Sammy the shark was a very happy shark, but he had a little secret. He *loved* his toys. He had a shiny red seashell, a bouncy blue starfish, and a perfectly smooth, green pebble. He loved playing with them all by himself in his cozy coral cave. Whenever his friends, Shelly the sea turtle and Finley the fish, came to visit, Sammy would quickly hide his treasures.
"What are you doing, Sammy?" Shelly asked one afternoon, noticing Sammy quickly scooping up his toys. Sammy mumbled, "Nothing! Just… tidying up!" Finley swam closer. "But playtime is more fun *together*!" he chirped. Sammy felt a little pang in his fin. He *wanted* to play with his friends, but he didn't want to share his special things.
One day, Sammy was building a magnificent sandcastle, but it kept tumbling down. He tried and tried, but the waves kept washing it away. He sighed sadly. Shelly and Finley swam by. "What's wrong, Sammy?" Shelly asked kindly. Sammy explained his problem. Finley, being a very quick swimmer, gathered lots of strong seaweed. Shelly used her strong flippers to pack the sand tightly.
Together, they built the most amazing sandcastle Sammy had ever seen! It was tall and strong, and the waves couldn't knock it down. Sammy realized something important. Building the sandcastle with his friends was much more fun than building it alone. He felt a warm glow in his heart.
"I… I have some toys I haven't been sharing," Sammy confessed, swimming back to his coral cave. He brought out his shiny seashell, his bouncy starfish, and his smooth green pebble. "Would you like to play with them?" Shelly and Finley’s eyes lit up. They all took turns playing with the toys, building towers, and pretending they were exploring a sunken ship.
Sammy discovered that sharing his toys didn't make them less special; it made playtime even *more* special. He learned that having friends to play with was the best treasure of all. From that day on, Sammy always shared his toys and his time with Shelly and Finley, and they all lived happily together in the big blue ocean.
As the sun began to set, painting the ocean in shades of orange and purple, Sammy, Shelly, and Finley snuggled close. Sammy knew that even the shiniest seashell couldn't compare to the joy of friendship. Now close your eyes, little one, and dream of playing with your friends, just like Sammy the shark.