Sophie jumped out of the car and shouted, "We’re here!" She ran toward the golden sand, her long black hair flying behind her.

Barefoot, Sophie wiggled her toes into the warm sand. She giggled and called, "It feels squishy and soft!"

Sophie spotted something shiny near the waves. "Look, a shell!" she exclaimed, picking up a tiny pink one.

She decided to collect more, finding shells of all shapes and colors. "I’ll make a pretty necklace," Sophie imagined.

Sophie drew a circle in the sand and began to dig. "This will be the castle’s moat!" she told herself.

Patting wet sand, Sophie built tall towers. "Wow," she whispered, "my sandcastle is getting big!"

She pressed her shiny shells around the castle walls. "It’s the prettiest sandcastle ever!" Sophie said proudly.

A seagull waddled close and looked at her work. "Hello, Mr. Seagull!" Sophie said, waving at the bird.

She told the seagull, "This is my sandcastle, and these are my special shells." The bird squawked happily, as if it understood.

"Bye, beach!" Sophie called, taking one special shell home as a memory of her lovely, sandy day.