Lana and the Sparkling Sea Serpent

Lana, a sweet nine-year-old with bright eyes and a cascade of brown curls, loved two things above all: swimming and her dollhouse. Her dollhouse, a magnificent Victorian mansion, sat proudly on her bedroom windowsill. Each tiny doll had a name and a story.

One evening, after a particularly exhilarating swim at the local pool, Lana nestled into bed. As she drifted off, she dreamt she was shrunk down, tiny as her dolls, standing before her magnificent dollhouse, which had grown to the size of a real house! The front door creaked open, and a shimmering, scaley head popped inside. It was a sea serpent, but not a scary one. Its scales sparkled like a thousand tiny sapphires, and its eyes held a gentle curiosity.

"Greetings," the sea serpent said, its voice like the softest ocean waves. "I'm Coralia, and I've lost my crown jewel. It fell into your dollhouse's hidden grotto." Coralia explained the grotto was situated behind the miniature waterfall in the dollhouse's garden.

Lana, though startled, wasn't afraid. She was a brave swimmer, after all! She quickly located the grotto, a tiny, dark passage behind the waterfall. Inside, nestled amongst miniature seashells, was a single, glowing pearl. She carefully retrieved it.

Coralia was overjoyed. "Thank you, Lana!" she exclaimed, her scales shimmering brighter than ever. "As a token of my gratitude, I grant you one wish." Lana thought hard. She could wish for anything, but what did she really want? She looked at her dolls, then back at the magnificent, now gigantic dollhouse. It was nearly as large as her real home.

Then she remembered the pool. She wished for a miniature slide built in the dollhouse that would lead to a pool. Coralia smiled, and a beautiful, miniature slide appeared, ending into a crystal-clear miniature pool in one of the dollhouse's lower rooms. All her little dolls could now enjoy swimming just like her!

Lana woke with a smile. The sun streamed through her window, and her dollhouse sat peacefully on the windowsill. It was still the same size, but she decided that it looked even better. That night, she told her parents about her dream. They smiled, and her dad promised to help her build a small paddling pool in the back garden for her and her dolls. And Lana knew, in her heart, that even without magic, everything is possible.