The Little Mermaid

Once upon a time, in the depths of a vast sea, lived a little mermaid princess.

She had five sisters, a grandmother, and loving parents. The entire family cherished her dearly.

The little mermaid princess often swam up to the sea surface to play.

Every day, she joyfully swam around the sea, singing songs.

Her voice was enchanting, attracting birds and fish to gather and listen to her melodies.

One day, while she was singing, a ship overturned on the sea. A prince on board fell into the water.

The little mermaid saw this and hurriedly swam to rescue him, bringing him ashore.

The prince was handsome, and the little mermaid developed a fondness for him.

However, just as the prince was about to wake up, another girl happened to approach. The little mermaid had no choice but to hide.

When the prince awoke and saw the approaching girl, he thought she was the one who had saved him. Consequently, he decided to become engaged to her.

The little mermaid was extremely heartbroken. She thought to herself, “Prince, the one who saved you is me!”

In order to meet the prince, she sought the help of a witch to transform her into a human.

The witch agreed, but she was captivated by the little mermaid’s beautiful voice and demanded it as payment.

The little mermaid cried because giving away her voice meant she couldn’t speak anymore, but for the sake of the prince, she nodded in agreement.

The witch added, “Your tail will turn into legs, and walking will feel like being cut by knives. Think carefully about this.”

The little mermaid, with tears streaming down her face, nodded again.

The witch continued, “If the prince marries someone else, you will turn into foam and die. Consider this carefully.”

Yet again, the little mermaid nodded.

Thus, the little mermaid finally transformed into a human and approached the prince.

The prince and the people in the palace liked the little mermaid very much, not only for her beauty but also for her gentle personality.

The prince particularly enjoyed dancing with her because, when she danced, she moved gracefully like a butterfly.

Every time they finished a dance, enthusiastic applause filled the surroundings.

However, they were unaware, as the witch had foretold, that the little mermaid’s feet were transformed from a tail. Every step she took was as painful as being cut by knives, let alone dancing.

Yet, despite the pain, the little mermaid endured it for the sake of seeing the prince happy.

She longed for an opportunity to tell the prince that she was the one who had saved him in the sea that day, but unable to speak, she could only wait.

However, instead of the chance she hoped for, the little mermaid received the heartbreaking news that the prince was going to marry the other girl.

This news struck her like a thunderbolt on a clear day, and the little mermaid cried in sorrow.

The prince, accompanied by the little mermaid, set sail to wed the other girl.

On the way back, in the deep of the night, the little mermaid sat by the edge of the ship, crying.

She thought, “The prince has married someone else, which means I will turn into foam tomorrow.”

At that moment, the little mermaid heard someone calling her from the sea. It was her five sisters.

They swam to the side of the ship and handed her a sword, saying, “We exchanged our hair with the witch for this sword. Use it to kill the prince, smear his blood on your feet, and your legs will turn back into a tail. Then, you can return to the sea! Go quickly! We’ll be waiting for you!”

The little mermaid approached the prince’s bedside, looking at him. She couldn’t bring herself to harm him. In the end, she threw the sword into the sea.

The next day, as the sun rose, the little mermaid turned into foam.

Her sisters saw the scattered bubbles in the air, realizing it was the little mermaid. Knowing that she hadn’t killed the prince, they wept bitterly, saying, “Little mermaid, why are you so foolish?”

At that moment, the prince woke up and couldn’t find the little mermaid.

Frantically, he searched everywhere, shouting, “Sister, where are you?”

The little mermaid, now transformed into bubbles, shimmered with vibrant colors in the sunlight, drifting with the wind.

She knew she was about to disappear. With a smile, she said, “Farewell! Prince! Farewell! My sisters!”