Once upon a time

The little mermaid dreamed.

She dreamed of the sky

And the things unseen.

She wanted to walk, and to run, and to jump,

But most of all, she wanted a pup.

 

A playful creature that would fetch and bark.

The old crab and flounder, never could measure up.

On a cloudy, windy day, the sea started rolling.

A ship passed above, but the mermaid had no way of knowing

That she would be viewing the crashing and burning

And that she would catch a sight of one little puppy.

 

The fluffy animal swam after its master

Who had gone overboard and was drowning ever faster.

The mermaid swam swiftly, and caught the two friends,

Pulled them to safety upon the dry land.

 

The man was handsome, but not really her type.

She cared not for him, still made sure he was alright.

The dog on the other hand, she fussed over him.

Making sure he was not bruised or battered anywhere.

 

She heard voices then, more humans were coming.

So, she hopped in the water, and said goodbye to the puppy.

 

For days she meandered and wandered about

Her underwater castle and no amount

Of prodding or digging could unearth her remorse

So her sisters assumed she had fallen for a boy.

 

They could not have been more wrong,

It was not the man she wanted.

She dreamed of the pup

And how to get him down under.

 

A sea witch heard the tale

Of the love struck mermaid

And set her mind

To stealing her away

Her voice the witch wanted

To get herself a man

The little mermaid just wanted

A little canine friend.

 

The witch enticed the mermaid

And her beautiful voice she stole,

But gave her legs to walk upon

The puppy populated shore.

 

The little mermaid strolled into town,

Looking for the puppy.

Stares and shouts rang through the streets.

She had nothing on her body.

She quickly stole some garmets

And put them on her form.

She continued her search

Of the lost animal.

 

But how? She wondered,

For she had no voice.

She could not call for the creature

Nor could she ask around town

She sat and she thought,

Her face in a frown.

 

Ah! She exclaimed in her brain

I’ll lure the pup here with some meat and some grain!

 

So grain and meat she stole and sat outside the city

Dreaming of her pup and how she would be happy.

After hours of sitting, something came by

Her eyes lit up, she wanted to cry.

It was the pup she had saved,

Walking down the road,

And the man was there as well

Well, isn’t that just swell

She wondered to herself as they began to pass by

But then the dog stopped and walked over to her

He ate the bread and meat and did not want to go

 

The man called him over, but the dog did not move

Rolling his eyes, the man came over there too.

“Good afternoon,” he said with a smile.

“I am a prince and I think I’ll stay awhile.

You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.

Do you think you might want

To be my queen?”

 

The mermaid now human frowned in disgust

She gestured at the dog

She just wanted the pup!

The prince looked between the two

And then thought he caught on.

“Ah! Of course! A dog of your own!

We will get you one when you

Sit next to me on your throne!”

 

The little mermaid shook her head,

And wrapped her arms around the dog.

She was going to have this one

Or have none at all.

 

Just then shouts rang out

A cloud of dust appeared

The little mermaid realized

How many things she’d stolen from here.

 

“Stop you thief!”

“Bring back those clothes!”

“We’ll have your head!”

“We hope you know!”

 

Frantically, she rose and looked for escape.

The dog started barking and running in one way.

The prince just stared as the mermaid ran

She had stolen food, clothes, and now his friend.

“Come back here you! That’s the royal pup!”

But the mermaid didn’t care.

She couldn’t believe her luck.

All the way back to the sea they ran,

Dog and mermaid, in the sand.

 

Before they could, the witch appeared.

“No, no deary. No dogs allowed. A man you must find

If you want to stay on ground.”

 

The mermaid shook her head

And pointed at the dog,

Who sprang into action

And then killed the witch.

 

The mermaid clapped as her tail returned

Her voice was back but there was more to learn

The dog had a tail too!

Now she was free

To swim the seas

A mer-dog at her side for all eternity.