"Storm Warnings"
On the surface, the birds were heading inland. They instinctively knew it was going to be a vicious storm and did not wish to be caught in its fury.
Sea life was leaping out of the water as the waves were heading towards the beach. Normally calm, they were starting to grow in height and strength.
Eric's castle was still in sunlight, but it was slowly swallowed up by the storm clouds.
Beneath the waves, Flounder and Sebastian headed towards the beach. Sebastian clamped onto Flounder tail as they both headed on.
"It seems to be getting choppy," said a nervous Flounder.
"You worry too much, mon. I remember a big storm offa Jamaica. Now that was a storm, It blew for days and days and..."
Before Sebastian could finish, they were both scooped up by a huge wave. They both watched in terror as they rose high out of the water, the wave bearing down on Mermaid Rock.
"OK, dis one could be worse," admitted Sebastian.
At Mermaid Rock, the wave crashed against it. The spray ejected Flounder and Sebastian. Propelled high into the air, they could see the beach completely.
"Hey, I can really see the castle and..Aaaaaaaaaaah!" Flounder realized where he was and they both were splashed back under.
Flounder regained his bearings and began to hunt for Sebastian. He found him buried headfirst into the ocean floor.
Horrified, Flounder swam over and grabbed hold of Sebastian's legs to pull him free. Coming out with a pop, Sebastian shook his head to knock the mud from his ears.
"I tell you, mon, dis is gettin' to be a real chore," commented Sebastian as he got the last of the mud out from him.
"But the King is counting on us," said Flounder.
"I know. I just wish he'd count on someone else."
Sebastian clamped on to Flounder's back fin and they continued to the beach.
On the beach, the storm clouds were gathering and the ocean was frothing up. There was still some sunlight, but it was rapidly retreating. There was barely enough light; however, it was getting darker and darker by the moment. Whitecaps crashed angrily on the shore.
Someone was walking on the beach. Whoever they were, they were bundled up against the howling wind. Wearing a hooded cape, it was held tightly against them, to keep the wind from tearing it off and sending it flying.
Every so often, they would look out towards the sea, as it got more and more wild. After one more look out, Sebastian and Flounder broke the surface. The hood immediately came off as Ariel greeted them.
She stuck her arms out through the slits and waved at her friends. Ariel headed to the water's edge to meet them."Flounder! Sebastian!"
"Ariel! Ariel!" Flounder did a flip and Sebastian broke the surface.
Ariel got down on all fours as they came up to her.
"Awwww! You know you don't have to do this," she said.
"But we want to," said Flounder.
"And I'm glad you did." Ariel smiled back at them.
"Besides, your faddah told us to do so."
Ariel giggled. "I can just hear him now. 'Ariel needs constant supervision'."
"'And you're just the crab to do it.'". added Flounder.
They all had a good laugh. Ariel looked at her friends with longing and homesickness.
"I'm..I'm a big girl now," she admitted,
"But you'll always be his little mermaid," said Flounder.
"I know. He does this because he loves me and misses me."
"We all do, Ariel."
Ariel stood up. Just then, a huge wave slammed into Flounder and Sebastian, driving them into the beach. Ariel recoiled from the strength of the wave, and then hurried to get both of them back into the water.
"You'd better get back to Atlantica. It looks like bad weather," warned Ariel.
"We'll let your faddah know everyt'ing's all right," said Sebastian.
"Good bye, Ariel," said Flounder, as Sebastian clamped onto his tail for the return trip. "We'll be back soon."
Ariel waved good-bye as they disappeared under the surface. She continued waving long after they were gone. She slowly put her hood up and walked along the beach, lost in thought.
A vicious gust scooped off the hood. Her long red hair flailed about in the building storm. She started to put the hood up, and then decided not to; rather, she turned into the wind to get pummeled by the fury of the on-coming storm.
She was barefoot and waded into the edge of the waves. Her feet and cape hem got completely soaked. She gave a happy, contented smile. The more ferocious the storm became, the happier she was.
Sea spray coated her as the ocean became a constant roar. The breakers smashed onto the beach, demonstrating their might and strength.
Blithely walking along the shore, she showed no fear or apprehension at the churning intensity.
"How long has it been since I left Atlantica? Sometimes, it feels like forever. Other times, a mere moment. Have I spent that much time on the land?"
She began to make math numbers in the sand with her toe, and then scratched it out. She looked out at the ocean and let out a sigh.
"I do so miss Daddy and all of my sisters. I wish I could visit them more often. But this is the life I have chosen. My heart belongs to the sea, but now, I live upon the land."
Ariel held at the water's edge, as froth and foam cascaded about her. As she waded back in, she looked down at her feet for a moment, then out to the gathering storm.
Eric makes this decision all the more easier, she concluded. If I had married a merman, I still would have left Daddy.
Ariel turned her head upwards as rain began to fall. "Go ahead, rain all you want. I'm used to the water. Do your worst!" She smiled into the teeth of the sea with all its might.
Ariel watched as wave after wave crashed over Mermaid Rock. She smiled wistfully, but her reverie was interrupted.
"Ariel! Ariel!"
Ariel turned to see Eric running down the beach towards her. Ariel watched with love as Eric made the long run. He eventually caught up with Ariel, but could not speak, as he was panting.
"No one...saw you leave...and...and...and...we were...worried," he gasped out.
Ariel looked distant. "I just needed to take a walk. Get some air."
Eric came close. "We were concerned about you. Both of you."
Eric knelt down in front of Ariel and parted her cape to reveal her incredibly pregnant belly. Ariel, almost beatific in her radiance, smiled as Eric gingerly put his head to her tummy. He smiled with pride as he listened. Suddenly, his head made a shudder. Eric grinned even wider.
"He kicked me. My son kicked me!"
Eric jumped up and began to dance a jig around Ariel, singing, "He kicked me" over and over. Ariel laughed as she watched him circle about her. Eric stopped and held Ariel close and very passionately.
"I love you so very much," said Eric.
"And I love you, too," responded Ariel.
They started to kiss, but an immense gust kicked up and blew them apart. Eric caught Ariel, who was nearly pushed down onto the beach. They both looked out to sea.
"We'd better get back inside. It's going to be a howling storm," offered Eric.
As he cradled Ariel protectively, they made their way back to the castle. Eric put Ariel's hood on her. As they left for the protection of the castle, far on the horizon, was the shadow of Mephisto's ship, heading into port.
End Notes
When I wrote this tale, Disney had never had an obviously pregnant woman, much less as the lead character, in their animation. I mean Darling in 'Lady and the Tramp' was pregnant, but you never saw her as such (and she wasn't a real lead).
You did eventually have Pasha's wife in "The Emperor's New Groove", so at least they were acknowledging things, but this was to be the first time a lead would be so gravid. And Ariel is still the only female human lead to have kids. (Keep in mind, with the original time frame I had planned out, they were to get this script by 1996 or so. Ho, ho, ho!)
For those with sharp eyes, you can see where I turned Ariel's song into dialogue. That was a bit of a workout, as what may work in singing gets to be a touch unwieldy in dialogue, but I think I pulled it off.
You can also see the original opening for the film, as I wanted action to go underneath the credits. As a writer, I feel it is important to exert as much control over the manuscript or screenplay as one can, considering how it may be edited away from you. But, when I had to change the opening, it got all pushed back. And then, when I had to change it ALL again, it got altered even more.
The new opening had a man posting flyers for an upcoming event and was chased by the local cop. When the flyers ended up getting scattered by the wind, THAT was the new opening credits.
All these changes forced me to write a better script. Too bad no one from Disney was interested. Unless you have an established agent or have done work for them in the past, they will not touch an unsolicited script.
And that story of my failed attempt to get this to them can wait for another time. It's a good story, but really, really long.
