Story 1: The Good Witch and The Mermaids Song

It was late at night when Isabella was awakened by something beautiful. It was a woman's voice, it sounded so angelic that Isabella had to see where it was coming from. So, she walked over to the window and she looked toward the woods. She saw pink mist flowing out of the forest into the fields. It lit up like a thunderstorm and an image of a woman with a tail popped into her mind. She fainted and she fell with a loud thud. Then her father came into her room after he heard the noise. 

"Isabella, are you okay?"

Her father had lifted her up in his arms and her eyes started to flutter.

"Dad what happened? Why are you in my room?"

"Well I heard a loud noise coming From your room and I found you on the floor not even close to your bed. Why are you by your window?"

"I heard a woman singing and I walked over to the window to see where the voice was coming from."

"Did you see anything?"

"Yes, I saw a glowing pink mist. Then I saw an image pop into my head and that's all I can remember."

"What was the image?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe it was a woman."

Her dad helped her up and then looked out the window but there wasn't anything there.

"Are you sure you didn't imagine it? Maybe, you were sleepwalking."

"No Dad, I know what I saw. Do you believe me?"

"I do believe you. Let's do this. We will go to the Good Witch's house in the morning and we will ask her about what you saw."

"Okay Dad."

"Go back to sleep."

Her dad tucks her in and then he goes back to his room. 

The morning came and they headed to the witches cottage. As they got closer the image that Isabella saw kept flashing in her head. Each time it got clearer. They finally reached the witch's house and She was outside in her garden. The witch heard a twig snap and she turned to see who it was. She smiled when she realised it was Isabella and her father. The witch invites them Inside to have some cookies and milk. Isabella told her about what she heard and what she saw. The Good Witch thanked her for telling her and then she walked over to the fireplace and grabbed a strange looking shell.

"What's that?"

"It's a magical item that allows you to communicate with mermaids."

"Mermaids!" Isabella said in excitement.

"Yes, mermaids."

"They're real?" Her dad said in disbelief.

"But of course they are. You believe in fairies but not mermaids. Silly man. Just follow me."

 Isabella and her dad followed her back outside. She walked over to the pond and knelt down. She whispered a strange language into the shell and then the water started to bubble. Then something started swimming up to the surface. It was a mermaid. She was very beautiful. Isabella and her dad couldn't believe what they were seeing. A shrill sound came out of the mouth of the mermaid and they covered their ears. The Good Witch handed her the shell. The mermaid was happy to receive it.

"What does the shell do?"

"It helps her speak our language."

"Good Witch, she's the one I saw in my head."

"Then let's ask her what she wants." The witch said.

"Okay."

"Why did you come out of the safety of the pond?"

"My daughter disappeared. I used my telepathy to call out to her last night but she didn't answer me. I think something took her."

"Like what?"

"I don't know but I did go looking for her. When she didn't come back from picking fire berries. I got worried and this is what I found." 

The mermaid handed the witch a pearl necklace.

"What's that?"

"It's a mermaid telepathy pearl. It's how they communicate."

"Oh."

"Isabella, I think I know what happened to you last night." 

"What do you mean?"

"When a mermaid leaves the water they magically transform into a human. A pink mist that glows comes from their bodies as they change. When they call out, they talk without a shell. It sounds like singing but they use this pearl to send out a telepathic message. You must have picked up on that message and that's why you eventually passed out."

"Why would she pass out?" The father asked.

"Because she has magical creature sensitivity. That's why she heard the voice and you didn't."

"See dad, I told you I heard something."

"You were right."

"So, is there a way we can help her?"

"Let me ask."

The witch asked her and the mermaid explained everything.

"So, what did she say?" Isabella's father asked.

"She says she needs our help. Because walking on land is impossible right now. It will take another whole day before she can transform again. She says her daughter is probably frightened and she's probably hiding somewhere. That means her daughter is unable to return to the water. The mermaid asked if we could help her. The only clue she had was this necklace. It was found near the fire berry tree. She says there were paw marks on the ground and she followed them but she had to return back to the water before she transformed. That's why she needs our help to find her."

"Tell her we will help."

"Okay."

The Good Witch bent over and told her and she cried white tears.

"She said she will wait here for us but we gotta hurry before the predators get to her."

The witch went into her cottage and grabbed a water sack. She filled it with the pond water and handed it to Isabella's father. Then they headed to the fire berry tree to see if they could pick up on the girls trail. Isabella found a wad of grey fur and the witch cast a spell called illuminate on the paw prints. They followed the trail past the fire hill of the fire fairies. That's when they heard the sound of the growling wolves. They had surrounded something. It was up in a tree. The Good Witch cast a fear spell on the wolves and they ran away with their tails between their legs. Then she got closer to the tree and on the branch she saw the little mermaid girl. She was cold and frightened. Her scales were starting to peel and she looked like she was in pain. The Good Witch stepped up to her and handed her the pearl necklace. The girl quickly snatched it and she placed it around her neck. She could finally hear her mother call out to her. 

"Cherry."

"Mom."

"Listen to me please. Do you see the woman who handed you the necklace?"

"Yes."

"She's a friend. I need you to go with them. They are there to bring you back home."

"Okay."

The Good Witch cast a levitation spell on the girl and she was able to get her out of the tree. Then she had Isabella's father hand her the water sack. She poured the contents over the girl's tail. Her scales stopped flaking and her wounds stop bleeding. The witch took out the shell.

"The water healing effects are only temporary. We need to get you back to the pond as soon as possible. Do you understand?"

The girl nods. Isabella's father scoops her up and carries her swiftly back to the water. Isabella finally gets a good look at her face and she notices that she looks about the same age. She hoped that one day she could be her friend. They finally made it to the pond and she was placed gently back in the water. All of her wounds were gone. Her mother embraced her tightly and she thanked everyone for bringing her daughter back safely. The mermaid and her daughter dove down and swam until they were out of sight. The Good Witch thanked them for helping her and they went back home. Isabella wondered if she would ever see the girl again.