Ollie Otter loved collecting treasures. Shiny pebbles, smooth river stones, and especially…shells! He had a very special shell, pearly white with a swirl of pink, that his grandma had given him. Ollie carried it *everywhere*. He believed it brought him good luck.
One sunny afternoon, Ollie was playing hide-and-seek with his best friend, Poppy Otter, near the riverbank. He carefully placed his lucky shell under a big, leafy fern while he went to find a really good hiding spot. He counted to ten, then peeked out… but when he went back to the fern, the shell was gone!
Ollie’s whiskers drooped. He searched and searched, digging through leaves and peering under rocks. “My shell! My lucky shell!” he cried. Poppy swam over, concerned. “What’s wrong, Ollie?”
“It’s gone!” Ollie wailed. “My grandma’s shell! I don’t know what to do!” Poppy gently nudged Ollie with her nose. “Don’t worry, Ollie. We’ll find it. But you need to *ask* for help. Maybe someone saw it.”
Ollie felt a little shy. He usually tried to solve problems all by himself. But Poppy was right. He took a deep breath and asked Barnaby Beaver, who was building a dam nearby. Barnaby hadn’t seen the shell, but he suggested asking Rosie Rabbit, who hopped around the meadow.
Rosie hadn’t seen it either, but she remembered seeing Finley Fish darting around with something shiny earlier. “Finley loves collecting sparkly things!” she chirped. Ollie and Poppy quickly swam to where Finley was playing amongst the reeds.
“Finley,” Ollie called out, “have you seen a pearly white shell with a pink swirl?” Finley blinked his big, round eyes. “Oh! *That* shell? I thought it was a pretty pebble! I was just admiring it, but I didn’t want to keep it if it belonged to someone.” He carefully handed the shell back to Ollie.
Ollie’s face lit up. “Thank you, Finley! Thank you, Poppy, for helping me!” He hugged his lucky shell tightly. He realized it wasn’t the shell itself that brought him luck, but having good friends who were willing to help.
Poppy smiled. “See, Ollie? Asking for help isn’t a bad thing. It’s a brave thing to do!” They continued their game of hide-and-seek, Ollie carefully keeping his lucky shell tucked safely in his paw. As the sun began to set, Ollie knew he’d had a very lucky day, not because of the shell, but because of his wonderful friends.
That night, snuggled in his cozy riverbank den, Ollie held his shell close. He learned that even when things get lost, and even when problems seem big, asking for help and relying on friends can make everything better. And that, he thought, was the best kind of luck of all.