Princess between Worlds by E. D. Baker

I want to know what’s moving around in there.”
    â€œToo bad this entire beach is covered with fine, white sand. A good solid rock would come in handy right now.”
    Annie sighed. “This is beautiful, though. If I’d seen this postcard first, I might even have chosen to come here. This is our grand tour, after all. We’re supposed to be having fun. Look over there! I’ve never seen turquoisewater before. And do you see how shallow it looks even way out there? I wish we could go swimming while we’re here.”
    â€œMaybe we can, if we can get these shackles off. And if there aren’t any monsters around. And if we don’t have to leave suddenly because something awful is about to befall us if we stay here,” said Liam.
    Annie glanced at the trees again. “It looks calm now. Let’s hope it stays that way.”
    They continued walking, rounding the curve in the beach. When they reached the far side of the curve, they discovered an outcropping of rocks that led out into the water. Liam was delighted to find smaller rocks at the base of the boulders and searched until he found just the right one. Perched on one of the larger rocks, he stretched the chain between his ankles across the hard surface, and pounded it with the smaller rock. A few minutes of pounding broke the chains. When he gestured to Annie, she sat down and stuck her fingers in her ears while he tried to break the chain between her ankles.
    Liam was still focused on Annie’s chains when a shadow fell across the rocks and a sweet voice boomed, “Watcha doing?”
    Even with Annie’s fingers in her ears, the voice was painfully loud. Annie looked up and saw a young girl, no more than six years old, towering above her. She was very pretty, with dark brown curls and sky-blue eyes, butshe was at least three times taller than Liam when he was standing.
The girl must be a giant!
Annie thought. She had never seen a giant before, and had never believed they were real, but confronted with such a big little girl, she couldn’t imagine what else the child might be.
    A drop of water landed on Annie’s head and ran down her cheek. The girl was clutching a bouquet of odd-looking flowers that dripped water from their petals.
    Annie scooted backward, trying to get away from the dripping flowers. When she glanced at Liam, his eyes were as big as saucers and his mouth was hanging open. Apparently, it was going to be up to her to talk to the girl. “We’re trying to break these chains,” said Annie, answering her question.
    â€œWhy?” asked the girl.
    â€œBecause we don’t want them on anymore,” said Annie.
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause they make it hard to walk.”
    â€œWhy?”
    Annie decided that it was time to take charge of the conversation. “You have some interesting flowers,” she told the girl.
    â€œThey aren’t mine,” the girl replied. “They’re Blooger’s. He lets me play with them.”
    â€œI probably shouldn’t ask this, but who is Blooger?”
    â€œHe’s my friend,” the girl said, holding the bouquet toward Annie and turning around. “See? That’s him right there.”
    A large, sand-colored mass drooped down the girl’s back and spread out just below the surface of the water behind her. Annie thought it wasn’t alive until she saw it undulating against the wash of waves as it worked to stay where it was and not get swept away. It blended into the sand below it, with only the garden of waving “flowers” attached to its back standing out. Suddenly Annie realized that the flowers clutched in the girl’s hands weren’t flowers at all, but growths that were part of a sea monster.
    Startled, Annie cried out. The sound seemed to bring Liam out of his stupor. Shouting, “I’ll save you!” he jumped off the rock and lunged toward the monster, holding the rock in one