The Wishing Starfish

It was an evening by the sea. The sun had almost gone down, and the sky was pink and purple like a flower. A little girl named Liv walked along the shore. The sand was cool under her toes. The waves said hush, hush, very softly.

Liv was looking for shells. She bent down and peeked into a little pool of water between the rocks. There were tiny crabs and smooth stones. But at the very bottom of the pool lay something else. Something that glowed. Something that sparkled like a star under the water.

Liv gently slipped her hand into the cool water. She lifted out something soft and warm. It was a starfish! A little starfish with five arms, and it glowed like a lantern. Liv held her breath. She had never seen anything so beautiful before.

Then Liv heard a tiny little voice. It sounded like the wind whispering through the grass. 'Hello, Liv,' said the voice. Liv looked around. Was it the waves? Was it the seagulls? No. It was the starfish. It spoke with a voice that twinkled, as small as the starfish itself.

'You have found me,' said the starfish. 'And so you may make a wish. Only one. Only something small. Think carefully, Liv.' Liv sat down on the warm stone. One little wish. What should she wish for? She could wish for so many things.

'Maybe,' Liv thought, 'maybe a pretty little stone.' She looked at the stones all around. They were smooth and lovely. A smooth stone could roll in her pocket and go everywhere with her. But the starfish waited quietly, and Liv felt she wanted to wish for something even finer.

'Or,' Liv thought next, 'maybe a little sand crab to be my friend.' She watched a crab scuttle sideways across the sand. It was funny. But a crab might rather live in the sea than with her. Liv did not want to make any small thing sad.

Liv looked up at the sky. The moon had just come out. It was round and bright like a silver plate. 'Maybe,' Liv whispered, 'maybe I could hear what the moon sounds like.' The starfish smiled a little. But Liv felt that this wasn't quite right either. She thought and thought.