Beneath the surface far out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the most stunning cornflower and as clear as crystal, it is very deep—so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it. Sundry church steeples piled upon one another would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. In that place dwell the Sea King and his aquatic subjects. We must not imagine that there is nothing but bare sand. No, indeed, growing there are the most remarkable plants, whose leaves and stems are so pliant that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. Fish, both large and small, glide among the branches in the same way that birds fly among the trees upon land. In the deepest spot stands the castle of the Sea King. Its walls are built of coral, and the long gothic windows are of the clearest amber. Artistically the roof is formed of shells, which open and close as the water flows over them. Their appearance is magnificent because in each lies a glittering pearl fit for the diadem of a queen.
For many years the Sea King had been a widower, so his aged mother had kept house for him. Truly she deserved ample praise, especially for her nurturance of the little sea princesses, her granddaughters.
Although all six were comely children, the youngest was the most striking of them all. Her skin was as delicate as a rose petal and her eyes were as blue as the deepest sea. Like the others, she had no feet, but a fish’s tail instead.
Throughout the day they frolicked in the opulent halls of the castle. When fish swam in through the large amber windows right up to the princesses, they nibbled from the mermaids’ hands and allowed themselves to be stroked.
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