In the deep digital ocean of information and communication there are amazing places to explore, wonderful things to discover and endless opportunities for extremely interesting acquaintances. But is the ocean suitable for beginners, if  someone is still young and inexperienced?

   Most of you may answer negatively, even though in your daily life you choose exactly the opposite. Isn’t that right? In any case, personally I will answer negatively. Of course, each of you should learn to swim there, as long as you have the right person with you and avoid the whirlpools and cunning cuttlefish.

   And who is the right person? There is no one more suitable than your parents, at least in the beginning. Even if they don’t know, they will find the right information and you can be sure that they’ll find it, as long as you trust them. Then of course will come reinforcements, crayfish and armored lobsters. So do your exploratory dives, but keep your mind on the whirlpools that can drag you into muddy or dangerous waters and the mischievous cuttlefish that pretend to be something different from what they really are.

                                  The Shrimp and the Cuttlefish

Once upon a time, in the distant Sea of Life and the Ocean of the Universe lived a shrimp called Re.D. Don’t think that they called her like this because she was red…Of course not! They called her Re.D, because she was always ready for tricks. And it was certainly not a secret. Everyone knew it and they all took care of her. And from looking at her again and again their eyes became big and rolled, as we know them today. Haven't you heard the phrase “he has eyes of a shrimp”? Well, they owe it to Re.D!     

-Be careful, my dear, said mom. It’s dangerous out there. There are cuttlefish that can get us into big trouble. It’s certain that you will go out, but you are not ready yet.

    - How long can I wait? I'm old enough. I want to go out, explore the world, make friends.

    - You have  already friends. There are so many shrimp at the neighborhood. And you play all day. Don’t you get along well with them?

    - Well,we are together all day. I want to meet new friends, just like my friend Trasty.

-But wasn't Trasty the one who got her parents in trouble the other time with that octopus friend she met in the open? She took her to their home and stole their belongings .  It picked up everything valuable in its eight tentacles and it disappeared. Trasty is good, but naive, don't you think? She easily trusts those she  shouldn’t and it’s dangerous.

     -Fine. All adults say the same thing. You see conspiracies everywhere.

    - Re.D, be conscious, otherwise you’ll put us all in  great trouble!

Whatever they told her, Red.D wanted to go out to ocean, because she believed that life was there. After all, so did her friends. Some of them secretly, some not ... Should she stay behind?So, she took the big decision. She would come out even if her parents didn’t want it.

That same night she lay down early and pretended to sleep until her family fell asleep.

It took a long time for everyone to calm down,so that she almost fell asleep .....

At that point, she stood up and started getting ready quickly. They shouldn’t get wind of her leaving. That’s why she had to hurry. In a few seconds she was ready. What else would a shrimp have to prepare!

So she started to move away from home ....

In front of her stretched the vast ocean, made even more impressive by the rays of the sun.
   -WOW!!!! What strange light is this? Where it comes from, the little shrimp wondered.

 She walked excitedly and a little further she saw a reef. Nearby was a herd of beautiful crimson red mullets. She didn't know them, but gladly ran and spoke to them. They would become her first friends. 

She raised her huge eyes and looked up. She saw the sun for the first time, which  seemed to her like a big yellow ball.

- My name is Re.D. Do you want to swim together and become friends?
The red mullets looked at her indifferently almost hostily, waving their mustaches. She left disappointed. It was obvious that they weren’t looking for new friends or didn’t like talking to strangers.
    Who knows?

As she was swimming and looking around, she saw a large, black cuttlefish. The shrimp was excited when she saw her. Of course she didn΄t know who she was. On the contrary, the cuttlefish immediately realized that it had the perfect victim in front of it. After giving  each other the necessary recommendations, the cuttlefish said:

-Υou know what I was thinking,  dear Re.D? As you told me, you are coming to these places for the first time. So, I thought of giving  you a super tour to a place you don't imagine that exists.

- Thank you very much for the proposal, Melanie, but I'm already late and I don't want to be late, because my parents will be looking for me.

- You are probably right. We mustn't make our parents worried! Too bad, though. When will you be given again the opportunity to swim among colorful fish, sea anemones, glittering shells?

 she said and threw some 

ink to blur the waters.

-Really, Melanie, is there such a nice place?

  -Of course there is and you would be guided by the best guide of the seabed, and I do not list ... Maybe another time. You never know...

       -What if you do it a bit faster?

       - Hmmm, I’ll do my best for you. No one can easily find such good children as you, who deserve such graces! Then, parents do not have to know everything!  This will be our secret.  Ok?  Follow me! she said and her sly eyes sparkled.

       -How naive these little ones are, she thought.  

The little shrimp didn't take long, of course, to realize that something was wrong, but it was already too late. She'd lost her way and the cuttlefish was starting to pull out its worst self. It mocked her, pushed her and in every way made her feel bad. She didn't reveal who she was, of course, but you didn't have to be brilliant to realize that her intentions weren't the best.

        As soon as she got a chance, our shrimp started swimming as fast as she could. She hid behind the first red coral reef. It was the perfect cover for a red shrimp! But the cuttlefish, as we said before, was so wicked and she didn't miss our little shrimp for long.

       She grabbed her, took her to its cave and put on swordfish guards.  Nobody would ever escape!

The time had passed and her parents would definitely be looking for her, because they weren't born yesterday. They had had shrimp eyes for a lifetime and knew very well the dangers of the open seas. So they gathered as a family, shrimp, crayfish, lobsters and went out to find Re.D. Information wasn't so difficult to get. In the open sea they are so many eyes that it is very difficult to keep something hidden. They learned about Melanie,the cuttlefish and the swordfish guards relatively quickly and went to her cave. The plan was simple. The lightly armed would enter the cave passing under the sand so that the swordsmen-guards wouldn't notice them. The armed like lobsters would stay in the rear to deal with the swordfish.

A terrible battle followed, also known as the Battle of Waterloo because madness reached the bottom that day.  Voices, screams, bangs and bites were heard and a cloud of sand covered everything.  Suddenly, the cuttlefish came out of this mud holding little Re.D.  It had opened its huge mouth and was about to devour it, while it  had scattered its black ink everywhere.

The little shrimp closed its eyes, gritted its teeth and prepared to become the cuttlefish snack.  Then it heard the voice of mom shrimp. 

-Red.D, calm down. It’s only a dream!

Red.D glanced around and saw her warm bed in the crimson coral and her mom looking at her tenderly. She was bathed in sweat and her breath was heavy. The little heart in her head was beating so fast that it was going to break.

-What’s up my dear? Do not be afraid. You had a dream. 

-I had a nightmare mom! I promise you that I will never leave your side and I will listen to your advice.

- Mom shrimp hugged the little one and started a story…….

Once upon a time…… 

                                    The End

Let's see, did you read carefully?

C. The red mullets

a. were excited by the presence of Re.D

b. showed no interest in the unknown

c. expelled her in the worst way

d. followed her in exploring the seabed

D. Re.D

a. she immediately realized who Melanie was and walked away

b. got to know Melanie better and became close friends

c. had better not have met Melanie

d. was thrilled by the acquaintance    

1. The internet is endless, as is the ocean.T F 

2. The most appropriate place and way to make friends is the internet.T F 

3.We share everything with our online friends. T F

4.The internet is a game and we can freely do whatever we want.T F

5.It is easy to see the dangers of the internet. T F

6. Parents need to be aware of our movements on the internet, just as in real life

7.We can not share secrets with people we do not know well.T F

 8. Graces and gifts are welcome wherever they come from. T F 

9. Excessive praise from people who do not know us is suspicious T F

Let's play!

C.How many times can you say the tongue twister without making a mistake?

'Fresh fried fish, fish fresh fried, fried fish fresh, fish fried fresh.'