A young pearl diver named Hana feared the deep ocean.
Her grandmother had been a famous diver.
Before Hana’s first dive, her grandmother gave her a shell.
“Keep this with you.”
Hana asked why.
“So you remember that the ocean gives and takes.”
Hana descended.
The water became dark.
She wanted to return.
Then she saw sunlight filtering through the surface.
She found a beautiful pearl.
But instead of keeping it, she released it.
When she returned, her grandmother smiled.
“You found what you needed.”
Hana realized the pearl had never been the treasure.
The courage to face her fear was.
