by S R Edwards
Chapter 3.
Benjamin is packing away all of Marina’s stuff. He finds a package addressed to him. He opens it to find two smaller packages and a letter. He opens the letter and reads it. It says ‘Benjamin, if you are reading this then I am gone in some way. The small package labelled, b, is for you. It is some fizzy sweets.’ He opens the package and pours the contents into his mouth. Then he carries on reading the letter. ‘The other package is for a human or someone who doesn’t live in the ocean.’ He stops reading again and says to himself “I’ll give it to Ariel. No, I can’t she used to live in the sea.” He reads on yet again. ‘Benjamin I miss you.’ “Yucky” ‘from Marina Del Ray. P.S you can give them to Ariel if you want.’
Mean while in the palace Ariel and Eric are in the bedroom. Eric is still a little weak so has been told to stay in bed. “Eric honey” Ariel brakes the silence between them.
“Yes darling” he whispers back.
“I’m going for a walk. I’ll be half an hour tops.” She tells him. He smiles at her and says “Don’t get hurt will you. I know it has been a month but it’s still dangerous so be careful.” She smiles back. “I will.” She closes the door and bumps into Melody. “Oh sorry love.” She ruffles Melody’s hair.
“Mom! Where are you going?” Melody asks flattening her hair down.
“Out for a walk. I’ll be back in half an hour. Don’t worry.” Ariel smiles at her, strokes her cheek and walks down the stairs.
Benjamin is writing Ariel a letter. He puts the letter and parcel into the envelope. He writes in big letters ‘Ariel’ on it. Then he sets off and waits under the pier knowing that Ariel was bound to go for a walk today. He doesn’t need to wait long. Ten minutes after he starts to wait Ariel comes down the pier talking to herself. When she gets to the end of the pier she feels something hit her foot. She looks down to see the envelope with her name on it. She picks it up, looks around then opens it. It reads ‘Ariel, I’m so sorry. From Benjamin. P.S. these are some sweets for you.’ Ariel gets the sweets into her hand, she drops two and tries another. It tastes ok so Ariel puts the rest in her mouth. They tingle in her throat as she swallows them. Then the tingling stops and she falls to the floor. One of the pills she had dropped gets stuck in her hair.
Back at the palace Melody bursts into her dad’s bedroom and shouts. “Dad mom’s been gone for an hour and I’m worried.” Eric looks at her and says “Melody, you know your mother. If she isn’t back in ten minutes I’ll go and look for her.”
“But you can’t you have to stay in bed. Let me go.” He sits up.
“No you stay here just in case she comes back when I’m out and I don’t care. Now go and get me some clothes please.” Melody grabs a shirt, trousers and some boots and puts them next to Eric. “There you go. Dad be careful.” Melody looks up at him. He smiles at her “I will don’t worry about me.” He takes his sword and sneaks out of the back door. Eric walks and half runs to the pier. He looks everywhere and then down the pier. He sees Ariel sprawled out along the floor. He runs up to her and falls to his knees. “I told you to be careful.” He whispers in her ear. Eric picks Ariel up in his arms and walks back to the palace. He kicks the front door open. Grimsby says to him “Eric what are you doing out of bed. You really do play on my blood pressure don’t you.” Eric takes Ariel up the stairs and into the bedroom, where Melody is waiting at the window. When she hears the door open she turns round to see Eric carrying Ariel to the bed. She runs over and hugs Eric “is she ok.” Eric looks at Ariel and then at Melody. “No, I don’t know what has happened.” Melody lets go of him and makes for the door. “Where do you think you are going?” Eric shouts after her.
“I’m going to get Sebastian and don’t try to stop me.” Melody shouts back as she goes through the front door and it slams shut.
She starts to swim for Atlantica. When Melody gets there she grabs Sebastian and takes him to the surface. He says “Ariel just wha…. Melody child what is it.” Melody wipes the tears from her eyes and says.
“Its mom she….she... She won’t wake up.” Sebastian disappears from view and comes back up with Flounder. Flounder says to Melody. “Go back and tell your father to bring her out to sea in a boat and I’ll look at her.” Melody swims back and climbs on to the pier. She puts her hand on something and looks at her hand. She takes the round object off her hand and shouts Flounder who comes swimming up to her. “What’s this” she holds the object so that Flounder can see it. He looks at it and says. “You have to be quick Melody. Go now!” she runs back to where her parents are and she tells Eric what Flounder had said. Then they hear a cough they look at the door and then they both look down at Ariel. Water has started to bubble out of her mouth. Eric picks her up and tells Melody to stay in her room. She gets angry and shouts at him. “You don’t know her as well as I do. If you had listened and gone out sooner she wouldn’t be like this!” she stomps off and slams the door. Eric runs down the stairs, out of the door and places Ariel gently into the rowing boat. He rows out to sea. Sebastian, Flounder and King Triton come up to the surface. Flounder looks at Ariel and says “Eric you remember last month when well urm.” Eric stares at him and says.
“When Marina tried to kill me, yes.” Flounder nods his head and finishes his sentence.
“Somehow the same thing has happened to Ariel. Only worse.” They all stare at him then Eric says “are you sure about it.”
“Yes I’m certain. She only has another half hour give or take a few minutes.”
“Is there anything we can do for her?” Triton strokes Ariel’s hair.
“No, well there is one thing but it might not work.” Flounder says. “We need to go to Marina’s cave and we have to take Ariel with us.” King Triton waves his trident over Ariel and turns her into a mermaid. Then he picks her up, something drops out of her hair and lands in Eric’s lap. He picks it up and snaps it in half. Green liquid oozes out of its centre. Eric shouts Flounder and asks him what it means. “It means it’s a good job she didn’t eat it or she would have been dead by now.” He turns and swims back to Triton and Sebastian. Eric goes back to the palace to talk to Melody.
When Triton, Sebastian and Flounder reach the cave, Triton places Ariel’s body on a big lounge chair and then starts to search. Flounder nestles under Ariel’s arm and tells King Triton to find a pink box with blue pills in. When they find it, Triton places one in Ariel’s mouth but nothing happens. Flounder looks at him. “You’re too late she’s gone.” Triton picks his daughter up and takes her back to Atlantica. He puts Ariel on her old bed and tells her sisters about her. Aquata says. “Why does it have to be Ariel daddy? Why does she have to go?” King Triton hugs her.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.” Ariel’s sisters leave the room so that their father can say good bye. When they have all left Ariel’s eyes flicker. Triton takes her to the beach, turns her human and sends scuttle to fly into the window so Eric will look out. It works and Eric runs down the sand to where Ariel lays very still. As he gets to her, her eyes open and she smiles at him. “Thank you Eric.” She tries to stand but can’t, so Eric carries her back and into the palace where Melody is waiting. He takes her to their room. When Melody sees Ariel she runs up to her. Eric puts her on the bed and she hugs Melody.