The Moon in the Pool
Mila waded out into the warm shallow water. Mo swam beside her, slow and round. The moon lay on the sea like spilled milk. A bright piece of it sat in a little pool. Mila wanted to keep that piece. "One stone, then one more stone," she said.
Mila picked up a smooth grey stone. She set it down at the edge of the pool. Mo nosed a stone over to her. She stacked it high. She stacked another one on top. The little wall leaned. The moonlight wobbled inside the water.
Plop. The stones slid down. The water swished and swirled. The bright moon piece broke into wiggly bits. Mila sat down in the shallows. Mo bumped her elbow, gentle and slow. The wiggly bits came back together again. Mila laughed a small laugh.
Mila looked at the tumbled stones. Tall did not work. Maybe low would work. Maybe wide would work. She laid one stone flat in the sand. She laid the next one beside it. "One stone, then one more stone," she said.
Mo pushed stones with his soft old nose. Mila set each one down flat. Around and around the little pool they went. No stacking. No leaning. Just a low ring, wide as a hug. The water inside went still.
The moon settled into the pool. It stayed. It shone white and round and quiet. Mila put her hand near the light. She did not touch it. Mo blinked his slow eyes. "One stone, then one more stone," Mila whispered.
Mila climbed onto Mo's wide warm shell. He carried her through the shallow water. The little moon stayed in its ring behind them. Mila's eyes grew heavy. The waves went shhh, shhh, shhh. Mo carried her all the way to the warm sand.
