Video script prompt

Long ago, near a small seaside town, lived a mermaid named Selena. She belonged to the deep sea, yet every evening she swam to the shallows, hiding behind rocks to watch fishing boats return and lanterns light up along the shore. One night, a sudden storm struck. A fishing boat capsized, and a young fisherman named Noah was thrown into the sea. Waves dragged him under, pulling him toward the rocks. Selena found him in the dark current, grabbed his arm, and lifted his body above the water. Guiding him carefully between sharp reefs, she pushed him toward the beach. When the waves finally carried him onto the sand and she saw his chest rise with breath, she slipped back into the sea before dawn. When Noah awoke, he did not know who had saved him. Yet from that day on, he came to the same rock every evening. He sat there mending nets, watching the tide. Selena returned again and again, watching him from beneath the surface. One morning, she left a smooth shell on the rock. The next day, it was neatly placed back. Slowly, they learned each other’s time. One calm evening, a gentle wave lifted Selena above the surface. She held the edge of the rock, water dripping from her hair. Noah looked up and saw her. He did not step back. They stared at one another across the waterline, the sea breathing quietly between them. Then she slowly slipped back under. After that, they met every dusk. Noah spoke while sitting on the shore, tossing small fish into the water. Selena floated nearby, lifting his nets from below when they snagged on stone. On rainy days, he stood under a cloak while she swam through falling drops. At night, he lit a lamp, and she lingered in its glow. On a full-moon night, the tide rose high, nearly covering the rocks. Selena came close, her hands resting on the stone. Noah stepped forward and steadied her wrist. A wave pushed her closer. She looked up. He leaned down. At the line where moonlight met the sea, they shared a gentle kiss. It lasted only a moment. As the water pulled back, she released him and disappeared beneath the surface. The next day, Selena did not return. The laws of the deep sea would not allow her to remain near the human world. She went back to the depths and never again swam to the shore. Noah sailed far and eventually returned to the town. He never married. He built a small house by the sea. Every evening, he sat on the same rock, watching the tide rise and fall, placing the shell on the stone before taking it back at night. Years passed. The mermaid never appeared again. But Noah continued to wait, and deep in the sea, Selena still looked toward the distant shore. They never met again, yet their meeting—and that single kiss— remained with the sea forever.