Broken Hearts Damaged Goods

by Gunthridge, Jack

  The next morning the ship sailed into the harbor of a beautiful town belonging to the king whom the prince was going to visit. The church bells were ringing, and from the high towers sounded a flourish of trumpets; and soldiers, with flying colors and glittering bayonets, lined the rocks through which they passed. Every day was a festival; balls and entertainments followed one another.

  But the princess had not yet appeared. People said that she was being brought up and educated in a religious house, where she was learning every royal virtue. At last she came. Then the little mermaid, who was very anxious to see whether she was really beautiful, was obliged to acknowledge that she had never seen a more perfect vision of beauty. Her skin was delicately fair, and beneath her long dark eye-lashes her laughing blue eyes shone with truth and purity.

  "It was you," said the prince, "who saved my life when I lay dead on the beach," and he folded his blushing bride in his arms. "Oh, I am too happy," said he to the little mermaid; "my fondest hopes are all fulfilled. You will rejoice at my happiness; for your devotion to me is great and sincere."

  The little mermaid kissed his hand, and felt as if her heart were already broken. His wedding morning would bring death to her, and she would change into the foam of the sea. All the church bells rung and the heralds rode about the town proclaiming the betrothal.

  Perfumed oil was burning in costly silver lamps on every altar. The priests waved the censers, while the bride and bridegroom joined their hands and received the blessing of the bishop. The little mermaid, dressed in silk and gold, held up the bride's train; but her ears heard nothing of the festive music, and her eyes saw not the holy ceremony; she thought of the night of death which was coming to her, and of all she had lost in the world. On the same evening the bride and bridegroom went on board ship; cannons were roaring, flags waving, and in the centre of the ship a costly tent of purple and gold had been erected. It contained elegant couches, for the reception of the bridal pair during the night. The ship, with swelling sails and a favorable wind, glided away smoothly and lightly over the calm sea.

  When it grew dark a number of colored lamps were lit, and the sailors danced merrily on the deck. The little mermaid could not help thinking of her first rising out of the sea, when she had seen similar festivities and joys; and she joined in the dance, poised herself in the air as a swallow when he pursues his prey, and all present cheered her with wonder. She had never danced so elegantly before. Her tender feet felt as if cut with sharp knives, but she cared not for it; a sharper pang had pierced through her heart. She knew this was the last evening she should ever see the prince, for whom she had forsaken her kindred and her home; she had given up her beautiful voice, and suffered unheard-of pain daily for him, while he knew nothing of it. This was the last evening that she would breathe the same air with him, or gaze on the starry sky and the deep sea; an eternal night, without a thought or a dream, awaited her: she had no soul and now she could never win one. All was joy and gayety on board ship till long after midnight; she laughed and danced with the rest, while the thoughts of death were in her heart.

  The prince kissed his beautiful bride, while she played with his raven hair, till they went arm-in-arm to rest in the splendid tent. Then all became still on board the ship; the helmsman, alone awake, stood at the helm. The little mermaid leaned her white arms on the edge of the vessel, and looked towards the east for the first blush of morning, for that first ray of dawn that would bring her death. She saw her sisters rising out of the flood: they were as pale as herself; but their long beautiful hair waved no more in the wind, and had been cut off.

  "We have given our hair to the witch," said they, "to obtain help for you, that you may not die to-night. She has given us a knife: here it is, see it is very sharp. Before the sun rises you must plunge it into the heart of the prince; when the warm blood falls upon your feet they will grow together again, and form into a fish's tail, and you will be once more a mermaid, and return to us to live out your three hundred years before you die and change into the salt sea foam. Haste, then; he or you must die before sunrise. Our old grandmother moans so for you, that her white hair is falling off from sorrow, as ours fell under the witch's scissors. Kill the prince and come back; hasten: do you not see the first red streaks in the sky? In a few minutes the sun will rise, and you must die." And then they sighed deeply and mournfully, and sank down beneath the waves.

  The little mermaid drew back the crimson curtain of the tent, and beheld the fair bride with her head resting on the prince's breast. She bent down and kissed his fair brow, then looked at the sky on which the rosy dawn grew brighter and brighter; then she glanced at the sharp knife, and again fixed her eyes on the prince, who whispered the name of his bride in his dreams. She was in his thoughts, and the knife trembled in the hand of the little mermaid: then she flung it far away from her into the waves; the water turned red where it fell, and the drops that spurted up looked like blood.

  She cast one more lingering, half-fainting glance at the prince, and then threw herself from the ship into the sea, and thought her body was dissolving into foam. The sun rose above the waves, and his warm rays fell on the cold foam of the little mermaid, who did not feel as if she were dying. She saw the bright sun, and all around her floated hundreds of transparent beautiful beings; she could see through them the white sails of the ship, and the red clouds in the sky; their speech was melodious, but too ethereal to be heard by mortal ears, as they were also unseen by mortal eyes.

  The little mermaid perceived that she had a body like theirs, and that she continued to rise higher and higher out of the foam. "Where am I?" asked she, and her voice sounded ethereal, as the voice of those who were with her; no earthly music could imitate it.

  "Among the daughters of the air," answered one of them. "A mermaid has not an immortal soul, nor can she obtain one unless she wins the love of a human being. On the power of another hangs her eternal destiny. But the daughters of the air, although they do not possess an immortal soul, can, by their good deeds, procure one for themselves. We fly to warm countries, and cool the sultry air that destroys mankind with the pestilence. We carry the perfume of the flowers to spread health and restoration. After we have striven for three hundred years to all the good in our power, we receive an immortal soul and take part in the happiness of mankind. You, poor little mermaid, have tried with your whole heart to do as we are doing; you have suffered and endured and raised yourself to the spirit-world by your good deeds; and now, by striving for three hundred years in the same way, you may obtain an immortal soul."

  The little mermaid lifted her glorified eyes towards the sun, and felt them, for the first time, filling with tears. On the ship, in which she had left the prince, there were life and noise; she saw him and his beautiful bride searching for her; sorrowfully they gazed at the pearly foam, as if they knew she had thrown herself into the waves. Unseen she kissed the forehead of his bride, and fanned the prince, and then mounted with the other children of the air to a rosy cloud that floated through the aether.

  "After three hundred years, thus shall we float into the kingdom of heaven," said she. "And we may even get there sooner," whispered one of her companions. "Unseen we can enter the houses of men, where there are children, and for every day on which we find a good child, who is the joy of his parents and deserves their love, our time of probation is shortened. The child does not know, when we fly through the room, that we smile with joy at his good conduct, for we can count one year less of our three hundred years. But when we see a naughty or a wicked child, we shed tears of sorrow, and for every tear a day is added to our time of trial!"

  Dear Liselle,

  This is the original version of the story that you love so much. I don’t have dark hair or blue eyes. Although Brittany may have presented herself as somebody pure when I was dating her, I knew about her past when I was with you.

  If you want any part of this story to be true for us, you will have to accept that when it came time for me to de
cide which girl that I wanted to marry that I chose the little mermaid.

  I was busy preparing this story for you the morning that you fought Brittany and walked out on me. Despite what she might have told you, I told her that I felt nothing for her anymore. I don’t know why she told you that, except that she was trying to get me back.

  If you want the proper ending to this story (the ending you’ve been wanting all of your life), meet me at the aquarium Saturday night at 11:00 pm.

  I will be waiting for you at the spot where you found your voice and were able to tell me that you loved me.

  Jack

  Oct. 30, 2010

  At eleven o’clock at night, I entered the aquarium wearing the clam shell bra and fishtail bottom that Jack had left for me. He was standing in the very spot where I had shouted my love him. He was dressed like a prince, but even the royal clothes could not hide his fear that I wouldn’t show up. His fear faded the moment that he saw me. Seeing his smile, the relief on his face, and the joy that my presence had brought him would have been enough to forgive him for everything that he didn’t do the past two days.

  As I ran towards him, I started to speak, but he stopped me by putting his finger gently to my lips and saying, “You can’t speak. You’ve given up your voice for a chance to be with me.”

  I couldn’t help but to blush a little. Some people were looking at us, but I didn’t care. I was about to get my happy ending.

  “I’m sorry if I kept looking for that girl that I thought had saved me, when it was really you. When I started to realize that I had feelings for you, I should have told you about it. Instead, I made you wonder what my true feelings were when we broke up. This let Brittany mess with your head and make you doubt me. I can never really make that up to you.” He then got down on one knee, brought out the ring, and said, “Will you be my girlfriend? Not because we are pretending to be a couple, but because I love you.”

  With everything that was happening, I was speechless. I think my not speaking started to bother him. He said, “You can talk now.”

  I kissed him and said, “Yes. I will be your girlfriend for real this time.”

  He then put the ring on my finger and said, “I want this to be a reminder of how we met and how it took me a little too long to realize that you were the girl that I had been searching for.”

  And then, with all of the things that I wanted to do to him, I thought that it was best to go back to my place. And although we were starting to get pretty hot and heavy, I stopped him and said, “I’ve been with more guys than I would care to admit. Since this is going to be your first time, I want it to be special.”

  “You’re dressed like a mermaid, and I’m dressed like a prince. I would call that pretty special.”

  “I want you to have the experience that I should have had. I know that it probably isn’t important to you, but it will be my first time with a guy that actually cares for me. I want it to be special.”

  And he held me close, kissed me tenderly, as we talked about all of the stupid things that we can always seem to talk about.

  A Lover’s Question

  By

  Jack Webber

  She steps into the bedroom like a ghost trapped forever within its own personal hell that can never be free of that certain time and place.

  Although there is sorrow on her face, her beauty shines through. Her stunning hazel eyes, long brown hair, and soft pink lips invite you towards her.

  And as she stands there looking at you, the bedroom door slowly closes. You aren’t really sure how it happened. You are too busy watching her disrobe and revealing her magnificent flesh that reminds you both that you are human and that the moment you are lost in is now.

  Do you think I’m beautiful?

  You want to speak, but words fail you. So you walk over to her. You start to look her in the eyes as you play with her hair. As she longs for an answer, you can no longer take her gaze, which searches your soul. You find yourself looking at her lips and wanting to kiss her, but you know you should answer her question first.

  As the smell of her perfume fills your senses and you feel her breathing increase with the beating of her heart as she waits for your answer, you are so entranced by her and everything that she means to you that you try to tell her what you’ve always thought and have left unspoken.

  You pray that her feelings for you make your confused thoughts perfect to her ears.

  I’ve always thought you were beautiful. I just... I’m sorry if I made you think that you had to do your hair, makeup, and undress to get me to say the very things I have been thinking each morning as you wake up next to me.

  Between admitting the thoughts you have been trying to discount for so long and her total command of the situation as she moves in still closer to you, you become more uncomfortable as the demons you have been trying to control for so long start to come to the surface.

  Do you love me?

  It is in that moment that you realize that you were never really afraid of loving her. You were terrified that you weren’t worthy of her and her affections.

  It is then that you realize that she isn’t the ghost that is trapped in its own memory. You are. Hurt by love, you have refused to come towards her light and leave the life you once knew behind and move into the Great Unknown with her.

  Do you give up your past life that no longer has use of you, or do you hold onto it with an iron grip knowing that it has been your security blanket for so long?

  As the forces of good and evil wage a heavenly battle for your soul, you look at the woman in front of you. You see how she waits for your answer. She wants nothing more than to hear you say the words she has already said to you. As she stands naked before you, you realize she has only hope at that moment, as she pleads silently:

  Let me love you. I can love you. I will always love you.

  And a voice from a distant past whispers in your ear:

  Hold on to me. I feel you slipping away from me. If you let go of me, I can never come back to you.

  As you start to waiver, that distant voice makes another attempt:

  She can never love you like I loved you.

  As the small glimmer of hope starts to fade from the woman in front of you, you find your answer.

  As unworthy, broken, and scared as I am right now, the only thing that I can be certain of is the fact that I love you.

  As her body presses up against yours, you become aware of the warmth coming from your heart and hers. As it envelops you, you let go of the fear that had been holding you back. As she kisses you, you step fully into the light and into eternity.

  About This Novel

  As a writer, I oftentimes get an idea for my next work while I am working on one piece, or shortly after having finished one piece. I find that there are ideas, themes, and other small things that I didn’t fully explore with the first piece. I pick these up in the new work and look at them from a different perspective or develop them in another way. I have always found that there are two or three different ways a story could go. Sometimes the path that I do not take in one story leads me to an idea for another story.

  This is the case with Broken Hearts Damaged Goods. In many ways, it is the companion piece to Fairy Tale Romance. The two are similar in that both have a man and a woman that do not really know each other living together.

  With Fairy Tale Romance, I was interested in the idea of telling four different fairy tales and intercutting them into a single narrative. This could only exist as a film because of the need to show that the different characters in the fairy tales were really the same person.

  Broken Hearts Damaged Goods originally started out as a film as well. I had intended it to be a poetic film with Jack and Liselle developing their relationship in bed. It was going to be told primarily through their conversations in bed.

  The script for this was started sometime around 2005 or 2006. It was only completed up to the point where Jack and Liselle are in the shower the night of the
beer pong competition against Steve and Brittany. It was then abandoned. It was virtually impossible to write a poetic film with the majority of the dialogue happening in the bedroom.

  With some time and distance between Fairy Tale Romance, I decided to pick up Broken Hearts Damaged Goods again, but this time as a novel. Although it might share some similarities with Fairy Tale Romance, I was more interested in telling the story of a couple as they try to heal from their previous relationships.

  My interest was in the idea of the cocoon, with Cocoon being the original title of the work. I wanted to see what caused the couple to go into this protective state, how they changed once they were inside of it, and how they would have to cope with the changes once they emerged from it.

  About the Author

  Jack Gunthridge is single. He is just throwing that out there since the majority of authors talk about how they are happily married, have however many kids, and a few pets. Jack doesn’t have a girlfriend, which he is fine with. It does make writing these about the author sections harder to write. So if you think you would like to date him, you might end up in his next about the author section.

  Although he is becoming more well known for his books, Jack actually defines himself as a writer/director and feels more comfortable with his film and TV work than as an author. He spends the majority of his free time watching movies and TV. In fact, Hollywood has had a greater influence on his career than books.

  Never one to disappoint his fans, he is spending more time these days writing novels. His next novel is going to be a paranormal romance. Not one to usually follow trends, Jack Gunthridge decided that the paranormal romance genre needed a reworking. Plus his idea for the story comes from a short story that he wrote before there was a trend.