Thirsty but afraid of the water, Lashawn Lion cautiously approaches the pool where Hettie Hippo is playing. Narrator: Male Story Begins: 4:13 Lion’s Leap Excerpt: On a sunny afternoon in the Ahway Island Animal Sanctuary, the land warmed under a clear blue sky. Down by the water, Hettie Hippo was happily splashing in her usual pool.  Nearby, Lashawn Lion stretched out on the dry ground beneath the shade of a tree. Lashawn yawned and blinked his sleepy eyes open. The warm air made his fur feel toasty, but his mouth felt sticky and dry. Lashawn licked his lips and stretched his paws out in front of him, feeling the dry earth beneath him. “I’m thirsty,” he thought to himself, noticing how the heat made his throat feel scratchy. Today’s Meditation: Imagine drawing gentle shapes in the soothing sand as you relax before today's story. Creating the original bedtime stories and art for Be Calm on Ahway Island takes a lot of time and care. As a listener-supported podcast, we truly appreciate our members on Patreon. If you're not already a member, please consider joining! Writing, recording, editing, and publishing episodes and managing digital platforms is an enormous endeavor. Our Patreon program will help continue to grow Ahway Island and we hope you will support us! You can choose from 2 different Membership Levels, all of which include access to our Archives and extra episodes every other month! Are you and your children enjoying our stories and self-soothing meditations? Looking for ways to help your child learn emotional regulation and how to self soothe? You'll find them on Ahway Island®. Be Calm on Ahway Island® Podcast offers original bedtime stories, like "Happy Dragon" paired with meditations for kids. We help them drift off to sleep with a guided relaxation and a calming story. Gently nestled within each podcast episode are mindfulness techniques and positive learning moments.  To learn more about our mission at Ahway Island and our team, please visit our website. In the press: Read about how and why we created Ahway Island in this feature from Global Comment! Zzz! The Boston Globe recommends "Be Calm on Ahway Island" as as one of "Eight Podcasts That Could Help You Get Some Sleep." SheKnows recommends us as as a podcast you and your kids will love! Digital Trends warns listeners that "you may not make it through an entire episode fully conscious." Yay! We're so glad you could join us today on Ahway Island. See you again soon!