Sam The Hermit Crab

A Short Story Written For My GrandChildren ,Audrey And Marcus Peters

Once upon a time there was a hermit crab named Sam, and he lived by the sea  on a tiny Island called Bequia.  Sam wasn’t really a crab, he just looked like one because he always wore a borrowed shell on his back.  Sam was an active fellow, curious too, and he liked to travel a lot.  Sam needed a shell to protect his tummy because, unlike REAL crabs, his tummy was really really soft, and without the shell it would be easy for other creatures to eat him!  Sam loved to roam on the sandy beach at Friendship and play in the pretty gardens behind the beach, and he wouldn’t be able to do this safely without a hard shell covering his little body.

Sam learned early in life that growing up wasn’t always fun.  His mother had warned him what would happen when he got bigger, but until he started growing he didn’t understand what she meant.  His mom helped him get his first new and bigger shell, but made it clear that he was on his own after that.  Oh dear!  The shell started squeezing his soft tummy, which had grown from all the good food he had been eating.  Oh dear! His three sets of legs were all cramped inside the shell, and they started to hurt dreadfully.  One day Sam knew what he had to do, he had to get undressed before he got any more squished by that uncomfortable shell!

It wasn’t easy, but Sam finally managed to get the tight shell off his back. What a sight he was, his soft belly was exposed for all the world to see!  Sam was embarrassed, and quickly buried himself in some sand before anyone noticed that he was naked! Sam was not a pretty fellow, only his clothes made him attractive, so he hid himself until it was time to find yet another new and bigger shell to wear.  Once Sam’s tender back grew a bit tougher he would be able to look for the shell, and that was going to take a while. He just had to be patient and stay buried in the sand until it was safe to come out.

The day came when Sam could look for his new shell, and it didn’t take him long!  Right there in the shallow water at Friendship Beach he found a pretty pearl grey shell with lovely swirls that looked like it would fit, and he quickly crawled inside.  That was better, a little color on his back was all he needed to make him feel happy again!  Sam was relieved to have that extra space inside the shell, now his soft tummy didn’t feel squeezed and he had room to move his three sets of legs. 

As Sam the hermit crab grew he met other hermit crabs, but because they kept changing their shells it was hard to keep all his friends straight!  One day Sally would be wearing a pink shell, a month later she would be wearing yellow, how was he supposed to know who was who? It was all very confusing, but as he got older the only thing that mattered to him was the prettiness of the shells, Sam admired really bright, colorful shells.

Each month, as the moon changed, Sam would join the other hermit crabs in a long crab-crawl.  Off they would go, scuttling along on their three sets of legs to get to the top of the Friendship hill.  They climbed up the beach and through the grass, stopping occasionally to rest because the hill was very steep!  They crab-crawled up the steps to where Marcus and Audrey were fast asleep in their beds. The children had traveled a long way to get to Bequia, further than the hermit crabs were going that night, so they were careful not to disturb them.

Across the road the hermit crabs ran, carefully looking both ways to make sure no vans were on the road.  They had shells to protect their backs but that wouldn’t protect them if they got run over by one of those fast-moving vans, they would get squished for sure!  They ALWAYS looked before crossing the road, it was the smart thing to do, and they hoped Marcus and Audrey would be careful too. 

Once the hermit crabs got over the gutter the race to the top of the hill got pretty intense.  The bigger the crab the longer the legs, and the longer the legs the faster the crab.  You see, there was a hermit crab prize at the top of the hill, and the winner of the race would claim that prize.  Sam had done the crab-crawl many times but had never won, perhaps the next time he changed his shell he would be faster than the rest.  You see, the girl hermit crabs were waiting at the top of that hill, and the winner of the crab-crawl got to choose a girlfriend first.  Sam longed for the day when he could claim the prettiest shell at the top of that hill, it was all he ever dreamed about and all he ever wanted!

                                                               THE END