Ocean Rescue

The salty spray tickled Leo's nose as he squinted at the retreating waves. Disappointment pricked him. "Where are all the cool sea creatures, Dad?" he asked, kicking at a sandcastle half-buried by the tide.

His dad chuckled, kneeling beside him. "Let's explore the tide pools," he said, pointing to the rocky pools left behind by the ocean. Leo's eyes lit up. He grabbed his bucket and a net ready for an adventure.

Peeking into the first pool something caught his eye. A bright blue bottle cap half buried in the sand. He remembered seeing pictures online ? sea turtles mistake plastic for food! He picked up the bottle cap and put it in his bucket. Then a bright orange hermit crab scuttled across the bottom, and its borrowed shell a mismatched mess of plastic bottle cap and a broken seashell.

A frown creased Leo's face. "Why are there so many plastic things, Dad?" he asked, his voice small.

Dad's smile faded. "People throw trash away sometimes even in the ocean. It can hurt the animals." Leo clutched his net tighter, imagining colorful fish tangled in plastic nets.
When they came back home,Leo talked about what he saw at the ocean. His mom knelt beside him, with her eyes serious. "Pollution hurts the ocean creatures," she explained. "Just like we wouldn't want to eat trash, they don't either."

That night lying in bed, Leo couldn't stop thinking about the sea creatures in the ocean. "We need to help the ocean," he announced to his dad the next morning.
Together, they filled a bag with plastic bottles on their walk. "Every little bit counts," Dad said proudly.

Leo knew even a kid like him could make a difference. He'd tell his friends, recycle at home, and maybe even organize a beach clean-up. After all, a healthy ocean meant amazing sea creatures, and who wouldn't want to see that?