the little mermaid A short story about selflessness and bravery WRITTEN BY DAISY SHEEDY (ILLUSTRATED BY HUNA MOGHADDAR AND ELLA COULTON)
12:30am aboard the Titanic The cold sea air pierces my body as I shiver. Hundreds of people are hysterically pushing their way to the lifeboats, the only way to survive. Father pushes us forward but I stop suddenly. He senses my caution, and quietly whispers, “Don’t worry, Evelyn. I’ll be right behind you. I promise.” “But, what if-” “That won’t happen, I promise. Look after your baby sister Lizzie for me, will you?” Before I can say another word, the lifeboat descends with a jolt. I hold on to Lizzie tightly, as we are lowered down and down until we were are a couple of metres from the ocean. Suddenly, half the boat jerks upwards, sending Lizzie and I crashing into the ice cold water. The water feels like a thousand knives being driven into my body. I lift Lizzie out of the water. She is coughing and spluttering but, to my relief, she is still alive. Holding Lizzie high in the air, I start yelling to our boat. “HELP! PLEASE!” But the boat is moving further and further away, not hearing my pleas for help. My arms begin to ache but I don’t stop holding Lizzie. I know I have to keep my sister alive. the fantasy issue
Deep down in the Atlantic Ocean, the Little Mermaid has finally turned 16. She can now venture up to the surface. She has longed to go to the exciting and beautiful world above for as long as she can remember. Her grandmother told her, “Remember, never go near or touch a human or you will perish.” The Little Mermaid just smiled and swam up to the surface. Her head broke the water. To her horror, she saw a large ship sinking. Many humans were scattered across the ocean near the boat, sinking into the depths. Before she could stop herself, she swam back under the water to see the Sea Witch. Then the Little Mermaid broke the surface yet again. Her beautiful hair was shaved off; the price she had to pay to save just one human. The Little Mermaid heard soft singing. Enchanted, she quickly swims towards it. There before her was a girl holding up a baby in the air, trying to calm her with her voice. She immediately knew who to save. The Little Mermaid disobeyed the rule of saving only one human. Happy tears filled her eyes seeing the selfless sister alive, as she turned into seafoam the punishment for saving two innocent humans. But looking at the girl, she 011 knew it was worth it.