“Loose rubbish can get caught around sea creatures too,” Professor Ink said.
“Then this belongs on shore, not in your neighborhood.”
They checked the nearby water for more drifting scraps before Bloop restarted its system.
A few normal bubbles rose toward the surface.
Nia waited.
No sneeze.
Professor Ink applauded with several arms at once.
“That is extremely convenient for clapping,” Nia said.
“Yes,” he replied. “Less convenient when choosing mittens.”
They laughed all the way back to the reef path.
At the dock, a grownup helped Nia put the collected rubbish into the proper shore bin.
She wrote three things in her captain’s notebook: notice the problem, make a safe plan, and work together.
Then she added one more discovery.
An octopus would need four pairs of mittens.
That evening, Nia placed a toy submarine on her bedroom shelf.
The real Bloop rested at the dock. The reef was quiet. Professor Ink was probably counting something with far too many arms.
Nia smiled into her pillow.
And this time, the only sound was a small, sleepy sigh.
A little discovery for tomorrow
An octopus has eight arms. How many pairs of mittens would fit eight arms? What belongs in a shore rubbish bin rather than the ocean?