The Shark and the Mermaid

A retelling of "The Little Mermaid"

            Sailing the waters of Bohemia, Captain Rupert Vorance, a feared pirate captain, had night watch. It was very dark for the moon was missing tonight. Beside him was Xipe Totec, a hero to many, an enemy to none. Xipe was in a deep slumber. The silence of the night was broken by a voice, a wonderful voice that sang to the sky itself. Such a song broke the clouds, exposing the full moon. In its light, a beautiful mermaid was seen. Her hair wavy and green like seaweed, and had the tail of a sea trout. Rupert wanted this mermaid, to sell her, and make millions of copper.

            Rupert was a very, very good liar. He asked the mermaid to come forth. She did. In her innocence, she asked many questions. With each answer, Rupert slowly charmed the mermaid to coming aboard. She was placed in a washtub, and slept in the hull. Rupert sat next to the mermaid, and asked for a song. She complied, singing a song so lovely, it melted the ice of the pirate captain's heart, fooling him with thinking he had fallen in love. But a mermaid does not know love. The mermaid sang song after song for him, taming his heart. Rupert attempted to kiss the mermaid, she told him it would not be proper for him to love her in this form. Rupert asked how can he, the mermaid did not know. She continued her questions of life on land. Rupert promised to show her land, kissed her head, and let her sleep.

            She woke many hours later, to the sounds of many voices. She could see the sunlight peeking from the cracks in the woodwork. The mermaid asked for Rupert, calling for him, but he didn't answer. Xipe entered the hull, wondering what was making such noises. He laid eyes upon the mermaid, eyes showing nothing but innocent and purity. Xipe knew Rupert would only keep her to sell her. He offered to place her back into the ocean. She declined, and asked were Rupert was. Xipe asked why she would care.

            The mermaid said, "Rupert promised to show me land!" ever so happily. In sarcastic response, "I bet he did." Xipe murmured. Xipe left shaking his head in disapproval. Moments later, Rupert had returned, and in his hands was a small bag. The mermaid was overjoyed to see him again, and inquired about the bag. He said it could make her human, but he warned her, she would indeed, be a human. She would know lust, greed, sorrow, desire, and love.

            The mermaid did not fear these things, how could she? She did not know what they were. "Oh yes R-" in that instant, her throat knotted, and was unable to say his name. The mermaid panicked, "I- I did not forget you name! I would not do something so foolish!" The captain gave her a soft smile, "I know that. The woman who made me this dust did not accept money or goods as payment. She stole my name."

            The mermaid frowned, "Why would you do such a thing?" The captain answered, "Because even after you stopped singing, I couldn't stop listening to your song." The mermaid blushed, and slowly nodded, ready to become human. The captain poured the dust into the water she sat, and spoke a spell:

 

For which I sold my name.

My heart this mermaid made tame.

Make her like I,

From the ground she will watch the sky...

 

            The water glittered and glowed. Her scales disappearing, tail splitting,  her bones and weight shifted. She cried out in pain, only to swallow water, the conclusion she now had lungs and sprang from the water coughing.

            She did not care she was nude, only that the water was now cold, and wished to get out. The captain helped her out, the now human girl's heart racing, feeling how warm he was. He helped her walk, to his closet, in which he attempted to dress her using scarves and an old sheet. Never did the girl feel so pretty. The captain asked the woman if she wanted to see the town, her eyes glowed with joy as she said “yes.”

            To town they departed, Xipe watched as they passed by. He was no fool, he knew this girl and the mermaid were the same, he was both disgusted and ashamed of what the captain had done to her. It is never right to take something from its home and change it. And to do it with magical means, to show a mermaid of purity the evils of man, made Xipe sick to his stomach.

            But the captain and girl spent the whole day in town. She was naturally very charming, and even sang a bit, although her voice will never be like it was when she was a mermaid, it was still very captivating. The day was coming to end. The captain went to go purchase something for the girl, she sat by the docks looking at the water.

From the water appeared another mermaid,  it was her sister. Her eyes wide, to see her sister had become mortal. "What have they done to you?!" she cried.

N-Nothing!" said the girl, "I... I met a man..."

"He trapped you didn't he?! ...Do not feat my sister, I will do whatever it takes to bring you home!"

"NO! WAIT!" said the girl, but she was too late, her sister was gone.

            Meanwhile, Xipe confronted the Captain.

“Out of all things I witnessed on this ship, THAT is by far the most degusting."

"Yet you are the one who made love to a woman you didn't love before leaving."

"In promise of a child. ...She cannot breed in that form. It will kill her."

"And what would you know?"

"More than you. Her body will die. She will rot. That cage you call a body is slowly dying, destroying all she ever symbolized."

"It's what she wanted"

"No. It's what you pressured her into."

 "I love her"

"You love a song."

            With a short pause, they drew their blades.

            In the midst of battle, Xipe said to the captain, "Do you know what you remind me of?"

"And what's that Redface?"

"A shark."

"Excuse me?!"

You smile like one. Talk like one. Hunt like one. ...Even attract a mate like one."

            In a fit of rage, the captain stabbed Xipe in the stomach. Xipe fell to his knees, seeing his bloody torso, without fear, "..I think. That is a good name for you."  Xipe took some blood from his torso and wiped it on the captain's hand. "May all the oceans, lands, and skies, know you, for the SHARK that you are," as he fell, grinning.

            Xipe was from different part of the world, where they had different magicks. It didn't take long for his new label to stick. Shark knew it wasn't going to be long, till someone saw Xipe's body, it was time to leave. The girl looked to Shark, scared, seeing blood. He said nothing to her, and took her aboard his ship.

            Some time was spent at sea, and shark was asleep. The girl watched the waves, and again, her sister poked from the water. The girl turned her head, knowing her sister only wished to take her away. "...I am not leaving this man." Her sister responded, "You must. You will only rot here." Not looking to her, "You don't understand, I cannot live without him."  Then Sister, please accept my gift." Her sister showed her an odd fruit. The girl did not reach for it, "What is it?" The mermaid looked down, "It is a fruit from the east... ...Are you human enough not to trust your own sister?"

            The girl looked to the mermaid, knowing her plan, "...Maybe I am.” Her sister then broke the fruit in half, revealing a goop, and hurled it at the girl. Muttering a spell of her own.

 

What man has done,

Earth,

Make this magic gone.

Return my sister to the sea,

Away from that man,

To stay with me.

 

            The goop covered the girl's legs, in which she cried out in pain and panic, calling for Shark. He was awaked by her, and ran to her. Only for his heart to hurt, watching her change, knowing he could do nothing to stop it. When she became a mermaid, she knew such a spell could not change her completely. Her heart was still human, and it longed for Shark. He picked her up, and kissed her cheek, "I will love you no matter what form you take." The mermaid began to cry, "And I will love you, no matter what your name is." Carefully, she was set back into the water.

            Her sister tried to embrace her, but she was shoved by the mermaid. In which she cursed, and insulted her, stating she would never forgive her. The mermaid looked to Shark, crying, begging to be human again, but there was nothing Shark could do. "Dear Mermaid, if you can grant me one wish, it's to swim away, and never look back. For the sea is where you belong, and to come back will only hurt us." They shared one last kiss, and she swam, as far, and fast as he could, never forgetting what he had done for her.

 

 

Author's Note

I haven't written anything for a long time. This is more of a tiny prequel for something I've been working on.

Reviews

[Violet Rose]

Oh if only you could somehow put what you were working on into here so easily. That tale has just blown up into an alternate universe. Sometimes I find it more real than this one.

I hope Writers Cafe helps stimulate the creative senses =D This was such a lovely prequel.

It made me sad :( although it's good you mention it's but of a tiny prequel. Most people would squabble - "It doesn't have a definite ending!" "F**K YOU! PREQUELS DON'T HAVE ENDINGS! THEY ARE BEGINNINGS!" lols

[Ankhesen Mié]

Clever, imaginative, and full of delectable imagery. Good job and welcome!

[Everchanging Disaster]

I hope you will be entering this into that contest for revised stories because your style is amazing!
Thanks for sharing!

-Loeva

[Chandler]

I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to more of your writing. I hope that you too enjoy some of my writing.

[M Bester]

Well I sure enjoyed reading what you have written so far.
Keep going, I await more of the Shark and the Mermaid, if there is more.
Thank you very much for sharing.