A Crab in Charge of Everything
It starts with a little idea…
Ari (child)“I want a crab who’s the boss. He tells everybody what to do. Even the sea. But the sea doesn’t listen. He’s got a crown—like seaweed on his head.”
Crab has a crown, a clipboard and a plan for absolutely everything. There is just one problem: the sea hasn’t agreed to it.
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The new boss
Crab climbed the tallest rock and put seaweed on his head. “I am in charge of everything,” he announced. Gull found a clipboard. Octopus found a pencil. “What shall we do first?” asked Gull. Crab looked at the whole enormous sea. He had quite a lot of ideas.
Crab’s excellent rules
“Fish must swim in straight lines,” said Crab. “Octopus must polish the shells. And Whale must make smaller splashes.” “Some shells are under the water,” Octopus said. “Then polish them under the water,” said Crab. He ticked his list. Being in charge was going splendidly.
A picnic at three
Next, Crab planned a picnic on the beach. He chose a seaweed mat, six cups and a basket of sandwiches. “The sea must stay over there until three o’clock,” he said. Gull looked at the wet sand. “The tide doesn’t look at clocks.” “It will look at mine,” said Crab.
The sea did not stop
The water crept closer. Octopus lifted one cup out of a little puddle. “We could move the picnic,” she said. Crab blew his shell trumpet. “STOP!” he called to the sea. The sea came a little closer. Crab blew again. A small wave curled towards the basket.
The soggy plan
SPLISH! The wave lifted the mat. The basket began to bob. Crab’s list flopped into the water. “My picnic!” he cried. He looked at his wet paper. He looked at his friends. For the first time all morning, Crab had nothing to say. But Octopus was already reaching.
Everyone had an idea
Whale nudged the basket towards Octopus. Octopus caught the handle and gathered the cups. The fish pushed the mat towards a dry rock. Gull rescued two sandwiches from the top of the basket. Nobody waited for Crab to tell them how. Crab scrambled down. “Can I help?” he asked.
A better place
“Yes,” said Octopus. “Take these cups.” Crab took them carefully. “Where shall we put the picnic?” he asked. “Up here,” said Gull. “The waves won’t reach this ledge.” “We’ll need room for everyone,” said the smallest fish. Crab looked at the ledge, the pool beside it and all his friends. This time, he listened.
A picnic for everyone
They spread the mat on the ledge and passed the sandwiches round. Crab counted the cups. “Who needs another one?” he asked. “Me,” said Gull. Crab fetched it. The tide came in. The tide went out. The picnic stayed dry. “It’s a very good plan,” said Octopus. Crab smiled. “We made it together.”
The next list
That evening, Crab hung his seaweed crown on a rock. He made a new list: Ask. Listen. Help. “Are you still in charge of everything?” asked Gull. Crab watched a wave splash exactly where it wanted. “Just the cups,” he said. “Would anyone like a drink?”
An illustrated example of the experience we are developing. Talebrix is still in development; this book was not printed by the device.