The Little Merstick

Chapter 3

Back at Toppat kingdom, in the royal palace in the Kings's kid's room. "Henry, kiddo, time to come out. You've been in there all morning." Howie spoke. Henry emerges, singing to himself.

"What is with him lately?" Harold asked as they watched their brother being too happy.

"Morning, Dads." Henry says and he kisses Reginald's and Right's cheek and swims off.

"Oh, he's got it bad." Earrings spoke with a small smirk on her face.

"What? What has he got?" Reginald asked, surprised himself at his son's behavior.

"Isn't it obvious, Dad? Henry's in love." Another one of his children spoke from the side lines.

"Henry? In love?" He asked himself, looking in the direction Henry swam off in.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"O.K. So far, so good. I don't think the kings knows. But it will not be easy keeping something like this a secret for long." Sven spoke as he scuttled back and forth next to Henry bas Dave just floated there.

"He loves me . . . hmmm, he loves me not. . . . He loves me! I knew it!" Henry squealed happily as he plucked the last petal off the small flower.

"Henry, stop talking crazy." Sven sassed.

"I gotta see him again - tonight! Ellie knows where he lives." He smiled wider, if that was even possible.

"Henry - please. Will you get your head out of the clouds and back in the water where it belongs?" Sven tried to get the merboy to listen to him.

"I'll swim up to his castle. Then Dave will splash around to get his attention, and then with -" Henry continued, not even remotely paying attention to Sven.

"Down HERE is your home! Henry - listen to me. The human world - it's a mess. Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there." Sven spoke, suddenly music played and Sven started singing.

"The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?" He spun around, his blue shell a blur.

"Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea" suddenly more fish started to join in and start dancing around. As much as a fish can dance under the sea.

"Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause they in their bowl
But fish in the bowl is lucky
They in for a worser fate
One day when the boss get hungry
Guess who's gon' be on the plate?!" A pause.

"Under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee
We what the land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles
Under the sea" Henry didn't look too interested in what Sven was saying, but the music was fun and upbeat and he couldn't help but sway a bit.

"Under the sea
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
Even the sturgeon an' the ray
They get the urge 'n' start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea
The newt play the flute
The carp play the harp
The plaice play the bass
And they soundin' sharp
The bass play the brass
The chub play the tub
The fluke is the duke of soul
[Yeah]
The ray he can play
The lings on the strings
The trout rockin' out
The blackfish she sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it's at
An' oh that blowfish blow
Under the sea
Under the sea
When the sardine
Begin the beguine
It's music to me
What do they got? A lot of sand
We got a hot crustacean band
Each little clam here
know how to jam here
Under the sea
Each little slug here
Cuttin' a rug here
Under the sea
Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter
Under the water
Ya we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea" Sven was finally down, breathing heavily as he looked around for Henry, only to discover that he and Dave were no longer around.

"Henry? Henry? Oh . . . somebody's got to nail that boy's fins to the floor." he shook his head.

"Sven! SVEN, I've been looking all over for you. I've got an urgent message from the sea kings." A seahorse swam quickly over to Sven.

"The sea kings?"

"They wants to see you right away - something about Henry."

"They knows!" Panic took over Sven's facial features instantly.

~~~~~~~~

In the palace throne room, Reginald and RHM are looking at a flower. "Let's see, now. . . . Oh, who could the lucky merman or merwoman be?" They then notices Sven slowly making his way into the throne room.

"Come in, Sven."

"I mustn't overreact. I must remain calm." He spoke to himself.

"Yes -" his voice went five octaves higher than it would be, but he recovers quickly.

"yes, Your Majesties." He bowed.

"Now, Sven, We're concerned about Henry. Have you noticed he's been acting peculiar lately?"

"Peculiar?"

"You know, moaning about, daydreaming, singing to himself. . . . You haven't noticed, hmm?"

"Oh - well, I -"

"Sven. . . ."

"Hmmm?"

"I know you've been keeping something from us. . . ."

"Keeping . . . something?"

"About Henry?"

"Henry . . . ?"

"In love?"

"I tried to stop him, your Majesties. He wouldn't listen. I told him to stay away from humans - they are bad, they are trouble, they -" Sven started to rant.

"Humans? WHAT ABOUT HUMANS?" Reginald and RHM shouted, angry beyond words.

"Humans? Ho ho ho ho. . . . Who said anything about humans?" He tried to cover his butt and Henry's but dying on the inside. He done screwed up.