The Little Mermaid… my childhood fascination.

I remember the excitement I always felt when my parents bought us a new Ladybird book with its accompanying cassette. Yes, this is a story from when cassettes were a thing.

My sister and I attended a Francophone school. Born in a Francophone country, Lebanon, we only spoke and learned subjects in French. Although the Lebanese dialect is a spoken derivative of the Arabic language, classical (written) Arabic was only taught at my school as a language.

To enhance our learning, my parents would buy us a Ladybird book in Arabic with its accompanying cassette. That was the original form of an audiobook, which included narration and sound effects to supplement the storytelling. I can still remember the distinct beeping sound that indicated a page turn. We read Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Hansel and Grettel, etc. But nothing was as magical, impactful, and exciting as The Little Mermaid.

Why was I excited? Because the story took place in the sea… a mysterious world that had a life of its own.

Let me share context to why I was fascinated by the sea. Living in Beirut, a city by the Mediterranean, we passed by the sea every day to and from school and witnessed the sunrise and sunset where the sun would disappear daily into the sea. My relationship with the sea was one of fascination and curiosity. Where does the sun go at night? What creatures live there? What do they eat? How do they sleep? Do they go to school? Do they sing? Do they live in tiny houses? These were a few of the many questions I asked myself staring at the sea.

Imagine this: I’m 7 years old and I get this new book. I held the book and I studied its cover: it’s about the sea… about a mermaid… fish… and a ship… Imagine how hard it was for me to sit still at the dinner table, with the book and cassette laying on the kitchen counter facing me. That day, we were having meat stew with peas and carrots. I don’t think I ever ate my dinner with no fuss the way I did that evening. I even finished all my vegetables and rushed to clean my dish. I was determined to avoid any distraction or unnecessary conversation that would delay me from grabbing the book, inserting the cassette into my dad’s Sanyo cassette player, and indulging in this magical story.

I believe the love story and sacrifice aspect was too complex for me to understand, but the story answered many of the questions I had: there were creatures who lived deep in the sea; they had a family; they sang; they danced; they had dreams, hopes, and wishes. I identified with the main character, the Little Mermaid, who was curious, adventurous, fun, and kind.

You know the story! It begins by setting the stage for what was going on in that magical world: the mermaids, their life, their family, etc. But the Little Mermaid wanted more. Forbidden from going to the sea surface, that was exactly what she wanted. On her 16th birthday, she goes up to the surface and witnesses the sinking of a ship carrying the prince. She saves him but while doing so she falls in love with him. She was so much in love that she was willing to leave her family in pursuit of her dream. Unfortunately (spoiler alert, this is not the Disney version), the Little Mermaid decides to sacrifice her life for love and ends up turning into sea foam.

Devastating ending? Yes! But the story is so capturing and impactful, that every time I look at the sea and see it foaming, I think of that story. The writers followed the Story Spine in such a masterful way. Once upon a time, there was a little mermaid. Every day she lived her life the way it was dictated by her family. But one day, she decided she was not willing to follow rules that limited her hopes and capped her dreams. Because of that, she went to the sea surface and found the love of her life. Because of that, she decided to undergo a traumatic life-changing metamorphosis. Until finally, and for love, she decided to sacrifice herself and turn into sea foam letting the love of her life live happily. And ever since, the Little Mermaid lives as sea foam. Yep! For love you do anything. It can’t get more magical than that!

I found the Ladybird’s Little Mermaid narration in English… now I am listening to it and feeling nostalgic.