Jasper’s green tail sent bubbles past his nose. Pop, pop, pop! He was a mermaid who could twirl. His friend Mira could bounce on her tail. Today, she wanted help making a dance. Jasper swam into their sandy cove. He wanted to dance with her.
Above the water, yellow leaves floated past. Below, long seaweed ribbons waved around the cove. Mira bounced once, then twice. Her purple tail made little sandy puffs. Jasper flicked his green tail, ready to begin. They had a whole patch of sand to dance on.
“Let’s twirl first!” said Jasper. “Let’s bounce first!” said Mira. Jasper twirled anyway. Surely Mira would join him. Round he went, his arms spread wide. But Mira kept bouncing in one spot. They weren’t making a dance together. They were making two dances, far apart.
Jasper tried his very best twirl. He curled his tail and spun around. A bubble landed on his nose. He crossed his eyes to see it. Usually, that made Mira giggle. This time, she sat on the sand. Her purple tail lay still beside her.
Jasper stopped spinning. The dance felt small without his friend. He swam over and sat beside her. Mira drew a little curl in the sand. “There’s no bouncing in your dance,” she said. Jasper looked at the marks his twirls had made. They covered most of the sandy patch.
They could start with either move. Both could be part of their dance. But Jasper had already done lots of twirls. Mira was still waiting to share her bounce. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Let’s bounce first. You’ve waited while I twirled.” He stood his tail on the sand.
Jasper gave a little bounce. His bottom wiggled. His elbows wobbled. Mira giggled, then bounced beside him. Up went two mermaids. Down came two sandy puffs. They bounced again, side by side. Then Mira spread her arms. Jasper spread his, too. Around they went, slowly, together.
Their last twirl ended beside the seaweed. Jasper sat down, and Mira settled close. She nudged his green tail with hers. He nudged back. A soft ribbon of seaweed brushed across their fins.