A Beach-Inspired Tale of Two Shells... As I walked along the beach last week, I discovered the points of a large shell poking out of the surf. Big shells that make it to the beach are usually battered and broken. But this one looked promising. I waded into the receding waves to unearth the shell. Dug deeply into the sand, it was pretty, pink, and perfect! I rinsed it off and proceeded with a pleased smile. On my return trek, I came across a second shell rolling in on a wave.