

Lila and Tom are playing on the beach. They like to build sand castles and dig holes. They have a bucket and a shovel and some shells. They are having fun.
"Look, Tom, I made a big castle!" Lila says. She puts a shell on top of the tower. "It is the king's house."
"Wow, Lila, your castle is very nice!" Tom says. He makes a moat around his castle. "My castle has water. It is a boat."
They play some more. Then they hear a sound. It is the tide. The water is coming closer and closer. It is very wide and fast.
"Oh no, Tom, the water is coming!" Lila says. She grabs her bucket and shovel. "We have to go. It will break our castles."
"Wait, Lila, I want to see!" Tom says. He runs to the water. He wants to touch it. He thinks it is fun.
"Tom, come back!" Lila says. She is scared. The water is too big and strong. "It will hurt you. It will make you wet."
But Tom does not listen. He runs to the water. He feels it on his feet. It is cold and salty. He laughs. He likes it.
Then the water becomes higher and higher. It reaches his knees. It pushes him. He falls. He cries. He is wet and cold and scared.
"Help, Lila, help!" Tom says. He tries to get up. He wants to go back.
Lila sees Tom. She is worried. She runs to him. She helps him up. She hugs him. She is wet too.
"Tom, you are silly!" Lila says. She is angry and sad. "Why did you do that? The water is not a toy. It is dangerous."
"I'm sorry, Lila, I'm sorry!" Tom says. He is sorry and sad. "I did not know. I wanted to see. I thought it was fun."
They look at their castles. They are gone. The water broke them. They are sad.
"Come on, Tom, let's go," Lila says. She takes his hand. "We can make new castles another day. But we have to be careful. We have to watch the tide."
They walk to their mom. She is sitting on a towel. She sees them. She is surprised.
"What happened, Lila and Tom?" she says. She sees they are wet and dirty. "Did you have fun?"
They tell her what happened. She listens. She is glad they are safe. She is proud of Lila. She is not mad at Tom.
"I'm sorry, mom, I'm sorry!" Tom says. He is still sorry.
"It's okay, Tom, it's okay," mom says. She smiles. She hugs them. "You learned something today. The tide can be fun, but it can also be dangerous. You have to be careful. You have to listen to Lila. She is smart."
They nod. They agree. They love mom. They love Lila. They love the beach. But they respect the tide.
