0:00 The very last drop of morning dew slid from a lily pad… plink.0:05 Last night, we heard Bramble the Bear Cub whisper about the forest's moonlit secrets.0:14 Today’s story is about a different kind of secret, one hiding under the water.0:21 Our story is about a little duckling named Puddle.0:26 He was the smallest of his brothers and sisters, but his curiosity was the biggest.0:34 As the sun painted the pond with gold, Puddle watched the ripples from that single drop of dew spread out in perfect circles.0:46 And deep down, where the water was dark and green, he saw it.0:52 A tiny, magical shimmer.0:54 Puddle had to know what it was.0:57 He paddled over to the spot, his little webbed feet working hard.1:04 "I'm going on an adventure," he quacked to a dragonfly resting on a reed.1:11 The dragonfly simply twitched its wings.1:14 Puddle took a deep breath, wiggled his tail feathers, and tried to dive.1:21 But his downy fluff was like a little life vest.1:26 Boop.1:27 He popped right back up to the surface.1:30 He tried again, kicking as hard as he could.1:35 But the water just pushed him back up.1:38 He saw a wise old turtle sunning himself on a log.1:43 "Mr.1:43 Turtle," Puddle chirped, "do you know about the shimmer at the bottom of the pond?" The turtle opened one sleepy eye, blinked slowly, and then closed it again.1:59 Puddle felt a little discouraged.2:02 The sun was climbing higher, and its bright light on the surface made it harder to see the secret below.2:12 Then, Puddle remembered what his mother always said.2:17 "The pond is gentle with those who are gentle with it." He stopped trying to fight the water.2:26 He took a tiny duckling breath… and just tipped forward.2:31 Head down, tail up.2:33 He didn't kick.2:35 He didn't paddle.2:36 He just floated.2:38 Down, down, down he drifted, like a yellow autumn leaf sinking through the quiet green.2:46 The world became silent and slow.2:49 And then, he saw it.2:51 The shimmer wasn't one thing.2:54 It was a whole cluster of tiny, empty snail shells, curled like little pearls on the pond floor.3:03 As the sunlight filtered down from above, each shell caught a piece of it.3:11 They glowed with a soft, pearly light, creating a secret garden of shimmer.3:18 It was the pond’s very own treasure.3:21 Puddle watched for a long moment, his heart full of wonder.3:27 He didn't touch a single shell.3:30 He knew this secret was for watching, not for taking.3:35 With a gentle push of his feet, he floated back up to the warm, bright world.3:42 His mother was waiting for him.3:45 She nuzzled his head with her beak.3:49 Puddle didn't need to say a word.3:52 He just snuggled close, watching the sunlight dance on the surface.3:58 He knew that far below, the pond was keeping its beautiful, shimmering secret safe.
