The World Above

Every so often, Ariel would swim up, up, up until her head broke through the surface.

She loved watching the sky turn orange at sunset, and the tall ships sailing by with their sails full of wind.

“The surface is no place for a mermaid,” her father, the Sea King, told her gently. “The kingdom is where you belong, safe with us.”

Ariel nodded — but she couldn't help dreaming of what else was out there.