Melody ran through the gardens and out of the palace grounds. Her dress was getting dirty but she didn't care. She ran to the far end of the castle grounds where she knew she was not supposed to be under any circumstances! She didn't care though. She wanted to be somewhere where no one could find her. Let them worry about her! Then maybe they wouldn't be so unreasonable. All she wanted to do was swim! But you'd think she'd asked if she could light the castle on fire! She had been reprimanded by everyone from her father down to the scullery maid! They never told her why she was in trouble, they just said she was. She finally reached it! The only place that the wall had not been finished! There was a big hole in the wall that still had to be completed. Melody had only seen it from the balcony. Now she was going to do the worst thing she had ever done in her five years of life, she was going to touch the ocean!
Melody took a deep breath as she reached the walls edge. Running in her heavy dress was very difficult. She took off her shoes and set them to the side. Then she hiked up her skirts and walked past the wall into the water. As soon as she put her feet in the water she squealed with delight! A joy washed over her like she had never known before. It felt like at that moment, everything was right. Melody knew that they were going to be looking for her soon and that if they found her near the ocean she would be in HUGE trouble. So she hiked her skirts up as far as she could and walked along the wall on the ocean side. She saw near the wall a few feet down a rock that she could sit on. So she ran to it and sat on it dangling her feet in the water. She thought about how her father and mother had reacted when she asked to go swimming. She'd never seen her father look so angry! "The sea is dangerous!" Her mother warned her. Melody couldn't understand how something so beautiful could be bad! Maybe her mother was afraid of water but melody wasn't! She realized she was crying when one of her tears made a ripple in the water. She wiped her face so that no one would notice. "Why are you crying child?" Melody gasped and turned to see a woman sitting on the rock beside her. "I'm not crying." Melody replied wiping her face furiously. "I see." The woman replied. "So then, what are you doing?" "Hiding." Melody replied. "I see, the lady replied, and who are hiding from?" "Everyone, Melody replied; please don't tell them where I am." "I promise I won't, the lady said smiling, but maybe you should tell them yourself." Melody shrugged and was about to reply when she finally turned around to get a good look at the strange woman and discovered that she wasn't a woman at all! She had long orange hair and a crown on her head, her body was bare except for a seashell bra and she had the tail of a fish! "You're a… a… a mermaid!" Melody gasped. She couldn't believe it! She has heard about mermaids in storybooks and songs but she had never actually seen one! "Yes dear, the woman replied, I am." "What are you doing here?" Melody asked. "I'm here to help you." The woman replied. Melody didn't say anything. She only stared out at the water. "Your parents love you very much, the woman said stroking Melody's curls, and they wouldn't have gotten so upset if it wasn't so important." Melody began to tear up again. "But why is it so important?" Melody asked. "What's so bad about the ocean?" "Does it matter?" The mermaid asked. "I know its hard Melody, but sometimes grownups think the best way to protect someone is by not telling the truth, no matter how much it hurts them." "Oh, melody replied, wait how did you know my name?" The mermaid only smiled and continued stroking her curls. "Your parents love you, the mermaid continued; they never want anything to happen to you. I promise someday you will understand. But you have to be patient." Melody didn't like being patient but she knew the mermaid was right. "So what should I do?" Melody asked. "What do you think you should do?" The mermaid asked. Melody thought for a moment and then smiled. "I think I should go give my mother a hug." The mermaid smile widened. "That's a wonderful idea." She replied. Melody smiled and gave the mermaid a hug. "Thank you!" She said. The mermaid hugged her tight and kissed her forehead. "You're welcome, the mermaid replied, now go on." Melody hiked up her skirts again and got up to leave. "Wait, she said turning around, will I ever see you again?" The mermaid smiled. "I will always be here for you." She said. Melody smiled and started running towards the wall opening. She turned to wave goodbye to the mermaid one more time but when she looked back the rock was empty. She hadn't heard a splash but maybe mermaids could sink under the water without making a splash. She didn't think anymore of it. She quickly ran to the wall and walked back into the castle yard. She found her shoes and put them on. Then she ran towards her mother and father who were looking for her. Her mother looked like she was about to reprimand her when Melody ran over and hugged her tight. Ariel looked surprised for a moment but then smiled and returned the hug. Eric came over and picked her up and put his arm around Ariel and they all walked into the palace together. As Melody was carried into the palace by her father she thought she heard the faintest voice singing: Under the bright, blue, endless sky…………