Thank you, thank you!
/blows kisses/
Adrian: You. Are. Pitiful.
/smack/
Ken: Don't antagonize her, you idiot. /sighs/ I think she's killed off too many brain cells with those hits of hers.
Aya: Hn. Not surprising. /thin smile/
Aya-kun! /glompies/ This would be Aya, or Ran, Fujimiya from the anime/manga Weiss Kreuz. He's the guest muse for today.
Aya: And I'm regretting this decision.
Adrian: Anyone get the number of that truck? /spots Aya/ Who's the redhead?
Aya, this is Adrian, my permanent muse. Adrian, this is Aya, my temporary muse.
Adrian: Pleasure.
Aya: Hn.
/claps hands/ You two look so cute together!
Aya: /death glare/
Adrian: /death glare with BOTH eyes (Note: Adrian always keeps strands of his hair covering his right eye. His eye is really scary... which is the understatement of the year) /
Er- right then. /scuttles off/
~*~
The Price of Love
~*~
It was a beautiful night. The sky was velvet of deepest blue, a blanket shrouding the earth. Pinpricks patterned it, revealing points of shining silver light. The moon was a thin crescent, dying as she sank slowly to her bed at the west horizon.
But my eyes were on a sight more entrancing, more beautiful. Yami was perched precariously upon the cliff face, gazing off at the far horizon. He was not in finery, but rather, in simple garb. There was a brooding look upon his face.
I had a whimsical, mad thought for a moment. What if he were to fall into the sea? I would save him from the depths once again and he would know me as his savior. He would look at me with those beautiful ruby eyes and let a smile play at his firm lips. And he would thank me with his wonderful melodic voice.
But I shook it away. What chance would there be of his falling? I had seen him walk, nimble as the curious horned beasts that dwelt on the cliff face, on the rocks. And what chance would there be of his believing my words?
"Yami... my heart is yours, but why do you hurt it so?" I whispered, and burning was in my eyes.
Was death better now? Would it be a sweet darkness as I dissipated to lifeless foam, never to be seen again? Would my heart no longer ache, as I no longer existed upon the mortal plane and would never again?
There was death close. A pile of broken oyster and mussel shells gleamed coldly on the rock I clung to. Some of the shards were particularly sharp. One slash, one slash across my throat...
But then I looked back up, back at my beloved. Would darkness be satisfying? No, not if I would never see him again.
As much as they pained me, observing him and the bittersweet happiness that followed was better than nothing at all. I let out a choked sound, unable to look any longer.
I would give up my centuries to be with him. Even though he was mortal, just those few moments of a lifetime would be the happiest and most precious.
Then a revelation came.
The sea witch. A curious ancient who lived in the deep valleys of polyps, the sea witch granted wishes of the merfolk brave or foolish enough to brave the journey through the deadly polyps. But the magic had a price. And it was never said how much it cost.
But I had to risk it. I would pay anything to be human... if only to see Yami.
~*~
I stole out of the palace when all was silent. Even the currents were lethargic. In my arms was a bundle containing every jewel and shining trinket I owned, to tempt the witch. With little to guide my way, I headed to the deepest depths, without looking back at the shining palace behind.
The waters grew colder and darker. I could feel my heart pounding, as every instinct screamed for me to get away, flee to my bed where I belonged. But I stonily headed on, seeing green light in the chasm I swam into.
As I approached, I could see that the green light was produced by softly glowing polyps, their tentacles restlessly stirring. Each had a heart of green light, of malevolence and animalistic greed. I shuddered, as I had to approach.
There were remains of things that had fallen to this deep chasm and the tentacles clung to for eternity in their mindless avarice. Skulls of sailors, mortal belongings, rocks that glittered and gleamed from the poisonous light... and I shuddered when I saw the skeletal remains of a mermaid, held in the tight embrace of the polyps. Swiftly, I bound my long hair close to my skull and headed into the twisted meadow.
As I continued, the polyps grew restless and tried to close in on me. Gasping in fear, I dodged as best as I could but they reached for me, their slimy arms ready to hold me down here for the rest of my existence... Then I could hear an eerie song dancing through the water, sung by a voice like grating boulders and clashing metal:
"Chip, chop,
Clunk, fall, drop!
Everything falls in the end,
To the depths without an end!
How you go or how willing you are
Doesn't matter as you fall far!
I'm waiting here, for these fools who swim
To visit me, for their foolish whim!
But in the end the darkness takes
All who live, as darkness makes!
Light is gone so these fools came
To me, not known by name,
Only the Sea Witch, hag and bones.
Retreat my pets, sleep on your stones!
For another fool comes, to ask he will,
But be wary, my dear, of the bill!"
As the mad voice sang, the polyps retreated, sinking into their little homes in cracks of the rocks. Only glints of their vile green hearts shone through, seeming to watch me like many eyes.
As I continued on, I saw something gleam. A crude hut had been built from enormous slabs of black and gold veined rock. In the front, stirring a pot settled over a bubbling pocket of hot water was a hunched figure, hair of silver hiding the face from view.
The witch's fins were white and twisted, like the creatures that lived down here that never got to see the sunshine drifting through the water. I cautiously approached, holding my bag of treasure.
"Pardon me," I started, voice cautious.
Then the witch looked up and I was startled. The witch was not a wizened crone. The witch was a man.
A single eye of burning mahogany, dancing with madness, stared at me, glowing upon his pale face. He could almost be handsome, except for the madness and dark magic that twisted his form. His silvery hair shrouded the right side of his face, drifting about his head like tangled seaweed.
"What d'ye lack? What d'ye lack?" cried the sea witch, insanity burning in his wide eye. "I can take black pebbles down here and change them into the finest pearls a body has seen. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price. I can take the limbs of a polyp, its wretched green heart, give you locks that glow with heavenly light. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price. I can take my blood, mix it with the eyes of an eel and guts of a sea toad, and give you a draught that will slay what bonny boy dares steal your lover. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price." [1]
"I-I-I want a soul!" I blurted out. "A human soul!"
"So you can walk on land, no? Mingle with the humans with two strong legs in place of your fins?" With no weakness of age, the witch got up, coming over to me. His hand cupped my chin. I shivered. His skin was scaly and colder than ice. "It has a price, pretty boy."
I showed him my bag. "I have jewels, trinkets of humans-"
"Bah!" he spat. "I can create the finest jewels with a handful of gravel! As for trinkets, many fall down here, captured by my pets." His single eye gazed at me. "But even if you could pay me... a human soul is beyond even my power."
I slumped, not even noticing the loathsome touch of the witch upon my face.. My prizes were worthless and my dream impossible. I had come for nothing. The sea witch had not finished, however.
"But- you can get one, if a mortal will give it to you," the sea witch said, quietly. He tilted his head upward, eye closing. His voice was dreamlike. "If you can get a mortal to love you, to love you with all heart and soul, until he would put aside his father and mother for you, until he will have a priest put your hands together with promise of fidelity and love for all eternity, then his soul would become yours, but still his, neither stolen nor diminished. You will both live in happiness, but die mortal deaths and see Paradise, be together in an eternity of bliss that would never end, and see things that creatures of this earth will never see." He opened his eye and looked to me. [2]
"Then give me legs!" I cried. "Give me legs so that I may win a soul!"
"It has a cost, pretty boy, and your trinkets have no worth here! And even if you get your legs, there is another price and such pain." He smiled at me, caressing my face with his horrid hands. "Pegasus can make you a draught, pretty prince, that will give you legs as soon as you go to land and drink it at the rising of the sun. But it will pain you, oh, it will twist your beautiful face in such agony. It will seem as though a sword were thrust into your body, as your fins and tail vanish. But you will walk with such grace and the mortals will be in wonder of your beauty and dancer's gait. Yet as you walk, each step will pain you, as though you trod on broken glass and knives. And your pretty, tiny feet will bleed as your lovely eyes well up with tears."
"I still want it," I said, though I was pale from what he had revealed to me.
"But- the magic will not last forever," he warned me. "This mortal you love must love you in return and marry you, if you are to keep your legs. The morning after he marries another, you will turn into foam upon the sea, and be nothing more than a memory forever."
Foam would be all the more gratifying, I thought. Then watching my prince bestowing his loving glance and attentions to another for even a mortal's lifetime. "What must I give you?" I whispered.
The witch smiled. "I have heard you sing, my pretty prince," he said to me, his face coming closer. "You have such a lovely voice. Like the purest, softest silver, like sunlight, like the sweetest draught of all... love. I want it. You have to give me silver and I will give you broken glass." His smile widened.
I blanched, backing away. "But- how will I tell him? How will he know of my love for him?"
"Your loveliness, your graceful stride, your beautiful, eloquent eyes," the witch said, laughing. "Those will be enough. They would capture the heart of any down here, lovely prince, much less a mere mortal. Do you want those legs or are you a coward? Forever languishing down in the sea, longing for a man until all self, all substance is sea foam... Of course, I can make you forget. For a little price..." His lips were at my ear.
"I will do it!" I yelped, fleeing from him. I trembled, watching him.
He laughed. "Very well, my pretty prince!" He went to his cauldron and lifted the top. Snatching a polyp from nearby, he squeezed it, as its tentacles wiggled in futility. I turned away, sickened by the sight.
The witch cackled and sang as he made the draught for me:
"Oh how this little pot boils!
Bubbling, bubbling, as the fire toils.
My pets go in, my blood as well,
Much more is in here but I cannot tell,
Boil on my little pot,
Make me a shining draught
To give this pretty prince some legs
To get the human soul for which he begs!"
The pot boiled and sent sparks of white and red into the air. Its misshapen contents leapt out, a squirming worm of scarlet light. Laughing, the sea- witch cut a slash down his chest with his nails and the worm latched at his breast, hungrily drinking down the black blood the gash bled. Finally, the worm leapt away and went back into the pot, turning to red liquid that simmered angrily. My eyes watched it all, in horrified fascination.
"Now, sing for me, my pretty one, I wouldn't want to have to slice off your tongue now, would I?" He looked at me, a smirk lingering on his twisted face.
I faltered, hands jumping to my mouth, but closing my eyes, I began to sing, not for him, only for me:
"I must leave this place,
For the sake of love,
My father, my brothers,
I leave you for the world above.
Forgive me, my beloved,
We will never meet
I give my voice,
These notes so sweet,
For a chance beyond sea foam.
I give this silver voice
For broken glass and blood
Such a bitter choice.
But I want to be happy...
I only want to be happy."
The sea-witch sighed happily. "Beautiful," he whispered. "So sweet and bitter."
I still sang, until it felt my heart would leap from my mouth, my lungs collapse to blood and flesh. I could feel the sea witch's claws about my throat, squeezing with deceptive gentleness.
It hurt. It hurt so much as my voice grew weaker and the grip grew tighter. But I sang out, I sang out one last, sweet lingering note before my voice was gone.
I opened my eyes to find the sea witch offering me a bottle. The liquid inside was clearer than diamonds, brighter than stars. "Go up to the surface," he told me. "And drink the draught to its dregs before the sun rises. You must hurry." A smile curved his thin lips. "A lovely trade, my beautiful prince. I could almost wish you luck, little one, for your path will be long and bitter." His lips pressed against mine before a mighty current roughly pushed me away from him, pushing me into the forest of polyps.
The creatures reached for me but when they saw the bottle I carried, they retreated. Above the roar of the water about me, I could hear the sea witch singing again,
"Lovely prince, lovely prince,
Another fool, who seeks that sweet
Known as love, which we crave
To warm that chill inside with its heat.
The fools will never change,
They come and go,
And here I stay, the Sea Hag,
Laughing at this twisted show!"
I shivered as the current carried me away. The sea witch's voice still whispered in my ear, "If your sweet man chooses another, the dawn after his wedding day you will become dead ocean foam..."
The current took me to the palace and with another roar, whirled away to other parts. I went to the corner of the garden I called my own. Still cradling my bottle, I plucked leaves from the red kelp. Silently, I left a leaf in my brothers' rooms, as a silent goodbye [3]. I looked at their peaceful faces one last time before leaving.
Silently, I cried for the currents to help me. Dawn would come soon and I had to reach the beach below Yami's castle. And they came, aiding me in my need for speed. A wave threw me upon the sandy shore and I gasped, fearful for my precious draught.
It had not broken, the shining liquid gleaming brightly in the still dark night. My fingers trembling, I opened the bottle, fumbling with the curious cork the witch had put in it. Careful not to spill a single precious drop, I looked at the sea one last time before swallowing the draught.
Oh it burned me as it slid down my throat! I tried to cry out as a blade stabbed me. I was being ripped apart, the blade twisting with cruel sharpness in my abdomen. It would cut me open, leave my insides gleaming wetly upon the sand. The pain narrowed, then thrust through my tail, slicing downwards.
My mouth opened in a silent scream before darkness mercifully claimed me.
~*~
[1] This is actually based on a line of dialogue written by Oscar Wilde, in a similar story to the Little Mermaid. Only, it was the MORTAL who wanted to join the mermaid, and he needed to get RID of his soul, not get one.
[2] I based a lot of the witch's dialogue on the original tale, only, I made it sound a lot more twisted and insane. I mean, we're talking about Pegasus here. ^^;;
o.o I've made him into a pedophile!
[3] In the original story, the Little Mermaid takes flowers from each of her sisters' gardens and takes them up with her, as reminders. I decided a little something different.
I know that this probably has no real place on this site, but since this DOES have to do with this tale, I must put this down.
I mean no disrespect to ANY religion at all in the world. It is surprising, but many religions hold the same ideals or variations of universal ideals.
Though they disagree, I know people of different religions who accept differences of each other and are very good friends. They laugh, they crack jokes, they help each other, they have fun and live.
Hell, I'm an agnostic and one of the most supportive people in my life is a very devout Christian! By the way, someone who is an agnostic is (roughly) a person who believes that a god or higher power cannot be proved or disproved.
Being an agnostic is sometimes a good thing. It lets one look at the world's religions with an objective eye. I'm not saying that everyone should be one, but I believe that agnostics are able to empathize better than most.
Yet- some people believe that agnostics like myself are "evil" and will "burn in Hell." Well, not literally say that to me in my face, mind you. But I have a nasty feeling it will happen some day.
I find nothing wrong with homosexuality. I have friends who are homosexual and bisexual. They are not horrible people and they are very close to me. They are not sexual predators. They are PEOPLE, human beings.
But some religions out there, and some people, believe in the wrongness of homosexuality. Look at the hate crimes. Look at the battles. Look at the bigotry out there.
One of my favorite arguments to use against homophobes is "If God finds nothing wrong with love, who are we to dictate what is 'right' love and 'wrong' love?" I can point out the passages in the Bible concerning the doctrines of love, despite the fact that I am an agnostic.
But I am often shot down and looked down upon for my beliefs.
I have gotten hate mails and attempted conversions from others who found offense in my beliefs, in what I said and wrote. Some of my earlier works got shot down by people screaming "That character isn't gay, how dare you?!"
I'm glad I haven't gotten much worse than that. But still, I have to be wary.
If anyone reads this story, or others with similar themes and pairings, and does so with the intent of giving me flames and near threats, you're wasting your time. You're not going to silence what I write and my voice.
I've been censored and shut down for what I've written.
But that will never silence what I have to say.
/blows kisses/
Adrian: You. Are. Pitiful.
/smack/
Ken: Don't antagonize her, you idiot. /sighs/ I think she's killed off too many brain cells with those hits of hers.
Aya: Hn. Not surprising. /thin smile/
Aya-kun! /glompies/ This would be Aya, or Ran, Fujimiya from the anime/manga Weiss Kreuz. He's the guest muse for today.
Aya: And I'm regretting this decision.
Adrian: Anyone get the number of that truck? /spots Aya/ Who's the redhead?
Aya, this is Adrian, my permanent muse. Adrian, this is Aya, my temporary muse.
Adrian: Pleasure.
Aya: Hn.
/claps hands/ You two look so cute together!
Aya: /death glare/
Adrian: /death glare with BOTH eyes (Note: Adrian always keeps strands of his hair covering his right eye. His eye is really scary... which is the understatement of the year) /
Er- right then. /scuttles off/
~*~
The Price of Love
~*~
It was a beautiful night. The sky was velvet of deepest blue, a blanket shrouding the earth. Pinpricks patterned it, revealing points of shining silver light. The moon was a thin crescent, dying as she sank slowly to her bed at the west horizon.
But my eyes were on a sight more entrancing, more beautiful. Yami was perched precariously upon the cliff face, gazing off at the far horizon. He was not in finery, but rather, in simple garb. There was a brooding look upon his face.
I had a whimsical, mad thought for a moment. What if he were to fall into the sea? I would save him from the depths once again and he would know me as his savior. He would look at me with those beautiful ruby eyes and let a smile play at his firm lips. And he would thank me with his wonderful melodic voice.
But I shook it away. What chance would there be of his falling? I had seen him walk, nimble as the curious horned beasts that dwelt on the cliff face, on the rocks. And what chance would there be of his believing my words?
"Yami... my heart is yours, but why do you hurt it so?" I whispered, and burning was in my eyes.
Was death better now? Would it be a sweet darkness as I dissipated to lifeless foam, never to be seen again? Would my heart no longer ache, as I no longer existed upon the mortal plane and would never again?
There was death close. A pile of broken oyster and mussel shells gleamed coldly on the rock I clung to. Some of the shards were particularly sharp. One slash, one slash across my throat...
But then I looked back up, back at my beloved. Would darkness be satisfying? No, not if I would never see him again.
As much as they pained me, observing him and the bittersweet happiness that followed was better than nothing at all. I let out a choked sound, unable to look any longer.
I would give up my centuries to be with him. Even though he was mortal, just those few moments of a lifetime would be the happiest and most precious.
Then a revelation came.
The sea witch. A curious ancient who lived in the deep valleys of polyps, the sea witch granted wishes of the merfolk brave or foolish enough to brave the journey through the deadly polyps. But the magic had a price. And it was never said how much it cost.
But I had to risk it. I would pay anything to be human... if only to see Yami.
~*~
I stole out of the palace when all was silent. Even the currents were lethargic. In my arms was a bundle containing every jewel and shining trinket I owned, to tempt the witch. With little to guide my way, I headed to the deepest depths, without looking back at the shining palace behind.
The waters grew colder and darker. I could feel my heart pounding, as every instinct screamed for me to get away, flee to my bed where I belonged. But I stonily headed on, seeing green light in the chasm I swam into.
As I approached, I could see that the green light was produced by softly glowing polyps, their tentacles restlessly stirring. Each had a heart of green light, of malevolence and animalistic greed. I shuddered, as I had to approach.
There were remains of things that had fallen to this deep chasm and the tentacles clung to for eternity in their mindless avarice. Skulls of sailors, mortal belongings, rocks that glittered and gleamed from the poisonous light... and I shuddered when I saw the skeletal remains of a mermaid, held in the tight embrace of the polyps. Swiftly, I bound my long hair close to my skull and headed into the twisted meadow.
As I continued, the polyps grew restless and tried to close in on me. Gasping in fear, I dodged as best as I could but they reached for me, their slimy arms ready to hold me down here for the rest of my existence... Then I could hear an eerie song dancing through the water, sung by a voice like grating boulders and clashing metal:
"Chip, chop,
Clunk, fall, drop!
Everything falls in the end,
To the depths without an end!
How you go or how willing you are
Doesn't matter as you fall far!
I'm waiting here, for these fools who swim
To visit me, for their foolish whim!
But in the end the darkness takes
All who live, as darkness makes!
Light is gone so these fools came
To me, not known by name,
Only the Sea Witch, hag and bones.
Retreat my pets, sleep on your stones!
For another fool comes, to ask he will,
But be wary, my dear, of the bill!"
As the mad voice sang, the polyps retreated, sinking into their little homes in cracks of the rocks. Only glints of their vile green hearts shone through, seeming to watch me like many eyes.
As I continued on, I saw something gleam. A crude hut had been built from enormous slabs of black and gold veined rock. In the front, stirring a pot settled over a bubbling pocket of hot water was a hunched figure, hair of silver hiding the face from view.
The witch's fins were white and twisted, like the creatures that lived down here that never got to see the sunshine drifting through the water. I cautiously approached, holding my bag of treasure.
"Pardon me," I started, voice cautious.
Then the witch looked up and I was startled. The witch was not a wizened crone. The witch was a man.
A single eye of burning mahogany, dancing with madness, stared at me, glowing upon his pale face. He could almost be handsome, except for the madness and dark magic that twisted his form. His silvery hair shrouded the right side of his face, drifting about his head like tangled seaweed.
"What d'ye lack? What d'ye lack?" cried the sea witch, insanity burning in his wide eye. "I can take black pebbles down here and change them into the finest pearls a body has seen. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price. I can take the limbs of a polyp, its wretched green heart, give you locks that glow with heavenly light. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price. I can take my blood, mix it with the eyes of an eel and guts of a sea toad, and give you a draught that will slay what bonny boy dares steal your lover. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price." [1]
"I-I-I want a soul!" I blurted out. "A human soul!"
"So you can walk on land, no? Mingle with the humans with two strong legs in place of your fins?" With no weakness of age, the witch got up, coming over to me. His hand cupped my chin. I shivered. His skin was scaly and colder than ice. "It has a price, pretty boy."
I showed him my bag. "I have jewels, trinkets of humans-"
"Bah!" he spat. "I can create the finest jewels with a handful of gravel! As for trinkets, many fall down here, captured by my pets." His single eye gazed at me. "But even if you could pay me... a human soul is beyond even my power."
I slumped, not even noticing the loathsome touch of the witch upon my face.. My prizes were worthless and my dream impossible. I had come for nothing. The sea witch had not finished, however.
"But- you can get one, if a mortal will give it to you," the sea witch said, quietly. He tilted his head upward, eye closing. His voice was dreamlike. "If you can get a mortal to love you, to love you with all heart and soul, until he would put aside his father and mother for you, until he will have a priest put your hands together with promise of fidelity and love for all eternity, then his soul would become yours, but still his, neither stolen nor diminished. You will both live in happiness, but die mortal deaths and see Paradise, be together in an eternity of bliss that would never end, and see things that creatures of this earth will never see." He opened his eye and looked to me. [2]
"Then give me legs!" I cried. "Give me legs so that I may win a soul!"
"It has a cost, pretty boy, and your trinkets have no worth here! And even if you get your legs, there is another price and such pain." He smiled at me, caressing my face with his horrid hands. "Pegasus can make you a draught, pretty prince, that will give you legs as soon as you go to land and drink it at the rising of the sun. But it will pain you, oh, it will twist your beautiful face in such agony. It will seem as though a sword were thrust into your body, as your fins and tail vanish. But you will walk with such grace and the mortals will be in wonder of your beauty and dancer's gait. Yet as you walk, each step will pain you, as though you trod on broken glass and knives. And your pretty, tiny feet will bleed as your lovely eyes well up with tears."
"I still want it," I said, though I was pale from what he had revealed to me.
"But- the magic will not last forever," he warned me. "This mortal you love must love you in return and marry you, if you are to keep your legs. The morning after he marries another, you will turn into foam upon the sea, and be nothing more than a memory forever."
Foam would be all the more gratifying, I thought. Then watching my prince bestowing his loving glance and attentions to another for even a mortal's lifetime. "What must I give you?" I whispered.
The witch smiled. "I have heard you sing, my pretty prince," he said to me, his face coming closer. "You have such a lovely voice. Like the purest, softest silver, like sunlight, like the sweetest draught of all... love. I want it. You have to give me silver and I will give you broken glass." His smile widened.
I blanched, backing away. "But- how will I tell him? How will he know of my love for him?"
"Your loveliness, your graceful stride, your beautiful, eloquent eyes," the witch said, laughing. "Those will be enough. They would capture the heart of any down here, lovely prince, much less a mere mortal. Do you want those legs or are you a coward? Forever languishing down in the sea, longing for a man until all self, all substance is sea foam... Of course, I can make you forget. For a little price..." His lips were at my ear.
"I will do it!" I yelped, fleeing from him. I trembled, watching him.
He laughed. "Very well, my pretty prince!" He went to his cauldron and lifted the top. Snatching a polyp from nearby, he squeezed it, as its tentacles wiggled in futility. I turned away, sickened by the sight.
The witch cackled and sang as he made the draught for me:
"Oh how this little pot boils!
Bubbling, bubbling, as the fire toils.
My pets go in, my blood as well,
Much more is in here but I cannot tell,
Boil on my little pot,
Make me a shining draught
To give this pretty prince some legs
To get the human soul for which he begs!"
The pot boiled and sent sparks of white and red into the air. Its misshapen contents leapt out, a squirming worm of scarlet light. Laughing, the sea- witch cut a slash down his chest with his nails and the worm latched at his breast, hungrily drinking down the black blood the gash bled. Finally, the worm leapt away and went back into the pot, turning to red liquid that simmered angrily. My eyes watched it all, in horrified fascination.
"Now, sing for me, my pretty one, I wouldn't want to have to slice off your tongue now, would I?" He looked at me, a smirk lingering on his twisted face.
I faltered, hands jumping to my mouth, but closing my eyes, I began to sing, not for him, only for me:
"I must leave this place,
For the sake of love,
My father, my brothers,
I leave you for the world above.
Forgive me, my beloved,
We will never meet
I give my voice,
These notes so sweet,
For a chance beyond sea foam.
I give this silver voice
For broken glass and blood
Such a bitter choice.
But I want to be happy...
I only want to be happy."
The sea-witch sighed happily. "Beautiful," he whispered. "So sweet and bitter."
I still sang, until it felt my heart would leap from my mouth, my lungs collapse to blood and flesh. I could feel the sea witch's claws about my throat, squeezing with deceptive gentleness.
It hurt. It hurt so much as my voice grew weaker and the grip grew tighter. But I sang out, I sang out one last, sweet lingering note before my voice was gone.
I opened my eyes to find the sea witch offering me a bottle. The liquid inside was clearer than diamonds, brighter than stars. "Go up to the surface," he told me. "And drink the draught to its dregs before the sun rises. You must hurry." A smile curved his thin lips. "A lovely trade, my beautiful prince. I could almost wish you luck, little one, for your path will be long and bitter." His lips pressed against mine before a mighty current roughly pushed me away from him, pushing me into the forest of polyps.
The creatures reached for me but when they saw the bottle I carried, they retreated. Above the roar of the water about me, I could hear the sea witch singing again,
"Lovely prince, lovely prince,
Another fool, who seeks that sweet
Known as love, which we crave
To warm that chill inside with its heat.
The fools will never change,
They come and go,
And here I stay, the Sea Hag,
Laughing at this twisted show!"
I shivered as the current carried me away. The sea witch's voice still whispered in my ear, "If your sweet man chooses another, the dawn after his wedding day you will become dead ocean foam..."
The current took me to the palace and with another roar, whirled away to other parts. I went to the corner of the garden I called my own. Still cradling my bottle, I plucked leaves from the red kelp. Silently, I left a leaf in my brothers' rooms, as a silent goodbye [3]. I looked at their peaceful faces one last time before leaving.
Silently, I cried for the currents to help me. Dawn would come soon and I had to reach the beach below Yami's castle. And they came, aiding me in my need for speed. A wave threw me upon the sandy shore and I gasped, fearful for my precious draught.
It had not broken, the shining liquid gleaming brightly in the still dark night. My fingers trembling, I opened the bottle, fumbling with the curious cork the witch had put in it. Careful not to spill a single precious drop, I looked at the sea one last time before swallowing the draught.
Oh it burned me as it slid down my throat! I tried to cry out as a blade stabbed me. I was being ripped apart, the blade twisting with cruel sharpness in my abdomen. It would cut me open, leave my insides gleaming wetly upon the sand. The pain narrowed, then thrust through my tail, slicing downwards.
My mouth opened in a silent scream before darkness mercifully claimed me.
~*~
[1] This is actually based on a line of dialogue written by Oscar Wilde, in a similar story to the Little Mermaid. Only, it was the MORTAL who wanted to join the mermaid, and he needed to get RID of his soul, not get one.
[2] I based a lot of the witch's dialogue on the original tale, only, I made it sound a lot more twisted and insane. I mean, we're talking about Pegasus here. ^^;;
o.o I've made him into a pedophile!
[3] In the original story, the Little Mermaid takes flowers from each of her sisters' gardens and takes them up with her, as reminders. I decided a little something different.
I know that this probably has no real place on this site, but since this DOES have to do with this tale, I must put this down.
I mean no disrespect to ANY religion at all in the world. It is surprising, but many religions hold the same ideals or variations of universal ideals.
Though they disagree, I know people of different religions who accept differences of each other and are very good friends. They laugh, they crack jokes, they help each other, they have fun and live.
Hell, I'm an agnostic and one of the most supportive people in my life is a very devout Christian! By the way, someone who is an agnostic is (roughly) a person who believes that a god or higher power cannot be proved or disproved.
Being an agnostic is sometimes a good thing. It lets one look at the world's religions with an objective eye. I'm not saying that everyone should be one, but I believe that agnostics are able to empathize better than most.
Yet- some people believe that agnostics like myself are "evil" and will "burn in Hell." Well, not literally say that to me in my face, mind you. But I have a nasty feeling it will happen some day.
I find nothing wrong with homosexuality. I have friends who are homosexual and bisexual. They are not horrible people and they are very close to me. They are not sexual predators. They are PEOPLE, human beings.
But some religions out there, and some people, believe in the wrongness of homosexuality. Look at the hate crimes. Look at the battles. Look at the bigotry out there.
One of my favorite arguments to use against homophobes is "If God finds nothing wrong with love, who are we to dictate what is 'right' love and 'wrong' love?" I can point out the passages in the Bible concerning the doctrines of love, despite the fact that I am an agnostic.
But I am often shot down and looked down upon for my beliefs.
I have gotten hate mails and attempted conversions from others who found offense in my beliefs, in what I said and wrote. Some of my earlier works got shot down by people screaming "That character isn't gay, how dare you?!"
I'm glad I haven't gotten much worse than that. But still, I have to be wary.
If anyone reads this story, or others with similar themes and pairings, and does so with the intent of giving me flames and near threats, you're wasting your time. You're not going to silence what I write and my voice.
I've been censored and shut down for what I've written.
But that will never silence what I have to say.