Irene and the seal

by Evie, Marie-Hélèn and Olga

Once upon a time, in a very strange land, in a place called Europa,

a young girl lived with her family.

The whole country was close to the sea and everyone on this land

loved the sea, the beach and kept enjoying seashore activities.

Most people worked on the sea and this was a sailor’s place.

Absolutely everyone had to own a boat, however tiny it was.

One day, Irene, our beautiful and long-haired young girl, decided to

go for a walk with her two brothers. Walking toward the sea, she

almost fell down, as she stumbled on an old dirty and sandy

hairbrush. Even though this hairbrush was not very attractive, she

felt drawn to it and picked it up.

Her brothers believed she had lost her mind and looked at the

‘thing’ with disgust. She cleaned it into the sea water and started to

brush her hair as if she had never had a hairbrush before. They did

not dare say anything, because they knew she was a sensitive but

eccentric person and they respected her decisions, as she had a

mind of her own and would have hated to be told off by her younger

brothers.

After that day, Irene used to take a morning walk at the seaside,

almost every day. But it wasn’t a usual walk. She walked up and

down the seashore and brushed her long blonde hair with the old

hairbrush, looking at the sea, as if she was expecting something.

The strange thing was that the hairbrush was becoming like new,

with a strange shine and Irene’s hair was getting like pure gold.

Irene’s brothers were anxious about her weird behaviour and her

“magic” hairbrush.

One day, she brushed her hair at home, wore her best dress, even

perfumed herself and left for her usual itinerary at the seashore. But

today she left the hairbrush at home! Her brothers saw her different

“preparation” and they secretly followed her.

When she arrived at the beach, she didn’t walk up and down as

usual. She sat down at the seashore, looking at the little calm

waves, staring at the horizon. She seemed as if she was waiting for

somebody. And suddenly a little seal showed, crying and trying to

reach the beach. The seal’s crying seemed like a lament. Irene

stood up, worrying about the seal’s effort to reach the beach. She

ignored her best dress, she dived at the sea, swimming toward the

seal. After little, she reached the crying seal, she enfolded him and

she helped him swim along to the beach. They reached the

seashore, swimming together and Irene carried the seal out of the

sea.

He was bleeding and he was obviously seriously injured. She didn’t

hesitate not even for a minute. She was going to take the seal

home and take care of him until he got well. Her brothers were

watching speechless. They watched her carrying the bleeding seal

at home, ignoring the fact that her best dress was ruined, full of

seal’s blood, and she was cold and wet.

She arrived home and put the seal to her bed! She cleaned his

wounds, taking care of his injuries.

Although the seal’s wounds seemed to get well, the seal seemed to

have serious pain.

She decided to give him some painkillers to calm and relieve him.

She tried to give him medicines with her silver spoon. Her mother

used to give her and her brothers medicines with it, whenever they

got ill. From her early childhood that silver spoon was magic and

“healing” every pain. It was her mother’s love and caring that was

healing them, but now that she has passed away, the silver spoon

was a healing memory that could help the seal too.

The seal seemed to enjoy the care Irene was offering. He accepted

the painkillers, the warm food and the comfort that the young girl

was offering. Day by day he was getting well, until he was totally

recovered.

Irene realised that the seal was finally totally alright and he needed

his genuine habitat. Although she had great time with him at home

and he became a best friend she never had, she had to take him

back to the beach.

They greeted each other with tears in their eyes. The seal started to

enter into the sea, looking back at her. He unwillingly dived in the

water, got out again, cried out to Irene.

Suddenly she was attracted by a phosphorescent shell, shining

in the waves. She took it, stroked it and showed it to the seal but...

at his place she saw a very handsome young man! The shell had

been like the Aladdin lamp!!!

The Prince got out of the sea and approached Irene with a big

warm smile on his face. “What can I do to thank you? Nothing

seems enough! You healed my wounds, you took care of me, you

shared your home, your bed, your food with me, being a filthy seal!

And now you released me from the magic spell that had

transformed me into a seal! I am a human again! Free from spell!

How can I thank you enough?”

Irene watched him speechless as if she was spelled! How

handsome he was! She could not get her eyes away from him, nor

he could! They were keeping staring at each other, sharing feelings

and thoughts! They were obviously in love, stroke by a deep love at

first sight! They kissed. Suddenly he knelt and...“Marry me Irene, be

the queen of my heart and my kingdom”. Irene couldn’t believe it!

She accepted and after a few days they married on the beach

which had made possible this miracle! Everybody was happy, even

Irene’s brothers. They didn’t think that she was weird anymore! Now

she was a princess happily married to a handsome prince, with

whom they lived happily ever after!