There once lived a man who spent a great part of his life collecting sea shells. He had every kind imaginable. He was proud of his ‘Queen Conch’ and adored his array of ‘Fan’ shells. Most of all, he boasted about his prized ‘Black Tiger-eye Cowry’ he found on a small island in Thailand.

Although he loved his collection, he felt it was incomplete because he was missing the rare ‘Blue Strombidae’ rumored to be found deep in the Southern Gulf of Mexico. One night he dreamt of finding a ‘Blue Strombidae’. It was so beautiful and shined brighter than a blue sapphire. Overcome with joy, he danced along the beach singing, “I’ve found it. I’ve finally found it!”

He continued celebrating and shocked when spotting a second ‘Blue Strombidae’. The second was even more beautiful than the first. The further he walked the more ‘Blue Strombidaes’ he found. His arms were full and he spotted a boy in the distance carrying a bucket. He eventually caught up to him and realised the boy looked a lot like him as a child and watched in amazement as the boy walked along the beach, counting steps and placing shells down on the sand.

He followed the boy eventually asking, “Why are you placing shells along the beach.” The boy turned, quietly answering, “I know how much you love collecting sea shells. But have you noticed the most beautiful shells are becoming harder to find? With collectors taking hundreds home each year, eventually there will be fewer shells and fewer glowing hearts of smiling
children holding their first sea shell. After all, the true beauty of sea shells lies within the discovery.”

The man looked confused as the boy continued to explain, “That’s why I’m placing sea shells back along the beach. This is my way of making the world a little more beautiful for children.” The man looked down at all the beautiful ‘Blue Strombidaes’ he had collected, turned back to the boy but discovered the boy had completely vanished.

Suddenly the man woke from his dream. That morning he admired his magnificent collection. “Almost perfect,” he sighed. He carefully wrapped each shell and set sail on his final sea shell expedition.

Upon returning the shells to beaches around the world, he twisted the last shell into the sand near the St Kilda pier. A young boy approached and asked, “Why are you putting your shells on the beach?” Smiling, the man replied, “Because beautiful things are for everyone to enjoy. Without discovering beauty today, how can we ever hope to find beauty tomorrow?”

After the man left, the boy picked up the shell, showed his parents and added it to his bucket. By the end of the day the boy had thought about what the man had said. He placed the shell back on the sand, whispering,
“I hope to see you again tomorrow.”