

Anna and Ben like to play on the beach. They pretend they are pirates and look for treasure. They dig holes in the sand and find shells and stones. They put them in a bucket and say, "Arrr, we are rich!"
One day, they play too close to the water. They do not see the tide coming in. The tide is the water that goes up and down. Sometimes it is low and sometimes it is high. When it is high, it covers more of the beach.
"Look, Ben, I found a big shell!" Anna says. She holds it up and smiles.
"Wow, that is a nice shell, Anna!" Ben says. He runs over to see it.
But then, a big wave comes and splashes them. It is cold and salty. It takes their bucket and their shells and stones. It also takes Anna's shell. They are wet and sad.
"Hey, give us back our treasure!" Ben shouts at the water. He tries to chase the wave, but it is too fast and too strong.
"Ben, come back!" Anna cries. She is scared. She does not want to lose Ben too.
But Ben does not hear her. He runs into the water and tries to grab the bucket. He does not see the next wave coming. It is bigger and stronger than the first one. It knocks him down and pulls him under. He cannot breathe. He cannot swim. He cannot scream.
Anna watches in horror. She screams for help, but no one hears her. She is alone on the beach. She wishes they had not played so close to the water. She wishes they had not pretended to be pirates. She wishes Ben was still with her. She wishes the water was clean and not dirty. She wishes the tide would go away and never come back.
