Lily and Ben were excited.
They were at the beach.
“I love the beach!” said Lily, jumping around.
“Me too,” said Ben, digging in the sand.
Suddenly, they saw a sign.
“Ice Cream Sand Castle Competition Today!” it read.
“Let’s join!” said Lily, with a big grin.
“Yes, let’s win!” cheered Ben.
Lily loved making sand castles.
Ben loved ice cream.
“How do we make an ice cream castle?” asked Lily.
“We build with sand and pretend it is ice cream,” said Ben.
“Okay, let’s start,” said Lily, grabbing a bucket.
Lily filled the bucket with sand.
Ben patted the sand smooth.
“More towers!” said Lily, pointing to the sides.
“Yes, many towers,” Ben agreed, adding more sand.
“Chocolate towers or vanilla?” asked Lily.
“I like chocolate,” said Ben, stacking more sand.
The sun was shining brightly.
The waves played a gentle tune.
A little bird flew over.
The bird landed on their castle.
“Oh no!” said Lily.
“Don’t worry,” said Ben with a smile.
He added more sand to fix it.
“Now it’s strawberry!” said Lily, giggling.
The judges walked closer.
“Wow,” said one judge, “So pretty!”
Ben and Lily held hands, feeling happy.
All the kids gathered around.
The judges clapped.
The judge announced, “Everyone is a winner today!”
“Yay!” shouted Lily and Ben.
They jumped with joy.
Their friends joined too.
Together, they had ice cream treats.
“This is the best beach day ever!” said Lily.
“Yes, the best!” agreed Ben, licking his ice cream.
They watched the waves and smiled.
Friendship made the day just right.
And that was the sweetest prize of all.
The end.