The Little Merman

The Little Merman
based on the story by Yuko Shimizu

Illustrated by Elizabeth Mayuku and Dai Satō
Contents
 Chapter 1: The deep blue sea
 Chapter 2: The world above
 Chapter 3: Rescue from the storm
 Chapter 4: Finding his princess
 Chapter 5: Paying the price
 Chapter 6: The princess's bridegroom
Chapter 1: The deep blue sea
Far out at sea, below the waves, deeper and deeper and
deeper still, stood the Sea Queen's castle.
There, at the very bottom of the sea, the water was as clear
as glass. The sand was as fine as powder. Tall seaweed grew up
around the castle walls among its branches.
The Sea Queen was very proud of her castle. It was the
perfect place to bring up her six merman sons.
Each son was given his own small garden to care for.
"I'm going to shape mine like a whale," said the eldest.
"Mine will have a seashell border," said the next.
"And I'm going to grow pretty flowers," said the third.
The fourth and fifth mermen loved exploring.

"Let's decorate our gardens with treasure from shipwrecks,"
they said.
Then their little brother appeared, hugging a statue of a

smiling girl. "Look what I've found!" he cried. "I'm going to put
her in my garden."
The brothers spent all day in the castle waters, tending their
gardens and playing games. In the evening, as the sea turned to
inky black, their grandfather called them inside for supper.
"Mermen!"
Lying on silky cushions, the family ate steaming seaweed
parcels and soft sea fruits.
"Tell us a story, Grandpapa," begged the littlest merman.

Grandpapa had seen the world above the waves. He told
amazing tales of women with two legs and no tail.
"These are buildings as tallest as the ocean is deep," he said,
"and machines that glide even faster than sharks."
The little merman hung on his ever word.
"When you reach fifteen," announced the Sea Queen, "you

may rise above the waves and see these things for yourselves."
While the older brothers flicked their tails in delight, the little
merman sat drumming his fingers. "That's six whole years
away!" he sighed.
Chapter 2: The world above
On the eldest brother's fifteenth birthday, the Sea Queen's
castle frothed with excitement.
The mermen showered their big brother with twinkling pearls.
But the best present of all was the Sea Queen's blessing.
"Now you can swim to the surface of the sea," she said.
"Come back quickly!" called the little merman. He wanted to

hear everything about the world above.
His brother finally returned, grinning with excitement.
"I watched the sun sink into the sea," he said. "Its orange light
flooded the water."
"Ooooh!" the mermen amazed.
For hours, the mermen pestered him with questions.

"Did you see land?"
"Were there any boats?"
"What does air feel like?"
His littlest brother was the most curious. "Did the wind stroke
your hair?" he asked. "Did the sun kiss your cheeks?"
That night, the little merman gazed at the sea above. A black
blot glided through the water.
"It must be a ship!" he thought. "I wonder who's on it and

where they're going..."
He fell asleep and dreamed of sailing the ocean.
Chapter 3: Rescue from the
storm
One by one, the brothers reached fifteen and were allowed to
swim above the waves. The little merman watched them rise up,
hand in hand, longing for the day he could join them.
As time dragged on, the little merman spent hours with his
statue. "I can't wait to see what dry land looks like," he told her.
Finally, the year.... then the month... then the day of his
fifteenth birthday arrived. As soon as the celebrations were
over, he set off for the surface.
"Goodbye!" he called to his brothers, rising up like a bubble of
air. With each swish of his tail, the water felt lighter.
His head broke through the waves and he gasped. The sun
was setting, just as his brother had described. And there, ahead,
floated a ship.
The little merman swam closer. Lanterns hung from the masts
and lively music filled the air. Closer still, he saw people dancing
on deck.
He stared in delight as their two legs carried them back and
forth. A beautiful young geisha appeared, wearing a hairpin.
"Happy birthday, Princess Mirei!" the people shouted, as a
hundred rockets exploded in the sky.
The little merman watched the princess, enchanted. It was as

if his statue had come to life.
Suddenly, the weather turned stormy and everyone ran below
deck. Waves rose up like mountains around the creaking ship
and a streak of lightning split the dark clouds.
The little merman rode the surf with glee, but then he heard
cries from the ship. The wind and waves were battering it apart,
tossing terrified people into the foaming sea.
The merman was horrified. "They'll never survive without

tails," he thought. "Oh, the poor princess. I must find her..."
He searched everywhere, diving between beams and planks.

At last he saw her, clinging to a broken mast.
He pulled the princess to a sheltered cove and let the waves
wash her ashore.
"Thank you," she murmured.
The little merman watched from a clump of seaweed. As the
dawn light warned the sky, a pretty boy came and helped the
princess to her feet. Smiling, she looked out to sea, then walked
away.
Chapter 4: Finding his princess
The little merman floated joyfully back to the castle.
"How was it?" his brothers asked together.
"Beautiful," he sighed.
All day, the brothers played in the castle waters.

"Catch!" cried the eldest, throwing a sponge ball.
But the little merman was too busy dreaming of dancing with
his princess.
That night, and every night for a week, he swarm back to the
cove and gazed longingly at the empty beach.
At dawn, he returned to his statue under the sea. "Will I ever
see my princess again?" he asked. The marble girl just smiled.
"Why do you swim to the same place each night?" asked his
brothers, one morning.
The little merman blushed and told them about his princess.
"I've seen that princess," said the eldest brother. "She lives in
a grand palace by the sea."
"Really?" cried the excited little merman. "Show me!"
"That evening, all six mermen rose up through the sea and
swam to the palace.
It stood proud and shiny at the water's edge. As the mermen

watched, a geisha strode onto the balcony.
"It's my princess!" cried the little merman. "Do you think she's
looking for me?"
"Don't be silly," said the eldest brother.
Day after day, the little merman returned to the palace. Each
time, he swam a little closer.
When the princess went sailing, he swam behind her. He
prayed for a storm, so he could save her again. But it never
came.
Chapter 5: Paying the price
Back beneath the waves, the brothers were decorating the
castle for a summer ball.
"Come and help us," they called to the little merman.
He tried to tie ribbons, but he just couldn't concentrate.

"You're not still thinking about that princess, are you?" said
his eldest brother.
The little merman nodded.
"Remember, she's a woman and you're a merman," his
brother went on. "She will only make you unhappy."
By nightfall, the sea castle looked splendid. Blue flames rose

up from pearly white shells, lighting the way from the gardens
to the hall.
Guests streamed in wearing shimmery clothes...
...and a fish band sang gurgling tunes.
The little merman pretended to join in, but he couldn't stop
thinking of his princess. "I have to do something," he thought.
"Maybe the sea warlock can help me..."
While his brothers swayed to the fish band's songs, the little
merman swam away.
It was a dark and dangerous journey to the sea warlock's

cave.
The little merman crossed bubbling hot mud... dodged
swirling whirlpools...
...and darted past slimy seaweed arms.
At last, the craggy cave loomed up ahead. The ugly sea
warlock stood at the entrance.
"So you want legs to impress a princess," he snapped. (The
sea warlock knew everything.) "They will cost you dearly."
"But I have nothing to give you," said the little merman.

"Yes you do," the warlock declared. "Your voice."
The little merman gulped. "But how will I talk to my princess?"
he asked.
"That's not my problem."
The warlock started stirring a potion. "This will split your tail in
two," he said," and give you human legs."
"But there are two things you should know," he added. "One,
if you drink this potion, you can never go back to your mother's
castle. And two, if the princess doesn't return your love... you
will dissolve into the ocean waves."
The warlock stopped stirring and looked up. "Do you still want
to drink it?" he asked.
The little merman didn't pause. "I do," he replied.
They were the last words he ever spoke.
With a wave of his wand, the warlock added the merman's

voice to his potion.
Chapter 6: The princess's
bridegroom
By down, the little merman was sitting on a sea rock near the
palace. In his trembling hand he held a bottle of the warlock's
potion.
Suddenly, a door opened and the princess stepped onto her
balcony. She stretched, yawned and gazed out to sea.
The sight of the princess made the merman bolder. He
swallowed the potion, jumped into the water.... spluttered,
splashed and nearly drowned. His tail had split into legs.
The princess saw the splashes.
"Who's that?" she called. "Somebody help him."
A servant waded in and pulled the little merman to safety.
Soon he was standing in front of his princess.
"Who are you?" she asked.

He couldn't answer. She asked again. He still couldn't answer.
Instead, he smiled.
The princess smiled back.

"Find this young man some clothes," she said to her servant.
"He's joining me for breakfast."
The little merman spent the whole day with the princess.
He was very happy but kept wobbling on his new feet.

"Take my arm," said the princess. "I'll show you around."
That evening, the little merman stood on the princess's

balcony. Frothy waves danced on the rocks below. Five tails
flipped by and he recognized his brothers.
"Come back!" they cried.
The little merman smiled but shook his head. He had made his
choice.
"I don't even know your name," the princess was saying. "But
when I saw you in the water this morning, I thought of my own
true love."
The merman's eyes sparkled and his heart beat faster.
"I almost drowned once," she went on. "I was swept to a
beach and woken by a lovely prince. Tomorrow I'm going to set
sail and marry him!"
The princess's words were like a dagger in the merman's
heart. She was everything to him, but she loved someone else.
"Don't worry," she said. "You can come with me."
But the little merman shook his head, sobbing silently.
Next morning, he watched his princess sail into the distance.

The world he loved was lost to him. "You can never go back,"
said the warlock's voice inside his head.
"Come to us," sang the ocean spray.
"Forever," whispered the foaming surf.

With tears streaming down his cheeks, the brave little
merman disappeared into the welcoming waves.
—The End—

The Little Merman

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The Little Merman

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The Little Merman

based on the story by Yuko Shimizu

"Mine will have a seashell border," said the next.

"And I'm going to grow pretty flowers," said the third.

The fourth and fifth mermen loved exploring.

Then their little brother appeared, hugging a statue of a

"Tell us a story, Grandpapa," begged the littlest merman.

"When you reach fifteen," announced the Sea Queen, "you

"Come back quickly!" called the little merman. He wanted to

"Ooooh!" the mermen amazed.

For hours, the mermen pestered him with questions.

"It must be a ship!" he thought. "I wonder who's on it and

The little merman watched the princess, enchanted. It was as

The merman was horrified. "They'll never survive without

He searched everywhere, diving between beams and planks.

All day, the brothers played in the castle waters.

It stood proud and shiny at the water's edge. As the mermen

He tried to tie ribbons, but he just couldn't concentrate.

By nightfall, the sea castle looked splendid. Blue flames rose

It was a dark and dangerous journey to the sea warlock's

"But I have nothing to give you," said the little merman.

With a wave of his wand, the warlock added the merman's

"Who are you?" she asked.

The princess smiled back.

He was very happy but kept wobbling on his new feet.

That evening, the little merman stood on the princess's

Next morning, he watched his princess sail into the distance.

"Forever," whispered the foaming surf.

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