Poor Unfortunate Soul

“Flounder, have you ever wondered what the sea would look like if those creatures didn’t throw all their garbage in it?”

“That would never happen. I mean look around. We spend all day collecting their garbage and bringing it here to try and make the waters clear again. At this point someone might think we’re Sebatian. And we still haven’t scratched the surface. I miss when the waters were blue.”

“I miss it too. I mean look at all this stuff. What do they even do with it?--A fork, glass, a rock shaped like one of those ugly things that walk on land.”

“Do you think they just sit around and look at it?”

“People don’t sit Flounder. They walk. They run. They try to swim. They never stop. They look ridiculous.”

“Good point.”

“Wanna do something fun with this ugly rock?”

“No Ariel, last time you said that we ended up in Ursula’s lair. Luckily she just turned me into a fish.”

“I’m sorry. But wasn’t it fun?”

“It kind of was. I wouldn’t mind another adventure. But King Triton is going to kill us if Ursula doesn’t.”

“Oh don’t be such a chicken Flounder.”

“I’m no chicken Ariel.”

“No?”

“No, do I look like Tuna to you Ariel?”

“No, so let’s go”

“King Triton is going to have a manatee”

“Only if we get caught.”

“Let’s go”

On the way to Ursula’s lair, Flounder and Ariel swam by the shore to see what kind of mischief they could get into. They loved to tease the people on land. Flounder would lay on the beach and play dead and then flop back into the water. Ariel swam just far enough away that she could hide her fin and pretend to drown. She’d lore the humans into the water to save her and then she’d scare them with a screech so deafening that the humans, usually men, would become disoriented and sink into the water. Ariel would save them once they lost consciousness and leave them on the beach. Never have they seen her face but they never returned to the water. That’s her goal. Get those animals out of the waters.

Today, Ariel and flounder came upon their next subject. From the rock nearby they spotted him and came up with a plan to scare him away from the waters too. Ariel swam deep under the water, and came up screaming for help. The man didn't move. Flounder watched from behind the rock. Something wasn't right. Ariel continued to flail her arms screaming while bobbing out of the water. She eventually floated to the buoy not too far out from the water. A gust of wind blew, and rather than drowning out her voice, it must’ve been carried to the strange man. Because his head shot up and he stood up searching the waters for her. She was a little too far out so he pulled out his scope and searched. Ariel must've been mistaken but it looked as if he smirked. She shook it off and watched as he sprinted along the shore in the opposite direction. He disappeared running along the shore toward where the river poured out into the ocean. Ariel was confused and disappointed. She really thought she had that one.

Bored, Ariel decided to give up for the day and continue on to Ursula. But as she was pulled away from the buoy she realized her hair was caught. She tried to pull her hair out but the more she struggled the tighter the hold the buoy had on her hair. Now panicking, Ariel called out to flounder for help.

“Flounder! I’m stuck!”

Flounder immediately raced over to Ariel; “let me try,” he said. Flounder nibbled at the hair trying to break it free to avail. But while they were attempting to free Ariel, a ship came out from the river’s mouth. Ariel and flounder let out a sigh of relief. That poor innocent soul came back to save her. Ariel didn't even care about being discovered as a mermaid. She just wanted help. So she called the man over. But soon she realized her grave mistake. The man leaning over the bow of the boat, perched on one foot with something in his hands as he called out.

“There she is! The mermaid! Catch it before it swims away!”

“Did you hear that?” Ariel said to Flounder.

“Ariel, what are we gonna do?”

“We have to rip it flounder.”

So Ariel held the middle of her hair while Flounder gnawed the best he could. With the might of King Triton they were able to rip her away from the buoy. However, it was too late. The ship was barely two klicks away from the pair. It was so close that Ariel could finally see what was in the man’s hands. It was a “Harpoon!” she yelled; “swim Flounder! Swim down”

They dashed down into the water and swam as far as they could get. Ariel was out of harm's way but looked up in time to see Flounder struggling to make it.

Come on Flounder. Ariel was horrified as she watched her best friend struggle. Against her better judgement Ariel swam back up to help him. She made it but not before she saw the shadow of the ship near. Then something broke through the water. Hurriedly, Ariel pushed Flounder down and swam. Ariel had thought they were safe. Though she was gravely mistaken. As she turned to see what had come into the water. She saw the harpoon attached to something. And then it fired toward her. She had never seen anything like it. She didn't have time to move. The harpoon had pierced her tail. And the human pulled her back up to the surface. Not knowing what to do Founder followed.

“No Flounder.”

“Ariel, I’m not leaving you”

“You have to. Go find Ursula and she will help you find me”

Flounder hurried to Ursula's lair. When he found her, she was admiring herself in the mirror. “Ursula, something has happened to Ariel,” he said

“Oh?!” She turned quickly, barely hiding her excitement. “What happened? Tell me!” She said in feigned sorrow.

“The humans caught her!”

“The humans caught her!” Ursula repeated. That got her attention. Ursula thrived in mischief and the misfortune of others. And she loved playfully tormenting the two friends, Ariel and Flounder; but, she never truly wished them harm.

Years ago, Ursula turned Ariel's hair red after Ariel asked her for something and didn't hold up her end of the contract. Then another time, Ursula turned flounder into a flounder from a great white shark after they needed her help and couldn’t fulfill their pact. Ursala thought it was poetic justice. Deep down, somewhere very deep down., Ursula kind of liked the two, although she would never admit it.

“Where is she?”

Flounder took Ursula to the shore where they had seen the man. Ursula transformed and walked around to survey the area. As she walked around the shore she followed the water to where it met the river. There she saw a castle not too far off, with ships at a port. That must be where Ariel is.

After a while, Ursula realized she'd need help.

She went back into the water and transformed back into the sea witch. She swam directly to King Triton, Ariel's father and Ursula's older brother.

“Brother, Ariel has been taken”

“Taken, or did she cause this for herself Ursula?”

“What does it matter?”

“I’ve told Ariel time and time again to leave those monsters alone. She never listens. She messes with the sailors, calling them out to sea. Her games were bound to come back to get her one day.”

“You can’t be serious”

“Oh, I am very serious little sister. Ariel is going to have to get herself out of this mess”

“You know she can’t”

“Then so be it”

“So be it? So be it?!”

Ursula was beside herself and grew with rage. As her anger grew she multiplied in size and was double Triton's. Triton had never seen her in this form. He hadn't seen Ursula since before his first child was born, before he became the king of Atlantis and before she was the powerful witch that she is.

“I’ll save Ariel myself,” she yelled. “But I'll need something from you first,” she continued. Not knowing what to do, the king reached for his triton. But before he could get to it Ursula’s eels swam up and pushed it to Ursula. She grabbed it and then became even bigger. She became bigger than the palace, exploding through its walls filling with immense amounts of power. Then she shrunk back to her regular size. Feeling refreshed, Ursula said “I'm not done with you yet brother. I'll be back.” With that, Ursula raced away leaving her now powerless brother to think about what he’d done.

Ursula moved with haste. She went back on land and transformed into a human-like creature. And turned the triton into a shell necklace. Then she used it to amplify her power and she sang walking along the shore to the river and then down to the palace. As she sang, men from all over were in a trace. They were aimlessly walking into the ocean to their deaths.

She walked and made it to the castle where she found Ariel locked in a cell chained to the wall. Ursula gasped as she saw the scene before her. Ariel was chained to the wall barely alive with her tail cut off. It was the most barbaric thing Ursula had ever seen.

“Ariel” Ursula whispered.

Ariel’s eyes fluttered open “Ursula! It's you! You came! "Ariel exclaimed as much as she could, in her condition.

Ursula sighed “of course I did you sea urchin! I came to save you. But you know how this works.” Ursula would save Ariel, if she could, with no problem. People thought Ursula was a monster because she always made deals to help them. But really her powers only worked because of the contracts she made. So she leaned against the bars and said “let’s make a deal.”

And they did. Ursula was then able to free ariel. She healed her, but she didn’t to give her back her tail.

Ursula carried Ariel back to the shore. Before they entered the water Ariel asked “how will I swim?”

Ursula wished she had an answer “I don't know,” she replied.

Ariel sighed and asked Ursula to put her down “can we make another deal?” she said.

Ursula nodded.

“Can you give me legs?”

“What for?”

“I’m going to get even”

Ursula smirked and said “and what will I get in return?”

“My voice,” Ariel smirked. “It got me into enough trouble as it is and I don’t plan on calling anyone else to the sea”

“Is that what you truly want, child?”

“To give up my voice?”

“To live on land with these monsters.”

“No”

“Then I’ll make a different deal with you. And you can still keep your end of the bargain to work for me. This way I can even give you your tail back. I’ll enchant your voice and you will use it to lure men to the sea. They’ll walk from the shore or even jump off their ships. After they’re in the water, I'll make a deal with them. And I’ll either save them or let them die. Revenge for you, more power for me. And as a present, I’ll even turn Flounder back. Deal?”

“Deal” Ariel smirked

“Good, my little siren. Now let’s go deal with that father of yours”