THE LITTLE MERMAID

Long ago there lived a Sea King in a coral palace that was very deep at the bottom of a sea.  He had six mermaid daughters.  While the five of his them were very happy, the youngest of the princess was unhappy. She did not smile even once.

The Little Mermaid loved the world above the sea. She often swam to the surface of the sea and stared at the brilliant blue sky, the luminous yellow sun and the green trees of the distant land. She used to feel sad when the time to get back home came. She felt that without the wonders of the earth and sky, she could never be happy.

Beautiful fish, waving plant fronds, shells of various sizes and shapes and many other wondrous things of the sea, failed to satisfy her. Not even the amusing stories told by her father or the funny tricks of her sisters could make her happy or extract a smile.

In the middle of a night, the Little Mermaid left her home and came to the surface, secretly. In the dark and stormy night, the wind wailed and the high waves crashed wildly against the rocks on the shore. A flash of lightning threw light on a ship rolling and pitching on the high seas. Beside the ship a young man was signaling for help.

The little Mermaid immediately headed towards him and rescued.  She brought him to the shore and rested him gently against a rock. She fell in love with this young man, the most handsome, she had ever seen. Seeing the approach of a beautiful young girl, after the storm subsided, the Little Mermaid left the surface and reached the palace at the bottom of the ocean.

The first thing the young man saw when he opened his eyes was the beautiful girl with lovely hair. He was very grateful to her, thinking that it was she who rescued him. This beautiful girl was a princess and witnessed the rescue act from the window above.  She took him to her palace where the young man changed his clothes.

The little Mermaid always thought of the young man. She asked the Magic Witch of the Seashore to grant her a wish. That she should be free of her shiny fish tail so that she could walk and dance on the land. Listening carefully and without saying anything, the witch stirred her magic potions in a large black cauldron.

The witch agreed to grant her the wish on a condition. That the little Mermaid will be able to walk and dance, but not talk and sing. She would lose the power of her speech. The Mermaid agreed and was soon transformed into a beautiful girl, wearing splendid clothes.

The little Mermaid reached the royal palace feeling that the young man would recognize her as the rescuer.  A grand ball was being held in the palace. Not knowing anything about the girl, the palace guards did not allow her inside.  Neither could she say anything about herself.

Listening to the gay music coming from the palace, the little Mermaid started dancing merrily.   Seeing her beautiful dance, the guard allowed her inside the palace.

Bright lamps lit the garden where the air was filled with music and laughter. Even as she was dancing she was searching for her man and finally found him to be sitting on the throne.  He was the prince of the kingdom. Beside him, sat the beautiful princess with lovely hair. He said that the Little Mermaid danced wonderfully, without knowing that it was she who rescued him.

Then came an announcement from the King. Thinking that girl who sat beside him rescued him; he declared that he would be marrying her. That announcement left the princess in tears. She ran out of the palace and reached the edge of the sea.

Sad about what happened to her, she entered the sea again to live beneath the sea for the rest of her life. 

It is believed that the said Little Mermaid still visits the place where she first saw the handsome young price.