Chapter 10: Sammy the Snail and the Belief Jacket
In the cozy meadow where flowers bloomed and bees buzzed, there lived a little snail named Sammy. Sammy wasn’t like the other snails who spent their days nibbling leaves and sliding around puddles. Sammy loved asking questions—big questions.
One sunny morning, Sammy heard his friends Rosie the Rabbit and Toby the Turtle arguing.
“Sunny days are the best!” Rosie said, thumping her paw.
“No way,” Toby replied, shaking his head. “Cloudy days are much better!”
Sammy tilted his head. “Why do they see things so differently?”
Sammy decided to visit Granny Beetle, the wisest bug in the meadow.
“Granny, how can I understand why Rosie and Toby believe different things?”
Granny Beetle smiled. “Ah, Sammy, you need the Belief Jacket!”
“The Belief Jacket?” Sammy’s antennae wiggled with curiosity. “What’s that?”
“It’s an invisible jacket you wear in your imagination,” Granny explained. “When you put it on, you’ll feel what it’s like to see the world the way someone else does.”
Sammy’s eyes widened. “How do I use it?”
“First, you ask questions to learn how they feel. Then you slip on the jacket and pretend you’re them. Listen closely and imagine what it’s like to be in their shoes—or shell!”
Sammy thanked Granny and scurried off to try it out.
He found Rosie hopping in the sunshine. “Rosie, why do you love sunny days so much?” he asked.
Rosie’s nose twitched. “Sunny days make everything bright and warm. I can hop fast, see far, and play all day!”
Sammy closed his eyes and imagined putting on the Belief Jacket. Suddenly, he felt warm sunshine on his shell and saw himself hopping like Rosie. “That does sound fun!” he said with a smile.
Next, Sammy went to Toby, who was resting by the pond. “Toby, why do you like cloudy days?”
Toby smiled. “Cloudy days are peaceful. They keep the meadow cool, and the soft light makes the pond shimmer like magic.”
Sammy slipped on the Belief Jacket again. This time, he felt the cool breeze and saw the shimmering water. “I can see why you’d love that,” he said kindly.
Later, Sammy returned to Granny Beetle. “The Belief Jacket worked! Rosie loves sunny days because they’re bright and playful. Toby loves cloudy days because they’re calm and magical. They both have good reasons!”
Granny Beetle beamed. “That’s the secret, Sammy. It’s not about deciding who’s right—it’s about understanding why they believe what they do.”
From that day on, Sammy wore his invisible Belief Jacket whenever he wanted to understand someone better. Soon, the whole meadow started asking Sammy for advice because he always made everyone feel understood.
And whenever someone asked how he did it, Sammy would laugh and say, “It’s easy—just put on the Belief Jacket and see the world through someone else’s eyes!”
So what's the moral of the story?
Understanding others begins with curiosity. When we take time to imagine how someone else feels, we can turn differences into connections and make the world a kinder place.