Once upon a time, in a town all the way in Germany lived a girl named Hilda. Hilda’s parents loved her dearly from the moment she was born. She was always curious, trying to go explore whenever she had the chance. But her parents didn't like her curiosity; they were always too overprotective and had many rules. Her parents fed her her favorite foods, especially the homemade potato salad that she always preferred best. But that still wasn’t enough for Hilda. Her parents would say, “Oh sweetheart, it’s dangerous out there. You must stay inside where it’s safe.”          

Hilda stepped  outside for the first time in days to fetch the mail. She noticed another child sitting on the curb and drawing in a notebook. 

“Hi… what are you drawing?” Hilda asked softly. 

“Hmm?” the other child looked up.

“Sea Shells. I’m going to the ocean later!” her voice seemed confident and brave.            

“My name’s Rosalie; what’s your name?” she asked. This was very exciting for Hilda; she was actually making a friend all by herself! Her parents always forced her friendships. Rosalie had wild, hazel hair with brown eyes and a confident smile. She looked very different from Hilda.

The girls chatted some more when Rosalie said something that caught her attention.

“Why don’t you go to the beach with me today, it'll be fun you’ll see!” 

“I really want to but…” Hilda hesitated, she knew she wasn’t allowed to.

“Please?” Rosalie begged.                                                      

“My parents won’t let me. They’re really strict about leaving the house,” Hilda replied. 

“I’ll make sure you're back before anyone notices.”

“Ok…sure!” Hilda thought for a moment, then finally agreed. 

Hilda’s heart was beating so hard it was jumping out of her chest. She had waited for a moment like this for a long time.

When they arrived at the beach, Hilda felt nervous and excited at the same time. She had never been so close to the ocean before. The waves moved back and forth, and the air smelled salty. The Baltic Sea stretched endlessly in front of her. A beautiful Northern Gannet (Basstölpel), with pure white feathers and graceful wings, glided across the water. Rosalie ran toward the water, but Hilda stayed behind and looked around. Something near the shoreline caught her attention. Lying in the wet sand was a small ring. It looked old and smooth, as if it had been there for centuries, maybe even longer. Curious, Hilda picked it up and slipped it onto her finger. As she reached her hand out toward the ocean, the ring suddenly began to glow.

The closer her hand moved to the water, the brighter the glow became, glowing like moonlight trapped in glass.

She hesitated, then dipped her fingers into the water. Instantly a tingling sensation ran up her arm. Her legs shimmered, and before she could scream, they transformed into a long, glistening mermaid tail!

“Rosalie!” Hilda screamed. Rosalie turned around just in time to see Hilda’s legs changed into a sparkly tail. Hilda quickly pulled the ring off her finger. Her tail disappeared, and her legs came back. She stepped away from the water, shaking. 

“Did you see that?” Hilda asked.

Rosalie nodded, wide eyed. “Yes, that was so… unusual.”

Hilda held up the ring. She stepped toward the water without wearing it. Nothing happened. 

“It only works when the ring is on,” Hilda said.

Rosalie stared in amazement and whispered, “That’s incredible.”  

Yes, this is quite incredible but what am I going to do with such power? Hilda thought.