A far piece up the reef from Upper and Lower Wreck, there was a shoreline. Upon that shoreline lived a family of clams. Although clams are known for being happy, these were quite possibly the happiest clams on earth.
They sat in the shallow waters of a small bay, without a care in the world. The tide flowed in and the tide flowed out while the clams did nothing. They enjoyed an abundance of bright yellow sun, refreshing green water, and cool blue sky.These are the reasons clams are so happy.
Meanwhile, the Old Blue Crab lived at the end of the shore, just under a dock. He skittered up and down the coast, collecting this and that for his den. He'd grab lost watches, and wallets from sunbathers who left them behind. He'd grab up coins that children tossed over the side of passenger boats, in hopes of making wishes without a wishing well. he'd even snatch old clamshells left behind.
He amassed quite a collection. In fact, it was probably the best collection of goodies from here to Upper Wreck, where the Hammerhead Shark lived. Every morning, Old Blue Crab would count his things, making sure everything was in its place. The more he collected, the more he had to count. The more he had to count, the less time he had to collect new things.
Eventually, all these things became old and rotten and rusted. It didn't matter though, because they were the Old Blue Crab's things.
And nobody else could have them.
Nobody.
One of his crabby friends, Redd Crabb (who wasn't the slightest bit crabby), came over with a shiny copper locket for Old Blue Crab. He wanted to trade it with Old Blue Crab for a parcular square stone that would fit a hole in the back of his own den.
"I will not give up one single stone," said Old Blue Crab.
"But this is a shiny locket. It is of no use to me. I could use that little square stone to fix a hole."
"I tell you what," said Old Blue Crab, "If you bring me two shiny lockets, I will make the trade."
Redd Crabb sighed, but agreed to Blue Crab's terms. He searched for somewhile, skittering up and down the beach until he found a gold locket. He brought it, with the copper locket, back to Old Blue Crab's den.
"Here are the two lockets. Now, can I have the tiny square stone?"
Old Blue Crab snatched the lockets from Redd's claws. He draped them around his neck and weaved them through his two front legs. He looked in a piece of shiny metal.
"It is just beautiful!" he cried out.
Meanwhile, Redd Crab took the single square stone back to his den. He fixed the hole. Now, no predators could sneak in from behind.
Old Blue Crab continued adoring his new shiny self. Meanwhile, the stone that held a wall was gone. Old Blue Crab did not bother to replace it. As he looked at his reflection, water came and washed away the walls of his den. Soon, it was just Old Blue Crab and his two lockets.
A sneaky eel came up and grabbed Old Blue Crab for dinner. The eel bit down, but the lockets protected the silly Old Blue Crab. As the eel wrestled with Crab, the gold and copper chains tied about Old Blue Crab's legs.
With one fierce snap, the eel broke through the lockets and chains. Crab and jewelry floated toward the seabed. As eel attacked, Redd Crab came from behind. He pinched the eel with his pincers. Even though Old Blue Crab was occupied with collecting his gold and copper, the eel had a thought that it was 2 versus 1. He scampered away to his home, leaving Old Blue Crab for another day.
"My glorius riches! They are safe!"
"We almost lost you!" said Redd.
"But you didn't!"
Redd knew it was no use talking to Old Blue. Instead, he helped the old crab gather goodies to pile around his den. This way, all would be safe. The sea looked out for Blue, too. On the night of a full moon, the waves roared onto the shore. The undertow took many things back to the depths of the Ocean. That included a gold and a copper locket. Now, there would be no shiny things to attract bigger fish.
It may have saved Old Blue Crab's life. It did not matter, though. Old Blue scoured the beaches, looking for his lost treasure. He never found anything like the two lockets.
Meanwhile, the clams sat in the surf, enjoying yellow sun, green surf, and bright blue skies. They didn't have a care in the world, because they already had everything they ever needed, which was nothing at all.
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MORAL: A happy heart is better than a full purse.
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