Teddy and the Sea-Grass Ribbon

“This ribbon is supposed to follow me,” said Teddy, “not hug my legs!”

The young crab stopped on a sandy path between two branching corals. A long ribbon of sea grass had wound around his feet like a green, wiggly scarf. Teddy lifted one claw. The ribbon lifted with it. He lowered his claw. Plip! It flopped over his toes.

From a nearby coral cup, a tiny fish named Bix peeked out. “Is it dancing?” he asked.

“Not yet,” said Teddy. “I’m bringing it to the reef’s evening gathering. The crabs are going to dance on the sandy circle, and this ribbon is the grand parade streamer.”

Teddy had found the sea grass tucked beside a smooth shell. It was long and lovely, with narrow leaves that waved in the water. He had pictured himself arriving with it streaming proudly behind him. But crabs walked sideways, and every time Teddy scuttled, the ribbon curled around his legs.

“Scuttle, shuffle, sideways go— keep that ribbon where you want it to flow!” Teddy sang.

He tried again. He held the ribbon in both claws and shuffled along the path. Around one coral branch he went. Around another he went. Then the ribbon looped around his left leg, and Teddy turned in a small circle.

“Hello, Teddy,” called a snail on the coral. “Are you going somewhere?”

“I think I’m going everywhere,” Teddy replied. He gently unwound himself and set off once more.

The path curved past a fan of coral and dipped over a sandy ridge. Ahead, the gathering place waited: a wide, smooth patch of sand where lanternfish hung little shells for decoration. Teddy could hear the other crabs practicing their tapping dance.

Clack-clack, scrape-scrape! went their feet.

Teddy wanted to join them. He also wanted the sea-grass ribbon to arrive in one piece, without tying him into a crab-shaped knot.

He tucked the ribbon under one claw and started down the winding path. It slid out, slipped behind him, and looped around both back legs.

“Scuttle, shuffle, sideways go— keep that ribbon where you want it to flow!”

Teddy paused to untangle it. The gathering music grew louder. He looked at the ribbon, then at his little sideways feet. “There must be a way,” he said, and tried once more.

Teddy carried on along the sandy path. He held the ribbon tight in front of him and scuttled sideways. For three steps, everything went just right.

Step, step, step.

Then the loose end sailed around his back legs and tied them together.

Teddy tipped gently onto a soft patch of sand. The ribbon lay across his shell like a green mustache. Bix poked his head out from behind a coral branch.

“Very fancy,” he said.

Teddy giggled, though his cheeks felt warm. “I’m trying to bring it to the gathering, not wear it as a costume.” He wriggled free and gathered up the ribbon again.

“Scuttle, shuffle, sideways go— keep that ribbon where you want it to flow!”

He made it past a coral arch. He made it around a round stone. But on the next turn, the ribbon looped around one leg, then another. Teddy stopped before he could get tangled tighter.

Just then, a little current slipped through the branching coral. It caught the loose ribbon and carried it out to one side. The sea-grass leaves streamed in the water, neat and straight, while Teddy stood still.

Teddy watched closely. The current wasn’t pulling the ribbon behind him. It was holding it off to the side.

“Oh!” he said. “I don’t have to drag it behind me. I can hold it over here!”

He pinched the ribbon near its end with one claw and stretched his arm out to the side. Then he took a small sideways step. The current caught the ribbon again, and it streamed beside him instead of curling around his legs.

Teddy tried another step. Then another.

“Scuttle, shuffle, sideways go— hold it out and let it flow!”

The ribbon followed the little current like a green tail, but it stayed clear of Teddy’s feet. He moved around a coral branch, crossed the sandy ridge, and reached the wide gathering place.

“There’s Teddy!” called Brindle, the oldest crab. “And he brought the parade streamer!”

The crabs clacked their claws in welcome. Teddy held the ribbon to one side as he scuttled into the circle. Brindle and the others lined up beside him.

“Show us how,” said Bix.

Teddy smiled. “Like this!” And the crabs began to dance sideways together, the ribbon streaming neatly beside them.

Clack-clack, scrape-scrape! The crabs danced across the sandy circle, keeping time with their feet. Teddy led the way, his claw stretched out to the side and the sea-grass ribbon flowing beside him.

Brindle scuttled behind him. Bix swam alongside the ribbon, making little loops in the water. Even the snail from the coral path joined in, though his dance took a very long time to cross the circle.

“Scuttle, shuffle, sideways go— hold it out and let it flow!” sang Teddy.

The crabs turned one way, then the other. Their claws clicked like tiny castanets. Teddy no longer tried to make the ribbon do what he expected. He held it steady and let the current help. When he went around the circle, the ribbon streamed at his side. When he slowed down, it curled lazily in the water.

At last Brindle tapped his claws three times. The dance came to a stop. The crabs settled onto the sand, pleased and a little tired from all that sideways stepping.

Teddy lowered his claw. The ribbon floated down beside him and rested across the sand in a long, tidy curve. It looked like a green path leading nowhere in particular—and that was just fine.

“You found the right way to carry it,” said Brindle.

“I found a way that works for my sideways feet,” Teddy said. He brushed a grain of sand from his shell. “And I didn’t have to turn into a walking knot.”

Bix giggled. “Though the mustache was nice.”

Teddy laughed with him. The other crabs made one last quiet clack of their claws, then sat together near the ribbon. Above them, the water moved gently through the branching coral. The reef’s busy paths grew still, and the gathering place became a cozy place to rest.

Teddy folded his legs beneath him. The sea grass lay close by, no longer tugging or tangling. Around him, the crabs tucked their claws in and settled on the warm sand. Bix found a snug spot in a coral cup, and Brindle leaned back against a smooth stone.

Teddy watched the ribbon sway once with the current, then grow quiet beside him. His sideways feet rested, his claws relaxed, and the reef hummed softly around the gathered friends as they settled in for the night.