The wave slid back with a hush. Between two shiny rocks, Momo spotted a striped mitten.
Momo tugged it free. It smelled like seaweed, and one thumb had a little hole. “Someone lost you,” said Momo, lifting it high into the windy sky.
Momo carried the mitten past a crab. “Is this yours?”
The crab clicked no and pointed sideways. A limpet tapped no and pointed another way. A tiny fish flicked no and pointed with a swish.
Then the wind puffed through the thumb hole. Toot! Momo laughed and followed the silly sound.
To search faster, Momo tried the mitten three ways. On one paw like a flag. On Momo’s tail like a clue. Over a tide-pool stone like a tiny hat.
The crab clicked its claws. The fish darted in circles. The limpet pointed to fresh tracks in the wet sand.
Brown leaves skittered past. Momo hurried after the tracks before the tide sneaked back.
At the far edge of the pool, a bigger wave splashed in. The mitten slipped from Momo’s paw and bobbed away like a little boat.
“Wait!” cried Momo. The crab nudged. The fish bumped. The limpet gripped the mitten just long enough.
Momo grabbed the mitten. Then Momo looked up and saw a child on the shore, holding one bare hand in the cold wind.
Momo climbed onto a flat rock and lifted the mitten high.
The child ran down, laughing, and placed the matching mitten beside it. The two stripes finally fit together.
The child left a small bucket of shiny shells by the pool. Momo shared the sparkling find with the crab, the limpet, and the fish while the water glittered all around.
