The Unwilling Mermaid
Dedicated to Ethan and Declan and Finlay who support Storynory on Patreon
Hello, this is
Jana, and I’m here with a nice long story, so get comfortable and ready to
listen! It’s about a girl and her adventures. There are quite a few twists and
turns and transformations. As you can guess from the title, she becomes a
mermaid. Now, I know that many people think it would be a lot of fun to be a
cute mermaid, but this girl is not happy about what happens to her. Listen on
to find out why.
Once upon a time,
there was a teenage girl who was far wiser than her parents - or at least, that
was her opinion.
She lived with
her mother and father on a hill above a stream. Often her mother would take a
net and catch a fish for their supper. One evening, the girl saw that her
mother’s face was weary from work, and the girl said:
“Mother, I’ll
tell you what. Let me take the net down to the stream and I’ll catch our supper
in no time.”
The mother
flopped down in a chair and readily agreed.
When the daughter
picked up the net, she saw that there were some holes in it. “For goodness
sake,” she tutted, “This won’t do at all. No wonder it takes you so long to
catch a fish every evening. They can swim right through the holes.”
So she sat down
and sewed up the gaps in the net. Then she held up her work and was pleased
with it. “There!” She told her mother. “That’s a big improvement. You should
have asked me to help you before.”
She flung the net
back into the river, and this time she caught an old boot.
“Aah!” she said.
“Third time lucky!”Just then, a boy who lived nearby saw that she was having
difficulty and offered to help her.
“I don’t need
your help,” she insisted, “I just wanted a couple of practice throws to train
my eye. Just watch. I’ll catch a big one this time.”
A third time, she
threw the net, and by luck or skill, she hauled in a shimmering, golden fish,
easily large enough to feed a whole family. The boy was quietly impressed.
“Yummy, Yummy,”
the girl said to the fish. “You’re going to feel nice in my tummy!”
Then the fish
stopped wriggling and replied to the girl.
“If you don’t
throw me back in the river right now, you’ll be sorry.”
“Oh, I’ll be
sorry, will I? Tell that to somebody without any brains!” she said, glancing at
the boy. “I won’t fall for a trick like that. What can you, a fish, do to harm
a young girl like me?”
“If you take one
bite of me, you’ll be a girl no more,” said the fish. “You will turn into a
fish and know what it feels like to breathe water!”
The astonished
boy pleaded with the girl: “You’ve caught a magician! You’d better do as he
says and chuck him right back. I’ll help you catch a normal fish, so you
needn’t go hungry.”
“What do you
know? You’re just a foolish boy,” snapped the girl, and she bumped the
talkative fish on the head with a rock. That shut it up, alright. Then she
hurried back home with her catch as she was feeling quite peckish.
“Look at this
whopper of a fish!” she said to her parents. “Didn’t I say I would catch a good
bite to eat without any trouble? I expect this one will taste extra delicious
because he was a talkative fish.”
“A what?” asked
her father.
“Didn’t you hear
me? I said he could talk, and he made more sense than either of you ever do,”
insisted the girl.
Her father
sighed. He was used to his daughter’s lippy back-talk. He hoped that she would
grow out of her strong-headed ways before too long. He took a knife and
expertly fillited the fish for her. Then she tossed it into the frying pan with
butter and parsley, and soon it was sizzling away. Meanwhile, the father
buttered some thick slices of bread that he had baked himself.
When the fish was
ready, the girl placed it on a large plate and asked her parents to admire her
evening’s work. They agreed that it looked and smelt impressive. She cut the
fish into three pieces, and the family sat down to dinner. The girl was the
first to prong a piece of fish on her knife and place it in her mouth. She closed
her eyes and savoured it, saying, “Hmmm, delicious,” but when she opened her
eyes - What was this? A very peculiar feeling had come over her. Was she ill?
The symptoms were mighty strange: a salty taste on her lips, a sense of
lightness, multiple colours swirling before her eyes.
When she tried to
move, her whole body flipped in a fishy swimming motion. At last, it dawned
upon her that she no longer had feet: only a long shimmering tail. Then, she
realised that the swirling colours were weeds, coral and jellyfish.
Of course, she
now understood that the dastardly fish’s curse had come true. She had turned
into a fish, or at least in part. You might call her an unwilling mermaid!
“Oh, what an
unlucky girl I am!” she declared. “Of course, none of this misfortune is my
fault. How could I have known that stupid fish was speaking the truth!”
Soon she resolved
to master the art of swimming underwater. So she practised flipping and flexing
her fishy body, and before too long, she praised herself, saying: “See, I can
swim like a fish if I want to. In fact, I can swim better than any actual
fish!”
She used her new
swimming skills to explore the seabed, and soon she found a shipwreck where she
met a shoal of curious fish, opening and closing their mouths. She thought they
looked totally stupid, not realising that she was doing the same with her
mouth.
“Who are you?”
asked the largest of them. “You’re a strange kind of fish!”
“Don’t you dare call
me a fish! Can’t you see I’m a girl?” insisted the unwilling mermaid.
“Well, you look
like a fish, and you swim like a fish, so I say you are a fish!” replied the
big fish.
“How dare you say
that! I’m a smart and pretty girl, not an ugly, stupid fish!”
“Oh, I see,''
said the big fish, “you probably were a girl until just recently, but you made
the mistake of trying to eat a magic fish. So now you’re a fish even if you
don’t want to be. Serve you right. Well, never mind, you can come and meet the
Queen. She used to be a human girl just like you; now she’s a posh fish.”
The shoal of fish
led the way. The unwilling mermaid felt lonely at the bottom of the deep sea,
and so she followed on.
Up above them, a
ship was setting out on a long journey. Some passengers gazed over the side and
saw a splendid shoal of silvery shimmering fish. “Do you see that large, pretty
fish!” said a woman passenger. “She has a face like a girl!” “Perhaps she’s a
mermaid,” suggested her husband, putting his arm around his wife’s waist.
Little did he know how right he was!
The fish and the
mermaid swam on through crystal clear waters.
“Here we are at
last,” cried the big fish, diving down into a deep valley, for the sea has its
mountains and valleys just as much as the land. “This be the palace of the
queen of the fishes! Isn’t it the most amazing building you ever could
imagine!”
“It’s not too
shabby!” gasped the unwilling mermaid, weary from trying to swim as fast as the
rest. The palace was built like a cathedral, with high walls and sloping roofs
covered in shells, coral, and pearls. The great gates and gothic windows were
open so that visitors could swim in and out freely.
The troop of fish
floated into a great hall where the Queen, who was half a woman, was seated on
a throne made of a green and blue shell. The unwilling mermaid was shy - not a
feeling that she was used to by any means. The other fish pushed her to the
front.
“And who is this
peculiar fish? I’ve not seen her before?” asked the Queen.
“You’re majesty,”
said the big fish. “She was once a girl like you were.”
“Oh really?” said
the Queen. “Then she may be of service to me and help herself into the
bargain.”
“I won’t let you
down!” declared the unwilling mermaid. “I’m a self-starter and a quick learner!
You’ll soon see that I’m highly motivated to achieve my goal, which is to turn
back into a girl and go back to live with my parents.”
“In that case,”
said the Queen, “This is what I want you to do. Go and fetch my crown.”
“I can do that,
no problem!” declared the unwilling mermaid, for it sounded like an easy task.
“Only tell me where your crown is, and I will fetch it right away.”
“My crown,” said
the Queen, “is on top of a tall mountain.”
“Fine! I will
climb Mount Everest if I can have my legs back.”
“And it is inside
a strong castle.”
“I do not lack
for brains. I will find a way into the castle.”
“And the castle
belongs to a fierce giant.”
“That’s, er,
interesting...” said the unwilling mermaid, not quite so sure of herself now.
“The fierce giant
has stolen my crown for the head of his daughter and will kill anyone who tries
to take it.”
“Okay, I’ll deal
with him when the time comes,” said the unwilling mermaid.
Secretly she
thought that as soon as she had her legs back and was a girl again, she would
run home to her house to live quietly with her parents. Then, for as long as
she lived, she would listen to advice and not be a mouthy know-all. As for the
idea of climbing a mountain and stealing a crown from a fierce giant and his
daughter: well, she had no intention of doing anything so insane.
She looked up at
the Queen and said:
“Your Majesty,
only give me back my legs, and I will complete this task for you.”
“Good,” replied
the Queen. “In that case, you must visit the Old Man of the Sea. He will help
you with some of his magic.”
The shoal of fish
swam with the unwilling mermaid to the cave where the Old Man of the Sea lives.
All along the way, they sang her praises, saying how brave, beautiful and
clever she was. She rather enjoyed the journey.
They found the
Old Man of the Sea sitting propped up against the side of his cave, snoring
loudly.
“Wake up, Wake up
Old Man!” said the girl, annoyed. “It’s not bedtime yet. The Queen of the
Fishes sent me. I need my legs back so I can fetch her crown.”
“What, what
what?” said the old man, waking up. The girl repeated her request.
“You can’t do
that. You’re a fish. Fishes can’t go on dry land.”
“I know that!
That’s why I came to see you. I used to be a girl, and I’d like to be one again
if you please.”
“Well, well well,
be sure to keep your promise and bring back the crown to the Queen. If you do
that, you can live happily ever after as a girl. All you must do now is swim to
the beach.”
The girl thanked
the Old Man of the Sea and swam with the fishes directly to the beach. As soon
as she felt the sand on her belly, a change came over her. She was growing legs
- and very soon, she had four of them - as well as a swishy tail. She staggered
to her feet. Her new legs were wobbly, but soon she got the hang of standing,
then walking, then running.
“Look, Mummy!”
exclaimed a small boy. “There goes a sea-deer.”
The unwilling
mermaid had changed into an unwilling deer, or a doe to be precise. She had
little stubby horns on her head.
“Ooh!” she
exclaimed, “They tricked me! How dishonest of them! Now, I’ll have to keep my
promise if I want to walk on two legs again!”
She swiftly ran
off the beach towards the tall mountain that lay ahead. The lower slopes were
covered in woods. Here, a young prince was following his hunting dogs. All at
once, they started to run, barking. The prince looked up, saw the delicate deer
dashing through the trees, and let fly with an arrow. It skimmed over her back,
grazing her skin with its sharp tip.
“Hey, watch where
you are shooting!” called out the deer in the voice of a girl. “You might have
killed me!”
“Come back! Don’t
be afraid! I won’t shoot you again!” replied the prince, who, if the truth is
told, was the target of one of Cupid’s arrows.
“Can’t stop now!
I’m in a rush. I have important things to do, and I’m running late!” called
back the deer with the voice of a girl.
The prince stood
and marvelled.
Onwards and
upwards ran the deer. Soon, she was picking her way over hard rocks. The
mountain became steeper and steeper. She stumbled quite often but fortunately
did not injure any of her four legs. Eventually, when she was almost exhausted,
she came over a crest and saw a huge castle hewn out of the rocks. It was
almost like part of the mountain itself. The sight renewed her energy. She
trotted over the stone bridge and through the strong, unguarded gates of the
castle.
“Well that part
was easy,” she said to herself.
Inside the
castle, she found a courtyard. It was empty but not silent because the sound of
loud snoring echoed all around it. The unwilling deer looked up and saw that
the snoring was coming from an open window high in the main tower. So she went
inside and began to climb the winding staircase. Soon she came to a landing and
a half-open door. She used her soft nose to nudge it open. Inside, the
unwilling deer found an enormous and rough-looking man, fast asleep on a huge
bed. His boots and shirt were strewn on the floor. A foul stench polluted the room.
She hastily looked around for a crown, but could not see one. So softly, she
backed out of the room and climbed the stairs to the next floor. Here she found
a chamber occupied by a girl, not so unlike her former self, only three times
as big. The young giantess was filing her nails that were like great talons.
And yes! There was the queen’s crown sitting on the dressing table. The
giantess looked up and gaped at the unwilling deer as she entered her room.
The giantess
threw a huge hairbrush at the intruder. The deer sprang over to the dressing
table, momentarily admiring herself in the mirror, and then scooped up the
crown on one of the little horns that sprouted out of her head. Then she danced
about and sprang out of the room thinking, “I knew I could do it! I’m so
clever!”
The giantess
yelled:
“Stop Thief!”
The reluctant
deer was about to dive downstairs when she heard the sound of heavy footsteps
and realised that the giant had awoken and was on his way up. She had no
choice. The only way was up, so up she went. On the next landing, she rushed
through a door and out onto the battlements. She started to run along them. The
giant and giantess were not far behind, and it seemed that there was no easy
escape. As she ran, she heard a loud cry behind her:
OUCH!
And then another
cry, only deeper.
“OWWWWWWW!”
She glanced
around, and she saw the giantess pulling an arrow out of her huge behind. The
giant was hopping up and down with an arrow in his foot. Who had come to her
rescue? She soon saw the answer to her question. Down in the courtyard stood
the Prince. He must have followed her to the castle. Soon another arrow flew
from his bow, and this one caught the giant in his rear end. The cry was so
loud that the whole castle trembled. Now the unwilling deer had to find a way
to escape. She darted into the doorway of a tower and found her way down the
stairs and into the courtyard. Soon she was charging through the gates, across
the bridge, and to freedom. This time, when the prince called her, she did not
run from him. They made their way down the mountain together, and she had
plenty of time to tell him all about her adventures.
When they reached
the beach, the sun was setting over the horizon. They walked together through
the surf, bathing their weary feet. The unwilling deer wore the crown on her
head. She did not want to disrespect the queen, but it was the easiest way to
carry it since she did not have hands.
The prince held
her face, looked into her big doey eyes and said:
“You are the most
extraordinary girl I have ever met. Will you marry me?”
The unwilling
deer almost replied, “Are you stupid or what? You can’t marry a deer?” But then
she remembered how she vowed not to be a know-all and said:
“Of course, but first,
I must return this crown to the Queen of the Fishes and hopefully, she will
turn me back into a girl.”
She looked out to
see and called out:
“Oh, Queen! Oh,
Queen! Where are you? I kept my promise to fetch your crown!”
They waited while
listening to the waves. At last, the sun sunk below the horizon, and the full
moon glimmered on the water. Only then did the Queen arrive floating on a boat
made from a giant shell and paddled by mermen and mermaids.
“Oh, my stars!”
exclaimed the prince. “The queen of the Fishes of whom you have told me so much
is my very own mother! We thought she had drowned in a shipwreck!”
The queen waded
ashore, took the crown in her hands and placed it upon her head. Then, with
tears in her eyes, she embraced her son.
“Hey, haven’t you
forgotten something,” said the unwilling deer. “What about your promise to me?’
“All in good
time,” said the Queen. “The Old man of the Sea will turn you back into a girl
as soon as he wakes up.”
So the unwilling
deer had to wait until morning to turn back into a girl. The prince stayed the
whole time with her while they walked up and down the beach. The following
month they were married, and from that time on, the girl’s happy mother and
father liked to boast that they had the cleverest daughter in the whole wide
world. The girl herself, who was now a princess, lived a long and happy life
with her prince and was noticeably more modest than she had been when she was
young, poor, and did not know anything about anything.
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