The Little Mermaid

Far out in the Sea, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep—so deep that no cable could reach the bottom; many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not rise from the ground below to the surface above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. Do not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom but bare yellow sand. No, indeed; the most unusual flowers and plants grow there, with leaves and stems so flexible that the slightest movement of the water makes them stir as if they were alive. Fish, both large and small, glide between the branches as birds fly among the trees here on land. In the deepest spot of all stands the Castle of the Sea King. Its walls are built of coral, and the long Gothic windows are of the clearest amber. The roof is made of shells that open and close as the water flows over them. They look very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl, fit for a queen’s crown.

The Sea King had been a widower for many years, and his elderly mother, the Grandmother, kept house for him. She was a very wise woman, and exceedingly proud of her high birth; that’s why she wore twelve oysters on her tail, while others, also of high rank, were only allowed to wear six. She truly deserved great praise, especially for her care of the little sea-princesses, her granddaughters. They were six beautiful children, but the youngest was the prettiest of all; her skin was as clear and delicate as a rose leaf, and her eyes as blue as the deepest Sea. Like all the others, she had no feet; her body ended in a fish’s tail.