Once upon a time, underneath the deep, blue ocean, there lived a sea king who had 7 mermaid daughters, each one more beautiful than other. He had no sons, but loved all his princesses dearly and gave them everything they could ever wish for.
On the 16th birthday of each princess, it was a family tradition that they each get to spend a whole day on the surface to learn about the world above, and they would always have an interesting tale to tell when they return. The youngest of the mermaids, who grew up listening to those tales, longed for the day she would turn 16 so she, too, can see the world above for herself.
Finally, on her 16th birthday, the little mermaid got her long-awaited chance to visit the surface. After having a lavish birthday party the night before, she bid goodbye to her family and eagerly swam away towards the world above.
The surface was everything her sisters told her and more, and it just so happened that the prince of the land she was visiting on was returned from a long sea voyage and there was hustle and bustle about as the people prepared to celebrate and welcome the prince home. Curiosity overtook her as the little mermaid swam her way to where the prince's ship would be coming from and found it just beyond the horizon.
There was many a-merrymaking on the prince's ship as they congratulated him on a voyage well done, and as the little mermaid snuck a peek at the prince, she was heads over heels in love with him, unable to believe such a handsome creature could exist. Her tiny little beating heart wished with all her might that she could be on the ship instead, dancing and laughing along with the prince.
Suddenly a great storm crashed in, taking everyone by surprise. No one was prepared for such an unexpected event as the storm tossed the ship around the waves like a rag doll, destroying every inch of the vessel. They had no choice but to abandon ship, but the prince, after trying to rescue everyone on board, was overcame by the current and knocked unconscious, sending him sinking to the sea. If it weren't for the little mermaid who rescued him in time, he would've drowned and be done for.
The little mermaid swam with the prince in tow and brought him to land where there would be people passing by. She stayed out of sight, watching over the prince until a group of women from a nearby convent walked by and caught sight of the prince on the shore. Making sure that he was tended to, the little mermaid left with a heavy heart, feeling as if she had left a piece of herself behind.
She told everything she had experienced on the surface to her sisters when she returned, but could not bring herself to tell them about her feelings for the prince as she knew they would not understand. She would sneak out every night to where the prince's castle was and stare at him longingly from afar, hoping to get at least a glimpse of her beloved before she had to spend another sleepless night thinking about him.
She became more and more reclusive, beside herself with loneliness and yearning for the prince she fell at first sight for. She lost interest of her world and was obsessed about the human world instead. Her family was worried about her sudden change but did not know what to do to help her.
Finally, the little mermaid could not take it anymore and decided that if the prince could not be with her, she will be with him instead. She snuck out of her castle as usual and made her way to the shadows of the sea, where the devious sea-witch dwelled. The sea-witch, having the power of foresight, had expected the little mermaid's arrival.
"I know what it is you seek, my child," the sea-witch crooned. "And while what you seek is endearing, it is also expensive."
"Name your price, sea-witch," the little mermaid begged. "As long as I am able to be with my beloved prince."
"Drink this potion under the full moon's light," the sea-witch handed her a vial of purple liquid, "and your tail will be transformed in man-limbs. There will be extreme pain during the transformation, and walking on man-made land will feel like fiery needles on your delicate feet. But if you succeed in making the prince fall in love with you, all your pain will be gone and you shall remain human for all time."
"And if I do not succeed?"
"You will die and become the foam of the sea, never to be part of this world or the next ever again."
"And the price for this magic?"
"Your beautiful voice may serve as an equivalent exchange. After all, if the prince truly loves you, he would not mind this small detail."
The little mermaid, after some hesitation, accepted the deal. She took the bottle offered to her and swam to the shores of the prince's castle. She waited for the full moon's light before taking the potion, and within minutes, her tail started to peel and crack, revealing her newly-made human legs underneath. The sea-witch was not lying when she said the transformation hurt, and the slow pace was not helping either as she cried and sobbed till her voice was no more.
The next morning, she was found by the prince and his escorts when he was out riding. Taken by her innocence and the scars on her legs and feet from the transformation, the prince took pity on her and took her in, thinking that she may have been a slave of sorts who got caught in a shipwreck and was washed on shore like he did.
The sea-witch was true to her word; every step the little mermaid took was like walking on broken glass, and shoes felt like hot coals on her skin, but she could not utter a sound even if she tried. The prince took her as one of his escorts and treated her like the sister he never had, and often tell her about the tale where he was shipwrecked and washed to shore and saved by a woman whose face he could not remember. The little mermaid wanted to tell him that it was she who saved him, but she knew neither to read nor write in human language, thus her deeds went unsaid.
Time passed as quick as sand, and before they knew it, 2 years have passed since they first met. One day, on winter's eve, a king from a neighboring land came to visit, bringing along his daughters. The moment the prince laid eyes on the youngest daughter and spoke to her, he knew immediately that she was one of the girls from the convent who found him ashore. The princess admitted to the deed, saying that she was a student at the convent when she met him, and the prince wasted no time in declaring that she was the one he wanted to be his bride.
The little mermaid was devastated to hear the news. She recognized the princess as one of the convent girls, but she knew it was not her who saved the prince. Try as she might, she was unable to convince the prince otherwise, and the prince was too obsessed over the princess to listen anyway.
As their wedding drew near, the little mermaid was getting desperate and was crying to the heavens when suddenly her sisters emerged from the sea bearing a huge silver dagger and their hair cut short.
"We have heard of your plight," the eldest sister said as she handed the dagger to the little mermaid, "and we begged the sea-witch to break the magic that holds you."
"Take this dagger that we've paid with our hair, and kill the prince on his wedding night before the sun rises," the third sister said. "You must consume his heart to regain your voice, and you will return to your true mermaid form and be with us again."
"The prince has forsaken you," the second sister said. "We do not wish for you to die for this human, after all you've done for him. He's no longer worth your love."
The little mermaid took the dagger and watched her sisters return to the sea. Her sisters' words rang true to her heart: she had done so much to get here, sacrificing her voice and her tail and endured so much pain just to be with the prince and make him fall in love with her. She was so close, so close! And yet...
On that wedding night, as the prince slept with his new bride, the little mermaid snuck into their bedroom with the dagger in hand. She watched as his beloved prince slept peacefully and knew that he had found happiness, but was sad as she knew the happiness was not from her.
If I cannot have him, no one will, she thought as she reached forward to slit both the prince's and the princess's throat. Carving both their hearts out, her lips creased into a wicked smile as she devoured them while they were still beating, unaware of the changes going on in her body...
The little mermaid never returned to the sea after that fateful night. She did not die and turn into the foam of the sea, but she did not turn back into a mermaid either. An elaborate funeral was done for the prince and his bride, and the little mermaid's family mourned for the loss of her too.
But during dark, stormy nights, you can hear her maniacal laughter echoing in the dungeons of the prince's castle, the lightning illuminating her fire-red hair and green scaly skin...
Comments