Ally lives with her gram and her great-aunt far far away from her mom She has a toy her mom gave her when she was little Sometimes she keeps it on her bed Sometimes she hides it in a basket
Every summer Ally gets on a plane and flies all the way to the city at the edge of the ocean where her aunt Kate and uncle Robbie live That’s where her mom lives too Aunt Kate is Ally’s mom’s big sister
Ally loves the ocean more than anything She loves its sound She loves its smell She loves the cool wet sand beneath her feet She loves the smooth shells between her fingers and the soft weathered driftwood under her hands Most of all she loves to swim
