1. Jonah the Jellyfish & Katie the Kid By: Macey Ackman

2. Jonah the Jellyfish & Katie the Kid By: Macey Ackman

4. T here was once a young girl named Katie who lived by the sea. She loved the water so much, everyday she would travel down the same path to a secret spot overlooking the crashing waves.

6. This favorite spot of hers had a perfect nook of deep calm water and a waterfall where she could see all the glorious colors of the ocean. She saw plants, animals, and the most beautiful natural scenes you could ever dream of.

8. Katie loved hanging out with her friends, but what she liked to do most with her time was swim at her favorite spot. Every day of the summer, she would head to her cave of wonders and spend time with the animals and occasional neighborhood friend.

10. She knew a few gulls, a blowfish, a couple of dolphins and a cute family of jellyfish. Katie’s most trusted sidekick was the youngest jellyfish, Jonah.

12. All summer Katie and Jonah would lay in the sun, swim in the water and play games. Sometimes, Katie would even bring her snorkeling gear so they could go exploring the deep sea together. These adventures allowed them to see coral starfish, tiny sea horses, and massive whales.

13. Weeee!

14. On one of these journeys, they left a little later in the day than usual. Katie was a very strong swimmer so she could always keep up with the aquatic creatures, but on this particular day, they went out a little bit too far.

16. While they were out, the sky had quickly turned a deep grey and it began to hail. They were so far out that they were directly in between two separate islands. They couldn’t even tell which was theirs. They headed towards the one that looked a little bit more familiar so they could get back to their parents and safety right away. As they swam closer, a wave as high as the clouds came crashing down upon them.

18. Hours later, Katie was startled awake by a croaking frog just a few feet from where she lay on the shore. She frantically looked around for Jonah, but he was no where to be found. On top of that, she doesn’t recognize where she is. She starts walking around the island trying to find anything familiar…or anyone.

20. It’s getting darker and cooler as Katie searches around the island. She decides her best move will be to find a dry spot where she could stay for the night. She had to have gone 3/4 the way around the island, until she found a dimly-lit cove to rest in. Sleep didn’t come easily for Katie because she was nervous about her own safety, the whereabouts of Jonah, and of course getting in trouble with her parents.

21. Silly me!

22. To Katie’s surprise, the next morning she awoke in the cove where Jonah’s family lives. She must not have recognized it in the dark! She looked into the small pool beside her and saw Jonah’s family. They explained they carried Jonah in and by the time they came back out to get Katie, she had already gone exploring for safety. She realized she went the whole way around the island, when she was really just at home the whole time! Katie and Jonah both agreed to not start the fun so late or so far out and to definitely check the weather!

23. Macey Ackman is a student at Slippery Rock University. She will graduate this spring with a masters degree in English education. This story was written for her little sister Katie.