Kirideku Short Stories

EPP The Little Mermaid Chapter 4: Human Life

Ariel blinked their eyes open as they regained consciousness. They looked around to see that they were on dry land and once they looked down, they were shocked to see that they now had human legs. Ariel wiggled their toes and smiled brightly. Scuttle and Flounder approached Ariel and were surprised that Ariel truly had become human. Scuttle asked, "What happened? You got weirder." Flounder explained, "They made a deal with the sea witch. They need to be kissed by the prince by the time the sun sets in three days and they'll become human permanently. But if they don't get kissed by the time the sun sets, they'll be turned back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula!!" Scuttle gasped, "What?! Oh, how romantic. But stupid." Sebastian, the robot crab that Hatsume had made, appeared, "Ariel. I heard about what happened. Do not worry. I will help you. We must not let Ursula get their hands on you. It could spell disaster for the seas." Ariel smiled at Sebastian and tried to thank them, but no sound came out. Flounder said, "Oh yeah. Ursula also took Ariel's voice as a payment." Sebastian sighed, "Of course you would make it more difficult." Just then, they all heard a dog barking. The dog (that Koda brought into the school with special permission) came around the corner and ran towards Ariel, causing the three other animals to hide. Prince Eric followed the dog and saw Ariel. The prince asks, "Excuse me, are you lost?" Ariel attempts to talk to them, but fails. Eric realizes this, "I see. So you can't speak. Oh, you look like you've been in the sea. Here. Let me invite you to my castle to be washed and clothed. Is that okay?" Ariel nodded with a great big smile. The two of them walked back to the castle, followed by the dog and Scuttle and Sebastian, who was on Scuttle's back. 

Ariel was washed by the castle servants and given some new clothing to put on. Ariel looked at the strange clothing that they had never seen before. Once they were done with him, Ariel walked out the door and down the stairs to see the prince talking to his parents. The parents, played by Todoroki and Momo, looked up to see Ariel. The queen smiled, "Oh, hello there. You must be the one my son found on the beach." The king says, "You must have been through quite an ordeal to have ended up on the beach in so little clothing. Please, stay and join us for dinner." Ariel smiled brightly and nodded in excitement. As dinner came, the servants began setting the table ware. Once they see the fork, Ariel picks it up and starts using it as a comb to brush their hair, but it earns stares from the three royals who were using their forks to grab pieces of meat and eat them. Ariel set the fork down and smiled nervously. The prince smiled slightly. His parents smiled in turn. The prince had not smiled in the weeks since his ship crashed and he nearly perished. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Sebastian was gasping as he saw what the chef was preparing to feed Ariel. When the chef saw Sebastian, he grabbed the crab to boil, but Sebastian started fighting the chef. Sebastian ended up on a plate, but once the cover was removed, he ran away. Ariel motioned for him to hide under their plate cover. The king whispers to Eric, "Son, why don't you show our guest around the kingdom? They must not be from here. The way they act probably means that they're a foreign. What's more is that they cannot speak, so until we can find a way to help them go home, they should stay here, with us. It would be beneficial if they got used to the area." Eric thought for a moment and turned to Ariel, "Excuse me. Would you like for me to give you a tour of the town tomorrow?" Ariel jumps up in happiness and nods their head. They finished their dinner and Sebastian sneaks away when Ariel raises their cover to hide his escape. 

Later that night, Ariel is standing on the balcony when they see Eric playing with their dog. Eric noticed them and waves to Ariel. Ariel blushes madly and runs back inside. As this was going on, Poseidon was searching for their child. He had ordered every single mermaid and sea creature to search throughout the entire sea, from the surface to the deepest depths, to find his missing child. Poseidon grew more and more worried as he heard that they were no where to be found.