The Land of the Merpeople

One summer day when the sea was as still as glass. Evan was pulling in his nets, when the scales of a fish caught his eye. It looked like it was made with emeralds with some rubies and sapphires. Then Evan realized it must be a mermaid. Sure enough it was. "Please," the young mermaid pleaded. "Please let me go, my father is the king of the merpeople. He can give you anything you desire from his treasure room full of hidden things of the sea. If you will just let me go free!" See in those days they would put merpeople in the circus if they happened into a fishermen's nets. "Of course I will let you go free. Though the treasure my heat desires your father could not have.” said Evan in such an empty hearted way it lead the mermaid to inquire what it was he longed for. Evan told her of the blond hair, blue-eyed lass, and how she laughed at the love he offered her. The mermaid wishing she could do something for Evan, told him her father might be able to help. So Evan swam with the mermaid down to the heart of the sea, to the land of the merking. What Evan saw was more then hard for him to believe. There were houses made of shells of every kind of shape. He saw merpeople of so many different ages, and they all had gems on them. Evan found himself wondering if the merpeople put the gems on them selves or if the gems came from he merpeople. Then when Evan thought he could not see anything more dazzling there it was, a palace made of pearls, pink pearls, black pearls, white pearls, to sum it up it was grand. They went though the gates and the large front door. The mermaid led Evan into a grand hall, at the end of the hall was a very stately and wise merman, and it was the king. When the king saw the mermaid he was overjoyed "Daughter of mine, I am so glad you are safe. What happened to you? I sent the guards out to search the whole sea and they could not find you." " I was foolish enough to get caught in a fishing net. But the man who caught me was kind enough to let me go. I have brought the man here, I thought you would want to meet him." Evan and the merking joined hands. The merking ask if he could give Evan something to show his thanks. The mermaid spoke up and said Evan had a problem she thought he could help Evan with. Evan told the king of the blond hair, blue-eyed lass he loved. The king thought for a moment then left, when he came back, in his hand he held a box made of shells. He handed it to Evan and told him to open it. Inside was a coral ring, and on the coral ring was set a pearl. Evan gasped, then asked what good a ring would do if he had no one to give it to? The king explained it was a magical ring. That in one-year and a day if he gave it to the one his heart truly desired she would surely accept him. Evan thanked the merking for his gift. The mermaid showed Evan the way back to his boat. When Evan got to shore, he pulled his nets in, and went up to the cottage. Evan reached into his pocket and pulled out the shell case, and inside, yes the ring was still there. Evan wondered how a ring could help him. He closed the case and put it on top of the fireplace mantel. Evan though he had a magical ring given to him by the merking, he still had to eat, so fish he kept catching, tending his nets, and so on like I have said before.