Rachel asks for a story

She got into bed with me this morning and said, "tell me a story. I'm getting bored of Rachel and Valerie, so tell me another one."

"What do you want it to be about?" I asked.

"A mermaid," she answered.

Once upon a time, a mermaid named Rachel wasn't satisfied with her life underseas and wanted to go above the water. Her mom and dad reluctantly let me do so for one day as long as I came back that same day. On that day she swam to the surface, her mom and dad shoved her forward onto the beach, she found her fishtail disappearing and legs replacing them, then she caught a bus into town and then decided to go into a theater that was doing The Nutcracker. She went inside to see and it was so lovely that we stayed until the end, then went to find the ballet mistress. The ballet mistress is the one in charge of the ballerinas....

"I know, Mommy," Rachel interrupted.

"Anyway, Rachel told her how beautiful the performance was, and the ballet mistress invited her to audition for the ballet for next year. So Rachel caught a bus back to the beach near the boardwalk, then dove into the water and swam back to her parents and told them how beautiful the ballet was and now much she wanted to audition for a part for next year's ballet. Her parents were very reluctant but finally gave in. So the next day Rachel swam to the surface where her parents shoved her onto the beach, then she took a bus and went back to the theater, and told the ballet mistress that she wanted to audition. The ballet mistress hadn't thought Rachel would want to audition THAT DAY, so she consulted with the head of the ballet company. Finally they let her audition and she got a part, and then Rachel went back to the ocean and told her parents, and her parents agreed she could do the part but only for two performances, afternoon and evening, on one day of the year. And that is why, if you watch The Nutcracker very closely, you'll see a tiny mermaid off to the side of Clara and the Prince in Act II, waving her arms from side to side. You never know what performance she'll show up for. That's Amanda, playing her part!"