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The Little Merman
The Little Merman
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The little merman spent the whole day with the princess.
"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.
—The End—