Barbie slid off her board into the warm water. Instantly, a familiar tingle wrapped around her legs. Her surf shorts dissolved into a cascade of shimmering light, replaced by a magnificent tail—pearly pink with streaks of lavender, fins as delicate as flower petals.

"You've forgotten what harmony feels like," Barbie continued softly. "But the ocean forgives. It always does."

She returned to Malibu just as the sun was setting. Her tail faded into legs, and she climbed onto her surfboard, dripping with seawater and magic.

"I knew it," Barbie breathed. "It wasn't a dream."