The Little Merman
A fairy tale for the ages
Two Kitties One Couch
Zoro woke up just before I snapped the picture…
…Time for this week’s story…
The Little Merman
Many who know the fairy tale of the mermaid princess are more familiar with the modern depiction of the story. It is a far cry from the original, but what many may not know is that the story is more closely related to another fairy tale. Even the namesake of the modern story calls back to its origins in the story of, The Little Merman.
This is the tale of a merman named Vincent, who went by Vinnie. He was a small merman, about three quarters the size of your average merman. Despite being a prince, his size caused him some trouble as a merchild, but his fighting spirit put an end to that. He grew up to love many of the things from the human world. Vinnie often hung out on the surface with his animal friends. He would sunbathe on a rock with a bowler hat he found in a shipwreck and smoke a cigar.
“These humans really know how to live. I tell ya’, I wish I had a pair of legs so I could walk around smoking cigars all day like them.” Vinnie said, watching the humans in the distance go about their business. Then, he saw one that made his heart race. “Holy moly! I’ve got to get a closer look at this one! You guys hang out here, I’ll be back!”
“No, don’t!” Vinnie’s fish friend tried to warn him, but Vinnie was long gone.
A few minutes later, Vinnie was smitten. From the water, he watched the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was more beautiful than any mermaid princess he had ever met. Her long, blonde hair flowed down to her waist and she wore a sparkling dress. She left the company of her friends and took a walk along the ramparts to admire the sea alone. Vinnie followed and dared to climb the rocks so he could get a closer look. The young woman was so dazzling, Vinnie forgot where he was. When she turned around, there was Vinnie with his chin in his palm and a goofy smile on his face.
“Oh, my God!” She jumped, a hand over her heart. Vinnie was startled back to awareness. Humans don’t always take kindly to merfolk, but he had been caught, and figured he may as well say something.
“Heya, sweetheart. You’re lookin’ mighty gorgeous admiring my home, and I was admiring yours.” Vinnie gestured to the castle behind him. “So, I thought I’d say hi. My name is Vinnie. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Vinnie removed his hat and placed it over his chest.
“You speak with such gusto, merman. I admire your boldness. I am Princess Elandria. The pleasure is mine.” The princess grabbed her dress and curtsied.
It was the beginning of a romance that neither of them was ready for. Under cover of night, Vinnie would call out to the princess from the water to meet. Vinnie brought her gifts from the sea, and she brought him gifts from her kingdom. Rumors circulated that the princess found a secret suitor who had stolen her heart. After failing to marry her twice, her father took interest and assigned someone to find out who it was.
At first, he did not believe what his spies told him, and demanded to see for himself. One night, accompanied by his personal guards, he followed the princess to their meeting place. The King was stunned to find his daughter in the arms of a merman.
“I forbid it!” He decreed, his guards pulling her away from Vinnie. From the other side of the railing, Vinnie was ready to jump back into the ocean, but the King had words for him. “You! Aren’t you King Neptulon’s little boy?”
“Little? What do ya’ mean little? I’ll pop you one myself ya’ dirt-bag! My name’s Vinnie!”
“Ah, Vincent. I see you haven’t changed. Since you don’t remember me, I’m King Bastian. You’re not welcome here. Perhaps if Elandria had found herself smitten with one of your brothers, but you leave too much to be desired,” said King Bastian.
“Father, please, no! I love him!”
“Oh, come on. Please, Elandria, anyone but him.”
“But father, he is such an incredible man with the soul of a poet. He has aspirations even beyond his royal blood. He’s in a band!”
“I’ve heard enough. Elandria, you’re forbidden from seeing this… little merman.”
“Oh, you did it on purpose that time!”
“I did. Farewell, shrimp.”
“Father no!” Elandria collapsed into tears and the guards carried her away.
It took time for Vinnie and Elandria to find each other again, but they soon resumed their tryst. Once King Bastian learned of this, he sought the counsel of his wizard, Sularu. In order to avoid a political disaster, they conceived a plan to take away Vinnie’s voice so he couldn’t call the princess. If the spell broke in less than a month, he would get his voice back and one wish. Confident with the risks and rewards, King Bastian set a trap for Vinnie. Sularu trapped Vinnie’s voice in a candle, which the King planned not to light for months or years if necessary.
Elandria waited for Vinnie, but he never called. Her father tried to introduce her to another prince, but she was too sad to keep his interest. Elandria’s mood changed when she overheard a group of servants discussing the spell. After several days of angrily searching, she found the candle. She burned it all night and all day, then returned to their meeting place.
“Vinnie?” She whispered.
“Elandria, help!”
Elandria rushed to the rail and found him crawling up the rocks. She pulled him over the edge and to her surprise, he had legs. He explained that it happened suddenly and left him stranded on the rocks. After Elandria explained what happened, they decided they couldn’t be together in either of their Kingdoms. So, they left, and ventured off together to see the world.