cover
At the suburban bus stop at sunrise, Aani in her blue dress clutches her colorful backpack, cheeks tense but hopeful beneath soft golden light. Dewy grass and the waiting yellow school bus frame the quiet scene.
Aani woke up early on her first day of school. Her tummy felt funny with butterflies. She put on her favorite blue dress and brushed her long light brown hair. "You'll make friends," Mom said with a smile. Aani took a deep breath. She grabbed her backpack and walked to the bus stop. Today would be a new beginning. Aani hoped someone would want to be her friend.
Inside the brightly lit classroom, Aani and Dyana sit side-by-side at tiny desks, smiling as they color rainbow pictures with shared crayons. Sunlight from tall windows paints warm patches across scattered art supplies and alphabet posters.
In the classroom, Aani sat at a small desk. A girl with medium red hair sat down next to her. "Hi! I'm Dyana," she said with a big smile. "I'm Aani," she replied shyly. "Want to share my crayons?" Dyana asked. Aani nodded happily. They colored pictures of rainbows together. By lunchtime, they were giggling and talking. Aani had made her first friend!
On the sunny school playground at midday, Aani and Dyana soar on adjacent swings, laughing with heads tilted back and feet kicked skyward. Behind them, the bright slide and climbing frames gleam against a clear blue sky.
At recess, Aani and Dyana ran to the playground. "Let's go on the swings!" Dyana shouted. They pumped their legs high into the air. "I can almost touch the sky!" Aani laughed. Then they played on the slide together. Other kids joined them for tag. Aani felt so happy. School was more fun with a friend by her side.
In her dimly lit bedroom at night, Aani kneels beside the bed, neatly laying out tomorrow’s play clothes while a bedside lamp casts a soft glow. Her eager smile contrasts with the dark window showing a starry sky.
On Friday after school, Dyana had an idea. "Can you come to the park tomorrow?" she asked Aani. "I'll ask my mom!" Aani said excitedly. That evening, Aani's mom called Dyana's mom. They both said yes! Aani could barely sleep that night. She kept thinking about the park. She laid out her play clothes. Saturday couldn't come fast enough!
Under a bright Saturday morning sun, Aani hangs from a green monkey-bar frame beside Dyana, both grinning wide with playful ‘monkey’ faces. Nearby, lush grass and a shimmering pond with waddling ducks complete the lively park backdrop.
Saturday morning, Aani met Dyana at the park. The sun was shining bright and warm. "Let's play on the monkey bars!" Dyana suggested. They swung from bar to bar, pretending to be monkeys. Then they fed the ducks by the pond. "Quack, quack!" the ducks said happily. The girls laughed and ran through the grass. It was the best Saturday ever!
That evening in her warmly lit bedroom, Aani kneels by an open suitcase, tucking in a swimsuit beside a purple bucket and plastic shovel, eyes shining with anticipation. Shadows dance on the walls from a single desk lamp.
"Tomorrow is Sunday," Dyana said at the park. "Want to go to the beach with my family?" Aani's eyes grew wide with excitement. "I love the beach!" she exclaimed. They asked Aani's mom, who happily agreed. That night, Aani packed her swimsuit and towel. She found her favorite purple bucket and shovel. The beach would be an amazing adventure!
On the sun-drenched beach at midday, Aani and Dyana crouch beside a towering sandcastle adorned with colorful seashells, smiling proudly. Sparkling waves glimmer behind them while a blue sky and scattered umbrellas frame the joyful scene.
Sunday arrived sunny and perfect. At the beach, Aani and Dyana built a giant sandcastle. They decorated it with pretty shells. "Let's go in the water!" Dyana said. The girls splashed in the gentle waves. The water felt cool and refreshing. They jumped over small waves together. "This is so much fun!" Aani shouted happily. Everything was perfect until something changed.
In waist-deep ocean water under bright afternoon sun, Aani and Dyana freeze mid-splash, eyes wide toward Shark’s dorsal fin slicing the sparkling surface a few yards away. Rolling waves and distant beach umbrellas contrast the sudden tension.
Suddenly, Dyana pointed to the water. "Look! A fin!" she cried out. A large gray shape moved through the waves. It was a shark swimming near the shore! "Run!" shouted Aani, remembering what her dad taught her. Both girls turned toward the beach. Their hearts pounded as they moved quickly. The shark's fin cut through the water behind them. They had to reach the shallow water!
Still in the open sea, Aani stretches forward in a desperate freestyle beside Dyana, both faces focused and splashed by sunlit water, while Shark trails several body lengths behind. The shoreline and waving parents appear small ahead.
Aani and Dyana swam as fast as they could. Their arms pulled through the water with all their strength. The shark followed behind them, but not too close. "Keep going!" Aani called to her friend. Dyana kicked her legs hard. The water got shallower and shallower. They could see the sandy bottom now. Their parents were waving from the beach. Almost there!
At the water’s edge beneath late-afternoon light, dripping Aani and Dyana hug tightly knee-deep in foamy surf while Shark’s gray silhouette turns back toward deeper blue behind them. Colorful towels lie ready on the sandy shore.
The shark began to slow down in the shallow water. It turned its big body around slowly. Aani and Dyana reached water up to their knees. They ran the rest of the way to shore. The shark swam back to the deeper water. "We're safe!" Dyana hugged Aani tight. Their parents wrapped them in warm towels. Everyone was relieved and happy. The scary moment was over.
On the sunny beach, Aani and Dyana sit on striped towels listening to a lifeguard in red shorts and white rescue shirt kneeling beside them, calmly explaining while pointing toward the calm sea. The girls’ faces look reassured.
Later, a lifeguard came to talk to them. "That shark wasn't trying to hurt you," he explained kindly. "Sharks usually stay in deep water. You did the right thing by swimming away calmly." Aani felt a little better knowing this. "Sharks are just animals living in their home," Dyana said. The lifeguard nodded and smiled. The girls felt brave and smart. They had handled the situation perfectly!
Inside a warmly lit dining room that evening, Aani and Dyana stand beside the long table, embracing with huge smiles and linked pinkies while half-eaten plates and clinking glasses surround them. A single ceiling lamp casts cozy golden light.
That evening, Aani's family had dinner with Dyana's family. The girls told everyone about their exciting week. "We had so much fun together!" Aani said happily. "Even the scary parts turned into an adventure," Dyana agreed. The two friends hugged each other tight. "Best friends forever?" Aani asked. "Best friends forever!" Dyana promised. And they all lived happily ever after, sharing many more adventures together.