Each princess had her own small garden. One princess made her flower bed in the shape of a whale. Another princess made her garden in the shape of a shell. The sisters filled their gardens with odd things they had found in sunken ships.
But the Little Mermaid's garden was simple. It had only red flowers and a statue of a human boy. The statue had been her mother's, and the Little Mermaid loved it.
While her sisters played in their gardens, the Little Mermaid sat quietly in hers. Looking at the boy, she wondered about humans and the world above.
"What is it like in the Upper World?" she asked her grandmother one day.
"Oh, Little one, there is so much to see!" said the Wise Mermaid. "There are thick forests of trees that turn colors when the air turns cold. Soon after, their leaves fall to the ground. Then the snow comes."
"Snow?" said the Little Mermaid. "What's that?"
"Snow is made of thousands of small ice flakes," replied her grandmother. "In winter, these flakes fall from the sky. But in summer, green grass covers the ground. And the flowers give off a lovely scent."
"It sounds wonderful," the Little Mermaid said. "Here, our trees always look the same. And the flowers have no smell at all."
The Wise Mermaid told her more. "In the Upper World, you can look up in the sky and clearly see the sun, moon, and stars. And birds fly from tree to tree, singing lovely songs."
"Tell me about the animals, Grandmother," the Little Mermaid begged.
"Some fly, as I said. But many have four legs and walk on the ground. Humans walk on two legs, and they are very good at building a thing. They make lots of houses, which become a town."
The Little Mermaid wanted to hear more. "They also build ships, don't they?"
"Oh yes, Little one," her grandmother said. "But you already know that."
"I know, but I love to hear about humans. They come so close to us, sailing above. But their world seems so far away."
"Yes, humans are very different from us," said her grandmother. "They don't live as long as sea folk. We live for there a hundred years! But humans have souls."
"What is a soul?" the Little Mermaid asked.
"I don't know, Little one," the Wise Mermaid replied. "I have heard a soul can live forever. But humans don't really know what a soul is either. Whatever it is, I think it must be something special."
"I want to know everything about humans!"
"When you are 15 years old, you will see," said her grandmother.
"You'll swim to the surface and watch the ships sail by."
"But I want to go now!" the Little Mermaid pleaded.
"Be patient, your turn will come in five years," said her grandmother, smiling. "But you will find, dear, that our home down here is better than any place else."
The years passed and the Little Mermaid's sisters went to the Upper World. But she had to wait. So on clear nights, she looked up at the moon and stars. Whenever a shadow swept across them, she knew it was a ship passing overhead. Eagerly, the Little Mermaid stretched her white arms up toward the bottom of the ship. Someday she would touch the world above.
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