Sabeel's Shell

As Sabeel and his grandmother stood on the beach watching the sunrise, a perfect, speckled shell washed ashore. Sabeel could not believe his eyes. All vacation he had hoped to find such a treasure. Now, with one scoop of his hand, the awesome shell was his. Sabeel ran to his grandmother. “Dadi, look!” he said.

“Beautiful,” she replied.

Sabeel turned it over. Inside, the shell was as pink as a bunny’s ear.

“It is a gift from the sea,” said Dadi as they walked to their cottage. “Take good care of it.”

“I will,” said Sabeel, cradling the shell.

Sabeel saw his older brother snapping pictures of seagulls.

“Vikram, look,” he said, holding out his treasure.

“So?” said Vikram. “It’s a shell. No big deal.”

“Me see,” called Puja from her playpen on the porch. Sabeel let her touch it. “Pretty,” she said.

“Pretty ordinary,” said Vikram.

Sabeel proudly showed his parents.

“Lovely,” exclaimed Mom.

“Something to share at school,” added Dad. Suddenly, Sabeel couldn’t wait for school to start.

“Let’s visit the boardwalk this morning,” suggested Mom. “Tonight, we’ll have to pack.” Sabeel slipped the shell into his pocket.

“What if you lose it?” Dad warned. “Best to leave it here.”

Sabeel placed the shell on his nightstand and then headed to the boardwalk with his parents and Puja. Dadi stayed at the cottage. So did Vikram, who was busy taking pictures.

At the boardwalk, Sabeel saw shells for sale, but none were as special as his. He and Dad rode bumper cars, and Mom won a stuffed caterpillar for Puja.

Back at the cottage, Sabeel ran to his room to admire the shell. It was gone! Only a pinch of sand remained. “My shell!” he cried. “Dadi, where’s my shell?”

“Where did you put it?” Dadi asked.

“It’s not there!” cried Sabeel. Then something caught his eye...under Vikram's bed was the shell. “Vikram took it,” he said.

“I did not!” argued Vikram. “I was taking pictures at the beach. Who cares about your boring shell?”

This time, Sabeel tucked the shell under his pillow, where no one could see it.

After lunch, Sabeel and Vikram walked to the arcade. Sabeel played Skee-Ball and won a golden treasure box, perfect for his shell.

“Nice,” said Vikram, grabbing the box. It broke apart. “Sorry.” Sabeel knew he didn’t mean it.

Back at the cottage, Sabeel searched under his pillow. Oh, no! Not again. “Mom!” he called. “Where’s my shell?”

“I don’t know,” said Mom. “Ask Dadi.”

“I haven’t seen it,” said Dadi. “Maybe Puja…”

Sabeel found Puja holding the shell in her lap. “Mine,” she said.

First Vikram. Now Puja. The shell was his. He’d found it. Quietly, Sabeel hid it in the dresser, under his last pair of underwear. He checked on it twice before everyone went to the beach for the last time.

While Mom, Dad, and Vikram swam, Sabeel stayed with Puja at the water’s edge. Salt water slapped at their ankles, and wet sand swallowed their feet as the sun slowly set. The day was over, and so was their vacation.

That evening, Sabeel and his family packed to go home. Sabeel opened his drawer. The shell was not under his last pair of underwear. It was inside his last pair of socks.

Sabeel peeked into the living room. Mom was reading to Dadi. Dad and Puja were asleep in a chair, and Vikram was taking selfies. Sabeel buried his treasure in his sneaker and then climbed into bed.

In the morning, his sneakers had vanished. Sabeel found Mom shaking sand from them outside. “Did you find my shell?” he asked.

“No,” said Mom. “You should take better care of your things.”

Sabeel saw Vikram laughing behind his camera. “It was in my sneaker!” Sabeel cried.

“No, it wasn’t,” said Mom. “We’ll look after breakfast.”

But Sabeel could not wait. He searched every corner of every room. He had to find it before it was time to go home.

During breakfast, Sabeel studied his family. Someone was hiding his shell. But who? And why?

Then, just as he took a sip of milk, he saw . . . No, it couldn’t be! But it was. Sabeel’s missing shell walked into the room. “Look!” said Sabeel, pointing.

Everyone looked. The beautiful, speckled shell with the pink inside now had beady eyes and brown legs that raced for the door.

Puja scrambled into Mom’s lap. “It’s a hermit crab!” exclaimed Vikram.

Sabeel ran over and picked it up. The brown legs and beady eyes disappeared inside. “I’ll call you Sandy,” said Sabeel, peeking into the shell. “You can live at my house.”

“He already has a house,” teased Dad.

“And a home,” said Dadi, looking into Sabeel’s eyes.

Sabeel remembered how his shell had washed up from the ocean. That was Sandy’s real home. That was where he wanted to be. “Dadi, will you come to the beach with me?” Sabeel asked with a sigh. “I have to return a gift.” Dadi smiled.

As they walked, Sabeel stared down at the shell he so wanted to keep.

At the beach, he put Sandy down by some rocks and waited. Sandy’s legs reappeared and carried his perfect, speckled shell to the water’s edge. With the next wave, he was gone.

“Goodbye,” whispered Sabeel, feeling good and awful at the same time.

Vikram was suddenly beside him. “It really was a cool shell,” he said.

“I wanted to show my friends,” said Sabeel.

“Still can,” said Vikram, holding up his camera. “I took a picture.”

“And I have a great story to tell,” said Sabeel, feeling better. “Thanks, Vikram.”

Then Sabeel and Vikram walked with Dadi back to the waiting car. It was time to go home.