The Mermaid, a Ring and a Wish for Love ~ Fairy Tales for Kids

The Mermaid, a Ring and a Wish for Love was adapted from our original story, The
Fisherlad and the Mermaid's Ring. It is sgeulachdan (skale-ak-tan) tale from
Scotland that's told as part of the entertainment at a gathering such as a wedding.

ONCE IN SCOTLAND a young man was so much in love with a lass that he did nothing
but think of her night and day. At last he had the courage to offer her his heart
and asked for hers in return.

But she did not share the same feeling, as it can happen. She sweetly smiled at him
and then ran off. The young man was left feeling sad and defeated.

The young man was filled with embarrassment. He felt he could no longer show his
face around town. Not with everyone knowing she had passed him over! He couldn�t
even fish anymore with his friends at the shore, for he was too full of shame.

So with a heavy heart, he gathered his nets, got inside his boat and sailed off to
a deserted island. He built himself a hut and every morning, very early, sailed to
sea. There he would cast his nets and hopefully haul in a day's catch. He took his
catch to the closest shore port where no one knew his face. He would sell his fish
to the local market, and with the money he earned, buy food and other necessities,
and sail back home to his island. Such was his life, day after day.

Then one day, the corner of his eye caught something gleaming, with the fish in his
net. Quickly, he grabbed it with one hand, though it twisted and thrashed, and he
tied the net into a knot so that whatever it was could not escape.

"Let me go!" he heard a voice shout out. To his surprise, it was a mermaid! She
looked like every other girl from the waist up, but below that flipped a long
fishtail that glittered with shiny yellow-green scales.

"A mermaid!" he said. "You know as well as I do that you must grant me a wish."

"Very well," said the mermaid, "I suppose you want a bag of gold coins. I happen to
know of a sunken ship not far from here with such treasure."

"I have no interest in coins," he said. "'That will not give me what I want."

"So it's a trunk of treasure you require?" She turned her head with pride. "I am
the daughter of the king of the sea, and can have my mermaid servants deliver such
a trunk to your island."

"If you know enough about me to know about my island," he said, "you know what it
is I really want."

"The girl?" sighed the mermaid. "Why her?"

"Ooh, you know why!" he said. "Her blue eyes. Her blonde hair. The way she moves.
She is what I want most in all the world. If I can't have her, I want nothing
else!"

"Ah, she is not so special," said the mermaid. But when the young man tightened
his grip on the netting, she quickly added, "Of course, I can grant your wish of
love, but you must realize it will take some time. Release me and I'll give you a
magic ring. After one year and a day, when you go to her and offer her the ring,
she will not refuse."
"How do you know she won't already be married by then?"