Marilia's Beach Friend

Marilia loved sunny days at the beach more than anything. The salty air tickled her nose, and the golden sand felt warm beneath her toes. Her favourite thing was building tall, sparkly sandcastles with clever turrets and deep moats.

She also loved carefully collecting colourful shells, choosing only the prettiest ones. Marilia was always gentle, making sure to put tiny crabs back in the water safely if she accidentally scooped them up. She had a very caring heart.

One bright morning, Marilia arrived at her favourite sandy spot, bucket and spade in hand. But wait! Someone else was already there. A new child, a boy named Alex, was busy building a big, grand sandcastle not too far away.

Alex even had a bucket full of amazing shells, just like Marilia! He was making a very impressive castle with clever walls and a tall flag pole. Marilia felt a little flutter in her tummy; she really wanted to say hello, but she was so shy.

Marilia started her own beautiful castle a little way off. She built a magnificent tower, carefully decorating its tip with a shiny, pearly shell. She peeked at Alex, who was now adding a tiny seaweed garden to his masterpiece.

Suddenly, Alex looked up and saw Marilia's amazing castle. He gave a small, nervous smile. Marilia smiled back, just as nervously. They both looked away quickly, a bit unsure of what to do next.

Just then, a sneaky wave rushed up the sand, much closer than usual! It splashed dangerously near Alex's magnificent castle, threatening to wash away his carefully built wall. 'Oh no!' Marilia thought, her caring heart leaping.

Forgetting her shyness, Marilia quickly grabbed a small, flat piece of driftwood she had found earlier. 'Here!' she called out, her voice a little squeaky, holding it out towards Alex. 'Maybe this can stop the water!'

Alex looked surprised, then grateful. He quickly took the driftwood. 'Thanks!' he mumbled, placing it in front of his castle. It worked! The driftwood blocked the wave, saving his precious wall.

The nervous smiles returned, but they felt a little warmer this time. 'That's a super sandcastle!' Marilia said, pointing to his. 'Yours too!' Alex replied, pointing to hers. 'And your shells are awesome!'

Marilia showed him a sparkly pink shell she'd found. Alex showed her a swirly brown one. They started giggling, then laughing, as they discovered they both loved finding heart-shaped stones and making little pathways for the hermit crabs.

Soon, Marilia and Alex were no longer shy at all. They were talking and laughing, sharing all their best sandcastle secrets and shell-collecting tips. They decided to build one HUGE, super-duper castle together!

Their new castle had two amazing towers, a grand bridge, and a moat full of their favourite shells. Marilia felt a happy warmth spread through her. She wasn't shy anymore, and she had made a wonderful new friend who loved the beach just as much as she did!