Moana is a little girl. She is kind and brave. She lives by the ocean. The ocean goes swish, swish.
One morning, Moana holds her small shell. “My shell!” she says. It is shiny and pink.
A wave rolls in. Whoosh!
Oh no. The shell slips. Plop! It falls into the water.
Moana blinks. “Bye-bye shell?” she whispers.
A Princess comes on a little boat. She is a Princess with a bright crown and a gentle smile. She likes to help.
“Hello, Moana,” says the Princess.
Moana points. “My shell went down.”
The Princess nods. “We will find it together. Teamwork!”
They sail on the calm ocean. The sun makes sparkles. Tiny fish jump. Boop! Boop!
Moana leans over. “Shell, where are you?”
The Princess cups her hand. “Listen. The ocean tells stories.”
Moana listens. She hears: swish… swish… and far away: clink… clink.
“Did you hear that?” asks Moana.
“Yes,” says the Princess. “Curiosity leads us.”
They follow the clink sound. They pass a sleepy turtle. The turtle lifts one eye.
Moana waves. “Hi, turtle.”
The turtle points with its flipper. “Clink is that way.”
“Thank you!” says Moana.
Soon, a pirate boat pops up. It is not big, but it is loud.
On the deck is a Pirate with a red scarf. He holds a bag that goes clink-clink.
Moana’s eyes go wide. “My shell?”
The Pirate grins. “Treasure is mine. Clink clink!”
The Princess stands tall. “That shell belongs to Moana.”
The Pirate stomps. “No! Mine!”
Moana feels a little scared. Her tummy feels wiggly. But she takes a slow breath.
She whispers, “I am brave.”
Moana calls out, “Pirate, please. That shell is special. It is my find.”
The Pirate frowns. He looks at Moana’s small hands.
The Princess speaks softly, not angry. “We can trade. Fair is kind.”
Moana thinks hard. Then she opens her pocket. She has a tiny ribbon, blue like the sea.
“This ribbon is pretty,” Moana says. “You can have it.”
The Pirate touches the ribbon. “Soft,” he mutters.
Moana adds, “And you can have this banana from our boat. Yum.”
The Pirate’s tummy growls. “Grrr… okay.”
He reaches into the bag. Clink. Out comes the pink shell.
Moana gasps. “My shell!”
She holds it tight. “Thank you,” she says.
The Pirate takes the ribbon and banana. He smiles, just a little. “Bye,” he says, and his boat turns away.
The ocean is quiet again. Swish, swish.
The Princess claps. “You used brave words and a smart trade.”
Moana nods. “I was scared, but I did it.”
The Princess gives Moana a gift. A small treasure box, no bigger than a cup.
“Open it,” says the Princess.
Moana opens it. Inside is a new shiny charm shaped like a starfish. It jingles: ting-ting!
Moana laughs. “Treasure!”
They sail home. Moana puts her shell and starfish charm in the box.
At the beach, the ocean sparkles like it is smiling.
Moana waves. “Thank you, ocean. Good night.”
The Princess waves too. “Good night, brave Moana.”