Dad tugs the blanket off Autumn and Stella. "Beach day!" he announces. The boys scramble out of bed.
The boys scramble out of bed, bumping shoulders as they race past the hallway mirror.
Mom hands them each a plate of eggs and a tall glass of milk. Autumn and Stella drink fast — the milk goes slurp, slurp — and clap their plates on the table.
"Look!" says Autumn, pointing at their backpacks by the door. They are already packed.
Autumn and Stella squeeze onto Bus 512. The bus rumbles and bumps along. Through the window, the blue sea appears — sparkling, wide, with a huge cargo ship drifting slowly across the water.
The ship lets out a deep HOOOONK that makes Autumn and Stella jump and then giggle.
At the shore, Autumn and Stella drop their bags and start digging. They pile and pat and build and build, making the castle taller and wider and taller still.
Their fingers are sandy, their shirts are dusty, and the castle is bigger than either of them.
Autumn and Stella step back and look at their giant sandcastle. The waves lap softly at the bottom of the towers.
They sit side by side on the warm sand, kicking their legs, and watch the cargo ship sail past.
It honks again — HOOOONK — and they wave at it.
Autumn and Stella kick their legs and smile. What a perfect beach day.