At the bottom of the sea, lived the sea king and his family in a palace.

The sea king had six daughters who were mermaid princesses.

The youngest was the most beautiful one. And she was good at singing.

The little mermaid liked the human stories her grandmother told her.

But she was not allowed to see the human world until she was fifteen.

On her fifteenth birthday, the little mermaid rose up to the surface of the sea.

There was a large ship floating on the peaceful sea.

She was very excited when she saw a handsome prince on the

ship. The little mermaid was deeply attracted by his gentle smile.

At night, a sudden storm turned over the ship.

Many people fell into the sea, including the prince.

The little mermaid swam over to the prince, took him by his head and brought him to shore.

He was unconscious. The little mermaid kissed his forehead and then hid behind a rock, waiting for someone to save him.

At last, a young girl came by. Just then, the prince came to life.

Thinking the girl had saved his life, the prince thanked her.

The little mermaid saw the prince being lifted back to the palace.

She wanted to tell the prince the truth but she couldn't!

From then on, the little mermaid always swam near the

palace at night to see the prince.

She longed to become a human being so that she could stay with the prince.

One night the little mermaid went to see the witch.

She begged her for legs.

"You have to give up your voice," the witch said.

The little mermaid agreed.

The witch gave her a draught. "Take this, and you will get legs," she said.

"But walking on feet will be extremely painful for you.

What's more, you can never return to the sea. And if the

prince falls in love with another girl, you will become foam in the

sea on the next morning after his wedding!

The little mermaid left for the shore, without saying goodbye to her family.

After taking the draught on the shore, she fainted in great pain.

When she woke up, the prince was standing before her.

He asked the little mermaid who she was, and where she came from.

But she couldn't speak.

The prince took the little mermaid to the palace and let her stay with him.

The little mermaid couldn't sing, but she could dance.

Although every step caused her harsh pain, she insisted on

dancing for the prince as long as he was happy.

But the prince only regarded her as a good friend. He said

he loved the girl who had saved him. The little mermaid couldn't

tell him it was she who saved him. But she dreamed one day the

prince would find out the truth.

She missed her family so much. She was not allowed to go back to the sea, but she didn't feel regret.

one day. the prince visited a neighbouring country with the little mermaid

and his attendants.

At dinner, the prince saw the country's princess. "My God, she is the girl

who saved me" he told the little mermaid excitedly. "I will marry her!"

The little mermaid was heartbroken. She kissed the prince's hand.

She knew that she would soon turn into foam.

Soon the prince and princess got married!

On the deck of the ship, the little mermaid danced for them. She had never danced so elegantly before, and all the guests cheered her.

The pain in her feet was so harsh it was like dancing on sharp knives, but her heart was much more painful than her feet.

It was the last night of her life.

The prince paid no attention to her. He enjoyed his time with his beautiful bride.

At night, the little mermaid's sisters came.

They had given their hair to the witch in exchange for a sharp knife. If the little mermaid plunged it into the heart of the prince before sunrise, she would be turned back into a mermaid and return to the sea.

The little mermaid didn't want to hurt the prince, but her sisters insisted on giving the knife to her.

The sun was about to rise. The little mermaid entered the prince's bedroom. She saw the sleeping prince lying with his pride

It was her last chance! But she could not bear to kill the prince. She kissed his forehead and threw the knife away.

The little mermaid walked out of the bedroom and jumped into the sea.

When the prince and his bride woke up, they couldn't find the little mermaid. They felt very upset.

The little mermaid felt as if she had become a cloud, and was gradually rising up.

"Where am I going?" she asked.

"You are becoming a cloud and flying to the sky!" some beautiful voices answered. "From now on, you will have a happy life!" And then the little mermaid raised her arms and happily flew to the sky.

【英语童话中阶版】The Little Mermaid 海的女儿(附文本)