Legend says if you listen closely to a seashell, you can hear the ocean whisper secrets. Noah, who loved animals and especially birds, thought seashells whispering secrets would be super cool! He bet those secrets were about giant squids and colorful fish. Noah’s grandma lived near the beach in Jacksonville, and he was going to visit her today! Maybe they could find some secret-telling seashells together.
Grandma was waiting on her porch swing when Noah and his mom and dad pulled up. She had on her big straw hat and was humming a happy tune. "My favorite grandson!" she cried, giving Noah a giant hug. "Are you ready for some fun at the beach?"
"We're going to find talking seashells!" Noah announced, his eyes wide with excitement.
Grandma chuckled. "Talking seashells? Well, you never know what treasures we might find!"
After a picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (Grandma's favorite!), Noah and his grandma strolled down to the shore. The sand felt warm beneath their feet, and the waves crashed gently on the beach.
"Now, how do we find these talking seashells?" Grandma asked, her eyes twinkling.
Noah wasn't sure. He picked up a shell shaped like a cone and held it to his ear. "I don't hear anything," he said, a little disappointed.
Suddenly, a tiny voice squeaked, "Try me! Try me!"
Noah jumped back. The voice was coming from a little pink shell nestled in the sand! He picked it up carefully. "Did you talk?" he asked.
"Of course, silly!" the shell giggled. "But I can only tell my secrets to someone who loves to read!"
Noah loved to read! He read books about animals, birds, and even outer space. "I love to read!" he told the shell.
"Perfect!" the shell chirped. Then it whispered, "There’s a friendly witch having a tea party under the pier. She loves cookies!”
“A witch?” Noah exclaimed. He looked at Grandma, his eyes big.
“Well, we can’t miss a tea party,” Grandma said with a grin. “Let’s go find this witch!”
Underneath the pier, they found a cozy little nook decorated with seashells and seaweed. A kind-looking witch with a pointy hat sat at a table set for two. She smiled when she saw them.
“Hello! The seashells told me you might stop by. You must be Noah!”
Noah, still a little shy, just nodded.
“Well, come in, come in! I made too many cookies.”
They all enjoyed cookies and tea (even though Noah thought the tea tasted a little bit like seaweed). The witch told them stories about mermaids and dolphins, and they laughed and talked until the sun started to set.
“Thank you for the tea party,” Noah said, giving the witch a hug.
“Anytime,” the witch winked. “Just listen to the seashells!”
As Noah and his Grandma walked back along the beach, he picked up a beautiful blue seashell. He held it to his ear and listened. This time, he could almost hear the ocean whispering, telling him to come back soon. He smiled. He couldn't wait to hear more secrets from the talking seashells and visit his new witch friend again!
