The Little Mermaid
Stave 8
When evening came they boarded the ship;
The princess’s dowry was stored in the hold
And the couple slept on the quarterdeck
In a tent of purple and gold.
Away from the glow of the lanterns’ light,
The mermaid knew this was the last night
She would breathe the same air
And see the same stars
As the prince.
Resting on the handrail,
She looked out to the east,
Awaiting the first ray of sunlight
And dreading its might.
She saw her sisters emerge from the spray,
Their hair shorn from their heads
By the witch in return for a silvery knife
For the mermaid to take the prince’s life
Before the sun came up;
His blood must wash her human feet
To restore the mermaid’s tail.
She pulled aside the purple drapes
And kissed the prince goodbye.
As a bloody light crept into the sky
She threw the knife into the waves
That shone red where it fell.
The mermaid dived from the ship
And melted like foam in the swell.
Image found on Pinterest
writing in north norfolk 