An overdue yawn escaped my lips as I tapped my crimson corral pen against
my blank note pad. It had only been seven minutes, yet Ariel's voice seemed
to drown on forever. Like most teenagers, she was well, emotionally
disturbed. Therefore, her father, King Triton, had hired me, Ursula the
great, to sort out her feelings.
"... And then, I threw the dingle hopper right at the ol' seagull's head!" Ariel bragged trying to hold back from a burst of laughter. "That's the last time he'll try to give me advice!"
"Now, Ariel," I interrupted, shaking my plump tentacles at her, "I thought your father had forbidden you from exploring those," I puckered my violet lips as if I was eating something sour, "ship things."
"But," Ariel pleaded, "their world is so interesting, you don't understand; I want to be where the people are. I even wrote this song." I raised my hand signaling that I had heard enough before she let out another peep.
Ariel puffed in disgust and her lose red hair wisped over her freckled face. As I shuffled through my schedule Ariel attempted to shove her paper in my face once again and all I could see were rhymed lyrics and musical notes. "So," I murmured, ignoring her actions, "I have three-thirty open next Tuesday. Does that sound fine with you?"
"Sure," she claimed sarcastically as she packed her song back into her knapsack. "I can't wait." Ariel floated out of the lime tinted seaweed couch and stretched her transparent fins.
I reached into my rusted steel potions cabinet and retrieved Ariel's weekly bottle of medication. I grasped the flask from in between the love and anger management potions. Ariel snatched her prescription from my left tentacle with a sigh and she began to swim to the rock covered entrance. She fed my Venus Corral Traps a handful of pebbles as she passed by my vegetable gardens. Her iridescent green tail swished and she disappeared with the blink of an eye.
I reviewed my notes from the previous session and locked up for the night. Sizzling, popping noises came from my miniature geyser signaling my shrimp was finished. I ate my scrumptious dinner in peace; then I snuggled up in bed with Fefe and Loulou, my two pet eels.
I could gaze at a minimal amount of light as I opened my eyes when the buzzing of the castle orchestra faintly drummed into my ears. I stretched all six of my violet tentacles and my two hands as I lifted my green kelp bed sheets off my toasty body. I sat down to dine at my crumbling driftwood breakfast table and poured myself a glass of Alaskan jellyfish juice. I dropped my oyster glass that rattled against the rocky floor as I realized that the concert was today.
I rapidly ate my breakfast, groomed myself, and then threw on my best maroon gown. I burst out the front door and neglected to feed my over watered garden. With the crack of my eel-drawn carriage, I was off towards the palace. Planes of coral, seas of seaweed, and fellow merpeople came into view as I speed into the royal courtyard.
I attached my wooden chariot with bristle rope to the stables and proceeded into the coliseum. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and the dozens of anxious sea creatures pilled in and crammed into their seats. We were all joined together to attend the musical performance by the king's eight daughters, including Ariel. The stage lights began to dim and the chattering crowd suddenly hushed. Over half a dozen gargantuan clamshells rose above the stage from trap doors. After many vigorous weeks of practice the play had begun.
The shells creaked as they slowly opened in unison to the music lead by Sebastian, a neighborhood crab. Ariel's older sisters completed the first chorus perfectly, yet everyone waited in suspense for the youngest daughter to join her siblings. I shuffled in my sticky seat as the final pearl, glossy shell emerged into the center of the arena. The music came to a screeching halt and I saw my long time friend Sebastian faint as the prop appeared empty. "Ariel!" the king boomed angrily.
I sorted my way through the crowd and I scrambled my way to the king's balcony. His majesty's face was a faded crimson and his veins popped out of his forehead as Sebastian continued to rave on about his disappointment. In fact, he almost chopped of Triton's beard as he swung his claw angrily.
"Aww... here she is now," King Triton interrupted, "Ursula, my dear, do you recall any mention of this rude behavior in your sessions?"
I paused for a brief moment, "No, of course not, nothing of the sort."
"I bet she's somewhere with that fish friend of hers," Sebastian yelled.
"Flounder, yes," the king stated, "he phoned in sick today. He has caught Crepe Flu. It's extremely common this season."
I stuttered for a second and then suggested, "Why don't I visit Flounder's cave and see if he knows were Ariel might be?"
We quickly exited the coliseum and proceeded onward towards the fish swallows. Flounder didn't reside far away, but my anxiety made it seem like forever. I could see that Sebastian was restless as well.
"Knock, knock." I rapped my knuckles against the wooden door. "I'm coming said a congested voice from inside. I door slowly staggered open and Flounder emerged from the candle lit lair. "What brings you two here?" he questioned, readjusting his navy blue ice pack on head and blew his stuffy, rosy nose with a tissue from a floral box in his right fin.
"Ariel ran away, again!" Sebastian exclaimed trying to keep his cool.
"Really?" Flounder asked attempting to sound surprised. I glared at Flounder and soon after Sebastian joined me. "I, I told her not to go," Flounder whimpered, "but, she just doesn't listen. I believe that she went to see him again." Ariel had mentioned the land prince many times in our sessions before, yet I never believed that she was extremely serious in her love interest.
Sebastian and I left Flounder to recuperate and continued to search for Ariel. I guided Sebastian back to my house. I planned to collect necessary potions that would aid me in my search for my lost patient. When we arrived at my front door I could've sworn that something was different. I was positive that I locked the front door. When I proceeded inside I discovered my Fefe and Loulou locked up squealing in the master bedroom. Something had to be wrong. I sprinted over to the open potions cabinet. It was gone; she had taken a human potion.
I gathered my supplies and my eels and left to explore Ariel's whereabouts. Sebastian returned to the king with hopes to reassure him of his daughter's safe return. I had traveled to the land once before. It's a dangerous place full of strangers and unusual inventions.
I floated to the ocean's surface with my pets at my heels. Ariel was experiencing ruff times and I couldn't allow her to find out that I was shadowing her. Yet, I must find her before the passing of three days, because if she receives true love's first kiss she would stay in human form permanently.
It had been quite a few years since I had visited the surface and I was not positive where the palace would be. Once I reached the dry, sandy beach I drank a spare human potion so that I could disguise myself amongst the commoners. Suddenly, a jolt of static shock traveled throughout my body and the transformation had begun. I felt my tentacles wither away and I gasped for water as my gills changed into lungs. After, a few moments of discomfort the transformation was complete.
I found an old torn-up sheet on a nearby rock and I carefully wrapped it around my body for temporary clothing. Once I was set, I stumbled across the beach searching for the elegant castle. My two new legs began to ache and the sand rubbing in-between my toes created an itchy, red rash. After what seemed to be endless miles I landed upon a beaten dirt path. It lead to the nearby market place, which was bustling with dozens of land creatures bartering foreign goods.
I leaped backwards into an ancient pottery shed as a white horse- drawn carriage roared past carrying a richly dressed young man and a silent redhead. It had to be her! I decided to stalk the carriage, which lead me to my long awaited destination. I stopped outside the enormous carved limestone walls and watched the horses trot onward inside the heavily guarded castle. I pitched my tent in a nearby alley and nestled in for an uncomfortable night.
I woke up with the early morning sunlight and the crow of neighborly roosters. I stumbled down to a convenient well and gathered fresh water to cook my breakfast. By the time I was finished, the once silent road around me transformed into a parade of merchants and peddlers.
It wasn't long before I realized Ariel and the prince leaving for another day on the town. Being tired and exhausted from the previous day's travels I sent Fefe and Loulou, who were now sparrows, to follow them as I watched from my crystal ball. The lovebirds acquired a small wooden, raft-sized boat to use to travel into a shady, secret lagoon. It seemed to me that Ariel must have performed the human transformation wrong because the prince, Eric, continually tried to guess her name. After an entire afternoon they romantically stared into each other's eyes. Although the sea creatures all attempted to warn Ariel with an informational song she wouldn't listen. When the couple leaned closer to share a kiss, my pets and the other creatures had to resort to flipping the boat over.
The three days were almost up yet; the word on the street was that the prince was engaged to a mysterious redhead. She had gone too far this time; I knew what I had to do, but I didn't truly want to do it.
The day had finally come and the town was busily preparing for the royal wedding that would top all from the past. Even the sea creatures seemed to migrate towards the palace ponds and grounds. I carefully risked my exposure and snuck past the granite walls and avoided the guards. I finally located the prince's quarters on the opposite end of the palace. He was being fitted for his suit while I barged into the room. I quickly grasped a handy love potion and splashed it on his highness. His surprised expression changed and before I knew it I lay in his cradling arms.
The prince made a brief announcement moments later that he now was marrying a brown-haired mistress later that afternoon. Ariel thrashed her arms in the air and ran out of the cheering palace without a word. It hurt me so to see her leave.
Despite my regrets I continued on with the royal wedding. Before I knew it, I was gliding down the aisle on the royal barge. The ceremony continued as planned. It was all too much to handle. When I regretfully looked into young Ariel's eyes, as she mopped in the back seat, I saw a single tear tinkled down her rosy, stuffy face. When the priest questioned if there were any objections, I knew I couldn't spoil true love.
The look of pure happiness that filled their eyes when I removed the love curse off the prince made my heart jitter. And as Ariel and Eric experienced their first kiss and murmured, "I do" I knew that I had done the right thing. At that precise moment I realized that I might be portrayed in history as an evil villain who committed treason to the king's commands, yet I didn't care. And even though King Triton would not be thrilled by the news, I knew deep in my heart that they would all live happily ever after.
"... And then, I threw the dingle hopper right at the ol' seagull's head!" Ariel bragged trying to hold back from a burst of laughter. "That's the last time he'll try to give me advice!"
"Now, Ariel," I interrupted, shaking my plump tentacles at her, "I thought your father had forbidden you from exploring those," I puckered my violet lips as if I was eating something sour, "ship things."
"But," Ariel pleaded, "their world is so interesting, you don't understand; I want to be where the people are. I even wrote this song." I raised my hand signaling that I had heard enough before she let out another peep.
Ariel puffed in disgust and her lose red hair wisped over her freckled face. As I shuffled through my schedule Ariel attempted to shove her paper in my face once again and all I could see were rhymed lyrics and musical notes. "So," I murmured, ignoring her actions, "I have three-thirty open next Tuesday. Does that sound fine with you?"
"Sure," she claimed sarcastically as she packed her song back into her knapsack. "I can't wait." Ariel floated out of the lime tinted seaweed couch and stretched her transparent fins.
I reached into my rusted steel potions cabinet and retrieved Ariel's weekly bottle of medication. I grasped the flask from in between the love and anger management potions. Ariel snatched her prescription from my left tentacle with a sigh and she began to swim to the rock covered entrance. She fed my Venus Corral Traps a handful of pebbles as she passed by my vegetable gardens. Her iridescent green tail swished and she disappeared with the blink of an eye.
I reviewed my notes from the previous session and locked up for the night. Sizzling, popping noises came from my miniature geyser signaling my shrimp was finished. I ate my scrumptious dinner in peace; then I snuggled up in bed with Fefe and Loulou, my two pet eels.
I could gaze at a minimal amount of light as I opened my eyes when the buzzing of the castle orchestra faintly drummed into my ears. I stretched all six of my violet tentacles and my two hands as I lifted my green kelp bed sheets off my toasty body. I sat down to dine at my crumbling driftwood breakfast table and poured myself a glass of Alaskan jellyfish juice. I dropped my oyster glass that rattled against the rocky floor as I realized that the concert was today.
I rapidly ate my breakfast, groomed myself, and then threw on my best maroon gown. I burst out the front door and neglected to feed my over watered garden. With the crack of my eel-drawn carriage, I was off towards the palace. Planes of coral, seas of seaweed, and fellow merpeople came into view as I speed into the royal courtyard.
I attached my wooden chariot with bristle rope to the stables and proceeded into the coliseum. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and the dozens of anxious sea creatures pilled in and crammed into their seats. We were all joined together to attend the musical performance by the king's eight daughters, including Ariel. The stage lights began to dim and the chattering crowd suddenly hushed. Over half a dozen gargantuan clamshells rose above the stage from trap doors. After many vigorous weeks of practice the play had begun.
The shells creaked as they slowly opened in unison to the music lead by Sebastian, a neighborhood crab. Ariel's older sisters completed the first chorus perfectly, yet everyone waited in suspense for the youngest daughter to join her siblings. I shuffled in my sticky seat as the final pearl, glossy shell emerged into the center of the arena. The music came to a screeching halt and I saw my long time friend Sebastian faint as the prop appeared empty. "Ariel!" the king boomed angrily.
I sorted my way through the crowd and I scrambled my way to the king's balcony. His majesty's face was a faded crimson and his veins popped out of his forehead as Sebastian continued to rave on about his disappointment. In fact, he almost chopped of Triton's beard as he swung his claw angrily.
"Aww... here she is now," King Triton interrupted, "Ursula, my dear, do you recall any mention of this rude behavior in your sessions?"
I paused for a brief moment, "No, of course not, nothing of the sort."
"I bet she's somewhere with that fish friend of hers," Sebastian yelled.
"Flounder, yes," the king stated, "he phoned in sick today. He has caught Crepe Flu. It's extremely common this season."
I stuttered for a second and then suggested, "Why don't I visit Flounder's cave and see if he knows were Ariel might be?"
We quickly exited the coliseum and proceeded onward towards the fish swallows. Flounder didn't reside far away, but my anxiety made it seem like forever. I could see that Sebastian was restless as well.
"Knock, knock." I rapped my knuckles against the wooden door. "I'm coming said a congested voice from inside. I door slowly staggered open and Flounder emerged from the candle lit lair. "What brings you two here?" he questioned, readjusting his navy blue ice pack on head and blew his stuffy, rosy nose with a tissue from a floral box in his right fin.
"Ariel ran away, again!" Sebastian exclaimed trying to keep his cool.
"Really?" Flounder asked attempting to sound surprised. I glared at Flounder and soon after Sebastian joined me. "I, I told her not to go," Flounder whimpered, "but, she just doesn't listen. I believe that she went to see him again." Ariel had mentioned the land prince many times in our sessions before, yet I never believed that she was extremely serious in her love interest.
Sebastian and I left Flounder to recuperate and continued to search for Ariel. I guided Sebastian back to my house. I planned to collect necessary potions that would aid me in my search for my lost patient. When we arrived at my front door I could've sworn that something was different. I was positive that I locked the front door. When I proceeded inside I discovered my Fefe and Loulou locked up squealing in the master bedroom. Something had to be wrong. I sprinted over to the open potions cabinet. It was gone; she had taken a human potion.
I gathered my supplies and my eels and left to explore Ariel's whereabouts. Sebastian returned to the king with hopes to reassure him of his daughter's safe return. I had traveled to the land once before. It's a dangerous place full of strangers and unusual inventions.
I floated to the ocean's surface with my pets at my heels. Ariel was experiencing ruff times and I couldn't allow her to find out that I was shadowing her. Yet, I must find her before the passing of three days, because if she receives true love's first kiss she would stay in human form permanently.
It had been quite a few years since I had visited the surface and I was not positive where the palace would be. Once I reached the dry, sandy beach I drank a spare human potion so that I could disguise myself amongst the commoners. Suddenly, a jolt of static shock traveled throughout my body and the transformation had begun. I felt my tentacles wither away and I gasped for water as my gills changed into lungs. After, a few moments of discomfort the transformation was complete.
I found an old torn-up sheet on a nearby rock and I carefully wrapped it around my body for temporary clothing. Once I was set, I stumbled across the beach searching for the elegant castle. My two new legs began to ache and the sand rubbing in-between my toes created an itchy, red rash. After what seemed to be endless miles I landed upon a beaten dirt path. It lead to the nearby market place, which was bustling with dozens of land creatures bartering foreign goods.
I leaped backwards into an ancient pottery shed as a white horse- drawn carriage roared past carrying a richly dressed young man and a silent redhead. It had to be her! I decided to stalk the carriage, which lead me to my long awaited destination. I stopped outside the enormous carved limestone walls and watched the horses trot onward inside the heavily guarded castle. I pitched my tent in a nearby alley and nestled in for an uncomfortable night.
I woke up with the early morning sunlight and the crow of neighborly roosters. I stumbled down to a convenient well and gathered fresh water to cook my breakfast. By the time I was finished, the once silent road around me transformed into a parade of merchants and peddlers.
It wasn't long before I realized Ariel and the prince leaving for another day on the town. Being tired and exhausted from the previous day's travels I sent Fefe and Loulou, who were now sparrows, to follow them as I watched from my crystal ball. The lovebirds acquired a small wooden, raft-sized boat to use to travel into a shady, secret lagoon. It seemed to me that Ariel must have performed the human transformation wrong because the prince, Eric, continually tried to guess her name. After an entire afternoon they romantically stared into each other's eyes. Although the sea creatures all attempted to warn Ariel with an informational song she wouldn't listen. When the couple leaned closer to share a kiss, my pets and the other creatures had to resort to flipping the boat over.
The three days were almost up yet; the word on the street was that the prince was engaged to a mysterious redhead. She had gone too far this time; I knew what I had to do, but I didn't truly want to do it.
The day had finally come and the town was busily preparing for the royal wedding that would top all from the past. Even the sea creatures seemed to migrate towards the palace ponds and grounds. I carefully risked my exposure and snuck past the granite walls and avoided the guards. I finally located the prince's quarters on the opposite end of the palace. He was being fitted for his suit while I barged into the room. I quickly grasped a handy love potion and splashed it on his highness. His surprised expression changed and before I knew it I lay in his cradling arms.
The prince made a brief announcement moments later that he now was marrying a brown-haired mistress later that afternoon. Ariel thrashed her arms in the air and ran out of the cheering palace without a word. It hurt me so to see her leave.
Despite my regrets I continued on with the royal wedding. Before I knew it, I was gliding down the aisle on the royal barge. The ceremony continued as planned. It was all too much to handle. When I regretfully looked into young Ariel's eyes, as she mopped in the back seat, I saw a single tear tinkled down her rosy, stuffy face. When the priest questioned if there were any objections, I knew I couldn't spoil true love.
The look of pure happiness that filled their eyes when I removed the love curse off the prince made my heart jitter. And as Ariel and Eric experienced their first kiss and murmured, "I do" I knew that I had done the right thing. At that precise moment I realized that I might be portrayed in history as an evil villain who committed treason to the king's commands, yet I didn't care. And even though King Triton would not be thrilled by the news, I knew deep in my heart that they would all live happily ever after.