This oneshot (possibly two shot) is basically practice for writing dialogue, children, and describing scenery. Enjoy

The waves lapped at the beach slowly. Drawling in and out. The sun was high in the sky; casting down long shadows and slowly warming the white sand. Its reflection glittering like snowflakes dancing in the sky. A top a cliff a beach house was planted. Standing on the dull brown deck and looking out a small girl no older than nine. Her strawberry blonde hair was tied in two short pigtails. A pretty green dress ended under her knees. An orange ribbon tied in a bow around her waist. Her eyes were wide with awe and amusement as she skipped her way down to the shore.

Hopping across a pile of rocks she went to the water's edge searching for the perfect shell. It had to be creamy like white chocolate. Or maybe golden brown like caramel.

Anna decided both was best.

She searched right at the water's edge until she realized the water probably pulled them back into the ocean. She took a few large steps back. Then continued her search. Eyes concentrated on the sand. Stopping at a small ovular shell the child picked it up holding it up towards the cloudless sky. The shell was white and dark blue, but it didn't have a back. Anna rapidly shook her head deciding it wasn't good enough and putting it back. Walking along she picked out a larger circular shell from under some driftwood. It was white with creamy sprinkles topping it like leopard prints. Anna leaned down about to grab the shell when eight legs popped out. The crab raised its pincers and jolted to strike. Anna yelped falling on her rear. The crab marched sideways. A sentry guarding its post. It snapped its claws forward a final time.

Anna pouted and spoke, "Alright, you can keep it." She took one last longing look at its shell before continuing her search. Anna walked farther down the beach, farther than she has ever went. Large rocks piled almost directly under the cliff where her house was. The cliff shielded her from the sun's wrath, temporarily. Anna looked up pausing her quest to explore. She climbed up a large rock sitting atop and looking around. The rocks piled up like marbles in a bag, higher and higher. Hiding a cave behind them. The rocks surrounded the bottom of the entrance but there was more than enough room if she climbed up the rocks. The rocks were worn and slightly slippery but Anna was a master climber. At high tide the water probably engulfed the entire cave. She crawled off the rock sitting on the edge of the water. The cave was colder than she had originally anticipated. She pulled off her long white socks and her shoes and stuck her toes into the water. The ripples spreading from the tips to the edge of the pool.

She leaned towards the water with a gasp. A large spirally conch sat on the bottom, just barley visible. It was milky white with almost marble like orange markings. Anna smiled brightly her green eyes twinkling. She pulled her dress up a bit leaning over the rocky edge to grab the shell with her feet, but she wasn't even halfway there. She groaned pulling her legs back out of the water with a splash. The water was colder than the oceans and Anna rapidly rubbed her legs. She could look around for a stick or something long enough to pull it out.

She sighed leaning over the edge once more glaring at the conch that sat like a precious gem hidden behind a vault, suddenly her leg slipped on the wet rocks causing her to plummet face first into the water. The water shocked her, cold water blurred her vision. Shades of blue and black was all she saw. Her arms and legs flailed violently though she couldn't feel them. Bubbles erupted out of her gaping mouth, water poured in from where air left. A scream burned her throat and like fire, the water gashed in.

Suddenly it stopped.

Anna erupted in thundering coughs. A pain boiled in her thighs and torso. She saw the sky through dazed eyes. She bent over coughing into the water, when she realized she was still in the water. The rocks where she sat were empty, soaked but empty. The large rocks she climbed barren off life, except for the moss and lichen. The water though shaken up was clear. Even the shell sat in the same spot.

"Are you okay?"

Anna's head jerked to her rescuer. The voice was out of breath, possibly exhausted. Her red eyes meet beautiful blue. Her mouth gapped open. Holding her was a girl, older than her yes, but a girl none the less. She had a light sprinkle of wrinkles dusted over her nose. Not like Anna's dark and rough ones. Her hair was blonde and plaited back and was very wet. She held Anna in the water like a precious porcelain doll that would wash away. Her skin was as cold as the water.

"Hi." Anna said quietly blinking twice.

"Hello." The girl said after a pause. They were both in shock. The adrenaline that coursed through Anna's blood left her dull and tired. "Are you okay?" Her voice was laced with concern. The red head's head bobbed. Anna wore blinders only seeing her saviour's face.

"Are you an angel?" She finally asked. She was definitely pale enough, but her cheeks were slightly pink. She looked too alive to be dead. The blue eyed one said nothing, just chuckled darkly, too dark to fit her. The rumble woke her from her blindness. She realized she was still being held up by the strange angel. She turned to the rocky edge that betrayed her footing and paddled over. Her dress weighed her down, but the blue eyed saviour quickly realized where she was going and swum her over. Grabbing onto the edge Anna felt at slight ease.

The stranger had even stranger clothing. A snowflake at the top of her chest, the spot a necklace would rest but it didn't seem to have strings around her neck. Her shirt glittered like millions of mirrors attached to blue fabric, similar to sequins but it didnt beads more like scales that looked slick not wet. The sleeves were low near the edge of her shoulder the arms stopping just before her elbow. They had a pattern that mimicked the mirror pattern on her shirt but didn't sparkle quite as much. Her top was strange and ended extremely high, where her rib would end. She showed much more skin that the other girls at Anna's school.

Dark flaps laid parallel to each other on both sides of her ribs. Anna paused staring. They moved with the water ripples in inhaling and exhaling. Curiously Anna moved a hand to touch one. Her saviour winced like she had removed a bandage from raw flesh.

"What is that?" Anna asked tilting her head slightly. The strange girl's hands left Anna's side, who bobbed slightly at the sudden loss of support, and pressed agents her sides. Although suddenly very closed off she remained pressed agents Anna, blocking Anna's vision.

"Nothing, I've always had them." She blurted out.

"I have a birthmark that looks like a fish. Is it anything like that?" The red head said with a toothy smile. She returned the smile with a crooked one of her own and a nod. "Why are you here?" The pause was heavy and long but finally she spoke.

"I uh got stuck."

"Stuck?" Anna repeated, "But how?"

"You have to promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise." Anna said without a second of hesitation. She sighed looking away.

"Close your eyes and count to three."

Anna nodded and like a dog obeyed on the spot. Her eyes squeezed shut and she counted out loud. "One."

Her savior dove deep into the water. Then jetted up Anna called out three a moment before she broke the surface. Jumping out of the water her large tail shown. The scales just a shade darker blue than her top. They started around her waist, her hip bones just barley visible. Fins on her side were spread out. Her tail ended in a large umbrella like fin. The edges had a darker tip. At the base of the fin mirror like scales much like the ones that covered her shirt scattered. They started together but like a group of butterflies spread out going up her sides and her back, few remained in the front.

A mermaid.

Anna gasped her green eyes wide. Her face erupted in a glorious smile.

"That is amazing!" She yelled. The mermaid swam back up nervously. Anna jolted forward touching her gills. "That is amazing!" She repeated, "Do you have lungs or gills? Do you have both? What if they get mixed up? Like the water got into your lungs and the air got into you fish lungs. Can you just live in salt water? What are you doing here?" she gasped "Youre stuck here! How'd you get in? How will you get out? Oh no oh no what if someone finds you? What if someone else finds you?"

The mermaid's eyes were wide. She hardened expected the young human to care so much. She hadn't done much. Anna rambled on nervously about the dangers of her being stuck in the small cave. Her small body bobbing forward and backwards. Rocking in the cold water.

"Hey hey hey." The blonde said raising her hands stopping Anna dead in her tracks. She didn't know what to do. Anna was the first human she ever meet.

"What are you going to do?" Anna asked.

"Wait until high tide." The fish one said.

"Great! I'll wait with you."

"Wait what."

"I can't let you just swim here alone." Anna said. "Not now that we are friends."

The blonde paused before speaking quietly, "Friends?"

"Well yeah." Anna said as if it was obvious. As if she was asking if the sky was blue, or grass is green. "So how long do you think we'll have to wait?"

Just like that, they became friends. They spoke of their home lives, Anna leading most of the conversation. The blonde was more timid about speaking of her home. But she had her own input. They spoke about their parents and their lack of friends. Anna mentioned her hunt for the perfect shll and her saviour brought up the couch she spotted earlier. They spoke for long and slowly the water filled up the cave once more. She made Anna leave the cave as soon as she was out of land to sit. But they spoke through the cracks of the rocks. The conversation came out easy. They skipped over the boring 'nice weather' talk and went straight for the deep rooted heart changing issues that pound at their hearts and keep them up at night. Soon enough she was free and Anna was the one stuck on top of a rock.

"I'd swim you free, but you'll get sick in water as cold as this." The blonde said shyly.

"I'm wet anyway." Anna said letting her help the redhead into the water and swimming her to the beach.

"I'd better be off."

"Yeah me too." Anna paused her eyebrows furrowing together. "I won't see you again will I?"

The mermaid rested a hand on her shoulder. "We'll see each other again."

"How do you know?"

"I don't know."

Anna frowned not liking the answer, but she choose to trust her new friend. "Goodbye." She said. Her saviour gave her a small smile before swimming off.

Anna's eyes widened suddenly at a horrible realization. "Wait!" She yelled as loud as she could "Wait!" The mermaid looked back waving at her. "What's your name?!" Anna yelled. She had to repeat it twice before the blonde could properly hear.

"Elsa!" She paused to hear if Anna would say anything more, when she didn't Elsa dove into the water waving with her tail.

Anna walked home with the conch under her arm. Puddles trailed behind her. They would dry forgetting the adventure in the cave, Anna would never forget and with her conch she knew it wasn't a dream.

i dont usually like very closed endings but I thought the cliche was sweet so.