Short Story: The Mermaid and The Peasant Girl

By Ananya Ambrit

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Alice. She lived with her parents. Alice’s father was a poor farmer who couldn’t do much for his daughter. Her mother was a rude woman who asked Alice to do all the household chores. One day, Alice’s mother told her to get some water from the well. Alice hurried to the well but she saw that the well had dried up. She then went to the river to fetch the water and returned at dusk. Her mother was furious when she reached home. She threw the pots on the ground and spilled the water.

Mother: Alice, why did you take so much time?

Alice was just about to explain when her mother told her to go and get the water again. She was miserable. And so, she went to the beach instead. The orange sun seemed to be dancing upon the blue and clear water. She sat on the sand and saw the sun setting. Just then, a gigantic wave came and swallowed Alice in it! But, when she opened her eyes, she discovered that she could breathe underwater! Her legs had disappeared and her mermaid fins grew instead! Just then, a beautiful mermaid named Lumina appeared.

 Alice: Who are you?

Lumina: I am princess Lumina of the Coral Kingdom. Well, who are you?

Alice: I am Alice. I don’t know how I came here from the land.

Lumina: What, you are a human? But you have fins.

Alice: I am not aware how a human like me can talk to a mermaid and survive in such deep waters.

Lumina: Ok, that’s fine. So can we become friends?

Alice: O, sure. I would love to.

(The two hugged each other)

Lumina: But remember if my mum or dad ask you, ‘where are you from’ then reply that you are from Aquarius.

Alice: But, how can I lie to them?

Lumina: Just do it for me, okay?

Alice: Alright!

Lumina: Great! Now let’s go to my palace.

On the way, the duo met several other fishes. Alice was astounded to see such a magnificent and exquisite castle.

Alice: Wow! This is where you live, Lumina?

Lumina: O, yes, Alice. This is my house. Let’s go inside.

They went inside. It was the grandest palace Alice had ever seen. Doors of pearls, windows of emerald, floors of marble, chairs of gold,  tables of silver and pillars of diamond. Everything was just like a dream. Alice couldn’t believe it.

Lumina: Mum, dad, this is my friend Alice. And Alice, she is my mum, the queen and he is my dad, the king.

Alice bowed down to the king and queen.

The couple were astonished to see the same royal dolphin mark on Alice’s arm which Lumina also had. But, they tried to ignore what they saw.

Queen: Hello Alice. I have never seen you before in Coral. Neither in any festivals or gatherings.

Alice was a really honest person and wasn’t willing to lie. So she decided to tell the truth.

Alice: I am very sorry, your highness. I was sitting at the beach, when a huge wave swallowed me.

The king and queen were furious at Lumina.

King: What is this Lumina? How can you bring a human to the palace?

Lumina: But dad, if a human can survive in such deep waters and talk to us, then there must be some connection of this person to our kingdom?

The king was speechless because what Lumina said was right. The queen, too, agreed on this. The king welcomed Alice as his guest.

King: Ok, Alice can stay here. But if she goes to the land, she will never be able to come here again.

Lumina was delighted but Alice seemed to be sad. The two went to Lumina’s bedroom and started playing.

Back at her house, Alice’s mother regretted what she had done. She told her husband the truth. Alice’s parents began to search far and wide for her. All in vain.

In Coral, as time passed, Alice and Lumina grew closer to each other. Now, only a few days remained for Lumina and Alice’s eighteenth birthday. Lumina was eager for it because once a mermaid turned eighteen, she could see the outside world. The kingdom was filled with joy and laughter. Until, one day, the sea witch, Melanie started destroying the kingdom by bringing tsunamis and underwater earthquakes. This caused a lot of unrest and destruction.

Alice and Lumina decided to give the greatest return gift to all of their people by defeating the witch on their birthday. Melanie thought it would be easy to defeat the girls. On their eighteenth birthday, Alice and Lumina wore a war dress instead of a ball gown. Everybody cheered for the girls. The two possessed special powers which nobody was aware of. They used all their power and defeated Melanie. Suddenly, the water goddess, Oceania, appeared.

Oceania revealed that Alice and Lumina are twin sisters. Many years ago, there was a prophecy that if the two sisters were together, it would lead to Melanie’s end. So, the evil witch separated Alice and Lumina. A poor farmer found Alice on the shores and took her home. But, his wife wasn’t willing to take Alice’s responsibility. Now, as the curse had broken, the prophecy became true.

Alice and Lumina were elated to hear this. Alice didn’t forget her adoptive parents and decided to visit them. The kingdom rejoiced at the victory of good over evil.