beautiful.”
“Thanks again,” she says.
He clears his throat. “Will you marry me?”
Wow, that was fast! I thought it would take a few weeks, but it only took a few minutes. Maybe it really is true love!
Lana’s smile lights up her face. “I will!”
“Fantastic,” he says, his eyes twinkling. “You will be my princess.”
“I should tell you something,” she says. “I am already a princess.”
Surprise crosses his face. “You are? Princess of where?”
“Of the sea,” she says, and with that she dives into the water and shows him her tail.
His face turns white.
Uh-oh.
She reemerges, still smiling.
“You have a t-t-tail!” he spits out.
“I do,” she agrees. “I’m a mermaid.”
He shakes his head repeatedly. “There is no such thing as mermaids.”
Jonah laughs. “Prince Mortimer, she has a tail. You can’t argue with that.”
The prince waves his hands in front of his face and takes a few steps back. “I can’t marry a half person, half fish.”
What? No! “Why not?” I ask. “She can sleep in your pool! Or the hot tub! The hot tub is really relaxing!”
He keeps walking back toward his palace. “I just can’t! I need a wife who can walk and dance. Someone who can live with me on land. I’m sorry, but this will never work. I take back my proposal!”
“You can’t take back a proposal!” I yell.
“Yeah!” Jonah hollers. “Finder’s keepers!”
“There’s a potion,” I tell him. “A potion you can take. You’ll be able to live part-time with her under the water.”
“There are sharks under the water!” he exclaims. “And I’m not giving up my palace to live in some underwater cave!”
Hmph. What a romantic.
And with that, he turns and storms back to the palace.
“But, but, but …” Lana’s voice trails off. “I don’t live in a cave. My father’s palace is just as nice as this palace.”
I hurry toward her. “Lana, I’m so sorry.”
She winces. “I told you this wouldn’t work. I need legs to marry him. And the only way to get them is the sea witch.”
“Lana, I don’t get it. Why are you so crazy about him? He just insulted your palace! And he’s not willing to give anything up for you! Why are you going to give everything up for him?”
She purses her lips. “Because I love him!”
I roll my eyes. I can’t help it. She’s hopeless. “There has to be another way.” I rub my fingers against my temples. “I need to think about it.”
“Well, I need legs. I have to go, anyway. My dad is having a party tonight, and I said I’d be there.”
“Good.” At least a party will keep her from visiting the sea witch. “By tomorrow I’ll have another plan. Trust me, I’m very good at planning.”
Jonah nods. “She is very good at planning.”
“Just whatever you do, don’t go to the sea witch. Deal?” I ask.
“Whatever,” she says. And then, without even a good-bye, she disappears under the water, leaving me to come up with another plan. Fast.
O nce again, I toss and turn and turn and toss. I can’t sleep.
Lana is going to come by in the morning, and I have no idea how to get her a happy ending. My only option is to convince her that her current life is super awesome without the prince.
And it so is. She’s a princess! She has great hair! If she lived where we do, she could be in a shampoo commercial. She has five sisters — I wish I had one sister, never mind five. Legs just aren’t that great. I look down at mine. Sure, they can run and dance and stuff. But I’ve seen her swim, and she moves a lot faster than I do.
There’s a loud noise outside the window. It sounds like, “Oooooh!” but it’s more of a moaning.
I bet it’s quieter underwater. Land has all kinds of creepy sounds.
“Ooooh,” I hear again.
Wait. That sounds like a person.
I run out to the balcony and look down at the beach.
“Ooooooooh!” I hear a third time. I look around in the moonlight and eventually see that the sound is coming
“Thanks again,” she says.
He clears his throat. “Will you marry me?”
Wow, that was fast! I thought it would take a few weeks, but it only took a few minutes. Maybe it really is true love!
Lana’s smile lights up her face. “I will!”
“Fantastic,” he says, his eyes twinkling. “You will be my princess.”
“I should tell you something,” she says. “I am already a princess.”
Surprise crosses his face. “You are? Princess of where?”
“Of the sea,” she says, and with that she dives into the water and shows him her tail.
His face turns white.
Uh-oh.
She reemerges, still smiling.
“You have a t-t-tail!” he spits out.
“I do,” she agrees. “I’m a mermaid.”
He shakes his head repeatedly. “There is no such thing as mermaids.”
Jonah laughs. “Prince Mortimer, she has a tail. You can’t argue with that.”
The prince waves his hands in front of his face and takes a few steps back. “I can’t marry a half person, half fish.”
What? No! “Why not?” I ask. “She can sleep in your pool! Or the hot tub! The hot tub is really relaxing!”
He keeps walking back toward his palace. “I just can’t! I need a wife who can walk and dance. Someone who can live with me on land. I’m sorry, but this will never work. I take back my proposal!”
“You can’t take back a proposal!” I yell.
“Yeah!” Jonah hollers. “Finder’s keepers!”
“There’s a potion,” I tell him. “A potion you can take. You’ll be able to live part-time with her under the water.”
“There are sharks under the water!” he exclaims. “And I’m not giving up my palace to live in some underwater cave!”
Hmph. What a romantic.
And with that, he turns and storms back to the palace.
“But, but, but …” Lana’s voice trails off. “I don’t live in a cave. My father’s palace is just as nice as this palace.”
I hurry toward her. “Lana, I’m so sorry.”
She winces. “I told you this wouldn’t work. I need legs to marry him. And the only way to get them is the sea witch.”
“Lana, I don’t get it. Why are you so crazy about him? He just insulted your palace! And he’s not willing to give anything up for you! Why are you going to give everything up for him?”
She purses her lips. “Because I love him!”
I roll my eyes. I can’t help it. She’s hopeless. “There has to be another way.” I rub my fingers against my temples. “I need to think about it.”
“Well, I need legs. I have to go, anyway. My dad is having a party tonight, and I said I’d be there.”
“Good.” At least a party will keep her from visiting the sea witch. “By tomorrow I’ll have another plan. Trust me, I’m very good at planning.”
Jonah nods. “She is very good at planning.”
“Just whatever you do, don’t go to the sea witch. Deal?” I ask.
“Whatever,” she says. And then, without even a good-bye, she disappears under the water, leaving me to come up with another plan. Fast.
O nce again, I toss and turn and turn and toss. I can’t sleep.
Lana is going to come by in the morning, and I have no idea how to get her a happy ending. My only option is to convince her that her current life is super awesome without the prince.
And it so is. She’s a princess! She has great hair! If she lived where we do, she could be in a shampoo commercial. She has five sisters — I wish I had one sister, never mind five. Legs just aren’t that great. I look down at mine. Sure, they can run and dance and stuff. But I’ve seen her swim, and she moves a lot faster than I do.
There’s a loud noise outside the window. It sounds like, “Oooooh!” but it’s more of a moaning.
I bet it’s quieter underwater. Land has all kinds of creepy sounds.
“Ooooh,” I hear again.
Wait. That sounds like a person.
I run out to the balcony and look down at the beach.
“Ooooooooh!” I hear a third time. I look around in the moonlight and eventually see that the sound is coming
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