Rebeca the Mermaid

by Paige, age 7

I think this is definitely the most popular subject for a Child's Own softie - having made close to twenty, and all of them unique. I found a wonderful green silk with mystical colour gradations from green to yellow. And I (accidentally) found a way to curl her yarn hair. In her drawing, Paige inscribed her mermaid's name on the abdomen, but I decided to put the name on a little apron, her one piece of wardrobe. And in my head, I began to craft a story of a princess mermaid who after losing her parents and home to a submarine missile test, must learn to survive on her own. For a while, she works as a waitress in an underwater cafe called The Reef, until one night, the manager, a sea bass, hears her singing, and comes up with the idea of a dinner and show with her as the star. The mermaid draws the customers, and crowds and attracts the attention of all sorts of characters, like the soft-spoken Mr. Sting Ray and the notorious Mr. Shark...