The Pearl That Drifted

Mira paddled into the middle of Seaglass Coral Cove, where the giant pearl usually sat like a soft moon above the sand. It was the pearl that kept the tide-lights glowing in the nighttime gardens, and Mira had come to study the little sparkles that danced around it.

But today, the pearl was moving.

At first it only slid a finger’s width through the water. Then it drifted again, slow and sure, slipping past one kelp curtain, then another. The tide-lights along the reef blinked as it went, and one patch of coral near Mira turned dull and gray-blue, as if someone had quietly rubbed away its pink.

Mira blinked hard. Giant pearls were not supposed to wander off by themselves.

A current tugged the kelp curtains sideways, making a new opening where there had been a wall of green leaves a moment before. Beyond it, Mira could see the pearl bobbing farther toward a cluster of coral arches. Somewhere ahead, tiny silver fish flashed and scattered, and the path around the pearl changed with every breath of water.

Mira pressed her paws to the sand and watched the drifting light. If she waited too long, the way after it might close. If she moved now, she would have to choose which path to trust.