Lovesick Little Read online

  Book Design

  Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s

  The Little Mermaid (1837)

  cover art: Jocelyn Teng, WALL9 - watercolor

  Copyright © 2014 by: VV- SM PUBLISHING Published by:

  VV- SM PUBLISHING TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA www.vv-sm.com

  For additional information write to: [email protected]

  FIRST EDITION published 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including Internet usage, without written permission from VV-SM Publishing except in the case of brief quotations used in connection with reviews written specifically for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or blog.

  ISBN: 978-0988059245 Printed in Canada

  For Erica my little siren sister, the only other mermaid in my bathtub.

  ar out at sea, in the heart of the vast aqueous expanse that lends its blue to the lush, living planet, water is as clear as pristine crystal and deeper than most minds can fathom. Out past the breakers where the shallows drop off and chasms, massive and immeasurable, spread far and wide and deep, the most extraordinary creatures exist in a realm of saline brilliance.

  Down in the deep, there is no wind or snow or rain, just a wash of perfect topaz that glimmers upon all it holds. Here make the homes of fish of every size and design, that dart between leaves and petals just like birds do in the sky. From the bottom, long vines reach upward to bow with undulation, and dance with the stirring of the tide.

  The ocean is a gift; there is life-giving magic in every drop, and when the tides turn, the will of quintillions of tons shift our planet. But although the ocean is the very womb of all life for all earthlings, we as humans know more about stars in distant galaxies than we do about its deepest depths. Where the waters are most staggeringly abysmal, we’ve no means to tread. And so it comes as no surprise that very little is known of the Sea King and his subjects.

  Once upon a time at the bottom of the Atlantic, there was a king who ruled over all the waters. He lived with his family in a grand sunken city that was gifted to him by the people of a civilization long past. He covered its ceilings with shiny shells and its walls with pinkest corals and in it, far beneath the surface, he kept his family safe.

  The kindly merman had six lovely daughters, and they were the pride and joy of the kingdom. His beloved queen had died many years earlier, leaving him to raise the girls with the help of his aged mother, a wise and vibrant lady who loved her granddaughters above all things. Sometimes, she would tell them exciting stories about the world above and of the people who dwell upon it, and the animals they sometimes ride upon and the way they try to swim with their arms and two funny pillars. All of the princesses loved their grandmother’s tales, but none so much as the youngest.

  The youngest daughter was special, and was adored most by all who knew her. All six sisters had pretty manes of flaxen blond but the youngest had hair that grew so long and so soft, it was like a silk veil that danced alongside her slender body as she swam. All of the sisters sang like angels, but the youngest possessed a voice so ethereal that it charmed every ear it fell upon. Each princess was celebrated for her stunning beauty, but the youngest was so fair, so graceful and so lovely, she represented the very paradigm of beauty in their world. Her eyes were a shade of piercing indigo to match her powerful tail, a color valued more by her people than any other hue in creation. Yes, the littlest had everything a young mermaid could want or need, and her future was a thing that gleamed. But she lived her life with a yearning; for what, she could not say.

  As the eldest of the sisters approached her fifteenth year, the entire kingdom buzzed with anticipation to learn what news the bright and sensitive princess would bring back with her on her birthday. You see, when a princess of the seas turns fifteen, she is allowed to make her very first trip to the upper limit of her dominion to observe the world of the humans for the first time. In the kingdom of the fish-people, only members of the royal family may visit the surface, for with great privilege comes great responsibility, and diligent care must be taken by anyone who would venture so far up. It is a most important law under the sea that all must endeavor never to be seen, for any reason, or under any circumstance. It had been a long time since anyone had gone to the top and as legend went, a pleasant trip and a positive report would mean a strong and prosperous life under the sea for many years to come, safe from the reaches of the human race.

  The royal daughters spent their days singing and reveling while joyfully tending to their flowerbeds. They lived very comfortable, very sheltered lives in the palace, and so rarely had reasons to venture very far since anything in any ocean, river, or sea could be sent for. Their existences were very leisurely, and their very favorite pastime was to beautify the palace grounds.

  Each princess had her own plot in the royal garden, where she could grow anything her heart desired. One sister dug her plot in the shape of a whale; another thought it nicer to shape hers like a seahorse. The youngest, though, made hers perfectly round, and only filled it with flowers that shone bright yellow and red. And when she lay in it, on her back and staring up at the ceiling of her big, watery world, she daydreamed about what it would feel like to be warm under the radiant sun.

  All of the sisters decorated their plots with wondrous artifacts they found on sunken ships, but the youngest decorated hers with only one thing: a white marble statue of a handsome human prince. She kept it right in the center of her flower bed, beneath the shade of a fiery willow whose red leaves cast a glow upon him that blushed his stone cheeks. She could sit for hours admiring the handsome statue, allowing herself to get lost in her imagination while dreaming of the wonders she’d find on her own first trip to the surface:

  When I see sky it will thrill my soul And the air will hit my lungs And I will thirst for it no more

  When the sun sees me she will flicker in the sky And I will be forever warm Under her loving, watchful eye

  The littlest mermaid was always filled with many curious questions, for she had an insatiable thirst for knowledge, especially about the world above. But this morning, there was one question in particular that tugged at her while she and her grandmother roamed the maze-like courtyards of the grand palace.

  “How long shall I live?” the princess asked. Her grandmother smiled knowingly. Most mer-souls don’t consider such things, but simply live their lives in such a way that has no concern for age or time. In their world, the only sensible attitude is one of deep appreciation for the moment of now. The far-reaching curiosity of the youngest’s was just one more thing that made her special.

  “Those of our kind can expect a life span of about three hundred years,” said the old queen, straightening her gilded crown that still shone as brilliantly as it did on her wedding day. Born a commoner and having married into royalty, she was exceedingly proud of her royal status and always adorned herself with luxurious finery.

  “What about humans?” asked the princess. “How long can humans expect to live?”

  “Humans can expect to live about one hundred years, and that is only if they take excellent care of their bodies,” answered the queen. “But they are given many chances to get it right because their souls have an eternity to live and a whole universe to explore!”

  The young mermaid’s eyes widened at the thought. “May our souls live on forever too, just like the humans?” she asked, anxious to understand.

  “But of course!” answered the queen knowingly. “Just like the humans, we have bodies that do expire,but our souls shall live eternally with the divine energies that never die.” This excited the little mermaid very much, and she began to imagine the sorts of things she would see and feel in the span of an eternity. “This is a very exciting time f
or us!” continued the queen. “As the youngest and very last of our kind, it will be your duty to bid the Earth farewell so that life here may go on without us. And once we are all gathered in Heaven, you will be the one to lead us to our next place among the cosmos.”

  The princess furrowed her blond brow while she considered what was being explained to her. “So, if I understand you correctly,” she asked, “it’s meant to be me who leads our kind to our next life?”

  “Precisely. You are the chosen one!” answered her grandmother.

  She thought about it some more. “Well if the choice is up to me,” she said, “then I shall choose to lead us back to Earth to live as humans!”

  “You certainly could,” said the queen. “But I’m not sure you’d want to.” The princess stared at her with a look that begged to know why. Grandmother continued. “Well, life among the humans would be a bit of a regression for us. Certainly, there is much beauty and adventure to be found, and there are many people up there who live consciously and with an understanding of their own divinity. But there are still many who are not quite so evolved, and their fear infects them and those around them. To many, the world is a hostile place and they bring this belief into their entire experience.”

  None of it made any sense to the princess. “But it all sounds so wonderful up there! What have they to fear?”

  Her grandmother paused. She knew her stories were the reason the littlest was so interested in humanity, but realized that while she’d done a fine job of highlighting its brightest aspects, she had perhaps failed at preparing her granddaughter for the truth about what really separates the human race from their own. “Each other,” she answered. “They are most afraid of each other.” It was the oddest and most backward thing the young one had ever heard.

  “Humans beings still kill each other, cheat each other and exploit each other. They are still growing, and at this stage of their development, hate and fear are still part of the experience. Ours is a more enlightened race; we have already experienced the shadows, and now we only want to know light. And you, the chosen one, will have to make the choice that will best serve your people.”

  The princess understood her grandmother, and knew that she would take her duty to heart and choose well for her kind. But there was still something about the upper world that enticed her so incredibly, and made her feel like she was missing out on the more exciting world above the waters.

  “We really have it better down here, Princess,” offered Grandmother. “Be happy and grateful for your three hundred years under the sea. Soon you’ll be grown and you’ll truly appreciate that there is nothing you should want that can’t be attained through the bountiful providence of these seas.”

  The mermaid kissed her beloved old matriarch on the forehead and swam away to think about all she had just learned. One of her favorite secret spots was the sunken remnants of an old wooden sailboat that had gone down in a spring storm decades earlier. Most of the ship’s contents were scattered and broken across the reef but the black and white photos that decorated its walls were still as clear as ever, preserved perfectly under layers of sand and dust.

  The pictures told the story of a young couple in love and the life they had built together. In one photo they were bright-eyed teenagers being photographed on a picnic. In another, the pair smiled surrounded by family in front of a grand stone church. The lady wore a big white dress.

  Next photos pictured them with friends, holding babies and children in front of large, square-shaped dwellings. There were photos of them riding on the backs of tall four-legged animals, sitting atop bizarre-looking wheeled contraptions, and leaning over big, round cakes and blowing at the little sticks of fire that poked out of them. Their lives appeared to be lovely adventures, full of beautiful milestones and travel. She decided to herself that while the world above might be the stomping grounds of a less-evolved species, it was still a wondrous and magical place. When it came her turn to venture up, she decided, she would drink it all in until every curiosity was quenched.

  On the day of the eldest princess’s fifteenth birthday, she was gifted a crown of the ocean’s finest pearls to celebrate her comingof-age. A party was held in her honor, and everyone in the kingdom came to eat, drink, and dance merrily while she prepared for her royal send-off. When it was time to go, her sisters formed a circle around her, clasped on to each other’s wrists and spun up through the courtyard with her, singing songs of good wishes for a beautiful journey until the shimmering orange of her scales disappeared into the blue water, high above the palace.

  As her sisters sang for her, she closed her eyes and let her heartbeat ring out into the courtyard. Freshly fifteen and every inch a royal maiden, she crossed her arms over her chest and floated up blindly through the deep blue sea, allowing the currents to take her into the far upper beyond until she felt her head break the surface for the very first time.

  The air was chilly and put goose bumps on her skin, but the feeling of the cold air in her lungs was euphoric. The night atmosphere was brightened by a full harvest moon, and all around, tiny stars speckled the sky. The princess had never seen the moon or the constellations before, but likened them to bits of glowing plankton once disturbed. Off in the distance, she could see the lights of the city, and if she listened hard without splashing, she could also hear its sounds. Intrigued, she swam in closer to lie on a sandbar from where she could make out the voices of people boisterously shouting, laughing and making music in the streets. She could even hear dogs barking and car horns honking, but she couldn’t imagine what sorts of creatures or machines could make such sounds. It was all so wonderfully busy; a glorious cacophony of noises that seemed to echo into the evening just for her. She sat on that sandbar for hours, allowing the sounds to delight her ears and watching the city lights flicker.

  Once the streets were quiet, she left the sandbar to swim out to the middle to greet the sun as it rose from the other side of the world. Mer-people can swim amazingly fast, for with just a few flicks of a strong, shiny tail, they can propel themselves for miles through even the mightiest currents. Effortlessly and in no time at all, the mermaid reached a cluster of palm-covered islands that speckled the middle of the Pacific.

  Joyfully she swam, savoring every second of her newfound freedom. She swam as fast as she could, leaping and diving like a dolphin, amazed at how high and far through the air she could hurl herself before gravity pulled her down to graze the surface of the water and pop back up again. Butterflying herself across miles and miles of ocean, she closed her eyes and just allowed herself to fly…

  Until WHACK! Something smacked her in the face. Or rather, her face made contact with something hard and sharp, and it smashed her crown of pearls, sending it flying off her head. She knew it hadn’t been a reef or a rock, because if it had been, her neck would have broken and she would be dead. No, what she had hit was an old, broken, yellow hardhat that had been bobbing in the water amid a nest of dead seaweed and melted blobs of sun-baked plastic. Of course, she didn’t know what any of it was, but she could see the thick soup of it all around her in the water, and the sight and smell of it made her feel ill. Her brow bone throbbed and stung from the injury and all she could taste was the toxic slop she had just swallowed. She gagged then threw it up at the sight of a dead bird floating in a mess of busted pieces of buoyant trash.

  She sunk lower into the water, deep down beneath the bits she could see from the top but found no end to the colorful grossness. There were things big and little, so obviously unnatural to the sea, but there seemed to be more of it than fish. They were human things, but not like the human things that decorated the palace gardens. She could tell they weren’t lost treasures or anything of value, but a massive, poisonous collection of unwanted cast-offs. A flock of gulls fed on little red and orange pieces, mistaking them for food; an albatross ingested a red plastic lighter.

  In the water she saw squid and jellyfish trying to navigate themselves around jugs and bottles, do
ll parts and discarded nets. It might all have been more interesting, maybe even beautiful if the mounds, lumps and scatterings didn’t so obviously represent the by-products of a wasteful civilization. All around her they floated, like the confetti inside a snow dome she once found, churning, circulating and heading nowhere but back around. Whatever they were, they were everywhere and in everything. Disgusted, frightened and feeling sicker by the minute, she bolted from the awful mess and fled back to the palace.

  When she returned to the grand hall, everyone was still feasting and dancing. As she swam in, they stopped the music to cheer at her return, but then gasped at the sight of the giant laceration that marred her otherwise perfect, milky complexion. “Father, I went to the most awful place,” she said. “It was a giant, slow-moving island of debris. Unnatural things floated everywhere, choking the life out of the space it occupied.”

  The princess held her palm over her cut until the little one, the known healer, came forward to make her better. Since the youngest had been a baby, her touch could heal anything, and when she planted a kiss on her sister’s forehead, it immediately began to heal up. Within seconds, her wound had completely dissolved, revealing skin that was even softer and brighter than before.

  “You’ve been to the gyre of the North Pacific,” said the king to his daughter. “The scraps and debris you described are of a substance the humans call ‘plastic’. Even though it is filled with toxins, they manufacture it to contain their foods and fluids. They intend for units of it to be recycled, but still so much of it gets dumped and forgotten about, left to float for thousands of miles until it all gathers at the gyre.”

  Everyone present was confused. “But don’t they want those things?” asked the birthday girl. “Why, father, would anyone make something just to throw it away?”