It was a bright, breezy morning when Lala, a lively little monkey with shiny brown eyes and a fluffy golden coat, arrived at the beach for the very first time. She had never seen the ocean before. The sound of crashing waves, the scent of salt in the air, and the soft sand under her tiny feet made her jump with joy.
Lala danced around, giggling and swinging her little arms. She ran to the water’s edge, where the sea gently kissed the shore. “Wow!” she gasped, eyes wide. “It’s like a giant blue blanket that never ends!”
Thuy, her gentle and caring human friend, sat under a beach umbrella watching her with a smile. “Stay close, Lala,” Thuy called, “and don’t go too far!”
Lala nodded but was too curious to stay still. Everything was new—the seashells, the bubbly foam, and the tiny holes in the sand. As she was tiptoeing around, something moved near her foot. It wasn’t fast, but it was sideways and strange. Lala froze.
Out popped a creature with sharp little legs, two bulging eyes, and big pincers. It was a sea crab!
Lala screamed, “EEEeeee!” and jumped backward, arms flailing. Her heart raced. “What is that thing?! It has claws!” she cried, stumbling backward into the sand. She looked over her shoulder as if the crab might chase her.
Thuy rushed over. “What happened, Lala?” she asked, kneeling beside her. Lala pointed with a trembling finger at the crab, which was now calmly walking sideways back toward a small rock.
“It’s a monster!” Lala squeaked.
Thuy laughed gently. “Oh, Lala, that’s just a sea crab. It’s not a monster. It won’t hurt you if you don’t hurt it.”
Lala’s eyes were still wide. “But it has scissors on its face!”
“They’re called pincers,” Thuy explained kindly. “Crabs use them to eat and protect themselves. They’re not here to hurt you. This beach is their home.”
Lala tilted her head, still unsure. “Really?”
“Yes,” Thuy nodded. “Would you like to watch it with me?”
Still cautious but curious, Lala nodded slowly and walked closer, hiding half behind Thuy’s leg. The crab stopped moving and rested on the sand, blending in with its surroundings. Lala crouched low, her nose twitching.
“It’s… kind of cute,” she whispered.
“There are many kinds of crabs,” Thuy said. “Some are red, some are blue. Some live in the sea, and some live in the sand. They’re amazing little creatures.”
Just then, another smaller crab popped out of the sand, its tiny eyes blinking. Lala gasped, but this time she didn’t scream. “There’s another one!”
“Yes,” Thuy chuckled. “They like to dig little tunnels and hide. When the waves come in, they sometimes come out to look for food.”
Lala watched in awe as the small crab scurried to the water’s edge and then back again when the wave chased it. “It’s playing tag with the ocean!” she said, giggling.
Now that the fear had faded, Lala’s curiosity came flooding back. She followed the crab from a safe distance, mimicking its sideways walk. “Look at me! I’m a crab!” she said, making Thuy laugh heartily.
Soon, Lala became brave enough to pick up a seashell that the crab had left behind. It was round and pink with little white stripes. “A treasure!” she said proudly, holding it up like a medal.
As the sun rose higher, Thuy and Lala sat on a blanket eating bananas and watermelon. Lala kept glancing at the shoreline, now enchanted by the crabs and their tiny world. “Do crabs have families?” she asked between bites.
“Yes, they do,” Thuy said. “They lay eggs, and when the babies hatch, they have to learn how to survive on their own. Some crabs even carry their homes on their backs—like hermit crabs!”
Lala’s jaw dropped. “They carry houses? On their backs?! That’s amazing!”
Thuy nodded. “Nature is full of surprises. And you, my brave little monkey, just discovered one of them today.”
Lala smiled proudly. “At first I was scared… but now I like the crabs. I want to learn more about them!”
“Then maybe we should come back tomorrow with a little bucket and a magnifying glass,” Thuy suggested.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Lala clapped. “And maybe I’ll find a crab with a rainbow shell!”
Thuy chuckled. “You never know.”
That afternoon, as they packed up to leave, Lala looked out at the sea. She gave one last wave to the crabs, who were now disappearing back into their sandy tunnels.
“Goodbye, little crab friends,” she said softly. “See you tomorrow!”
Back at home, Lala couldn’t stop talking about the crabs. She drew pictures of them, carefully sketching their legs and pincers. She even named the one she first met—“Clippy.”
When it was time for bed, Lala cuddled her blanket and whispered, “I’m not scared anymore. I’m a brave beach explorer now.”
And just before she drifted off to sleep, she dreamed of a magical underwater world where crabs wore hats made of seashells and danced sideways under the moonlight.
