The little sea princess looked sadly down. Most of her body was beautiful. Just like the bodies of people on the land. But she had no feet. There her body was like the body of a fish.
So the little sea princess went to the old woman.
There were many ugly plants round the old woman's house; they had long arms; they caught everything that was near them. The little sea princess was afraid. She want to go back, but she remembered the prince. This made her brave and she went by these ugly plants. She saw that the plants had dead people in their arms. At last she came to the old woman.
"I know what you want to ask me," She said to the little sea princess. "I shall give you what you want, but it will make you unhappy. You want me make all your body like the bodies of the land people. You want two feet, then a young prince may love you and you makeget a soul. I will make you something to drink. You must take it to the land. When you drink it, you will get two feet. Your body will become like the bodies of the land people. But the change will give you great pain. You will be very beautiful. But when you walk, you will hav much pain. Your feet will be very painful. Do you still want to become like the people on land?"
"Yes, I do," the princess answered. She remembered her prince and the soul which she might get.
"You can never again become a sea princess. You will never get back your fish's body. You can never go back to live with your sisters. The prince must love you so much that he will go away from his father and mother. If he does not marry you, you will die. The you will be changed to water in the sea."
"I still want to become like the land people," said the little sea princess.
"There is one more thing," said the old woman. "You now speak and sing very beautifully. When you are like the and people, you cannot speak and sing. You will not to be able to speak and sing."
"But how can I make the prince love me if I cannot speak to him?" the sea princess asked.
"Your beautiful body, the way you walk, and your speaking eyes," the old woman answered. "It will not be hard to make him love you. Do you still want me to make you like the land people?"
"Yes," said the little princess.
"Here is the magic drink," said the old woman. The little princess took it in her hand.
She went away from the old woman's house.
She looked once again at her father's house. There was no light in it: everyone was asleep. She did not want to go in. She was going away from her home for ever. She was very sad. She went into the garden and took a flower from each of her sister's little gardens. Then she went through the blue waters, up and up.
Before the sun came in the sky the sea princess went to the prince's house. She drank the magic drink which the old woman gave to her. It ran through her body. Then it gave her great pain. She fell down and knew nothing more. When the sun came into the sky, she awoke. There was a burning pain in her arms and in her feet. But she saw the beautiful young prince standing near her.
"Who are you? How did you come here?" the prince asked her. She looked at him with her blue eyes, but she couldn't speak. The prince took her by the hand into the house. When she walked, her feet gave her great pain. Everyone looked at the beautiful way she walked. But no one knew about the pain that it gave her.