Tia… aren’t you going to your friend’s party?
No, Tofu
Mummy has asked me to stay home with you tonight
because she and Papa will be returning home late
Oh, no!
I am sorry Tia. Because of me you can’t go to your party
Its okay Tofu
Sometime, we have to sacrifice things for the ones we love.
Just like the Little Mermaid.
Little Mermaid?
Is it a story?
Tell me, Tia! Please!
Once upon a time
there was a sea kingdom at the bottom of the sea
The King of the Seas had six beautiful daughters who were mermaids
They were all very beautiful
But the youngest of them was the prettiest of them all
She had a gentle face, big round eyes
and a voice sweeter than anyone else’s in the world
When the little mermaid turned 15 years old
her grandmother called her to her room.
Come, my darling
Today you have turned 15.
And from now onwards, you can go to the world above
Just remember
the people above are very different from us
They do not have a beautiful fishtail like us, instead they have two legs.
Thank you Grandmother
I have waited for this day for so long
When I return, I will tell you about everything I see above
That night the little mermaid went to the surface of the water
The sight of the stars and the cool breeze that touched her face, took her breath away
She was just getting used to the feeling
when she saw a big ship cross in front of her
Aboard it were many men
and they were celebrating the birthday of the young Prince who had just turned 16
The little mermaid was mesmerized with the handsome looks of the prince
She couldn’t take her eyes off him as the ship sailed past her.
She was so lost in him
that she did not notice the storm build up in the sky and the sea begin to rage
The ship had only sailed a little further when the storm shook it up.
The sailors tried to steer it to safety
but many men including the Prince fell into the sea.
The little mermaid rushed to him
and saved him from drowning
She took him ashore.
Don’t worry! You are safe. Open your eyes
But the Prince lay unconscious. The mermaid decided to get help
When she couldn’t get any, she came back to where the Prince was.
She saw him surrounded by many people.
A beautiful Princess was kneeling by him as others worked to awaken him.
The Prince opened his eyes
and the little mermaid was relived that her Prince will be saved now
You save my life, thank you
The Prince knew nothing about the little mermaid
He didn’t even know that it was she who had actually saved his life
This broke the mermaid’s heart
She went back to her father’s home
She told her sisters and grandmother, what had happened.
Forget him child
Humans and we are very different. To be with him forever
you will have to get him to love you more than anything else he loves in the world
Even more than his own parents.
How will that ever happen?
Think about it
But the little mermaid could not forget the handsome Prince
Every night she visited the spot where she had laid him after saving his life
One day she decided to visit the witch in her father’s kingdom
Maybe she knew a way that the mermaid could be with the Prince.
Yes, there is a way!
I can send you to the land above the sea
You will lose your fishtail and have legs
If, by the second sunset
you can get the Prince to love you more than he loves his parents
then you can be with him forever
Otherwise you will die and become foam in the sea
But, in return you must give me your voice.
But without my voice, how will I make the Prince fall in love with me?
You still have your pretty face and eyes.
You will also be the most beautiful dancer any one has ever seen.
Now go!
In a flash
the mermaid found herself on the land
Her fishtail turned into human legs
It caused her pain but she could not even scream
because the witch had taken her voice away
Somehow the mermaid made her way to the Prince’s castle
There was a big celebration going on there
But the guards would not let the mermaid enter
because they didn’t know who she was
and she couldn’t answer them when they asked her about it.
So she was not allowed to enter.
Somewhere in the castle, music started playing
Remembering what the witch had said about dancing
little mermaid started dancing.
Oh! I have never seen anyone dance so beautifully
Maybe she has come to dance for the Royal family in the celebrations.
Oh! She is a dancer, let me take her to the court
Once the mermaid reached the royal court
she saw that the celebration was for the wedding of the Prince
Little mermaid was heart broken
She thought the only way of meeting the Prince
now would be to dance and draw his attention towards her
And so, she performed a beautiful dance for the Royal family
When the Prince saw her, he came up to her
Hello young lady, I have seen you in my dreams.
Who are you?
In his heart, the Prince hoped that she would be the one
who had saved him from drowning
He longed to hear the voice that had saved him when he was dying.
But no sound came out when the little mermaid tried to reply.
Forgive me. I think I am confused between you and someone else
But, please do join us.
The Prince led her to the ship on which the wedding was going to take place
Many people spoke to her but she could not answer anyone
The Princess was especially kind to her and took special care of her.
I know you saved the Prince that day
Thank you, because of you, I have found the love of my life
Please always stay with us
The little mermaid saw that the Princess and the Prince loved each other
and were very happy together
She decided not to pursue the Prince anymore
he belonged to another woman
Although her heart ached to let him go
she happily attended the wedding
and all the celebrations that went on throughout the next day
Soon it was evening
The second sunset was about to happen
The little mermaid knew, she would die and become foam on the sea.
As she stood there looking at the Prince and his Princess
she heard some voices behind her
She turned around to see.
Her sisters were there in the water
But all of them had very short hair now
instead of the long flowing locks they used to have earlier.
Sisters! What are you doing here?
We have come to save you!
We went to the witch. In exchange of our hair
she gave us this knife.
If you stab the Prince through his heart before sunset, you can be saved.
Handing the knife to the youngest sister
all the other sisters vanished under the water once again
The little mermaid stood there, holding the knife to her heart
she looked at the newlyweds once again. She knew what she had to do
As the sun set, she tossed the knife into the sea
Goodbye, my love.
And so, for the happiness of her beloved Prince
the little mermaid sacrificed her own life and joined the sea as foam.
Tia! That is such a beautiful story.
It shows how much the little mermaid loved the Prince.
Thank you for not going to the party and staying with me
That’s because I love you! my little brother
I love you too! my darling sister, Tia