Marina was a little mermaid who lived in bright and beautiful Seastar Lagoon. She was shy and quiet, but she had two big secrets:
1️⃣ She could talk to sea animals
2️⃣ She could make things float with her magic bubbles
The problem was… she couldn’t control her powers! When she got nervous, her voice got too loud and bubbles flew everywhere.
Marina had curly brown hair in a ponytail, a shiny teal mermaid tail, and a tiny pearl headband that sparkled when she was excited.
Every day, she went to Coral Reef School with her friends:
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Finley — a silly seahorse who always made her laugh
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Coralina — a bold mermaid who never got scared
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Sir Bubblesworth — a fancy pufferfish with a tiny bow tie who said “Ahem!” all the time
Their teacher was Mrs. Tulla, a kind sea turtle with gold glasses.
A Shy Hello
“Today,” Mrs. Tulla said, “we will practice whispering hello to our sea animal friends.”
She held up a shiny silver shell. “When you hold this message shell, speak softly.”
Mrs. Tulla called in a visitor — a shy gray seal named Mr. Whiskers.
Finley went first. “Hello, Mr. Whiskers!” he said, smiling.
He passed the shell down the row until… Marina’s turn.
She held her breath. She wanted to be quiet.
But when she spoke—
“HELLO, MR. WHISKERS!” she shouted.
Her voice blasted like a giant bubble pop!
Finley spun in a loop. Mr. Whiskers slipped off his chair.
Sir Bubblesworth puffed up like a round balloon.
“Ahem! Indoor voices!” he squeaked.
Marina’s cheeks burned pink. “Oops,” she whispered.
“It’s okay,” Mrs. Tulla said kindly. “Try again.”
Marina took a calm breath and tried a soft voice.
“Hello, Mr. Whiskers.”
Mr. Whiskers smiled. “Perfect!”
But then… something else happened.
The Floating Shell
The message shell suddenly floated right out of Marina’s hands!
Bubble-sparkles danced around it as it flew up to the ceiling.
“Oh no!” Marina gasped. “Come back!”
The shell wiggled and zoomed around the room like a silly fish.
Coralina giggled. “This is amazing!”
Sir Bubblesworth un-puffed. “Highly irregular!”
Marina waved her hands. “Down, please!”
The shell plopped onto Mrs. Tulla’s desk.
Mrs. Tulla smiled. “Very impressive magic. With practice, it will be even better.”
Marina felt proud… and a little scared.
Bubble Trouble
Suddenly WHOOSH! A strong wave rushed through the window.
Decorations for the Autumn Tide Party flew everywhere!
Seaweed ribbons wrapped around chairs.
Glow shells rolled across the room.
Sir Bubblesworth puffed again — POP! — bubbles everywhere!
“We need help!” Coralina yelled.
Marina gulped. “I can try!”
She focused. “Float up… please!”
Everything lifted into the water — slow and gentle like jellyfish.
“Now land softly,” she whispered.
The decorations settled into a perfect pile.
The class cheered!
“You did it!” Finley said, his tail dancing with joy.
Mrs. Tulla smiled proudly.
“Marina has the perfect magic to help us decorate for the Autumn Tide Party!”
Party Ready!
Marina floated lanterns into the water like tiny moons.
She lifted sparkly ribbons across the walls.
The jellyfish lights twinkled above everyone’s heads.
“Beautiful!” Coralina said.
Sir Bubblesworth cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Quite good. Quite good indeed.”
Even Captain Crabby, a grumpy crab, noticed.
“Hmph,” he said. “Not bad… for a kid.”
Marina giggled. She was feeling braver already.
When the decorating was done, the lanterns glowed bright.
Everyone’s smiles sparkled.
Marina looked at her glowing pearl necklace and whispered,
“Maybe… my magic is a good thing.”
A little bubble popped happily beside her.
⭐ Follow-Up Questions
1️⃣ What happens when Marina gets nervous?
2️⃣ How did Marina help her classroom?
3️⃣ Why did Marina feel proud at the end?
