CONSTRUCTION

Nerwin bent down close to the ground. He picked up a pebble and tossed it over the lake. The pebble bounced a couple times before it sunk deep into the water.

The sound of a branch snapping nearby startled him. He turned around and scanned the area. Oh, it was only a goblin.

It approached Nerwin and bowed its head. ‘‘I’m sorry to bother you, Sire. But we have a slight problem in the Southern region.’’

Nerwin brushed the dirt off his hands and said, ‘‘Oh dear. I hope it’s not the mermaids and beavers.’’

The goblin burst out laughing and shook his head. ‘‘I’m not quite sure. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they were arguing again.’’

Nerwin looked into the sky and whisteld. In a flash, two winged creatures appeared and whinnied.

The goblin mounted on one and Nerwin patted the creature’s head first before mounting it. It was pleased to see him.

They flew into the air toward the South. Nerwin clicked his tongue, and the creatures moved closer to the ground.

The goblin saw the beavers by their dam. They swam away from it and made their way to Nerwin.

One beaver cried, ‘‘You’re finally here. You won’t be believe what the mermaids did this time.’’

Another bellowed, ‘‘They claim that this part of the water is theirs, and we can’t build our dam here. We have been living here for many generations. They have no rights to treat us this way.’’

Nerwin sighed. ‘‘I hear you. I’m sure they meant no harm.’’

A mermaid popped its head out of the water and scoffed. ‘‘They need to build their dam somewhere else. Maybe over by the other lake.’’

The goblin watched as more mermaids appeared and the beavers started yelling at them. Nerwin then whistled to get their attention.

‘‘Hmm. You all need to take a deep breath. You have boundary issues that you need to work on. I’m sure that we can find a way to work together to sort them out.’’

Nerwin grabbed a stick from the ground and threw it to one of the mermaids. The mermaid stared at it. ‘‘What’s this for?’’

‘‘You’re going to help the beavers build a dam.’’

The goblin smiled. What a clever strategy.

Nerwin watched the mermaids form groups to carry out different tasks to build the dam. The beavers gave them instructions on how to build.

After a few hours, their work was done. The mermaids were happy to have helped the beavers build a dam.

Nerwin was glad to see the mermaids and beavers getting along. He hoped that they would also build a strong bond of kindness and respect for each other.