Three fifths of the earth is covered by sea. When you stand on a quiet beach and look out to sea, you see a vast area stretching all the way to the horizon. An occasional sea bird such as a gull or tern may be the only living thing you see. Somewhere in the distance a dolphin or flying fish may break the waves, leaping for a moment and vanishing beneath the waves. Besides this, you see no more than the illusion of empty expanse.
Ah, dear reader, the emptiness you see is but an illusion. A few meters or so beneath the sea's gently undulating surface a startling new world teams with living things.
So many different forms of life are to be seen down there that it's often hard to tell plants from animals. Sea anemones, rounded like colorfully designed steamed buns, may easily be mistaken for plants. Corals--animals too small to be seen without a microscope--live and die in such large groups that their remains are often mistaken for large rocks or for single large animals.
So many different forms of life are to be seen down there that it's often hard to tell plants from animals. Sea anemones, rounded like colorfully designed steamed buns, may easily be mistaken for plants. Corals--animals too small to be seen without a microscope--live and die in such large groups that their remains are often mistaken for large rocks or for single large animals.
With each motion of the water, kelp, sea fans, and other ocean plants wave and sway in willowy movements. Fishes of every imaginable shape and combination of colors look as though they were painted by a master artist. Countless fish, moving about in groups called schools glitter like brightly colored jewelry. They dart and play among the sea grasses and other swaying plants as birds of the air fly among the branches of trees on land.
An undiscovered world of caves, grottoes, and undersea reefs lie hidden from the eyes of men. Yet, dear reader, these unseen places are where our story begins—in the Kingdom of Marbella, the home of the merfolk.
Mermen and mermaids aren’t really (as I’m sure you’ve heard) half human and half fish. That would be quite impossible, which may be why some people don’t believe in merfolk. No, merfolk—like dolphins, whales, and seals—are mammals.
They have hair. Their babies are born live and not hatched from eggs. Their mothers give them milk. They’re also warm blooded; that is, they’re able to adjust to colder or warmer temperatures.
They have hair. Their babies are born live and not hatched from eggs. Their mothers give them milk. They’re also warm blooded; that is, they’re able to adjust to colder or warmer temperatures.
They differ from most mammals only in that they can breathe both in the water and above the surface of the water; and that their lower bodies have scales to help them swim better. This further shows the variety of life found beneath the sea.
Many merfolk live in undersea grottoes; some live in caves; still others live in small dwellings built from whatever materials are available to them.
The palace of Merking Wayan was a splendid structure carved from a coral reef. The inner walls of the palace were tiled with mother-of-pearl: Millions of oyster shells were set with their inner surfaces facing outward to reflect even the faintest light that entered the palace through its many windows and skylights.
The undersea kingdom is truly a beauteous and wondrous realm. No place of this world, however, is altogether a paradise.
A few years before this story begins, Queen Iridescence and her two oldest daughters, N’Shal and Ayon, were a little late returning from their scallop bed. On that fateful evening, a shark moved unseen and attacked the queen. Before the shark could move in a second time to finish the kill, a pair of dolphins attacked the shark from two sides: above and below. The simultaneous strike broke the shark’s back.
Many merfolk live in undersea grottoes; some live in caves; still others live in small dwellings built from whatever materials are available to them.
The palace of Merking Wayan was a splendid structure carved from a coral reef. The inner walls of the palace were tiled with mother-of-pearl: Millions of oyster shells were set with their inner surfaces facing outward to reflect even the faintest light that entered the palace through its many windows and skylights.
The undersea kingdom is truly a beauteous and wondrous realm. No place of this world, however, is altogether a paradise.
A few years before this story begins, Queen Iridescence and her two oldest daughters, N’Shal and Ayon, were a little late returning from their scallop bed. On that fateful evening, a shark moved unseen and attacked the queen. Before the shark could move in a second time to finish the kill, a pair of dolphins attacked the shark from two sides: above and below. The simultaneous strike broke the shark’s back.
By this time, two more sharks smelled blood in the water and began circling the three mermaids. A pod of dolphins arrived and formed a protective ring around the queen and her daughters. The dolphins escorted the mermaids back to their palace and drove the remaining sharks away. It was too late, though, to save Queen Iridescence.
The dolphins later apologized for having failed to notice that sharks had entered the area. The mer king forgave their failure, rewarded their bravery in protecting his daughters, and ordered them to improve security.
From then on, the mother of Mer King Wayan II managed the royal household and cared for the king’s six daughters.
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