The Girl and the Rainbow Seal

The Girl and the Rainbow Seal - Author : Ebru Mina TOMURCUK

Lily skipped along the shore in her red rubber boots, her yellow raincoat flapping in the salty breeze. She wore a blue sun hat with a daisy pin, and freckles danced across her nose as she smiled. The ocean sparkled like a million diamonds under the bright morning sun. Lily loved days like this, when the whole world seemed to whisper, 'Come and explore!' 1

Suddenly, something shiny caught her eye near the water's edge. It was a seal, sleek and grey-blue, with bright rainbow stripes running along its back and flippers! The seal had big, dark, round eyes and a cheerful whiskered snout. Around its neck hung a necklace of tiny seashells that clicked softly as it moved. Lily gasped. 'You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!' 2

The seal barked happily and wiggled its flippers. Lily laughed and clapped her hands. 'I'm Lily,' she said. 'Do you have a name?' The seal rolled over and pointed its nose at its rainbow stripes. 'I'll call you Rainbow,' Lily decided. Rainbow nodded and nudged her hand gently. Then it turned and looked toward a rocky path that led away from the beach, as if inviting her to follow. 3

Rainbow led Lily along the winding path, past tide pools full of tiny fish and sea anemones. Lily's red boots splashed in the shallow water, and she chattered away about everything she saw. 'Look at that shell! Look at that bird!' Rainbow listened with twitching whiskers, occasionally letting out a soft, happy bark. The path grew narrower, and the rocks grew taller on either side. 4

At last, they came to a hidden cove, and Lily stopped in her tracks. Before her was a garden like no other. Flowers of every color bloomed right on the sand—pink, orange, purple, and yellow. A little stream of sparkling water wound through the middle, and the air smelled sweet and salty all at once. 'Wow,' Lily whispered. 'An enchanted garden!' Rainbow puffed out its chest proudly. 5

As they stepped into the garden, a small crab scuttled out from behind a rock. It had a coral-orange shell, one oversized claw, and a tiny purple flower tucked behind one eye stalk. 'Halt!' it said in a squeaky voice. 'Who goes there?' Lily knelt down. 'I'm Lily, and this is Rainbow.' The crab narrowed its stalk eyes. 'A human? In our garden? I don't think so!' 6

Rainbow barked softly and nuzzled the crab. The crab's big claw drooped a little. 'Oh, all right,' it grumbled. 'I'm Sandy, the guardian of this garden. I suppose you can stay—but no picking the flowers!' Lily promised to be careful. She noticed Sandy's purple flower and said, 'I like your flower. It's very pretty.' Sandy blinked, surprised. 'You do?' 7

Rainbow showed Lily a patch of flowers that glowed softly, like little lanterns. Lily had never seen anything like it. 'How do they glow?' she asked. Sandy, who was following them, said, 'They only glow when someone kind is near.' Lily's eyes widened. 'Really?' Sandy nodded. 'I guess you're not so bad, for a human.' Rainbow barked and did a happy little spin. 8

They played a game of hide-and-seek among the tall flowers. Lily hid behind a big purple bloom, but her yellow raincoat peeked out. Rainbow found her right away and barked with laughter. Then Sandy hid under a shell, but his big claw stuck out. Lily giggled. 'Found you, Sandy!' The crab pretended to be grumpy, but his eyes twinkled. 'You're too good at this,' he said. 9

After the game, they sat by the sparkling stream to rest. Lily told Rainbow and Sandy about her home and her friends at school. 'Sometimes I feel different,' she said. 'I talk a lot and I'm always curious.' Rainbow nudged her gently. Sandy said, 'Different is good. Look at us—a girl, a seal, and a crab. We're all different, and we're having fun together.' Lily smiled. 'You're right!' 10

Just then, a strong gust of wind blew through the garden, scattering petals everywhere. One of the glowing flowers bent low, its light flickering. 'Oh no!' cried Sandy. 'The wind is too strong for the little flower!' Lily looked at Rainbow. 'We can help,' she said. 'But how?' Rainbow pointed its nose toward a big leaf on the ground. Lily understood. 'We can build a shelter!' 11

Lily picked up the big leaf and held it over the flower. Rainbow used its flippers to pat the sand around the stem. Sandy used his big claw to prop up the leaf like a little roof. Together, they made a cozy shelter. The wind blew, but the flower stayed safe. Its glow grew bright again. 'We did it!' Lily cheered. Sandy waved his claw. 'Teamwork!' 12

Sandy looked at Lily with shiny eyes. 'I'm sorry I was grumpy before,' he said. 'You're a good friend, Lily. And you too, Rainbow.' Rainbow barked and licked Sandy's shell, making him giggle. Lily felt warm inside. 'Differences don't matter when you're kind,' she said. 'They make things more fun!' Rainbow nodded, its rainbow stripes shimmering in the sunlight. 13

As the sun began to set, Lily knew she had to go home. 'Will you be here tomorrow?' she asked. Rainbow nodded and gave her a seashell from its necklace. 'For you,' it seemed to say. Sandy tucked a tiny purple flower into her hat next to the daisy pin. 'So you remember us,' he said. Lily hugged them both.