The Little Mermaid felt the warmth of the morning sun on her face.
To her surprise she was not dead and had not turned into sea foam.
Instead she was floating above the water.
"It is dawn and I am still alive?" she wondered.
Above her head were two strange beings in long, white robes.
They looked as if they were waiting to greet her.
They smiled as they floated in the air like clouds.
She tried to touch them, but her hand went right through them.
The Little Mermaid soon discovered that she was dressed in a robe too.
Like them she was also part of the air and floating like a cloud.
Without thinking she called out to them, "Who are you?"
To her surprise she heard her own voice.
And it was just as beautiful as it had been before she gave it to the Sea Witch.
"We are the Spirits of the Air," one of them replied.
"We travel through the world doing good deeds."
"Why am I here with you?" the Little Mermaid asked.
"Your loyalty to the Prince and your sacrifice has raised you up to the world of Air Spirits," the other said.
"You are now one of us."
The mermaid was curious.
"I need to know more.
Do you live for three hundred years like the sea folk?
Do you have a soul like the humans?"
"Here, in our world, we also live for three hundred years.
But we can earn our souls.
When we do, we live forever."
"I've always wanted a soul," said the mermaid.
"What must I do to deserve one?"
"If you do many good deeds throughout your three hundred years, you will get a soul," answered one of the air spirits.
"Exactly what is a good deed?"
asked the Little Mermaid, now very interested.
"A good deed is when you do something nice for humans.
The Spirits of the Air watch over humans.
We bring them food when they are hungry and clothes when they are cold.
Sometimes we whisper good thoughts into their ears when they are sad.
We try to help in any way we can."
Pleased, the Little Mermaid looked down to the earth.
She liked the idea of watching over the humans, whom she had learned to love.
"I finally have a chance to earn a soul," she said, laughing.
The Little Mermaid's joy was so great that, for the first time in her life, she began to cry.
Her tears of happiness fell one by one into the sea below her.
Then the Little Mermaid saw the grand ship.
She could see that everyone on board was now awake.
The Prince and his bride were looking for her and calling out.
After a while they just gazed sadly out to sea.
"What has happened to my little companion?" wondered the Prince.
"She was so faithful to me."
The Little Mermaid blew him a kiss that turned into a white feather.
Floating softly down, it brushed the Prince's cheek.
Then she blew another kiss to his bride.
She wished them both well—her first good deed.
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