Way down, where the water is bluer than the summer sky, lived a special family. The Sea King had six lovely mermaid daughters, and the youngest one was the most curious of all. Her name was Marina, and she had the prettiest voice in the whole ocean. Marina loved to hear stories from her grandmother about the world above the waves – the world of humans.

"When you turn fifteen," her grandmother would say, "you can swim to the surface and see it for yourself."

Marina counted the days. Finally, her fifteenth birthday arrived! She swam up, up, up, until her head popped out of the water. And there it was – a big ship with music and lights! On the deck, she saw a handsome young prince, celebrating his own birthday. Marina thought he was wonderful.

Suddenly, a terrible storm blew in. Waves crashed, the ship creaked and groaned, and then it broke apart! The prince fell into the churning water. Marina, brave and quick, swam to him. She held his head above the waves and pushed him towards the shore. She laid him gently on the sand, just as some young women from a nearby temple came walking by. Marina quickly hid behind some rocks. One of the girls found the prince and helped him. Marina sighed. He would think that girl had saved him.

Back in her underwater home, Marina couldn't stop thinking about the prince. She asked her grandmother if humans lived forever. "No, dear," said her grandmother. "But they have something called an immortal soul, which means they can live on in a different way after their time on Earth is over. Mermaids just turn into sea foam."

Marina wanted an immortal soul, and she wanted to see the prince again. She decided to visit the Sea Witch, who lived in a gloomy cave surrounded by strange, squishy sea creatures. The Sea Witch was a bit scary but also very powerful.

"I can help you," cackled the Sea Witch. "I'll give you legs, but it will cost you your beautiful voice. And be warned, every step you take on land will feel like walking on tiny sharp stones. Also, if the prince marries someone else, you will turn into sea foam the very next morning."

Marina was scared, but her wish to be with the prince was stronger. She agreed. The Sea Witch gave her a potion. Marina swam to the shore near the prince's palace, drank it, and fainted from the strange feeling.

When she woke up, the prince himself was standing over her! She had legs, but oh, the pain when she tried to stand! And she couldn't speak a word. The prince, kind as he was, took her into his palace. He loved her company. She would dance for him, and her dancing was so graceful and light, even though each step hurt her. He called her his little foundling.

The prince liked Marina very much, but he told her he could only ever truly love the girl he thought had saved him from the shipwreck – the girl from the temple.

One day, the prince's parents told him he had to marry a princess from a nearby kingdom. The prince was sad, but he agreed to meet her. When the princess arrived, Marina's heart sank. It was the same beautiful girl from the temple who had found the prince on the beach!

The prince was overjoyed. "You are the one who saved me!" he cried, and soon, they were married on a grand ship. Marina's heart broke into a thousand pieces. She knew what would happen at sunrise.

As the night went on, and everyone celebrated, Marina stood by the ship's railing, looking at the dark water. Suddenly, her sisters rose from the waves. Their long, beautiful hair was gone!
"Marina!" they cried. "We gave our hair to the Sea Witch! In return, she gave us this knife. If you use it to stab the prince before sunrise, and let his blood touch your feet, you will become a mermaid again and live!"

Marina took the knife. She crept into the cabin where the prince and his new bride were sleeping. The prince murmured his wife's name in his sleep. Marina looked at him, and she just couldn't do it. She loved him too much.

She threw the knife into the sea. Then, as the first light of dawn touched the sky, she jumped overboard. She felt her body dissolving, turning into foamy bubbles.

But she didn't disappear completely. She felt herself rising, lighter than air. Around her were other beautiful, shimmery beings.
"Who are you?" she whispered, surprised she could speak.
"We are daughters of the air," one of them replied gently. "You, little mermaid, tried with all your heart to gain an immortal soul. Because you chose kindness even when your heart was breaking, you now have a chance to earn your own special soul by doing good deeds for three hundred years. Then, you too will live on."

Marina smiled. It wasn't the life she had dreamed of with the prince, but it was a new beginning, filled with hope. And as she floated above the ship, she saw the prince and his bride, and she wished them happiness.

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