Eli was walking along a sunny beach, and he knew it was a dream. He knew because the sky was the color of warm honey, and the sand felt as soft as a blanket. Every step he took made a little *puff* of golden dust.
"What a nice place," said Eli.
He wiggled his toes. The sand was warm, not hot. The waves went *shhh, shhh* on the shore.
Then Eli saw something small and round come scuttling over the sand. It was a crab. It was a little orange crab with two shiny eyes on tiny stalks. It waved one claw at him.
"Hello, Eli!" said the crab. "My name is Pip. I am so glad you came to the beach today."
Eli smiled. "Hello, Pip."
"Come and see," said Pip. "I am making a sandcastle. It is a big one!"
Pip led Eli down the beach. There, beside a pool of clear water, sat a sandcastle. It had three round towers and one wobbly wall. Four more crabs were working on it, and they all waved hello.
Eli looked at the castle. Then he looked in his pocket. In a dream, you can find just what you need in your pocket. Eli found a handful of smooth, shiny shells. Some were pink. Some were white. One was as blue as the sky.
"Oh!" said Pip. "Those are lovely shells."
Eli held them tight. They were so pretty. He liked them very much. He wanted to keep every one.
But Eli looked at the sandcastle. The towers had no tops. The wall had no windows. The castle looked a little bare.
Eli thought for a moment. Then he thought of something good.
"Would you like some of my shells?" he asked. "We can put them on your castle."
The crabs clapped their claws. *Click, click, click!*
"Yes, please!" said Pip.
So Eli gave a pink shell to the first tower. He gave a white shell to the second tower. He pressed the blue shell right on top of the third tower, like a little crown.
The castle began to sparkle in the sun.
"Now it needs windows," said Pip.
Eli still had a few shells left. He shared those, too. Each crab took one, and each crab made a tiny window in the wall. Soon the whole castle was shining.
"Look at that!" said Eli. "It is so pretty now."
"It is pretty because of you," said Pip. "And because of all of us."
Eli felt warm inside. He felt even warmer than the sand. Sharing his shells had made him feel happy, and it had made everyone else happy, too.
Then Pip tapped his claw on the sand. "Wait here, Eli."
Pip scuttled off. He came back dragging a small shell, a pearly one that shone like the moon.
"This one is for you," said Pip. "To say thank you for sharing."
Eli took the shell. It was soft and cool in his hand. He held it close to his ear and heard the sea, *shhh, shhh,* very softly.
The sun slid down low. The sky turned pink and then a gentle gold. The crabs sat in a row beside the castle, and Eli sat with them. Nobody said a word. The waves rolled in, and the waves rolled out.
Eli yawned a big, slow yawn.
"Goodnight, Eli," whispered Pip.
"Goodnight, Pip," said Eli. "Goodnight, crabs."
His eyes grew heavy. The sand felt so soft. The sea sang its sleepy song.
And then Eli was in his own cozy bed, tucked in under his blanket. The room was quiet and warm. His mom or dad was nearby, and the whole house felt safe and calm.
He still felt the soft, happy sound of the sea in his ears. *Shhh, shhh.*
Sharing made the whole day brighter.
Eli smiled, and he snuggled in, and he fell fast asleep.
馃寵 The End 馃寵
This story was written by AI for an example child named Eli, and it passed the same safety check every Tuck-In Tales story gets before it's sent.