Chapter 12: The Prince and the Little Mermaid (12)

After a moment of silence, he suddenly gently curled his lips and repeated softly, "It was a kiss..."

The old grandmother swam gently past, raised her hand to touch his long hair, and said in a slow voice like a story:

"Kissing is not only an act of love, but also represents a sacred ritual for us mermaids. If you have a crush, you'll know what a kiss means. When a mermaid kisses someone... It means being willing to give all of yourself to that person."

The little mermaid did not look at her, but looked at the swaying grass and said in a low voice, "I know."

"All of it. Every hair, every inch of skin, every beat of the heart..." The old grandmother sighed slightly: "Child, do you have a favorite person?"

The young man did not answer, raising his thick eyelashes, the ice blue pupils quietly staring at the grandmother in front of him.

The old grandmother closed her eyes and shook her head slightly:

"You must remember, my child, that kisses are not to be given lightly unless you are ready and willing to give your all to that person."

Anmur's face is very calm, silently turned back, continue to watch the shuttle fish.

The old grandmother continued slowly:

"Your 'all' is different from 'all', it is what you have, including what you care about, such as relatives, friends, and also includes what you do not notice, such as health, singing voice... Even life."

She sighed softly, "So you can only send your own kiss if you are ready." But that's only for mermaids, if they're human..."

The little mermaid's slender eyelashes quivered, quietly looking at the beautiful underwater garden, and the clear and pleasant voice was no waves, as if it were just indifferent repetition:

"If it's human?"

"If it's human, it's a different story." The old grandmother looked at him quietly, "Human love is the most unreliable, kissing is not a holy thing for them, and there is no need to be responsible for it." The same goes for love. Human life is short, but the heart is uncertain. One can kiss and love many people in one lifetime."

But the little mermaid laughed softly, and the corners of her lips showed soft dimples, and whispered:

"... How unfair."

The old grandmother smiled helplessly and slowly said, "But people have souls, even if their lives are short, after they die, they can go to heaven." We can't. Even if we live for hundreds of years, when we die, we'll just turn into foam floating around on the sea."

She hesitated. "Unless..."

The child in front of her looked up at her, her ice-blue eyes calm, "Unless what?"

"Unless men are willing to share their souls with us." 'said the old grandmother softly.' If a man could truly love him -- if he loved a mermaid more than anything else -- he would give her half his soul, half his joy... But, boy, that's impossible."

The little mermaid blinked her eyes. "Why?"

The old grandmother smiled and said softly:

"Because of the fish tail."

"My dear boy, the fish tail is something unacceptable to human beings. It's too strange for humans. No one can love a mermaid with a fish tail."

Anmuer blinked her eyes slightly.

His long lashes quivered, and at last, as if in a whisper to himself, he asked:

"Can't she love a mermaid?"

He was answered by a whisper, like a sigh:

"Yes, my child. No."