Arabian Nights Mermaid

I was inspired and love the 1001 Arabian Nights story. I decided to come up with my own Arabian Night stories. Here, I present to you the 1st one called Mermaid. What is written below is just an excerpt of the story I have. However, the scene I drew happens after. Yeah, I know there's always a catch. I’ve found it more interesting when the viewer can come up with the story. Hence, I leave the rest for you to ponder your own answers to the questions in your head.

A little background. I had to do research into the Islamic culture to get a feel of their art. I was amazed at what they have. It is from these references I used , a little here and little there, that I came up with the background and details. Hope you can enjoy!

An excerpt from “Arabian Nights: Mermaid”

A walker came by daily with buckets of fishes. The swimmer ate 5 times a day. She did need to maintain her strength for any opportunity that may present itself. The walker showed up everyday like the tide. She tried to talk to the walker pleading for help but he would not look at her. She screamed and screamed but not even a glance was given. Many questions she had wanting answers. Who am I? How did I get here? Now, she resigned herself to not bother. Except there were some days where she just had to try hoping within hopes he would acknowledge her. She hated him! What life is this, might as well dissolve into the waters. Is this it then? Her only reprieve was swimming quickly to break the surface into the air feeling the warmth of the sun. She loved that more than the coolness of the water.

The walker thought his charge easy enough and remembers how it came to be. The Djinn suddenly appeared at his station , grabbed him and brought him here to show the swimmer. Sworn to secrecy punishable by death, by order of the Emperor his uncle by birth, he was now responsible for tending to the swimmer. If the swimmer died so would he. He recognized her as the princess daughter of the the late King whom everyone believed dead. She had been a powerful spell caster able to turn men into stone or put them into trance to do her bidding. For that reason alone he feared looking at her. Even if the Djinn took away her voice he still did not want to put it to chance. He could see from his peripheral vision she was trying to talk to him. What was she trying to say? She seemed mad, the more reason to avoid any visual contact. As he watched her leap out of the water catching the solar rays he remembered how she loved to sun tan in the royal court. He still thought her beautiful.

Thanks LAZDUDE for the feature: [link]

You can check out the others in this series below: