The Pond Witch's Potion

Tales Retold: The Little Mermaid

We begin with a warning: not all fairy tales have happy endings. Some are sad. Some are horrifying. Some are the very epitome of your worst nightmare, the one that leaves you trembling hours after you wake. This tale is no different. So if you came here looking for a delightful story about love triumphing over evil, I’m sorry to say you are lost.

Unless you’ve seen one, you’ve almost certainly never heard of a water dweller. They have been described throughout history as small mermaids, but this comparison is misleading. A human head and torso, a fish's tail, webbed fingers, and gills on their necks, you would be forgiven for believing water dwellers were a friendly species. But you would be sorely mistaken, and the assumption could cost you your life.

Water dwellers are vicious, greedy creatures, living on frogspawn and hunting surviving tadpoles for sport. They are also incredibly narcissistic; their beautiful faces hide an ugly entitlement, and there is no limit to what they feel they deserve.

One consistency in the lore around water dwellers is their hatred of humans. They have been known to loosen the banks of their ponds and push rocks into different areas so humans will fall into the water and hit their heads. Once drowned, the creatures feast on their flesh. Yes, water dwellers loathe humans with every fibre of their beings. Except one.

Nymphaea had shown a fascination for humans from a very young age, a fact which concerned her father, King Hawthorn, immensely. When Nymphaea was a fry, he told her horror stories of war and poverty, of the extinction of smaller creatures at the hands of humans.

But nothing he said could stifle Nymphaea’s intrigue. Each day, she left the safety of the water dwellers' camp and swam to the pond surface, lurking in the shadows of the banks and watching the humans live their lives. She saw adults, children, strange objects. She almost lost an arm the day a puppy came splashing into the pond. It did not deter Nymphaea, though. She continued her observation, learning more about the curious beings above the water.

One day, a new face appeared. Nymphaea knew the previous family was moving elsewhere and new humans would replace them. The face belonged to a man, the most beautiful man Nymphaea had ever seen, a beauty that almost rivalled her own. She had read about love at first sight, but never experienced it first-hand. The feeling that they belonged together was overpowering, consuming her completely.

Then Nymphaea saw the woman. She was pretty, with black hair and warm brown skin. Unlike her first glimpse of the man, Nymphaea was irritated at the woman’s presence. Could she not sense she was disturbing an intense personal moment? But the man seemed unperturbed by her presence and handed her something.

“Okay, babe, make a wish.”

There was a flash of silver and two coins plunged into the water, dropping to the pond floor with a gentle thud. Nymphaea swam down to examine the coins; they were the size of her torso and sparkled in the sun, a stark contrast to the mud. She peered up at the surface in case more coins were thrown, just in time to see the man put his arm around the woman and kiss her.

Nymphaea had never felt wrath like it. Blood pounded in her ears and her vision blurred. It took all her willpower not to leap out of the pond and destroy that pretty face, tearing the flesh from it with her teeth. Snatching a jagged pebble from the floor, she scratched at the woman’s coin until ugly grooves patterned the surface. Nymphaea cast the pebble to one side and buried the ruined coin deep in the mud. It was a pointless act, but rationality had disappeared the moment her soulmate’s lips had touched that stupid witch.

Nymphaea stopped in her tracks and stared down at the remaining coin. She had planned to display it with her other human collectibles. But coins had a better purpose: payment for the pond witch. The pond witch was a potion-brewer with the power to make your wildest fantasies come true. If Nymphaea took the coin to her, the pond witch would turn her into a human. She felt a flutter in her belly; if she were a human, she could be with her soulmate. The woman wasn’t an issue; he would forget all about her the moment he saw Nymphaea.

But as she picked up the coin, a voice made her drop it again.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

King Hawthorn appeared from between the reeds, fists clenched.

Nymphaea spluttered, scrambling for the coin, but Hawthorn beat her to it. While she had needed both hands to lift the coin, he grabbed it and threw it straight out of the pond as if it weighed nothing at all.

“You were going to see the pond witch, weren’t you?” Hawthorn hissed through gritted teeth.

Nymphaea let out a high, unconvincing laugh. “Of course not, why – why would I want to go the pond witch?”

Hawthorn sniggered coldly. “You think I haven’t noticed you disappearing each day to watch the humans? That I didn’t see the look on your face when you saw the male? Nymphaea, you’re beautiful, but you’re not very bright. I’ve known about your little escapades all along.”

Nymphaea gaped at him, not believing what she was hearing. How could her own father speak to her this way? Anger bubbled inside her and before she knew it, she was shouting.

“I am not a child, Father, do not speak to me like one! Did it ever occur to you that my observation might be a good thing if it proves humans aren’t as dangerous as you think?”

King Hawthorn snorted. “A few glimpses above the surface means nothing. You’ve seen a handful of humans in their own home. Don’t be naïve, Nymphaea.”

Nymphaea saw red.

“Don’t patronise me!” she yelled, her body shaking. “I hate you! If it’s the last thing I do, I will become human and I will be with my soulmate!”

Hawthorn’s eyes darkened. When he spoke, his voice boomed, and Nymphaea knew it could be heard across the entire pond.

“No. I am your king, and I forbid you from going to the surface again.”

He raised his hands above his head, creating small whirlpools in his palms. There was a flash of white light, and everything went cold. Blinking, Nymphaea gazed up at the surface. A thick layer of ice rested on the water, stretching from bank to bank. Though the sun was bright, the light barely made it through the thick blanket. Nymphaea was trapped inside the pond.

She screamed and threw herself on a nearby rock, hurling insults at her father. A hint of remorse flashed across King Hawthorn’s eyes, but then he disappeared back into the reeds without another word.

For the longest time, all Nymphaea did was sob, her body shuddering with the force of her hysteria. Eventually though, her devastation waned, and vengeance weaved its way into her thoughts. She had to convince the pond witch to turn her into a human. And when that happened, she would destroy everything her father loved.

Making sure she was alone, Nymphaea dug up the scratched coin and started her journey. She eyed it anxiously. Would the pond witch accept it? She could only hope.

The closer she got to the cave, the harder Nymphaea’s heart thudded. Every shadow was her father, every weed clawed at her, warning her to turn back. But whenever doubt crept in, the beautiful man’s face appeared in her mind. She kept going.

The pond witch’s cave was hidden in a thicket of greenery, but as soon as Nymphaea pushed her way through, she saw her, swimming around a cylindrical cauldron filled with flashing colours.

Nymphaea hesitated before speaking. “Madam Pond Witch?”

The pond witch floated towards her, smiling sweetly. Rumour had it she was once a fairy living above the water, but after the death of her mother at the hands of a dodo, she flew into a rage and slaughtered every last one. Her wings were destroyed, and she was banished to live in ponds for eternity.

“Please, Nymphaea, call me Coraline.”

“How did you-?”

Coraline laughed, a twinkling laugh that sent shivers down Nymphaea’s spine. “I’ve lived in this pond a very long time; I always know what’s going on.”

Coraline led her into the cave, gesturing towards a stone on which Nymphaea perched nervously, clutching the coin in her hands. Coraline sat beside her, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

“So, you want to be human?” she said eventually.

Nymphaea nodded. She spoke very quickly, her voice high. She told Coraline about the beautiful man, the woman he kissed, her father’s discovery and his icy spell. While she spoke, Coraline listened intently, her face serious.

When Nymphaea took a breath, Coraline spoke. “You’ve told me the events leading up to the present, but you haven’t told me why you want to be human.”

Nymphaea thought about it, then simply responded, “Love. And revenge.”

Coraline beamed and left her seat, swimming to a set of container-filled shelves. Rummaging around, she located a brown bottle and returned to Nymphaea. Coraline cleared her throat, her tone suddenly business-like.

“Nymphaea, I will turn you into a human, but I have… conditions.”

Nymphaea’s heart soared. She leaned forward eagerly as Coraline continued.

“I will accept the coin as payment, but as it’s damaged, I’ll need more. You claim the human is your soulmate, but he is with the female. I will turn you into a human for three days. Kill the woman and bring me her lungs. If you fail to do this by the end of the third day, your soul will belong to me.”

Coraline held the bottle out to Nymphaea.

“Drinking this potion is an agreement to my conditions. Once drunk, the spell will begin.”

Nymphaea didn’t hesitate; killing the woman would be no trouble. She snatched the bottle and gulped down the contents. It was bitter, making Nymphaea shudder as she swallowed. She turned to ask Coraline what it was, but she had disappeared.

Nymphaea swam out of the cave in search of Coraline, but as she opened her mouth, a stabbing sensation in her neck made her fall to the pond floor, writhing in agony. It was like her gills were being sewn up. More pain swept down her fingers as the webbing severed, and she felt like she was being ripped in half as her tail transformed into two legs. A horrific stretching feeling overcame Nymphaea as she grew to human size. She had never felt such torture.

Then, she couldn’t breathe. As the pain left her neck, Nymphaea realised she needed air. The water was wet in her mouth and every drop choked her. Pushing against the pond floor, she prepared to take a deep breath once her head broke the surface.

But it didn’t break the surface. Nymphaea remembered her father’s spell; the pond was frozen. She was trapped beneath the ice, her newly human body thrashing against the barrier that kept her submerged. Nymphaea tried to break it with her fists, but she wasn’t strong enough. The ice bit into her flesh and the cuts on her knuckles sent bloody streaks through the water. She tried screaming, but only muffled wails came out, ridding her of any air left in her lungs.

As Nymphaea’s vision darkened, she heard a scream. The blurry outline of the man and the woman stood on the bank, watching in horror as a strange woman drowned in their inexplicably frozen pond. Nymphaea’s water-logged brain dragged out one final memory: the clear face of the man. For a split second, she smiled at her love. Then everything went black, and the last thing she heard was a sweet, twinkling laugh.