Mermaid by Tigerstretch (WebArchive)

Water. I loved the water so much, I always did.

When I was a little girl, my parents took me to the beach during our summer vacation. It was very special because we didn't live anywhere near one, so I was very excited to go there. The weather was perfect, and the overall experience was outstanding. For the first time in my life, I got to swim in the salty ocean.

For seven days straight, this vacation solidified my passion for swimming. At the time, I thought that there were villages and castles inhabited by water creatures at the bottom of the ocean, and that I would have been able to visit them one day. That was just my silly kid imagination, of course.

But on the last day of this trip, something happened. My parents had allowed me to go swimming one last time before leaving, so I didn't waste any time putting on my swimsuit and rushing to the water.

Carelessly, after jumping over the first few waves unsuccessfully, I dove not so graciously in what I thought was a deeper part, but instead of sinking, I hit a lady that I had not noticed.

"Owww..."

"... I'm sorry! I'm sorry, lady! I didn't see you! Are... are you okay?"

"Haha... Yes. I didn't see you either, little one."

"..."

She was so pretty. Her long blonde hair and big blue eyes were incredible, and her smile was radiant. Her bikini top was all colorful and frilly. Since I was a creative kid, the only thing I could think of was that she was a...