The Little Mermaid: the true story

Chapter 3

                  

Realizing that I am a pathetic excuse of a writer.

"Yes of course I will help you, why wouldn't I?" Ursula is my favorite sister; she always helps me and gives me what I want.

"Thank you. You are the best sister ever," I said in reverence.

"No, thank you Ariel you don't how many years I have wanted to disobey fathers command but had no reason Ariel," Ursula explained. "You give me reason to want to do magic again!"

"Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you," I cried.

"I will help you but the most I can give you is three weeks," She quickly explained. "Drink this potion when you reach the surface and it will give you legs to walk on the land with. When the sun sets on the last day; your legs will turn back into a tail. However, if by that point he has kissed you, you will keep the legs forever and he will never know that you were at one point a mermaid. I honestly don't know how you will do after three days; I have never gone longer than that because I became home sick and longed for the coolness for the waters of our home."

"I can't thank you enough sister," I told her for the millionth time as I hugged her.

"May the waters carry you swiftly as for you to return home to us all," Ursula said as a means of farewell. "But I give you one piece of advice that you should remember," she told me gravely. "Do not speak to much, human men do not like women who speak their mind. Only one who agrees with what they say and comments occasionally. Do not worry sister, you will learn."

As I swam away I tried to remember more of the surface that I had seen but it was like there was a jellyfish over my memories. I knew that they were there but I couldn't quite see them. I clutched the potion more tightly in my hand as I thought back to when I had said farewell to Flounder:

We were in the cave I kept all the trinkets that I found from that ship- "The Little Mermaid" and I was sorting all my treasures and telling myself when and how Patrick would have given me that certain treasure. Flounder was telling me how going to Ursula would make me an outlaw when I got back and how he wished he could go with me; that he would distract Sebastian long enough for me to get away. I laughed telling him how he was a guppy; he couldn't possibly do anything to help. I saw him take up a fighting stance as he told me "I can to help Ariel, you need to accept that I'm your friend and I will always find a way to help you; even if I have to die to do it." I could feel sadness in my heart because I knew that if I didn't find Marissa I would never see him again. I rushed to him and pulled him into a hug.

"I couldn't have a better friend than you Flounder," I said. A rusty knife twisting in my heart would cause less pain that saying goodbye to Flounder "You're the best friend any mermaid would want at her side."

I could see the light making rainbows in the water. The closer I got to the surface the more nervous I got. Even if my father has a temper I am his littlest mermaid and he swore to protect me. As soon as I left the sea I would be out of our kingdom and he could no longer protect me. I took a deep breath as my head broke the surface and I was met with a scene so beautiful that it broke my heart in half. I could see the beach where I kissed Patrick on the sand next to the mast and sail of his ship that had crashed into the rocks to the reef. I swam towards the beach the potion clutched so hard in my hand I could see my bones straining against my fair white skin. I dragged myself onto the beach and pulled the lid off the bottle.

The liquid inside was a pleasant green shade, not so different from the color of his eyes.  Don't be such a guppy I told myself. I plugged my nose and downed the potion in one mouthful. My mouth and stomach felt like they had erupted into flames were the potion had been. It felt like a cruel joke to be getting my wish turned into reality. My tail felt like jellyfish juice and then as I watched it split in two and; I had legs! But, I wasn't wearing anything. Wait I do have something though, I have the sail that I was sitting next to. I carefully sat up moving my legs with great care as if moving them to fast would make them disappear. The sail worked well as a: what was it called? Oh a dress. The sail worked well as a dress and I slowly stood a little wobbly on them like a little mermaid was with her first gift use. I looked in the water to see my reflection and was amazed, I didn't see myself. I saw a red haired beauty: her hair falling in long waves to her mid-thigh with roses and cream skin, her eyes set off her skin nicely with an azure blue as dark as the sky itself. Her long legs and curves were hinted at with the tightness of the sparse amount of sail that had been salvageable. The sail was tied with a piece of rope that had been disconnected from the rest of the spool and was resting on the very rock from my dreams. Exhausted with sleep I laid down in the remainder of the sail to sleep.