STORY ADAPTATION

The Little Mermaid

Imagine you’re in a room. There is an ample supply of oxygen but you just can’t breathe. You feel as though your chest is caving in. It’s not your lungs malfunctioning; it’s your heart. That is exactly how Ariel felt each and every day. Trapped with no escape, the ocean that used to be her home was now nothing but a prison. She was the nation’s sweetheart, being the daughter of the King Triton. She had a ship load of friends, family members, servants and even admirers but she always felt lonely. There was a void in her heart that no person or fish could fill. All she needed was freedom.

“Dad, I think it’s about time you let me out of your grasp. You know what they say… ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Once you let me have my freedom, you’ll stop wasting your time on ME and focus on your kingdom,” said Ariel who tried to convince her father for the millionth time. Her father looked up from his shell phone and said, “Hey, what’re you talking about? I have just enough time and energy for you AND my kingdom. See? I’m handling the country right as we speak.” Ariel saw that her father was actually just playing Plankton Crush on his phone.

“Come on, Dad. Don’t you ever wonder what lies above the rippling surface of the sea? Don’t you long to feel the warm sand against your scaly skin? I can just picture it in my mind and it seems delightful,” Ariel said in a cheerful tone. Her father gasped in shock at her statement. “How could you ever say something so preposterous like that?” he said in a fuming tone, clearly angered at his daughter’s ridiculous thoughts. He continued, “Did you not hear the story of our butler, Mr. Ceshell?” She did hear it. So many times that she could recite it by heart. “Yes, I did,” Ariel replied in a monotonous voice. She imitated Mr. Ceshell’s posh English accent and said,” Oh dear, oh dear. As soon as I stepped foot onto the sandy beach, I felt a sharp knife pierce through my chest. I jumped back into the ocean in fear and the pain stopped. I remember the incident as though it was just yesterday. That’s how much it haunted me. Don’t ever go out there. It’s nothing but trouble.”

 Ariel walked out of the room with her head hung low to a nearby park. She sat on a sea-saw (pun intended) and started singing.

I wish to be above the sea,

And live my life oh so free;

To get rid of the chains that hold me back,

To rid my heart of these nasty cracks;

I wish, I wish, I wish to be,

I wish to be above the sea.

A tear slipped down her cheek. She grabbed what she thought was a tissue to blow her nose and heard a squeal. “Ow, ow, don’t hurt me. I just heard someone singing and I came to listen,” said the frightened little red crab she was holding. She quickly put him down onto a big rock and replied, “Oh dear. I’m so sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt you.” The crab exhaled in relief and asked Ariel, “You sounded so sad earlier as you were singing. Is everything alright? Oh, and I’m Sebastian, by the way.” “Well, actually, Sebastian, I want to have some freedom from my father. I just feel trapped and I think I am old enough to make my own decisions, aren’t I?” said Ariel as she poured her feelings out to her new found friend. “Yes, I agree. Everyone needs a little freedom and alone-time. Say, you look very familiar. Where have I seen you befor- Jumpin' Jellyfish! Aren’t you the Princess Ariel, daughter of King Triton?” said the eager little creature in excitement and realization. “Well, yes, I am.”

The two of them started talking more about Ariel’s longing to travel above the ocean and they started to get to know each other better. “Hey, I know a guy who has been up there! He says that it was simply delightful! He also says that he will help you find your way up there too,” said Sebastian in a bright tone. Ariel was thrilled after hearing what he had said. “Wow, really? I have to go meet this friend of yours. What’s his name? Where can I find him?” Sebastian gave her a sheepish smile and pointed his claw towards himself. “He’s right here.”

Ariel went home feeling excited knowing that her dream was going to come true. Of course, she did not tell her father about it as he would probably go crazy if he knew what she was going to do. The next day, while her father was still asleep, she wrote a letter for him and left it on his table.

Dear Dad,

I have decided to pursue my dreams of escaping the ocean and living above the sea. I know that you are trying to stop me just so that I can be the successor to your throne but that’s not the kind of life I want to live. I want to be free and happy for once so I hope you will respect my decision. By the time you read this letter, I would already be gone so don’t worry about me. Please take care of our kingdom well and live happily when I’m gone.                                                                          Your daughter, ~Ariel~

She grabbed her packed bags and left to meet Sebastian. He brought her to meet the person who helped him get above the water. They reached her lair after swimming for about two hours, only to be stopped by two moray eels outside. “Well, well. Hello there young one. Sebastian, is this the young lady you spoke of?” said one of the eels while brushing his fin through Ariel’s luscious red locks. “Yes she is, Flotsam. I would also appreciate if you kept your hands off her,” replied Sebastian in an annoyed tone. Ariel just stood there quiet and confused, witnessing the interactions between the crab and the eels.

After Sebastian and the two eels finished talking, one of the eels, Jetsam, held Ariel by the arm and brought her to a room inside the building. Sebastian accompanied her into the room where the two eels gave her a drink. “Here, have this tea. I guarantee you will love it,” said Flotsam with a smirk on his face as he left the room, leaving Ariel and Sebastian alone. Ariel felt a little skeptical to drink the cup of tea but Sebastian said in a challenging tone, “I thought you said you would do anything to get above the sea?” This made Ariel more determined to do whatever it took to achieve her dream. She gulped down the cold liquid and felt dizzy after a while. She felt like the beautifully furnished room was spinning and that the voices speaking to her were muffled and distant.

Her vision blurred as a big purple creature appeared in front of her. “Hello, darling I’m Ursula. I heard you are here to get my help. Sebastian has told me everything about you,” said the octopus in a creepy voice. Ariel, who was feeling light-headed from the ‘tea’, nodded in agreement. Her response was delayed due to the fact that she was intoxicated by what seemed to be seaweed extract, a plant in which its juice makes people hallucinate, like drugs to humans. She tried to focus on what Ursula was telling her, but she could not hear much of what she said. All Ariel heard was, “I will trade… your voice for a pair of legs…do you agree to the terms and conditions?” She quickly nodded her head even though she had no idea what she was getting herself into.

She felt her body being lifted into the air as Ursula muttered a chant and her tail splitting into two. It did not hurt but certainly felt strange. Ursula and Sebastian brought her to a room in the lair to rest before she was to go above the water.  After a few hours of resting, the seaweed extract wore off and she started feeling normal again. She looked into a mirror and saw that her beautiful turquoise tail was now two slender and pale human legs. She asked Sebastian in worry, “What did Ursula say to me earlier? I was completely out of it and I don’t even know why.” She tried to say that sentence repeatedly but no sound came out of her mouth. She then remembered that Ursula had taken her voice away in exchange for legs. Ariel felt like that was the price to pay for her freedom.

When Ariel finally felt ready to achieve her dream, Ursula and Sebastian escorted her to the surface of the ocean. They took a different route to avoid getting caught by her father and his guards, who were probably already searching for her. It was quite hard for Ariel to swim without her tail, but she did not mind putting in the extra effort for her dreams were about to come true. Sebastian and Ursula bade goodbye to her and they returned to the bottom of the ocean, leaving Ariel there alone.

Ariel took a deep breath as she popped her head up over the water. She was amazed by what she saw. Everything was brightly coloured and had a yellow tint to it, because of the direct sunlight. She felt a little bit uncomfortable but she thought that it a just because she was not used to the outside world. As she stepped onto the shore and started to walk, she felt a dull ache in her chest. At first she ignored it but with every step she took, the pain got worse. By the time she was halfway through the beach, she fell onto her knees and the pain was unbearable. This was what her father and Mr. Ceshell had warned her about. Unlike Mr. Ceshell’s case, however, Ariel was already too far away from the sea to jump back in. She laid on the hot sand thinking of her father and how she took her like for granted. She knew she should have taken her father’s advice but it was too late. With her beloved father in mind, she closed her eyes which would never open again. She was dead.

A few days later, King Triton received the news that his daughter had died. Soon, the whole kingdom knew about it, even Sebastian and Ursula. “Well, our job here is done. Thank you, Sebastian, for helping me claim back what was rightfully mine - the throne,” said Ursula with a wicked smile. Sebastian replied, “No worries, my lady. Now all we need to do is wait for your brother, Triton, to die and Atlantis is all yours.” They chuckled evilly knowing that their plot had succeeded. So what did Ursula say to the intoxicated Ariel? Well, he told her one extremely useful piece of information that no one else in the kingdom knew about. It was that sea creatures like her not only need legs to survive on land, but a pair of lungs too. 

Authors' note : That was our own twisted twist on the famous Disney movie, The Little Mermaid. We were inspired to write about Sebastian betraying Ariel by the movie Mulan 2. In that movie, Mushu also tries to betray Mulan, but resolve it in the end. In our story, we wanted to take it a little further (or a LOT further as there was no redemption and she died. whoopsies). Well, that's all we have for now. Thank you very much for reading and come back soon. Adios, Wonderers!