THE LITTLE MERMAID A ChooseYourOwnAdventure Text Game SLIDE

THE LITTLE MERMAID A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Text Game

SLIDE ONE This is you. Well, technically that is me, but you wanted control, so here you go. Since you are in charge, simply click which option you wish and see the result. But be cautioned: each decision is critical —one choice could change the whole course of your story’s development. **

** SLIDE TWO This is your life: You live with your father, the Sea King, and his mom, or Grand-Mother to you. Of course, you aren’t the only daughter of the Sea King, for you share a castle with five other Sea Princesses. And yes, you are the youngest. But being the youngest is not so bad; you are also the prettiest with the most beautiful voice. Yet, you’re sad and long for something you can never have—an immortal soul. You’re quiet and thoughtful, a gardener of sunset colored flowers, and a lover of a shipwrecked marble statue. Obsessed with this likeness of a handsome boy, you dream of winning his heart and love, to obtain what you want most in life. **

** SLIDE THREE I have finally turned fifteen and Grandma said it is now my turn to rise up out of the water and sit on the rocks to catch a glimpse of the human world. v I’m not sure if I am ready for this; I’d rather stay home with my family. ** v Are you kidding me? I’ve been waiting for this opportunity since my Eldest Sister turned fifteen! **

** SLIDE FOUR Grandma ordains me with eight large oysters attached to my tail; this shows my high rank among the undersea subjects. She also gives me a wreath of white lilies with pearls to place atop my head as a crown. I’m not too enthused about all this pretense, but the shore is calling my name and I’ll do anything to raise to the surface as quick and light as a bubble. Finally I break the surface and catch a glimpse of a great ship full of celebration. v What a marvelous wonder! I must swim up closer to see in detail these humans who express such joy and splendor. Is that a handsome prince I see? ** v This ship looks dangerous; the humans might see me and take hostile action. Maybe swimming closer isn’t such a great idea. v There is something strange about this ship; the humans look more wild than my sisters had described. Could they be thieving beasts my grandmother warned me about, called pirates?

** SLIDE FIVE v This birthday celebration for the prince is great, but it is fairly late and my family is expecting me home. Plus I can feel a terrible storm on its way, which means I need to be safe at home under the water. I am captivated by this handsome prince and his gentle black eyes; I can’t look away from this little cabin window. But the ship is starting to sail away, and dark clouds have overtaken the sky. The storm sends flashes of lightning and raging waves that tear the ship to pieces and throw my prince over board. v I must save him! Such beauty cannot die when I have the power to make a difference. ** v My father ordered me to never interfere with human life. His death is a fate that I must not change, no matter how much I wish to.

** SLIDE SIX v We have to make it to shore soon or else my prince will die. But I don’t think I am strong enough to carry such a robust frame miles to shore… I might not have the physical strength, but my love for this boy is enough to get us there. See, we made it! v I will stay by his side from now on until forever. I don’t care who sees me or how frightened he becomes when he wakes up. I am his. Wait, some young girls are approaching! I must hide in the sea foam so that I am not discovered. A beautiful young maiden wakes him up. v He does not know that I was the one to save him! ** v Maybe he will remember me, if only in his dreams…

** SLIDE SEVEN I risked my life saving him and after all that trouble some young maiden steals the credit I deserve. It is so painful to think of those moments we spent together laying on the shore. I was able to kiss high, smooth forehead and feel his raven black hair slip through my fingers. If only we could have stayed frozen in that place for eternity. But now that I am home, all I can do is ask everyone I meet if they have seen this prince before. v My search comes up empty; most undersea subjects have no interest in human life. My sisters help me with my search and finally they find a couple of merpeople who know where my prince lives. They rush me to where his castle sits by the sea and I am able to watch him, unseen and questioning. v My prince is so generous and lively. His words are pure and his motives sound. I have never seen any being with such a noble character. I am more than in love. **

** SLIDE EIGHT I go to Grand-Mother and tell her how much this boy means to me. I tell her of his many good deeds and of his human friends whose lives I envy so deeply. I want to know more—about their birth, life, and death. v But Grandma refuses to listen to my longing words and admonishes me to never speak of mixing with humans again. Grandma understands how strong the pull of the surface is; she was once a fifteen year old girl once, too. So she decides to tell me of the human condition: how humans live short life spans, unlike merpeople who live up to three hundred years, and of their immortal souls. Although they live only seventy years, the humans live again after death in unknown and glorious regions which merpeople will never be able to see. And the only way a mermaid may receive a soul is if she marries a human. v An immortal soul? What’s the use of that when I can live three hundred full years underwater? v This is why I need my prince! If I become human he could marry me and I will get an immortal soul. **

** SLIDE NINE There is only one being who can turn me into a human: the Sea-Witch. I have always been so afraid of her, but I need her help more than ever before. She lives behind the foaming whirlpools, a place Father told us to never go. v And he was right forbidding us. The Sea-Witch helps, but a price too great for me to pay. I’ll win my prince’s heart some other way. She is my only hope at being human, just as the prince is my only chance at an immortal soul. It is time to grow up and take matters into my own hands. I swim deeper into the sea going where not flowers nor grass grow and where stands a house made of shipwrecked human bones. A field of polypi—half animal, half plant beings—obstructs my path to the Sea-Witch’s house. The sight of them is horrifying, their serpent heads sprouting out of the ground with worm-like fingers that snare anything in their path. v This sight is too much for me to handle; if I turn back now , I can get home before anyone realizes. v Although I am too alarmed to move, I must carry on for my soul depends on this decision. **

** SLIDE TEN I enter the Sea-Witch’s lair to see her large form covered with her pet water snakes and toads. She says she has been expecting me for a while now and has a proposal for my situation. v This lady is bad news! I’m out of here. v I came here for a reason and I shall not forget my handsome prince and the soul that awaits me if I win his heart. Now is not the time to shy away from risk, I’m going to hear what the Sea-Witch has to offer.

** SLIDE ELEVEN I steal back to my Father’s castle and send my family love while they sleep. One last time going through my beautiful garden of flame red flowers before I raise up to the surface and drink the Sea-Witch’s draught. I swim up to the Prince’s castle and sit on the marble steps, this my last moment as a mermaid. The draught goes down smoothly, but my hands tremble from fear or excitement, I’m not sure. v I close my eyes, waiting for something—anything—to happen. Nothing does. The sharpest of pains seizes my body like a knife slicing through my long tail. I faint with pain and

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SLIDE THIRTEEN

SLIDE FOURTEEN

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SLIDE SEVENTEEN ** v Why did I turn down my chance to