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Tide Pool Surprise |
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One warm, summer afternoon, Chip, a happy little hermit crab, got some exciting news from his friend, Prickles, a starfish.
“Chip, guess what! There’s going to be a tide pool party tomorrow morning. Will you come?”
“Of course I will come!” Said Chip, happily.
“That is wonderful! Please tell Sandy about the party, also.” Said Prickles, as he hurried away to tell the others.
Chip could hardly wait to tell Sandy about the party. She was also a hermit crab and his best friend in the whole world. He knew Sandy would be as excited about the party as he was.
“Oh boy!” thought Chip, “Everyone will have a great time at the tide pool party!
All the little ocean creatures loved tide pools. Tide pools were small, sandy-bottomed places where warm, salty water collected in hollows among large rocks. These wonderful pools were left behind after the high-water tide rolled out to sea. Much later, high tide would return. Until then, hermit crabs, clams, urchins and starfish sometimes got together for some splishy, splashy fun!
Chip hurried over sand dunes, skittered around sea weed and clattered over small stones and broken shells scattered along the beach.
At last, among the low cliffs far from the edge of the sea, he found Sandy huddled tightly between two big, smooth rocks.
“Sandy! Sandy, guess what! There’s going to be a tide pool party tomorrow morning! Won’t that be fun?” Chip asked, breathlessly.
“It will be fun for you,” Sandy said, softly, “I cannot go.”
Sandy began to quietly cry, but she was squeezed so tightly between the two big rocks, she could not even turn her eyes to look at him or reach up to wipe her tears away. “I want you go to the party without me.” She said sadly.
“If you do not go with me, I will not have as much fun at the party. So, I will not go to the party either.” Said Chip.
Then, Chip scuffled around to face his friend and asked, “Why don’t you want to go to the party, Sandy? We always have such a good time.”
“It is because, because...” Sandy began to tremble. Chip held her claw and encouraged her to continue.
“It is okay, Sandy,” he said, “whatever the trouble is, I promise I will help you.”
Sandy took a deep breath and said, “It is because I have grown too big for my shell. I do not have anything to wear to the party. All I have is this yucky piece of seaweed tied around my middle.”
“Oh,” Chip nodded, noticing the sea weed, “But Sandy, even if you do not to go to the party, you will still need something sturdy and safe to wear other times, while you are walking around on the beach.”
Chip thought a minute then, smiling, said, “Tonight, we will go to the sea shore together and find a new, beautiful shell for you to wear!”
“Really Chip? What a wonderful friend you are!” Sandy smiled.
Chip smiled, too, then curled up in his shell, waiting with Sandy for night to come.
When the moon had crept to the top of the sky and lit the beach with a silvery glow, Chip and Sandy left the safety of the tall rocks and hurried across the damp sand toward the sea. Finally, they reached the white rushing froth of the water’s edge.
The first shell they saw was the color of palm trees and coconuts. Sandy thought it was lovely and tried it on. But it was too small.
The second shell was a little larger, sunshine yellow, and circled with dark green ribbons the color of seaweed. It seemed to glow in the moonlight. But, it turned out to be too small, also.
“Here!” shouted Chip, “Here is another beautiful shell, Sandy! Try this one!”
The third shell was larger. It was shiny and black as a moonless night. Large silver spots glittered all over it, like twinkling stars.
“Oh Chip! This is the most beautiful shell! I cannot wait to wear it to the party!” Sandy shoved and squished herself up into the shell. Most of her, still wrapped in sea weed, hung out. “Well, Chip, how about this one?” Sandy asked, looking hopeful.
“I am sorry Sandy, but I think we had better keep looking.” Chip said.
Sandy began to cry, “I am too big, Chip. I am too big for a shell now. I will have to live the rest of my life between the crack in the rocks.” She cried so many tears that Chip almost started to cry too. He ran to comfort his friend.
“Sandy you are not too big. The shells we have found are just too small. We will find a shell that fits before morning.” Chip said.
Sandy looked down at her friend and wiped away her tears. Just then, she saw something sparkling in the water. Slowly, a wave rolled back into the sea leaving a large, beautiful conch shell glimmering on the shore.
“Look, Chip! Look over there!” Sandy scrambled toward the shell. She touched it with her claw. “Oh, Chip, it is very beautiful isn’t it? Look at the lovely shape and pretty pink colors!”
“Try it on, try it on!” Chip shouted, excitedly. He was relieved his friend had, at last, found a shell which seemed perfect in every way.
Sandy was unsure. “What if it does not fit?”
“You will never know unless you try it on.” Chip smiled, because he felt very sure this time, this shell would fit.
Sandy wriggled into the shell and sat scuffling nervously on the sand. “It fits Chip! It fits perfectly!”
Unexpectedly, a big, noisy wave rolled up from the sea and washed over them.
Chip was lifted into the water, but Sandy, who was safe inside the heavy shell still lying on the sand, grabbed him with her claw and held on tightly until the wave had gone back into the sea.
Chip thanked his friend. Sandy quickly shouted over the sound of rushing waves, “We’d better hurry Chip, the tide is coming in. Soon, the beach will be flooded!”
When Sandy tried to crawl away from the sea, she found she could not move. She pulled and struggled. She dug her claws into the wet sand and tried with all her strength to drag her shell along behind her. She could not even wiggle the heavy conch. Wondering what he could possibly do to help, Chip stood beside his friend. It seemed to Chip the water continued to rise higher and higher.
“It is no use. I will never find a shell!” Sandy shouted. She wriggled out from under the heavy conch. Leaving it lying on the sand, Sandy hurried away toward the rocks without Chip.
“Sandy! Sandy, come back!” Chip called. But, she was far away, over the dunes and could not hear him calling.
Chip clattered up onto the rocks far from shore and sat with his head in his claws, thinking. This is how Chip thought best. He simply did not know what he could do to help his friend. But Chip knew that, somehow, he must think of something.
Chip watched as the deep, blue sea rushed and lapped at the sand below. He gazed at the froth as the moon wandered slowly across the sky. Everything on the beach—all the tender seaweed, small shells and wet sand—glittered in the pretty moonlight.
Hours slowly passed. Gradually, the sea began to shrink away from the shore as the tide rolled far out into the ocean.
Chip gazed at the place where their friends would soon be gathered, enjoying a party he and Sandy would miss. Already, sea water had collected there, creating the shallow, tide pool.
Chip crawled off his rocky perch and carefully climbed across driftwood bridges until he reached the soft sand below. He scuffled to the tide pool, hoping if he sat closer to it he might think of an idea there.
Chip neared the pool. He looked around a rock at the edge and saw something flash in front of him. Instantly, Chip shrank into his shell, worried he might be in danger. After a minute, Chip peeked out. Seeing he was safe, he crept closer to the water’s edge.
In the quiet tide pool, floating gracefully in slow circles, swam a juice can. Chip saw it was torn in half and had been polished into a satin, silvery finish by the constantly rocking waves that must have brought it.
Like most crabs, Chip was fascinated with interesting objects. After a short time watching from the edge, Chip decided to have a closer look.
Wading into the cool tide pool, Chip discovered it was shallow enough that he could scuffle along the bottom with his claw tips while keeping his eyes above water.
He watched the can circle the pool. It reflected the moonlight with glimmering, pearly colors.
At last, Chip had an idea.
Chip pinched the can in his claw and pulled it to the edge of the tide pool. Dragging the can behind him, Chip skittered through the sea weed. He traveled the shore in the dim hours just before dawn searching for interesting objects he could attach to the can.
Besides lots of tiny pretty shells, he found other unusual objects.
He found a silver fishing lure, a new quarter, and an old, green penny.
He found a shiny blue bottle lid with red letters on it.
Later, he found a rubber band, a green marble, and two buttons—one small, round and white, the other medium sized, square and pink.
Thrilled with his treasures, Chip was especially pleased to discover a long, gold necklace chain.
Chip pinched off bits from a sand-encrusted wad of chewing gum and carefully glued the very last object in place, just as the first warm rays of sun began to light the morning sky.
With all its decorations, the can had become very heavy.
Heaving the can behind him, Chip climbed slowly over sand dunes, scuffled clumsily around tangled seaweed and clattered noisily over small rocks and broken sea shells. Exhausted, he reached Sandy, who was still wedged in the crack between the two rocks, sleeping.
Chip placed the can behind some dune grass, then dropped his claws in the sand, catching his breath. “Sandy, Sandy… wake up...” he panted, “I have... a surprise...” But, before he could finish his sentence, Chip had fallen asleep on the sand.
Sandy opened her eyes and saw her friend. She crept cautiously out of the crack and pulled Chip closer into the rocks. She covered him carefully with a piece of damp seaweed. As she turned to press herself into the crack, she saw something shining behind some grass.
Being a very curious crab, she tippy-clawed closer to the strange object. When she pulled back the brown leaves, her eyes filled with tears for the very last time. But, this time, they were tears of happiness.
She touched the fishing lure with her claw. It shimmered in the early morning sun as it swung back and forth on the beautiful silvery can.
Sandy hurried over to Chip and hugged him tightly. “Oh, Chip, it is the most wonderful, the most beautiful shell I have ever seen! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Now, at last, you have a shell!” Chip laughed, sleepily.
“Yes, Chip! A brand new, extra special, amazing shell!” Sandy agreed.
Sandy slid comfortably into the can and was surprised and pleased at how perfectly it fit. “Look!” she said.
“Oh...” said Chip, “I think you are the most beautiful crab in the world! Sandy, you really make that can shine.”
“And, just in time for us to go to the party.” Smiled Sandy. “Chip, you are my best friend in the world! Let’s go play in the water!”
Chip smiled too, and, together, away they clattered toward the excited chatter and shouts of laughter coming from the sparkling tide pool at the edge of the blue-green sea.
THE END
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 Illustration by B. Bracken © 2005 |
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Writing - Home The
Gift of Everlasting Cheer | Tide Pool
Surprise |
Can You See What I See |
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All text and graphics on this page and within this website (aimsatyourservice.com) are copyrighted by Lisa Bracken and/or Cirse Windom 1995-2007, except as otherwise noted. All rights are reserved. Reproduction and distribution of any kind is strictly prohibited. Please visit the legal notices page to inquire about copyright, reprint and other issues. |