Ginger sat in the girl's hut thinking about her story. She remembered what Gilligan had written about her in his diary and smiled thinking how undeserving she had been of it at the time. The frozen heart that Hollywood had given her had begun to melt as Gilligan performed one thoughtful act after another for her to make her feel better. She smiled softly as she reached under her cot and pulled out a carved statue that was painted with yellow paint. On the bottom of it was a clumsy written "Ginger Grant, Best Leading Actress, "Cleopatra".

He had given it to her as a Christmas present on their first Christmas. It meant more to her than any Oscar she could have ever won because this one was carefully handmade. Was it perfect? Far from it. Was it treasured more than any mass produced gold statue that nobody would remember over the years?

Very much.

That first Christmas Gilligan had given gifts to everyone in order to raise their spirits. To the Professor he had made a "Nobel Peace Prize" for his inventions and a "blue ribbon" for Mary Ann's coconut creme pies. He had also made a "Castaway Medal of Honor" out of Koa wood for the Skipper and used the same type of wood for a keepsake box for the Howells with their family crest carved on it (he had studied it on one of their suitcases).

Needless to say they felt bad they hadn't done anything for him. That is until Roy had created a formula for bubble blowing and all of them had enjoyed playing around like children the next day! The game had turned to tag and the tag somehow turned to "Catch Gilligan and tickle him!" The first mate's infectious laughter had echoed through the jungle and filled all of them with a sense of joy that they had all forgotten.

The actress put the statue back in its place before returning to her stationary. She smiled softly as she began to write.

"Once upon a time there was a maiden that had a heart of ice. Her heart had been frozen by a bad wizard and she was cold to everyone she met. One day she went to the beach and was startled to see a merman sitting on a large rock. He looked at her and his eyes seemed to glow with warmth that touched her frozen heart. He smiled and beckoned her over. She approached and sat beside him. He asked her if she was alright and she told him she was. She told him about her frozen heart. He frowned before reaching over and putting his hand on her chest and she felt it begin to thaw. He then offered to take her under the sea and she accepted. He turned her into a mermaid and she followed him."

Ginger looked up in thought. In truth Gilligan HAD melted her heart in a way. He was the first good man she had ever run into. All of the other men she had met wanted one thing and one thing only from her and it was unfortunately what she had to do to get to the top. Once she did she didn't have to resort to using her body to land rolls. When she was shipwrecked Gilligan had confounded and frustrated her. She just couldn't figure him out! That had lead to her sometimes saying things...hurtful things.

Ginger sighed as she shut her eyes. When Gilligan had used the cabinet to vanish and run away she had never felt so terrible in her life! It had been the first time she realized how cruel she could be. She opened her eyes and looked back down at her story.. It was time to raise Gilligan's spirits.

"The maiden followed the merman through the water and she was mesmerized by all of the beautiful reefs and fish that swam and lived in the ocean. She found herself wishing she could stay forever where there seemed to be nothing but peace. He then lead her to a cavern that held his treasures from the human world and showed her around. She smiled as she looked around before spotting a music box. The merman opened it to reveal a man and woman in a dance pose. With a wave of his hand the magic let it work underwater and she watched fascinated. He gave it to her and told her to keep it since she liked it so much. She thanked him and they left to return to shore before sundown."

Give, give, give. The only other one that worked so hard to please was Mary Ann! She grinned as she thought of her "little sister" and the not so subtle hints she gave the first mate that she liked him! Ginger felt her pain. How many times had she TRIED to get the Professor's attention but it was all for nought.

One day she was going to wear him down!

"Once on shore the merman returned her legs and she went home. She returned many more times and each time her heart melted just a little more until it was as warm as the sun. The music box she played every night before she went to sleep. When the maiden would visit the merman she'd tell him stories and watched as he would listen captivated and she quickly grew to love him as if he was her little brother. She hoped that one day she could tell his story to the world and let them know just how wonderful the merman truly was so his warmth could spread to everyone. The End."

She smiled satisfied before getting up and going to the Professor's hut. She decided to call hers: Heart of Warmth.

The Professor smiled as he read it before adding an illustration of her as a mermaid swimming with the merman. He lightly blushed before he got the box out and bound all of the stories together using a needle and twine. On top was a blank page.

"What are we going to call all of these put together?" Ginger asked.

"I've been thinking about it. Hans Christian Anderson wrote "The Little Mermaid" and since this is essentially about a merman and his adventures I call it "The Adventures of the Little Merman"."

She nodded. "Perfect. When are we going to give it to him?"

"At lunch," The Professor said. "That way he'll have all afternoon to read it."

"Alright. See you then," she said leaving.

Roy sat down and and drew Merman Gilligan sitting on the rock looking out at the sea underneath the title before pulling out the pieces of bark he had found and used it as a cover and edge binder. It looked like a real book now and he painted it red like the shirt he wore. He then sighed as he looked up at the plaque Gilligan had made as a Christmas gift on their first Christmas. This "Nobel Peace Prize" had meant so much to him. Still did.

At lunch Mr Howell had brought Gilligan and they all sat down to eat. To their dismay Gilligan again ate very little. Once finished Roy put the book in front of him.

"Gilligan you remember the story I told you? Well we all came up with our own stories. In these stories are what we want you to know. They come from the heart and whenever you feel like things get too bad and you feel like we don't care for you you read it again and again." He put a hand on the first mate's shoulder. "You are the Merman Gilligan. You have touched all of us and are the soul of our little group. You are much stronger than you think you are and if you need anything we are all here for you. We will not judge you. We want to help heal you."

Gilligan swallowed as he hugged the book. "Thank you," he said softly.

Skipper gently put his arm around him. "Why don't you go to the lagoon and enjoy it there."

Gilligan nodded as he left. They watched him go before looked at each other and sharing a concerned look. Would this work? Would they ever be able to get their Gilligan back?

Or would he be lost to them forever?