Highly Commended Story - Rosie And The Sea Princess

“Rosie And The Sea Princess” by Rohini Raut, Rustomjee Cambridge International School and Junior College, India, is the Highly Commended story in the junior category of the second biannual Short Story Contest 2019.

Rohini is a grade 4 student of Rustomjee Cambridge International School, Dahisar. Rohini, or The Star as her name aptly means, is a fun loving and cheerful person. Her passions are writing short stories, reading Roald Dahl books and singing. She is also fond of playing the keyboard. When she isn't studying, she's probably dancing or writing her diary. She loves to learn cooking, travelling to beach destinations and playing pranks with her younger brother. She aspires to become a Space Scientist so she can make satellites that can reach far away planets.

Rosie And The Sea Princess

Once there lived a young girl named Rosie. She was very intelligent and beautiful. She and her family had planned for a vacation on a cruise to Scotland. Soon the big day arrived and they set out on the cruise. The weather was pleasant with a clear skyline. Rosie was very happy and looked forward to visiting a new destination.

All of a sudden, the weather worsened and a fierce storm struck the sea. Everyone on the ship panicked and ran helter-skelter. In the chaos, Rosie got separated from her family. She was petrified. Not aware about a short edge, she lost her balance and fell into the turbulent sea beneath. She found a wooden plank and held onto it. She prayed to God for strength and safety of her family. With all her power, she pushed herself past the gushing waves and found herself on a serene island. Initially, she felt terrified, but after a while she calmed down and looked around. The island was as beautiful as paradise. Rosie was mesmerized to see a wonderful waterfall landing in a small pond. The trees were colorful and the flowers were as delicate and lovely as butterflies. She wandered into the island forest looking for help. Soon she realized that there was not another soul in sight. She was exhausted and returned to the shore. She was about to rest for sometime when suddenly her eye caught something glittering and colorful lying on the beach. Curiously, she went closer to see what it was. It was a beautiful mermaid!!

The sea princess had a glowing crown and her body was golden blue in color. She was unconscious but still breathing. Soon, she opened her eyes but looked scared. Rosie went near her and said softly, “I am not going to harm you.” Rosie found out that she was the princess of the sea kingdom, Atlantis and her name was Kia. She told how she had been washed away from Atlantis, during the terrible storm. Rosie could feel her pain and sadness and could relate Kia’s state to herself.

As Kia was thirsty, Rosie lifted her carefully into her arms and carried her to the pond she had seen earlier. After drinking water, they began talking. They sat on a nearby stone. Kia described to Rosie, the sorry state of Atlantis due to plastic bags that were thrown in the ocean by human beings. Rosie too shared her experience with Kia about how she landed up there. They became good friends. Suddenly, Rosie noticed some strange symbols on the stone and showed them to Kia. “A secret passageway to my sea castle and it’s right here, through this pond!” Kia exclaimed. She excitedly jumped into the pond. Rosie was left puzzled.

Minutes later, Kia emerged out of the pond along with an elderly, graceful mermaid. She was Kia’s mother, the queen of Atlantis. The queen thanked Rosie for helping out Kia and also granted her a wish. Rosie had always dreamt of clean drinking water for all on Earth and asked for the same. The queen was astonished by her noble wish and granted it. She also arranged for Rosie to be sent to her parents through magic. Rosie bid goodbye to her new friend and soon she was back home with her family, carrying the memories of this exciting adventure with her forever.