The Star Marriage of a Major-General of Scientists

The little mermaid kissed his hand.She felt her heart breaking.The first morning after his wedding would bring her down, would turn her into sea foam.

The church bells rang, and messengers rode through the streets to announce the engagement.On every altar, fragrant fat burns in costly oil lamps.Priests waved censers, and the bride and groom joined hands to receive the bishop's blessing.The little mermaid was now dressed in silk and gold, and held the bride's veil, but her ears could not hear the joyful music, and her eyes could not see the sacred ceremony.She thought of the morning of her death, and of all that she had lost in this world.

On the same night, the bride and groom come to the boat.The salute was fired and the flags were flying.A royal tent of gold and purple was erected amidships, furnished with the most beautiful cushions.Here, the beautiful newlyweds will spend their cool and silent evenings.

The wind is blowing the sails.The boat sailed gently on the clear sea without much fluctuation.

As twilight fell, the colored lights came on and the sailors danced happily on the deck.The little mermaid could not help thinking of the first time she came to the surface of the sea, and of the same splendor and joy that she had seen then.Then she whirled and flew like a swallow that is being pursued.Everyone was cheering and praising her, she had never danced so beautifully.The quick knife seemed to be cutting her delicate feet, but she didn't feel the pain, because her heart hurt more than this.

She knew that this was the last night she would see him—for him, she left her clan and family, she gave up her beautiful voice, she endured endless pain every day, but he didn't give up at all. have no idea.It was the last night she could breathe the same air with him, the last night she could see the deep sea and the starry sky.Meanwhile an eternal night without thoughts and dreams awaited her--her without a soul and without a soul.All was gay and merry on board the ship till well after midnight.She laughed and danced, but the thought of death was in her heart.The prince kisses his beautiful bride: the bride strokes his raven hair.They went arm in arm to rest in the gorgeous tent.

It's very quiet on board now.Only the helmsman stood at the helm.The little mermaid leaned her white arms on the bulwarks, and gazed eastward, waiting for the dawn--she knew that the first rays of the sun would kill her, and she saw her sisters emerge from the waves .They were as pale as herself.Their beautiful long hair is no longer blowing in the wind - because it has been cut off.

"We have given the hair to the witch, and hope she will help you so that you will not perish in the future. She gave us a knife. Take it, and see how fast it is! Before the sun comes out, You have to insert it into the heart of that prince. When his blood flows to your feet, your feet will join together again and become a fish tail, then you can regain the original shape of a mermaid, you to come back to our waters; so that you'll live three hundred years before you're a lifeless salt-water foam. Make haste! It's not he who dies before the sun rises, It is you who are dead! Our old grandmother has lost all her white hair in grief, just as our hair falls under the witch's scissors. Stab that prince, and come back quickly! Do it quickly! You didn't see The red light in the sky, the sun will come out in a few minutes, and then you will perish!"

They uttered a strange, deep sigh, and they sank into the waves.

The little mermaid drew back the purple curtain of the tent, and saw the beautiful bride sleeping with her head on the prince's arms.She bent down and kissed the prince's delicate eyebrows, so he gazed at the sky - the morning glow gradually became brighter.She glanced at the sharp knife, and then turned her eyes to the prince, who was murmuring in his sleep the name of his bride.She was the only thing in his mind.The knife trembled in the little mermaid's hand.But at this moment, she threw the knife far into the surf.Where the Wanzi sank, the spray gave off a red light, as if many drops of blood had splashed out of the water.She cast her bewildered eyes on the prince again, and she jumped out of the boat into the sea, feeling her body melting into foam.

Now the sun is rising from the sea.The sun shone softly and warmly on the icy foam.Because the little mermaid doesn't feel perishing.She saw the bright sun, while above her flew countless transparent, beautiful creatures.Through them she could see the white sails of the ship and the colorful clouds of the sky.Their voices are harmonious music.But they are so ethereal that human ears cannot hear them any more than earthly eyes cannot see them.They have no wings, but float in the air with their light bodies.The little mermaids felt that they too had acquired a form like theirs, and gradually rose from the foam.

"To whom shall I go?" she asked.Her voice, like these other creatures, seemed ethereal, and no music department in the world could compare with it.

"To the daughter of the sky!" answered another voice. "A mermaid has no immortal soul, and never will, unless she receives the love of a mortal. Her eternal existence depends on external powers. Nor does the daughter of the sky have an eternal soul, but They can create a soul through acts of kindness. We fly to hot countries where the air of disease spreads and hurts the people. We can blow cool winds, we can spread the fragrance of flowers in the air, we can Spread a healthy and cheerful spirit. Three hundred years from now, when we have done all the good we can possibly do, we shall have an immortal soul and share in all the eternal happiness of mankind. You, poor mermaid , like us, once fought wholeheartedly for that goal. You suffered; you persevered; Create an immortal soul for yourself."

The little mermaid raised her shining arms to the sun of God, and for the first time she felt ready to shed tears.

On that boat, the voices and activity resumed.She saw the prince and his beautiful bride looking for her.They looked mournfully at the churning foam, as if they knew she had jumped into the waves.In the dark, she kissed the bride's forehead, and she smiled at the prince.So she and the other children of the air rode up into the sky on a rose-colored cloud.

"In this way, after 300 years, we can ascend to the kingdom of heaven!"

"We may not have to wait that long!" a voice whispered. "Invisibly we fly into the houses of human beings, and there are some children living there. If we find a good child every day, if he brings happiness to his parents and is worthy of his parents' love, God can Shorten the time of our tests. The child will not know when we fly across the house. When we smile at him happily, we can subtract one year from the 300 years; but when we see When a naughty and wicked child has to cry out, every tear adds another day to our trial."