In the shiny, stainless-steel kingdom of the kitchen sink, it was a busy afternoon. From a giant white plate that looked like a snow-covered hill, a small, golden drop of oil rolled down. Her name was Ollie, and she was full of sunny energy. With a cheerful "Whee!", she slid down the smooth wall of the sink as if on the best slide in the world.
She landed at the bottom and contentedly spread out into a small, lazy circle. She looked around. Suddenly, not far from her, she saw someone amazing. It was Winnie, a clear and shimmering drop of water. She was dancing in place, sparkling like a diamond and looking as if she couldn't wait for a new adventure.
"Hello!" Ollie called out cheerfully. Her voice was deep and slow. "You must be Winnie! I'm Ollie. Do you want to play a game of tag with me?"
Winnie twirled happily. "Of course! I'd love to!" her voice tinkled like a little bell. "Then try to catch me!" And just like that, she quickly rolled away.
Ollie laughed and moved after her. She wasn't as fast as Winnie; she moved rather slowly and gracefully. When she finally caught up to her, she wanted to gently catch and tap her. But something strange happened. As soon as she touched her, Winnie jumped away as if there were an invisible wall between them.
"Wow, what a trick!" Ollie laughed. "I'll try again!"
She tried again and again. But the result was always the same. They couldn't join together. Ollie tried to slide over Winnie, but she just glided across her as if on glass. Winnie, in turn, tried to bump into Ollie, but Ollie gently pushed her away.
After a while, they didn't feel like laughing anymore. They sat a short distance apart, looking sadly at one another.
"Why isn't it working?" Winnie asked, a hint of tears in her voice. "I want to be friends with you, but something keeps separating us."
"I don't know either," Ollie sighed. "It's as if we're from completely different worlds."
Suddenly, they heard cheerful bubbling and laughter. From the side of the sink, where a bottle with a colorful picture stood, a cheerful, pearly drop full of little bubbles rolled towards them. It shone with all the colors of the rainbow and smelled like fresh lemons.
"I see you're having some trouble, friends!" she said in a cheerful voice. "My name is Soapy. Maybe I can help you."
Ollie and Winnie looked up in surprise. "You can help us?" they asked almost at the same time.
Soapy smiled, and the bubbles inside her jumped merrily. "I think so. You see, you two are very different. You, Ollie, like greasy things and are a little bit afraid of water. And you, Winnie, you only make friends with water and you avoid oil. That's why you can't join together."
"So we'll never be able to play together?" Ollie asked sadly.
"Not at all!" Soapy laughed. "You see, I have a secret power! I have something like two hands. One of my hands is made to be friends with oil. And the other one gets along perfectly with water. I'm a connector!"
Ollie and Winnie stared at her with their mouths open. They could hardly believe it.
"Watch!" said Soapy and slowly approached Ollie. She reached out her "oily" hand to her. Ollie was a little scared, but when Soapy touched her, she only felt a pleasant connection. No pushing away!
"See?" Soapy smiled. Then she turned to Winnie. "And now you!"
She reached out her other, "watery" hand to her. Winnie hesitated for only a moment. When Soapy touched her, she felt the same thing. A firm and friendly connection. And suddenly, for the first time in their lives, all three of them stood together, holding on, with no invisible wall separating them.
"Hooray!" Ollie and Winnie shouted at once.
Soapy laughed. "And now the real fun begins!"
She began to spin, and Ollie and Winnie spun along with her. Suddenly, more and more Soapies tumbled out of the bottle and joined them. Each one took hold of a bit of Ollie and a bit of Winnie. In a moment, the whole corner of the sink turned into one big, cheerful, milky, and foamy dance. Tiny bits of Ollie danced surrounded by Winnie, not pushing away at all. They were finally together!
Ollie and Winnie laughed and swirled in a joyful dance. They were no longer separate. They were part of something new and beautiful – a happy, bubbly party. They learned that even though they are completely different, with the right helper, they could be the best of friends in the world.
"And what do you think, children?" a narrator's voice was heard from somewhere. "Next time you're helping wash dishes in the kitchen, remember Soapy. And with your parents, you can safely try out how this clever connector can make a drop of oil and a drop of water become friends!"