The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 1
Prologue
When Iko was a child, she loved the time when her teacher, Dalibaya, told her fascinating stories.
“Hurry up, Dalibaya. Tell me another story today!”
Iko, lying on her small bed, urged her elderly teacher as she looked up at her.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, and the elderly teacher let out a small sigh.
Dalibaya, the sea witch who lived deep in the southern sea in a large fishbowl.
Her name was known by every witch of her era, so great was her renown. But now, she was just struggling to put her young apprentice to sleep.
“Let me see.”
Dalibaya pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed, deep in thought. She had already told the story about turning the humans who betrayed the witch that saved them into pigs. She had also shared the story about the mysterious fountain built in the domain of witches.
Was there no new story left to tell?
Dalibaya closed her eyes and tried to recall memories gently. Her mind wasn’t as sharp as it used to be due to age, and the effort made her head throb.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to think of a new story.”
Finally giving up, Dalibaya apologized to her young apprentice. Then, Iko, who had been patiently waiting through her teacher’s silence, spoke up.
“Then tell me one of the stories you’ve told before.”
“One of the old ones? Which one do you mean?”
“The story of the foolish princess!”
Dalibaya hummed in thought and tilted her head. Most of the princesses in her stories were foolish, so she couldn’t quite guess which ‘foolish princess’ Iko was talking about.
“Are you talking about the princess who pricked her finger on the spinning wheel and fell into a deep sleep?”
“No.”
“Then, the princess who took the poisoned apple without even questioning it?”
“No!”
Iko shook her head firmly at each suggestion. When Dalibaya asked for a hint, Iko reluctantly gave one.
“The princess who turned into foam!”
Dalibaya, who had been lost, finally realized which story Iko wanted to hear. She nodded slowly and began.
“Yes, yes. Once upon a time, there was a mermaid princess.”
“The one the mer-king loved the most because she was so beautiful, right?”
Iko asked with sparkling eyes. Contrary to Dalibaya’s expectations that Iko might be bored since she had already heard this story, the young girl seemed delighted to know the tale.
“That’s right. The mer-king had twelve children, but he especially doted on the youngest princess.”
Dalibaya continued, matching the enthusiasm of her excited apprentice.
“The youngest mermaid princess was very curious about the human world. One day, she saw a man dancing on a ship…”
“And she fell in love at first sight!”
Iko interrupted Dalibaya’s words. A smile crept onto Dalibaya’s face. Her young apprentice, eager to show off her knowledge, was quite adorable.
“As the love surged in the princess’s heart, a storm brewed and tossed the ship the man was on.”
Dalibaya grabbed Iko’s body suddenly with a scary expression. Iko widened her eyes and gulped nervously. Dalibaya, satisfied by her student’s tense reaction, was pleased. Her voice, not as clear as a jade stone but rather rough, was useful at moments like these.
“The mermaid princess fought against the fierce waves to save the drowning man. After a long battle with the sea, she dragged him to a safe beach…”
“And the princess kissed him!”
“And then what happened?”
“The man opened his eyes. It was the princess’s kiss! But the princess got scared and bolted! Even though she was the one who kissed him!”
Iko confidently continued the story, but this time, Dalibaya shook her head.
“Well, maybe she was scared, but there was another reason the princess had to leave that place.”
“A reason?”
“The lower half of the mermaid princess’s body was still a fish tail. If the man saw that, her secret—being a mermaid—would be revealed.”
Even after hearing the answer, Iko stared at Dalibaya with a puzzled face. She couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal for the princess to be revealed as a mermaid.
“The mer-king strictly forbade any contact with humans so that the existence of mermaids wouldn’t be exposed. He believed that mermaids were so noble that showing themselves to humans would make them lose their mystery.”
Dalibaya’s wrinkles deepened as she tried to explain Iko’s curiosity. The thought of how she had suffered discrimination while living in the sea as a witch, all because of the ‘noble merfolk’, brought back bitter memories.
“But even such superiority couldn’t stop the princess’s love. She wanted to be with the human, so she dreamed of becoming human herself.”
A mermaid wanting to become human, goodness!
Dalibaya sighed and shook her head, clicking her tongue in disapproval of such a foolish notion. Seeing this, young Iko also mimicked her teacher, shaking her head the same way. She wasn’t yet skilled at clicking her tongue, so she made a small ‘tut, tut’ sound with her mouth.
“No matter how desperate the princess was, how could a mermaid become human? She didn’t even have legs.”
“Then she needs to create a miracle to get legs!”
“But the princess didn’t have the power to do that, did she?”
Dalibaya slyly asked Iko. The young girl blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
“Iko, do you know who performs the most miracles in the world? Surprisingly, two of them are right here with you.”
The wrinkled face of the old witch was full of pride. Iko thought hard for a moment, then finally found the answer and took a deep breath.
“A witch!”
