Bitter-Sweet Fairy Tales

The Little Mermaid

Bitter Sweet Fairy Tales

All Rights Reserved

©2018 Katheryne N., Nievana J.

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"Life under the sea is better than anything they've got up there." -Sebastian, The Little Mermaid

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  Once upon a time there lived a girl named Lorelei. She lived lonely in her small house, in a small town, with a name everyone mispronounced. Lorelei was raised in a sheltered home with six sisters and an overly protective father who mayored their neglected town. He clearly favoured her sisters; they were all older, beautiful, and smart. No, not smart. Brilliant. Three were surgeons, two were lawyers, and one was a university professor. And Lorelei? She was a waitress at the local diner filled with old creeps and college couples making out in the booths. She didn't blame her father for not being proud.

  Her job wasn't the only reason her father was disappointed because Lorelei was troubled as a child. She got suspended five times throughout middle school for fighting, but to be fair she was only defending herself. She was bullied by the other students for no particular reason except that they didn't like her. Maybe it was because she dressed like a boy. Maybe it was her firetruck red hair. Maybe she gave them the reaction they wanted. It was okay though because it's not like she was exactly fond of them either.

  She had detention almost every day in her first year of high school for being late and then just started skipping most days in her second year. At first, she didn't go because she just loved to explore. Their town had endless adventures that no one seemed to appreciate except her, she never knew the stories behind them so she made them up. But after a while, Lorelei didn't show up simply because she stopped caring.

  In her third year she got her first boyfriend, Blake. He was older, only by two years but you'd be surprised how big a difference two years can be. He made Lorelei feel wanted by somebody but all he wanted was sex. She didn't regret the sex but rather that she didn't make sure he was wearing a condom. The day the pregnancy stick turned blue was the day Lorelei could not forget. The second she told him he thought the best solution was to beat the child out of her. He broke her.

She ended up getting expelled from school in her fourth year which got her kicked out of home. She lived on the street for a year, made money by giving strange men blowjobs at bus stops or by letting them fuck her emotions away. Lorelei tried to leave the town four times within three years but always came back. She saved up enough to get a small, run-down bungalow and that's when she got her job at the diner. She went through many abusive relationships before deciding she was better off alone. Lorelei worked hard to save up so she could explore the world and find a place she belonged. This was her only motivation to keep going.

  Her father found her a year later when he decided to go to the old diner for the first time in his life. At first they were catching up; telling Lorelei how her sisters were doing and just how proud he was of them. The conversation ended with him telling Lorelei to go to hell.

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  Monday: a day so dreadful that not even a fresh cup of coffee or the taste of your favourite chocolate chip muffin could brighten. The days you scream at your alarm clock "Can I just stay in today?" But Lorelei couldn't be late for work again, she'd already been late four times this week and couldn't afford to lose her job simply because she couldn't find the energy to drag herself out of bed in the mornings. She eventually found the motivation to make her way to the washroom she hadn't cleaned for a month to take a shower. She stared at her ghastly reflection and sighed, "You've almost save enough, just a few more months." She said to herself. Lorelei knew that if she were to be able to truly leave this dispirited town she may find a place somewhere out there to be content. It's all she'd ever wanted.