Lovesick Little Page 8

  When the princess awoke the next day, she felt hopelessly lost. Her face ached from weeping and she felt like she had aged a thousand years. She lay on her back and stared up at the surface, a sight that used to bring her so much joy but on this day, only served to remind her of the warmth she would never again feel, and the door that was once so open that now locked her in. The ocean, her prison, had never felt so small.

  She closed her eyes as she lay, flattening the weeds and flowers of her wilted garden. She began wishing her three hundred years were up already so she could begin fresh in a galaxy far away. Still groggy and filled with a deep, heavy sorrow, she got up and began to swim briskly away from the palace. On her way, she passed friends and family but did not wave or say hello. All by herself, she passed through the gates and out into the jungles, where sea weeds grow even taller than the castle’s highest towers. When she passed them she continued outward, swimming as fast as she could to leave the palace and her father’s laws as far behind her as possible. She wasn’t sure where she was headed but she did not slow down, for anywhere would be better than there. She kept swimming until she reached the roaring maelstroms, a place all mer-people know better than to cross because if they catch you in their cyclones, there is no hope of swimming out. Bravely, she darted through them.

  Once safely on the other side, the little mermaid swam deep; deeper into the dark, cavernous pits that not even the bravest of her kind dare ever trespass, for it is known throughout all the oceans that the Sea Witch dwells at the very bottom, in her cave of all things lost.

  The little mermaid didn’t fear the witch; the only thing on her mind was finding a way to break her father’s spell so that she could return to the surface again. The further she went, the more frightening the variety of sea creatures swimming about her, sniffing her out, testing her resolve to go further. As she swam past the black polyps that lined the cave walls, they reached out and wrapped themselves tightly around her fins, arms and hair but she managed to wiggle out of their grip. Unstoppable in her quest, she proceeded further down until she was hovering at the edge of a wretched garden of worms.

  She had heard about the garden before, where row upon row of slimy, slithering worms dwelled in a bed of green muck that was like a horrid welcome mat at the witch’s doorway. Each worm in the garden was a poor soul who had made a deal with the old hag and lost, now doomed to spend their remaining sea years as one of her muculent little pets. The mermaid knew the massive risk she was taking just by being there, but, in spite of it, she crossed the garden to knock upon the heavy stone door.

  The door groaned as it opened, dragging like a moving barricade, stirring up dirt and dust as if it hadn’t been opened in years. It allowed her a second to swim inside before it slammed shut behind her, almost pinching her tail fins. Once inside, she found herself in a frighteningly black tunnel, thinking seriously about turning back and swimming home to safety. But her strength was renewed when she reminded herself how badly she wanted her freedom. Bravery restored, she proceeded head-first into the darkness.

  As she swam blindly through the aphotic crevasse, she was relieved when she finally noticed a tiny speck of light deep down below her. She followed it until the crevasse narrowed into a tunnel with squishy, slimy walls that seemed to expand and contract around her as if she was being digested. Finally, the bottleneck opened up into in a huge, wide chamber. Once inside, she was blinded.

  A century’s worth of shimmering crystals and precious treasures were strewn by the barrel across the floor, glistening brightly against the eerie cave walls. And there, draped in jewels and sitting amid piles of gilded riches sat the witch, her bony back turned, with the pointy peak of her twisted spine pointing straight at the door. The skeletal hag was admiring herself in a large, golden mirror.

  Her scarily, freakishly thin body was decorated with strands and strands of pearls, gold chains, and beaded necklaces. Her fingers were long and spindly, with rubbery webbing between them and an ornate bauble or three on each one. Her hair was long, stringy and white, littered with worms and black snakes that weaved themselves in and out of her brittle locks. Her tail was like that of a sea serpent, covered in black scales that held a slight tinge of purple. Her face was pale and long with flapping gills in her cheeks that resembled deep red wounds, and row upon row of sharp black and yellow spikes for teeth crowded her mouth. She had a forked tongue that pushed hungrily through her thin white lips. From every angle, the witch was more frightening than a creature from a paralyzing nightmare. But then, for a brief second as she turned her pointy head, the mermaid thought she saw another facet. For just a split second, the witch showed the face of a beautiful young maiden with a shy smile. But just as soon as it happened, the moment of beauty was gone again and the witch’s hollow, horrifying face reappeared.

  The sea hag rose from her seat quickly and slithered towards the princess until their faces were almost touching. She spun around the princess swiftly and smoothly as a hungry snake, inspecting the young beauty as if taking inventory of what she could gain. The witch was well aware that no one ever comes down to see her unless there is something they desperately need, and in her experience, anyone that has made it that far has always agreed to her terms, even if it would cost them everything. She licked her thin lips then extended her bony hand, removing the lid from her volcanic cauldron that had sailors’ skulls lining its base. She tossed the remains of an eel carcass into it, several sharks’ teeth, a handful of rotten fish eggs, and finally, the peeled-off face of a human man that she pulled out from inside a fishing bait jar.

  “I have been saving this for you,” said the witch as she stirred her cauldron with a pirate’s sword. Menacing swirls of smoke rose from the pot.

  “I have been watching you, Princess,” she said in her slow, creepy tone. “I know you love that boy. . .” The princess nodded at the witch. Slowly, a revoltingly evil smile crossed the witch’s face, so that her long, sharp mess of teeth was bared. “But your father won’t hear of it, will he? Closed the surface to you, hasn’t he?” The princess nodded again, and the old witch laughed wickedly. “Well it’s a good thing you came, for I am the only one who possesses the power to defy the Sea King’s will.”

  The witch’s haggard voice gave her goose bumps but she choked back her fear and asked the witch what she came to ask.

  “You can make it so that I may rise to see my prince again?” she asked hopefully.

  “But of course! I can do anything,” the witch said as she licked her thin lips.

  The little mermaid gulped. “Then will you open up the surface to me?”

  “I can do better than that,” the witch said as she untied a bejeweled dagger from her hair and cut herself across the top of her long, sagging breast and squeezed it, allowing her black, oily blood to ooze out between her fingers and drip into the cauldron, sizzling as they splashed. She licked her fingers as she stirred the cauldron with her other hand, rapturously letting blood to drip from her lips down her long, pointy chin. It was a sight so horrifying, the princess gagged. The witch giggled out of her mangled mouth and then began to recite a spell:

  Into this cauldron go a witch’s intentions, which are hardly conducive to broken-heart prevention; I craft a potion that will grant you the only thing you wish A life on land among the humans, the end of life amongst the fish

  You’re an ungrateful mermaid; all your blessings aren’t enough I’ve heard your tearless weeping, Princess, haven’t you got it so rough? Wouldn’t I like to be beautiful and have the kingdom obey my whims? Shouldn’t I prefer your shimmering tail to my eel-like, eerie fins?

  Your sisters sing their days away and never have so much as a care But you pine for something more; here isn’t it, you long for there But we can’t all have what we’d like; some of us just accept our fate, But some of us want for something more, and by Poseidon, it cannot wait

  “Wait?” asked the mermaid. “Perhaps it can wait,” she said. “Perhaps, if I could explain it all be
tter to my father, I could make him understand . . .” The witch erupted into a loud, cackling fit of laughter, mocking the naive, lovesick girl.

  You think that this can wait, that it will all be yours when you’re ready; That your love is yours for the taking, that it’s all just rocking steady . . . But while you fetishize his likeness here in stone down in the water, Kings from rich and foreign lands parade for him their lovely daughters And while they may lack your mystery, your beauty and those eyes, They are lovely ladies; you’ll be no more than a fish in disguise And they are pretty too, and they have so much more to offer . . . Their bodies are flesh and blood; you’re little more than salt and water.

  The little mermaid frowned deeply and stared sadly down at her tail. The witch, for a brief second, felt almost sorry for the ambitious little thing. “Are you sure this is what you want?” she asked her. “There is no turning back once you’ve taken the potion.”

  Without a second thought, the little mermaid replied assuredly. “This love is the only thing I want from this life. I want to go up and never come back down to the wretched sea.” The witch flashed her teeth again.

  Renouncing water, I must warn you, could exact a bitter toll For now you must learn to fear it, or it shall sabotage your goal For even so much as a drop, where it hits your skin shall sprout a scale More than a drop shall turn those legs into the same old flapping tail! And if ever he saw that tail, you’d be a monster in his eyes And no happiness will ever find you; you would forfeit the ultimate prize . . .

  If you never get near your love you’ll be distraught and hopelessly lost But you’ve still yet to inquire, darling, about the grave and exorbitant cost!

  The mermaid swallowed hard. “Cost? I’m sorry, Witch, but I have nothing to offer you; my hands are empty.”

  You didn’t presume I’d work for free? A stupid and entitled person! Don’t insult me with your ignorance; the high cost could only worsen!

  She panicked. “What could I possibly offer a wise and powerful witch?” I want the magic in your tongue that makes the ocean breeze sound sweet I want your voice that warms the chilly nights and makes rain clouds retreat I admit, it is a heavy price so that sea life you may transcend But do you understand? It’ll cost you your voice, so you’ll never sing again!

  Quite literally dumbfounded, the mermaid pondered the witch’s demands. “My voice? If I cannot sing to him, how shall I win his heart? If I cannot speak to him, how will I tell him it was I that saved his life and that I love him more than anything in the world?”

  Don’t act like you’ve got nothing but that whistling in your throat The pretty sounds you make are not the only ticket onto his boat Don’t forget about your dainty frame and those expressive eyes, It won’t take much to turn a gentleman’s head, once you’re in your grand disguise . . .

  Of course, the legs will come with feet, and the feet shall come with pain- An evil, bloody, hateful hurt that could drive any soul insane! Every step you take will feel as though you walk on knives But don’t shy away from agony, darling, it lets you know you’re alive! I admit the pain’s a mean and strange and odious effect But I promise you it’ll stop hurting about the same time you stop noticing it!

  The mermaid nodded. The witch continued … There’s an upside to every down and a silver lining on every cloud; Your legs will be so graceful that your dancing shall draw crowds And all the humans will wonder where you learned to dance so sweet, The legs will bring you so much joy you’ll forget your wretched feet. But you’ll have to move that body; catch and hold your soul mate’s eye, Don’t think it will come easy, you’ll need to dance and smile and try! Or this will all have been for nothing, and you’ll be heartbroken and with no voice And so I’m obligated to offer you one last chance to consider your choice!

  The mermaid thought to herself silently for a moment, then answered with a strength and bravery that surprised even herself. “I can take the pain, Witch. Take what you need from me, I am ready.”

  The witch narrowed her eyes at her. “Listen carefully, princess, for I am about to hand you the gravest caveat of this deal. Know that once you go to the land above to seek love, you must find it. Or on the morning after your love pledges himself to another, your body and your soul will both expire to remain simply as sea foam until the end of days on Earth.”

  The little mermaid closed her eyes and thought hard about what that would mean for her. The harsh reality of it all began to sink in; she’d be putting her soul’s chance to experience eternity on the line. But it was already settled for her in her mind and in her heart; she was prepared to agree to anything that would get her up with the one she adored. She looked the witch dead in the eyes, and, with a cadence of absolute sincerity, nodded her head. With that, the witch lifted the heavy black cauldron onto the fire.

  She moved towards the haggard old matron, closed her eyes and braced herself. She didn’t know how the witch was going to go about taking her voice from her, but she braced for unimaginable pain. The witch opened her mouth, displaying her sharp, spiky teeth, and then puckered her lips and put them to the princess’s lips. The princess was horrified, and kept her eyes closed while she winced. Then, the witch sucked the voice right out of her. As her beautiful voice flowed out of her throat for the last time, her very favourite song rang out perfectly, but all backwards. Once there was no song left, the witch bit the mermaid’s tongue right out.

  She wanted to scream from the pain, but no sound escaped her and she clutched her throat, choking on her own blood while her tongue healed itself, growing back a new one in the bitten one’s place. After the witch feasted messily on the little tongue, she licked her lips in gruesome satisfaction. Then she turned to her cauldron and wafted its strong, offensive fumes into her face. It smelled like rotten flesh. It smelled just right.

  Then she dipped a long yellow fingernail into the pot and brought it to her lips to taste. She grinned, satisfied with her work. Then, just to be sure of its potency, she snorted a drop of it up her nostril.

  “It’s ready,” she said proudly, and reached for a whale bone ladle to scoop up just enough to fill a tiny glass bottle. The potion glowed a bright, eerie green but once it was sealed inside its bottle, it glowed like a bright, white star. Without delay, the mermaid took it from the witch’s hand and fled the horrid cave, making all the eels and polyps shrink back in terror as she passed them with the bottle clutched in her little hands.

  On her way up, she went by her father’s palace for one last look at her home. All the lights that had brightly lit the palace were now extinguished, and all was silent at the bottom of the sea. She knew how devastated her family would be to discover she was gone, but she knew that this was meant to be her big adventure. She blew many kisses towards the underwater castle for her beloved family, then swam up through the dark blue waters to reach the surface just as dawn was breaking over her love’s beachside dwelling.

  At so early an hour, all that could be heard were the waves on the shore and a few gulls overhead. She swam slowly and carefully, sweeping her tail smoothly without splashing so as not to disturb the peaceful calm of the dawn. Only her eyes peeked out of the water as she swam keeping low, imitating the slow-floating drift of a beach-bound log. After much inching, she finally let the waves drop her on the sands in front of Gabriel’s house.

  When she reached the sea’s edge, she shimmied herself up to where the sand was dry and stretched out her beautiful fins. The people would be waking soon, and she knew it was now or never. She held the bottle up to the light to inspect it and saw that it no longer glowed, but just looked like a bit of water inside a simple glass bottle. It was hard to believe that this potion was all that stood between her and the life she’d been wishing for. Just drink it, she said to herself, and pulled out the little brown cork.

  Without a second thought, she swallowed the entire contents of the bottle and once it was empty, tossed it back into the sea. Then she sat still and waited.

  The waves spit out three jel
lyfish right in front of her, then five urchins rolled up behind them. She began to wonder if the potion was going to work. After a few more moments, she was already tiring of waiting and began to curse the witch for cheating her with a useless potion. Then, all of a sudden, the most incredible pain she’d ever felt shot through her whole body like a bolt of hot lightning.

  Propped up on her elbows, she winced and writhed as what felt like an invisible sword sliced through the center of her beautiful blue tail. Every scale felt like it was being torn from her like fingernails from their nail beds, and her bottom half ripped and split open at the seam. How excruciating to watch her own tail halving right before her eyes! Again she went to scream, but once again, no sound escaped her but a deep, hollow exhale through her voiceless throat. The pain was fierce and it shook her to the core, and as the potion worked its way through her, she squirmed and convulsed until she spewed the contents of her aching stomach, black and green all over the sand.

  In an instant, the pain was over, and the glare of the rising sun blinded her as it beamed into her sweaty face. She looked down at where once was her tail, and even though she had dreamt of nothing else, it still shocked her to see the dainty white pillars that now sprouted from her hips. Disbelievingly, she lifted one leg up slowly, almost afraid of it, inspecting the strange, skin-covered appendage through squinted, cringing eyes. Staring very intently, she wiggled her baby toe for the first time. Weak from the violent metamorphosis, she became woozy at the sight and fainted back onto the sand.

  Hours passed and she came to as the piercing sound of squawking shore birds rang out into the morning. Overhead, a flock of gulls hovered, taking turns swooping down to snap at the abnormally large school of baitfish that was collecting in the shallows. She went to pull her arm up to shield her eyes from the glare, but a heavy starfish pinned her lethargic arm down as she saw several more roll in with the waves, reaching just beyond her toes. They encircled her new feet, curiously checking them out for themselves. The sea creatures, it seemed, were following their princess into shore.