Once upon a time, during the twilight hours when the sky turned a lovely shade of lavender, there lived a gentle little mermaid named Lila. She had shimmering hair the colour of the deepest night, and her soft tail sparkled like the stars above. Every twilight, she would venture out from the coral palace, where she dwelt with her Mama and Papa, to explore the magical river that meandered around the palace.
Lila adored the river best of all, for it flowed into the great sea, allowing the marvellous fishes and droll little crabs and strange, glittering shells to visit her. Her favourite companions were Toby, the oldest dolphin in the school who could tell the best stories, and Silvey, the youngest whose tail was always in a tangle. Lila was boundlessly happy, always surrounded by loving friends and playful creatures. Every evening, they would swim together, performing grand acrobatic feats.
“Faster, faster, brave Lila! You are not afraid of the shadows now, are you?” Toby called out one evening. Just then, Lila was darting along, swiftly as a flash of lightning, her long hair and tail streaming far behind her. But Lila wasn’t looking at anything except a great brown lump that appeared quite suddenly whereby the river tumbled over some rocks. She had often intended to explore that great pile of rock and scaly things, but she had always been too frightened.
The sunlight, twinkling and dancing through the trees, made the great pile shine and shimmer like quartz. Bolder than she had ever been before, she resolved to investigate the cause of the light. So now, swimming gracefully round the pile of rocks, Lila saw a great treasure-chest, almost half hidden in the fine sand. All tarnished and rusty it appeared, with a great iron clasp upon it that glimmered as if newly polished.
“A treasure-chest!” thought Lila, her eyes sparkling. “I wonder what is in it? It might be full of gold, or pearls, or strange bright stones! Oh, if I dare but open it!”
She glanced round at her friends, and there, close beside her, half-hidden in the shadows cast by the great rocks, swam a strange fish whose name she did not know. Its body looked like a perfect shield, covered all over with little pointed things that twinkled and reflected all the various colours of the rainbow. Great yearning, sparkling eyes glared out from underneath heavy eyebrows, while the creature’s long beard floated like a cloth behind her.
“They always say fishes never speak,” thought Lila; “but I will ask this one what I ought to do—if I should open the chest, or if there is a risk in it.”
So she named the fish Abdy, and then swam close, saying quickly, “I will give you a thousand thanks, dear Abdy, if you will tell me one thing, and that is, will you be so good as to tell me what is in the chest? I so much want to know!”
“There might be treasure for a prince in that box,” replied Abdy; “but it were better for that prince not to know. There once went a tale through the waters of the daughters of the kings coming from the four corners of the world to see what beauty they might find in the water-maiden of the West. Brighter than a thousand gems sounded and glimmered the pearls in the treasure-chest of unnumbered years underneath the seaside rocks. In joy and in wonder came the four daughters to the Western Prince. And the pearls of renown stood above his throne; so great and so precious they were. Now stretch forth your delicate little flipper, and see for yourself if it is very heavy. But have a care! Have a care! And you shall learn what it says in the riddle: what once belonging to another, shines more brightly over you than over all the rest of the world! There lies danger and plenty of perils, even for the bravest.”
“I thank you, Abdy,” said Lila, and disappeared in a flash.
“What are you trembling for, brave Lila?” said Toby. “Do you dare to tell me who lived in that treasure-chest down below the round door?”
“The pearl-fishers of Farther India,” answered Lila, half laughing, half crying.
“Little Lila is afraid,” said silly Silvey, who looked out at Toby’s wise blue eyes and Lila’s flowing hair tallied with the moment that rapid flashes of lightning surrounded her as the deep rushing of the waves above the rocks rang out. Lila trembled so at her words that she sank almost down to the river’s grassy floor, while Silvey laughed so loudly that she shook her whole body from head to tail, and then crashed with a great noise against the edge of the rocks!
“Did you think it thundered?” said Toby to Lila. For indeed little Silvey had now turned so pale that she could not even put on the bright smiles with which she was wont always to gladden her French-taught mouth.
“I shall hold all the pearls,” said Toby, laughing, “but we will unclose the treasure-box in a chorus. The fishes and crabs of the sea shall sing the verses of the song, ‘What is in the treasure-chest down below the round door.’”
So they looked bravely at each other, even brave Lila, and they forged an iron chain and fastened it with a great clam-shell, so that all three might boldly open the treasure chest. Then each from a courage which others did not perceive, gained in such a manner that Lila said nothing of what Abdy the fish had prophesied to herself alone, that she might sing the history instead, and let it outflow with the bright waves of the sea.
Then she ventured to unsnap the chest and her heart leapt wildly for joy, for the chest was quite full—that a brave little mermaid, who had dared all perils, with the help of her friends, might hold all the shining treasure—quarters, and crowns, and half-dollars, and others such glorious bright coins, whereon hasty as a stream flowed, all countries names.
Thus they brought the box to the coral-place, and Lila laughed when she said it was from the King of far-off South America, and therefrom the Kings of all our Denmark learned to cover their cope with pearls.
It was suited here for a subtle sort of illustration that of the pearls of the East and they became suited also for Lila. What, however, falls into the ocean, lingers double-lived and half-wooden washed down waits patiently until someone learns its name, etc.