“Snowdrop and the Mermaids of Ramsey Bay”

Far out in the sparkling blue of Ramsey Bay, where the sunlight dances in ripples on the waves, the mermaids gather every morning to braid their long hair and polish their treasures. Their favourite jewels are not pearls or gold, but strings of shimmering jelly beans, each one a gift from the sweet currents that swirl through the bay.

One bright morning, they spotted a little white seal bobbing nervously in the shallows. His name was Snowdrop, and although he loved the sea, he wasn’t quite sure how to swim on his own. To keep him safe, he wore a pair of cheerful orange armbands that puffed out proudly at his sides.

The mermaids swam to him, their jelly bean necklaces glittering like rainbows beneath the waves. “Don’t worry, Snowdrop,” sang Marina, the gentlest of them all. “We’ll teach you.” With a flick of their shimmering tails, they called their friends - a whole herd of beautiful seahorses, their manes flowing like seaweed in the tide.

Snowdrop climbed onto a golden seahorse’s back, and off they went, weaving between coral towers and chasing schools of silvery fish. The mermaids clapped and cheered, their necklaces sparkling, as the little seal grew braver with every splash. By the end of the day, he was gliding beside them, no longer clinging to his armbands but keeping them as a reminder of his very first adventure.

Our littlest friends are our best

And so, in Ramsey Bay, it’s said that if you ever see a white seal with a necklace of jelly beans, you’ll know it’s Snowdrop, the seal who learned to swim with mermaids.