Moana walked to the beach and waddled around, enjoying the feel of the sand between her toes. She gazed out at the ocean, its playful waves rolling back and forth, breaking farther out in the distance on the reef that surrounded her island of Motunui. Suddenly, she noticed a beautiful conch shell sparkling in the surf. The shell’s creamy pink surface formed a perfect spiral, and Moana wanted to pick it up and hold it. But just as she was about to move closer to it, she heard a loud rustling behind her. She turned to see a group of squawking seabirds tormenting a baby turtle. The turtle was trying to make its way to the water, but the hungry birds blocked its path, threatening to strike. The turtle looked frightened, and each time it tried to take a step, one of the birds lunged for it. The turtle retreated and tried to hide inside its shell.
Moana anxiously eyed the big conch shell. She was afraid that the tide would pull it away before she could get to it. Yet she couldn’t leave the baby turtle in its predicament. So she picked up a big leafy palm frond and shielded the turtle as she escorted it across the sand. When the birds tried to go around the palm to get to the turtle, Moana didn’t flinch. She bravely shooed them away, stomping her foot to scare them off. She stayed close to the little turtle as its protector, helping it carefully make its way to the water. As the turtle swam into the surf, she stood for a moment, swinging her arms at her sides, and watched it with a grin on her face.
Once the turtle disappeared into the ocean, the water began to mysteriously spiral and bubble. Then it receded, revealing the conch shell, which a wave had indeed taken. Delighted, Moana squatted to pick it up. As she reached for it, another conch shell appeared, deposited by the receding water. The ocean continued to recede, revealing more and more conch shells. Moana collected them all, balancing the tall pile in her small arms.
The ocean swelled and released a slight wave that curled over Moana and hovered directly above her head. It magically stayed there, seeming to say hello. She grinned up at the wave and poked it with her finger, as if popping a bubble. A trickle of water dripped down over her, making her giggle with delight.
The little wave curled over Moana again, this time playing with her hair and tickling her head. Then, with a twist, it gave her a silly hairstyle. Moana laughed again and again as she played with her strange new friend.
Suddenly, the wave fell back and the ocean parted, forming a canyon. A surprised fish flopped around in the sand at Moana’s feet and then found its way back to the safety of the water. Spellbound, Moana toddled along the mysterious canyon, trailing her hand against its watery walls.
This path had led Moana deeper into the ocean, where she saw the baby turtle with its mother by its side. She watched as they swam off together. Once they faded into the distance, her eyes were drawn to a shiny object. It drifted closer, and Moana reached into the water and grabbed it.
The object was round and smooth like a stone on one side, but it had an interesting design on the other. With her finger, Moana traced its unique spiral, curiously feeling the edges of the swirling ridge. She knew there was something very special about this stone.
“Moana!” Her father’s panicked voice called her name in the distance, snapping her out of the magical moment. The ocean quickly picked her up and whisked her to shore just before Tui arrived through the trees. As he raced over, Moana accidentally dropped the shiny stone. Tui grabbed her before she could see where it went.
“What are you doing?” Tui said, holding her close. “You scared me.”
Moana wriggled in his arms, trying to return to the shore. “Wanna go back,” she begged.
“No,” he said firmly, facing her. “You don’t go out there. It’s dangerous.”
Moana turned around to glance at the ocean, scanning it for the stone, but she didn’t see it. The ocean was once again calm as the gentle waves rippled onto the shore. All the magic appeared to be gone.
Tui set her down and held out his hand. “Moana? Come on. Back to the village.”
She reluctantly took her father’s hand and walked with him. But she kept her eyes firmly on the ocean until it was out of sight.
Sina, Moana’s mother, smiled widely as she approached her family, and the three walked together toward the village.
“You are the next great chief of our people,” said Tui, looking down at his daughter.
“And you will do wondrous things, my little minnow,” added Sina.
“Oh, yes. But you must learn where you’re meant to be,” said Tui.
Suddenly, Moana turned from her parents and bolted back to the ocean. Sina and Tui exchanged a worried look and quickly caught up to her. They scooped Moana up and carried her the rest of the way to their safe, quiet village.
