The Little Merman

Chapter 1: The deep blue sea

Far out at sea, below the waves, deeper and deeper and deeper still, stood the Sea Queen's castle.
There, at the very bottom of the sea, the water was as clear as glass. The sand was as fine as powder. Tall seaweed grew up around the castle walls among its branches.
The Sea Queen was very proud of her castle. It was the perfect place to bring up her six merman sons.

Each son was given his own small garden to care for.
"I'm going to shape mine like a whale," said the eldest.

"Mine will have a seashell border," said the next.

"And I'm going to grow pretty flowers," said the third.

The fourth and fifth mermen loved exploring.
"Let's decorate our gardens with treasure from shipwrecks," they said.

Then their little brother appeared, hugging a statue of a smiling girl. "Look what I've found!" he cried. "I'm going to put her in my garden."

The brothers spent all day in the castle waters, tending their gardens and playing games. In the evening, as the sea turned to inky black, their grandfather called them inside for supper. "Mermen!"
Lying on silky cushions, the family ate steaming seaweed parcels and soft sea fruits.

"Tell us a story, Grandpapa," begged the littlest merman.
Grandpapa had seen the world above the waves. He told amazing tales of women with two legs and no tail.

"These are buildings as tallest as the ocean is deep," he said, "and machines that glide even faster than sharks."
The little merman hung on his ever word.

"When you reach fifteen," announced the Sea Queen, "you may rise above the waves and see these things for yourselves."

While the older brothers flicked their tails in delight, the little merman sat drumming his fingers. "That's six whole years away!" he sighed.