Kyra’s Diamonds was a little treasure hunter. She wore a yellow rain hat, tiny blue boots, and a backpack with one round cookie inside. She loved shiny things. A button was shiny. A spoon was shiny. A wet fish scale was very shiny.
One soft morning, Kyra’s Diamonds sailed on the Ocean in a small red boat. The water went splash, splash, splash.
“Treasure day!” said Kyra’s Diamonds.
Her friend Sailor held the sail rope. Sailor had a striped shirt and a big smile. He was kind, but he mixed up left and right.
“Turn left!” said Kyra’s Diamonds.
Sailor turned right.
“Oopsie,” said Sailor.
The boat bumped a gentle wave. Bump! A little Doll rolled out from under a blanket.
“Hello!” said Doll. Doll had pink yarn hair and a green coat. “I heard a jingling sound under the sea. Jingle-jingle! Maybe it is treasure!”
Kyra’s Diamonds opened her map. On it was a picture of a silver shell, a purple starfish, and a big round cave.
“Let’s find it,” she said.
They sailed past sleepy seals. They sailed past dancing jellyfish. They sailed past a whale who blew a fountain into the sky.
“Bless you!” called Doll.
The whale made a happy sound. Whooo!
At last, they found the silver shell. It was as big as Sailor’s hat.
“Purple starfish next,” said Kyra’s Diamonds.
Sailor looked left. Then right. Then left again.
“I see purple!” he said.
It was his sock.
Doll giggled. “That is a sock-fish!”
Soon they saw a real purple starfish on a warm rock. Under the rock was a little door. On the door were three sparkly circles.
Kyra’s Diamonds knocked. Tap, tap, tap.
The door opened slowly. Creak.
Inside stood Crystal Guardian. Crystal Guardian was tall and blue and bright. His crystal beard twinkled. He was not scary. He was careful.
“Who comes to the Crystal Cave?” he asked.
“Kyra’s Diamonds, treasure hunter,” said Kyra’s Diamonds. “And Sailor. And Doll. We are looking for the jingling treasure.”
Crystal Guardian nodded. “The treasure is here. But Stone Golem is sitting on the cave door. He is very heavy. He is also very grumpy because no one asked him to play.”
Behind Crystal Guardian, Stone Golem sat with folded stone arms. His feet were huge. His face was frowny.
“No treasure,” rumbled Stone Golem. “Go away.”
Kyra’s Diamonds felt a tiny bit worried. Her knees went wobble-wobble. But she took a deep breath.
“Hello, Stone Golem,” she said. “Would you like to play?”
Stone Golem blinked.
“Play?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Doll. “We can play Splash-and-Stop. When Sailor says splash, we wiggle. When he says stop, we freeze.”
“I can do that!” said Sailor.
“Splash!” he shouted.
Everyone wiggled. Kyra’s Diamonds wiggled her boots. Doll wiggled her yarn hair. Crystal Guardian wiggled his crystal beard.
Even Stone Golem wiggled one rocky toe.
“Stop!” shouted Sailor.
Everyone froze.
Stone Golem froze so hard that a tiny crab climbed onto his nose.
Doll laughed. Kyra’s Diamonds laughed. Stone Golem made a rumbling sound.
It was a laugh.
“Again!” said Stone Golem.
They played three times. Then Stone Golem smiled a small, stony smile.
“I was lonely,” he said. “You may have the treasure.”
He stood up. Boom. Boom. Boom. Under him was a round cave door with a golden handle.
Crystal Guardian opened it. Inside, the cave shone with blue light. There were pearl cups, golden coins, and bright shells. But in the middle sat the best treasure of all: a little chest that went jingle-jingle.
Kyra’s Diamonds opened it.
Inside were diamond stickers! Blue diamonds. Pink diamonds. Green diamonds. And one big rainbow diamond that sparkled like the Ocean at morning.
“For sharing,” said Crystal Guardian.
Kyra’s Diamonds gave one sticker to Sailor. She gave one to Doll. She gave one to Crystal Guardian. She gave the biggest blue one to Stone Golem.
Stone Golem put it on his rocky chest.
“Shiny,” he whispered.
Then Kyra’s Diamonds found one more thing in the chest: a tiny golden compass. It pointed toward new adventures.
“Treasure hunters need this,” said Crystal Guardian.
Kyra’s Diamonds held the compass close. “Thank you!”
They sailed home on the red boat. The Ocean went splash, splash, splash. Sailor steered carefully.
“Left?” he asked.
“Left,” said everyone.
This time, Sailor turned left.
“Yay!” said Doll.
Kyra’s Diamonds smiled under her yellow hat. She had found diamond stickers, a golden compass, and a new friend with very big feet.
That night, the rainbow diamond glowed beside her bed.
Jingle-jingle, went the treasure.
“Goodnight, Ocean,” whispered Kyra’s Diamonds.
And the Ocean whispered, “Splash.”