"Look, Mom! A talking seashell!" Emma held the shell to her ear.
Mom smiled. "What does it say, sweetie?"
"It says there's a friendly dragon at the beach and he loves to play games!"
Now, Mom knew seashells couldn't talk. But Emma had a big imagination, and Mom loved to play along. "Well, we can't disappoint a playful dragon, can we?"
So, they packed their beach bag, grabbed their unicorn beach towel, and drove to the beach just outside their city of San Francisco. The beach was beautiful! The sky was so blue, and the water sparkled like a thousand diamonds. Emma, with her bright eyes and even brighter smile, ran towards the waves.
Suddenly, a big, scaly head popped out from behind a sandcastle. "Boo!"
Emma giggled. This dragon wasn’t scary at all! He had bright green scales, sparkly purple wings, and a long, swirly tail. Smoke puffed from his nostrils, smelling like cinnamon and sunshine.
"Hi, Mr. Dragon! The talking seashell said you like to play games!" Emma exclaimed.
"That I do! I love to play pretend, hide-and-seek, even tag! Playing is good for a growing dragon, you know. Makes me strong and smart!" The dragon puffed out his chest.
Emma knew all about the good things about playing! It helped her feel strong and smart too!
"What do you want to play first?" Emma asked.
"Hmm, how about hide-and-seek? I bet you can't find me!" The dragon winked, then flew behind a giant palm tree.
Emma covered her eyes and counted. "1, 2, 3... 99, 100! Ready or not, here I come!"
She looked behind the palm tree, but no dragon. She peeked under beach umbrellas and behind colorful towels. She even asked a crab scuttling by, "Have you seen a dragon?"
The crab just clicked its claws.
Emma was starting to get tired. Then, she heard a giggle coming from a big, sandy hill. "Found you!" she shouted, running towards the sound.
The dragon popped his head out, laughing. “You got me! You’re really good at this game!”
They played all afternoon. Emma pretended to be a princess riding the dragon, building sandcastle kingdoms with him. Mom even joined in, laughing as she helped build a moat out of seashells.
As the sun started to set, painting the sky in shades of pink and orange, Emma knew it was time to go.
"Thank you for playing with me, Mr. Dragon!" Emma gave him a big hug.
"Anytime, little one! Playing with you was more fun than a firefly fiesta!" The dragon winked. "Remember, playing is magic! It makes you strong and brave and kind!"
As Emma and Mom drove home, the magic of the day lingered. Emma looked at the seashell she held. It didn't talk anymore, but it didn't need to. It was a reminder of a magical day at the beach, a friendly dragon, and the importance of playing. She knew, no matter what, that the world was a little more magical because of playful dragons and talking seashells.
