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Clarence was a crab of meticulous habits. Every morning, he’d polish his shell with a damp piece of seaweed, count his ten legs (twice, just to be sure), and then meticulously arrange his collection of sea glass on his favorite rock. He was not, by any stretch of the imagination, adventurous.

His friend, Shelly the shrimp, was the opposite. Shelly loved exploring rock pools, chasing curious jellyfish, and always getting into a delightful tangle. “Come on, Clarence!” Shelly would chirp. “Let’s explore the Great Kelp Forest!”

“Too many unpredictable currents,” Clarence would respond, adjusting a particularly sparkling piece of green sea glass. “And what if there’s a… a fish?”

One sunny afternoon, a most peculiar object washed ashore. It was a human-sized, bright red boot. Not just any boot, but a rubber Wellington boot, complete with a tiny, lost seashell stuck to its sole.

Clarence, intrigued despite himself, scuttled closer. “Goodness me,” he muttered. “A foot covering of immense proportions.”

Suddenly, the boot gave a little wobble. “Help!” a tiny voice squeaked from inside.

Clarence cautiously peered in. Nestled amongst some soggy sand was a very small, very round, very startled creature. It had big, innocent eyes and a tiny, pink trunk. It was a baby elephant, no bigger than Clarence’s claw!

“My name is Peanut,” the baby elephant whispered, his little trunk wiggling nervously. “I was playing in the rain, and I think I fell into a giant puddle that connected to the ocean!”

Clarence was aghast. “An elephant! Here! On my perfectly organized beach!”

Shelly, who had zipped over, was immediately charmed. “Oh, he’s adorable! But… how do we get him back? The tide’s coming in!”

Clarence, for the first time in his life, felt a prickle of something other than mild anxiety. A responsibility. He looked at Peanut’s big, worried eyes. “Right,” he declared, pushing his sea glass collection aside. “Operation: Get Peanut Home Before the Boot Floats to Fiji!”

They tried pushing the boot. It was too heavy. They tried pulling. It didn’t budge. The waves were getting closer, little foamy fingers inching up the sand.

“We need help!” Shelly cried.

Clarence, in a moment of pure, uncharacteristic bravery, scuttled as fast as his ten legs could carry him to the nearest group of seagulls. “Attention! Urgent matter! There’s a baby elephant in a boot, and the tide is rising!”

The seagulls, usually too busy squabbling over dropped chips, paused. An elephant in a boot? This sounded like fun. With squawks of excitement, they swooped down. One by one, they grabbed the boot’s laces, pulling together with all their might.

Slowly, carefully, the boot began to move. Clarence scuttled alongside, giving directions. “Left! No, more to the right! Watch out for that piece of driftwood!”

The seagulls strained, and finally, with a mighty heave, they dragged the boot, with Peanut inside, to a section of the beach far above the tideline. Peanut, safe and sound, wiggled his trunk with relief. “Thank you, Clarence! You saved me!”

Clarence puffed out his chest, his shell shimmering in the setting sun. He even felt a little… adventurous. He still liked his sea glass, but a grand rescue was far more exciting than counting legs. From that day on, Clarence still kept his beach tidy, but he always kept an eye out for any lost objects that might need a crab’s help getting home.