Esme

“But I don’t want to go. I love this island. I love the wind on my face and the sun beating down on my back. Running through the warm sand until I collapse into the waves on the shore brings me great joy. Swimming with the fish and mermaids, and riding the dolphins into the sunset every evening means so much to me. And I love watching the exotic birds hatch and fly free into the sky. Listening to the tales sung by the long grass and tall trees... This island is a part of me which I will never part with.”

“I love this island as much as you do Esme, my darling.” Her father looked at her with sadness evident on his face. “But they are here now, the humans, and if they find us they will destroy us.”

“No!” Esme ran to the shore and dove into the deep waters of the ocean.” Her father pulled her back to the shore. “I don’t want to lose you the same way I lost Eliza and your mother.” A tear rolled down his cheek and he gazed into the distance. “I need you, Esme.” 

Later that week, Esme and her father, the royal duke, as well as their group of sea-maids and sea-men put their fins together and dove into the ocean. They swam for a year to the underwater kingdom of Anima. During their swim, the sea-people’s bright green and blue fins grew together For a sea-person could only swim by tightly holding its leg-fins together. When the sea-people arrived they were greeted by the wise King Interpritatio who greeted them cordially. 

Despite the many fine things in Anima, Esme was not happy. Her friends noticed her low spirits and asked what was wrong but Esme didn’t answer. Every night she swam to the edge of Anima trying to catch a glimpse of the surface but it was no use. She could not see anything from underneath the sea. 

Years passed and Esme grew more beautiful each day. Before long, she had many suitors. Many she turned away politely, but one caught her attention. Armando was over a hundred years older than Esme and he remembered life above the surface. Many nights he would visit Esme and remind her of life before the sea-people were confined to their underwater kingdom. He would tell tales of great fish and tall trees. Stories of firelight dances and songs, and exotic fruits. He even told stories of pirates who stumbled across the island, which made Esme shudder. 

On the night of the full moon, when the light illuminated even the darkest corners of the sea each month, the sea-people would hold great dances and festivities. And all engaged sea-people would be married. A few weeks before the third full moon of the new year, Armando asked Esme to marry him by the light of the moon and be his wife. She refused and he died from grief at only 141 years old. 

Upon hearing that his daughter’s refusal had killed Armando, Esme’s father grieved, and the next day he to passed away, at the age of 987. The whole Kingdom of Anima grieved for their beloved duke and his body was floated away in the River of the Deep. For the next year, no wedding took place and there were no festivities by the light of the moon.

The loss and sadness, as well as the lack of stories, overwhelmed Esme who locked herself away in her father’s house. After a year the people called for her to come out, but she did not. One night, she slipped out of the house and through the pearly gates enclosing Anima. 

Esme swam away and did not look back, she swam for a year and a day to the Corner of Despair to the lair of Facientes Mala the underwater wizard in search of a potion that would allow her to gain a human form. Unfortunately, the wizard cast her into a bottle and threw her a year to the east. 

A friendly crab released Esme from her prison after just two years, allowing her to continue on her journey. From there, Esme swam for a year to the surface to find her beloved island. 

But when she got to her beloved island she realized she could no longer walk the sandy shore because of her fin. She burst into tears. Tap-Tap-Swiss the wizard of the north appeared next to Esme. “What will you give me if I grant you legs?”

“I will give you my gems.” Esme gestured to the precious stones on her tail and around her neck. The wizard nodded and snapped his fingers. In an instant, her blue tail, gems, and the wizard were gone leaving Esme with legs and a voice saying:

“Be warned after the next three full moons have passed, your tail will start to grow back.”

Esme did not heed the warning but instead ran onto the sandy shore up to a nearby fruit tree. The fruit looked delicious and it had been over a century since Esme had tasted anything so sweet, but when she reached up to grab some fruit she could not hold it because of her webbed hands. 

“Oh no! My hands. How will I ever hold fruit, ride dolphins, or climb trees with these hands? And Esme began to cry. Tip-Tap-Puff the wizard of the east appeared and tried to bargain with Esme. 

“What will you give me if I grant you human hands?” 

“I will give you my hair.” With one snip of the scissors Esme’s long, beautiful hair was gone, as well as her webbed hands and the wizard. A voice could be heard echoing in the wind. “Your hands will only last three moons.”

But Esme did not even listen, instead, she reached up and grabbed a piece of fruit. Biting into it, all the memories of her childhood flooded her memory. 

After her snack. Esme started to walk toward the nearest human village. But once again she began to cry. “How will I ever fit in with my scales.” 

Tip-Tap-Piff. The wizard of the south heard her distress and another deal was made. “If you free me from my scales I will give you the moonlight from my eyes.” 

With one stroke of his wand, the wizard took away Esme’s scales as well as the light from her eyes, leaving them a dull grey. They would never sparkle again. 

A voice lingered in the air after the wizard left. “The scales will return after three moons.” 

But a young, human man had already caught Esme’s eye and she paid no attention. 

Three months flew by but Esme was too busy with her new human life and companions to notice. Then on the night of the third full moon, Esme laid down to sleep. To her utter shock and horror, she could barely move her legs because they had started to grow together. And her hands had become webbed once again. Running her fingers down her torso she could feel scales. Tears rolled down the sea-maid’s cheeks as she picked up a knife. Then she began to cut her legs apart.

The first three drops of blood got caught in the wind and they blew away chanting:

A sea-maid lies in despair, 

For her tail, hands, and scales,

A life wanted as another,

Has caused here fingers to stumble,

With a knife on her tail. 

Now the wizard of the west was a fair and just man. When he heard the tale carried by the blood in the wind, he was greatly disturbed and decided to pay a visit to Esme.

Boom-Crash-Poof. “You wicked child! You were given many things yet you always wanted more. Your selfishness had killed both your suitor and father. Their souls cry from the end of the river. You have sought wizards and bargained away all the beauty mother nature blessed you with. And now you are trying to kill yourself because of your vanity and desire to look a certain way. Because of your wickedness, never again will you be free to swim the waters of the sea. I am trading your ungratefulness, self-pity, vanity, and selfishness for the power to turn you forever into foam of the sea. You are destined to forever float aimlessly wherever the water takes you, and you will be unable to make choices for yourself or communicate with the world.” 

Before Esme could object, the wizard lifted his wand, turned Esme into foam, and tossed her into the sea where she was doomed to float for eternity.