“Once upon a time, is Neverland’s distant past, there lived a beautiful mermaid named Selena. Like most mermaids, Selena was extremely vain, but she was also cruel, selfish, and unkind. She thought herself the most beautiful out of all her sisters, with her porcelain skin, deep blue, flowing waist length hair that seemed to shine, and her deep purple tail, which sparkled like treasure lost deep beneath the sea. She would spend most of her days in her room, perfecting her looks and grooming herself, surrounded by her favourite trinkets she was so protective of, treasure and jewels she had found inside sunken ships. Of all her worldly treasures, her favourite was her jewel encrusted hand mirror, which she took everywhere with her. When she was not sitting at her vanity in the depths below Mermaid Lagoon, she was sitting on the rocks above, admiring herself in her beloved mirror, and bragging to her sea sisters how beautiful she was, and how it was a pity they were not her. This of course, earned her the ire of her sisters, who kept their distance from her, and who did not play or bond with her as they did with themselves. And so this was how they lived their lives for years, until one day, when someone new arrived. Her name was Alana, and she was indeed, truly breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair was as black as night, yet seemed to reflect the moon at times. Her skin pale, almost translucent, and flawless. Her eyes, deep blue, with green flecks dotted about, creating an air of mystery to them. Her tail, was green as the deepest emerald, and glowed even in the darkest recesses of the underwater depths. However, as beautiful as she was, she was also splendidly kind, patient, and generous. Mermaids are cautious nby nature, especially of anyone they do not know, but they quickly began to adore this new siren, as they could not help but love her. All except one, of course. Selena could not bring herself to like Alana, as she could not like anyone who she thought rivaled her beauty. Many times, many times a day, Alana would try to converse with Selena, complimenting her looks, sharing her own found treasures with her, even offering to brush her hair, but Selena would always rebuff her advances, out of spite and jealousy. But Alana would keep trying, determined to make friends with the aloof mermaid. Alana could never understand that Selena’s refusal to be friends was out of jealousy, for Alana herself did not understand that emotion. She was too kind. Selena, tired of hearing the other mermaids speak of Alana’s beauty, began to come up with ways to get rid of the dark haired siren for good. One day, while the others were swimming and lounging on the rocks above, Selena snuck into Alana’s room, and stole almost every one of her treasures. Of course, Alana quickly discovered her things missing, and brought it to the attention of her new sisters. Her sisters, knowing too well who was the culprit, confronted Selena. “Give Alana her things at once,” they demanded, “of we shall take them back along with all of yours, and give everything to Alana!” Selena gave them back, but cried “I didn’t really want them anyway, who would? They are ugly, just worthless junk!” Alana was not angered, but instead, asked her why. “You have so many beautiful things, Selena,” she said. “Why would you take mine if they are not to your liking?” But Selena did not answer, but swam away in a huff, leaving behind a puzzled Alana. The next day, Selena decided to try something different. Once again, she snuck into Alana’s room while everyone played above, but instead of taking her things, she instead broke every single one of them. When she was done, pearls were strewn around the room, some even shattered, and jewels lain crushed next to their crowns and rings. Pretty shells that had been carefully collected and polished now were destroyed, with no hope of being pieced together again. Even Alana’s vanity was now destroyed, the mirror shattered into microscopic fragments. Alana was distressed at finding this mess, and once again alerted her sisters. “You should be ashamed, sister,” when they confronted Selena in her room. “Why have you done this? What has sweet Alana done to you?” they asked. “She exists!” barked Selena, with an evil cackle. “You shall pay for this, sister,” the others warned. But they were stopped when Alana said. “It is alright. They were just things. And I hardly ever used my mirror anyway. I forgive you, Selena. But why?” she again asked, and was again met with silence. Selena was then avoided like the plague, her sisters even refusing to make simple conversation with her. All except Alana, who tried harder than before to make friends with Selena. She collected the prettiest shells, jewels, and coins that she could find, and would bring them to Selena, who seized them from her hands like a child taking candy, and tossing them aside. “You think these are pretty! Silly girl, they are as ugly as you!” And so Alana would swim away, heart sunken at her failed attempts at pleasing her sister. “Do not worry,” her other sisters would tell her afterwards, “you do not want to be friends with her anyway, she is not worth it. She has no kindness in her, you are better off forgetting about her.” But Alana could not, for she could not understand how someone could be so mean. Selena was growing tired of this game, and was growing more and more irritated at Alana’s attempts to please her. “So pathetic, like a sea guppy!” Selena complained one night, grooming herself before bed. “She needs to go, I cannot stand her so! What shall I do?” As she brushed her soft hair, a gleam caught her eye in the mirror. There, in the corner of her room, on top of a treasure chest filled with gold, sat a jewel encrusted knife, presumably meant for a king. “That’s it!” Selena exclaimed, a diabolical idea forming in her head. “This is the way to make her sorry, to make her leave forever!” She took the knife, and slipped in under her pillow, and waiting until every other mermaid had fallen asleep. At last, she crept into Alana’s room, knife behind her back, and promptly covered Alana’s mouth with her hand. Alana began to struggle, but was not strong enough to fight off Selena. Selena took the knife to her face at first, leaving deep, bleeding cuts that were sure to leave unsightly scars. Them, the shorn Alana’s hair, so it became ragged and uneven just above her ears. Finally, she cut and mutilated her long flowing tail, not unlike a fisherman preparing a fish for supper. And then she slipped out of her room, unnoticed to anyone else, leaving Alana sobbing and crying from pain. It only took her sisters minutes to come to her aid. “Dearest little one, what has happened? Who has done this?” they cried, when they saw the assaulted one. But she did not have to answer for them to know. Outraged, they confronted Selena, who sat at her vanity, admiring herself as usual. “How could you, you monster! You have gone too far, to hurt one of your own sisters! It is unforgiveable! Leave, leave now, vile one, and never shall you return! A sister of ours you are not!” And so they threw Selena out, letting her take only her beloved mirror. And so Selena swam into the night, swiftly towards Skull Rock. Unbeknownst to her, the mirror she was so fond of was indeed enchanted as well as beautiful. On the other side of the island, deep within Neverland’s seldom explored woods, lived an enchantress in her cottage. This mirror had been crafted by her years before, and left by the shore of lagoon, knowing one of the mermaids would find it and keep it. The enchantress had similar mirrors all over Neverland, which belonged to it’s residents, which she would use to spy on them. It was an easier way for her to keep in the know about all things, and to keep harmony and peace in Neverland. She had of course seen Selena’s despicable actions over the years, and now she had gone too far. “I had hoped that Selena would change, would become kinder, but instead she has gotten worse and more evil. She will now pay with a fee of my own.” She said to her pet crow. And she promptly her cottage in search for the vainest of sirens. Selena had taken shelter in Neverland’s morbid landmark, and found it a far cry from what she was used to. She was used to being surrounded by underwater beauty and treasures, glittering jewels, her clamshell bed with silk seaweed sheets, all the comforts of a mermaid’s luxury. But now, now she had nothing. Only black, sharp sea weathered rocks that smelled of dead fish, and were painful to sit on. Angry crabs now snapped at her when she tried to settle on the shore, almost knowing of her crimes. The seagulls never ceased screeching, not even in the wee hours of the morning. A damp, unforgiving, dreadful place she had made her home indeed! So she sat and wept that first night, missing the things that she had grown so used to. “I know how you feel, my dear,” an old woman’s voice jarred her from her self pitying thoughts, and she jerked her head up, to see an old woman standing on the shore before her. She was dressed in rags, and was overall an unsightly creature. Normally, Selena would mock her and make her leave, perhaps even splashing her or drowning her, but she was not her normal self. “What do you want? Who are you?” her voice was not without malice. The old woman chuckled. “I mean you no harm my dear. In fact, I pity you. I have seen what has happened. And it reminds me of what has been done to me, when I was young like you. I too, was once a beauty, until another woman came into my life. She became my rival in every way, taking my confidence and even my lover. I then lived alone and miserable ever since, with no way to gain what I have lost. I shall not see this happen to another, it is too much for my heart. Drink this, a potion I have acquired for you. Drink this, and everything will right itself.” She pulled a small vial of shimmering, burgundy liquid, with pearls of silver swirling about, catching the little light there was from the moon spilling into the cave. “And how do I know I can trust what you say, haggard one?” The woman replied, “You cannot, but you have nothing to lose. Look around you, you have nothing but that silly mirror her with you. Take it my dear, drink it tonight, and you shall get what you deserve.” she planted the bottle into the sand, and disappeared just as mysteriously and quickly as she came. After what seemed like hours of contemplation, Selena plucked the potion from the sank, and drank it. Almost immediately, she began to feel exhausted, and settled down in the sand, her tail in the water, and succumbed to the effects of the mysterious elixir. The next morning, after tossing and turning all night, Alana woke surprisingly refreshed. She stretched, and rose from her bed, and as she passed her newly replaced vanity (Selena’s), she stopped and stared. Her face, which as of the previous night had been cut and bloody, was now free of any imperfections, leaving not a trace of any assault. Her hair, which had been shorn the day before, was now long again, her ebony hair flowing once again past her waist in soft, loose curls. Her tail, she noticed as she examined herself, was not longer tattered and butchered, but was once again smooth and flowing, gleaming just as emerald as before her attack. Astonished and confused, she roused her sisters with joy. “I cannot believe this!” they exclaimed, both confused and overjoyed for their sister. “How is this possible?” they asked. Even the oldest of the sisters could offer no explanation for this, despite knowing Neverland was a land of mystery and magic. Alana, however, began to suspect it had something to do with the banished mermaid. “Perhaps it was Selena, perhaps she found a way to make things right!” her sisters laughed at her naivety, saying, “oh little one, Selena would never think of doing something to noble and kind. You do now know her as we do, despite her being so cruel to you! How sweet you think too highly of her!” But Alana was not convinced, and so without telling her sisters, she quietly set off in the direction she had last seen Selena swim off to; Skull Rock. Neverland was indeed full of surprises that day, for Selena had awoken as well to find her appearance too was altered, but in the kind way Alana’s had been! Instead, Selena let out a scream when she rose, discovering that her hands, which were once young and soft, with long, perfectly polished nails, were not wrinkled and bent, with bones protruding every which way, as if she were suddenly struck with severe arthritis. She grabbed her mirror to inspect her face, and let out a howl when she saw a decrepit, old woman looking back at her. Her beautiful upturned green eyes which gleamed with mystery at one time, were now dull and sunken into her face, surrounded by crows feet. Deep, dark bags sagged underneath, leaving one with the impression she had not slept in decades. Her hair, once lustrous and soft, was now tattered and gray, sticking every which way, with the consistency of dried grass. Her skin, was now sun leathered and wrinkled, crackling with each breath she took. Her tail, her beautiful tail, was battered and tattered, colorless and matte, ripped and torn at each edge, as if she had escaped some horrific disaster. “I have been tricked!” she cried, as realization settled in. “That witch! I have been deceived! What am I to do? Come back! I’ll get you yet!” She could not bear to look into her mirror, and so it was tossed aside to be taken away by the tide out to sea. Her sobs echoed throughout the cavern, and could be heard even above the waves and ever cawing gulls. And it was these cries which attracted Alana, who found Selena thrown over a rock, face down, completely despondent. “Who is that?” Alana called, unaware of any such mermaid in the lagoon. Selena’s head shot up, and upon recognizing Alana, threw herself backwards ungracefully, screaming “Stay away! Do not come near me! You wretch! You beast! It is your fault! Do not look upon me!” She covered her face with her withered hands, embarrassed by her new looks. Frightened at first, Alana wanted to fell, but as unfamiliar as this creature was to her, there was something familiar still about her face, her voice. “Selena?” Alana whispered softly, half a question, half an exclamation. “It is I,” croaked the former beauty of the lagoon. “Do not stare, simply leave. You have won, I concede. Leave me be, for you have done enough!” But Alana did not heed her warning, but instead swam closer to her, with tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Never in her life had she seen anything so pitiful, so heartbreaking. “Oh, Selena, I mean you no harm. Who has done this to you? What has happened? Tell me, sister, and I will help you make it right.” Selena was hiding her face, and could not see the tears that spilled from Alana’s eyes, but could instead hear the sorrow in her voice. Selena’s hand left her face, and she looked upon the mermaid who she had always considered her rival. She was astonished to see, instead of malice or delight, pity and empathy seeping through her eyes, something she had never seen from any mermaid, lest for her especially, before. “You mean you have not wanted this? Do you not take joy from seeing me like this? You know nothing of this, Alana?” Alana shook her head, and reached her hand out to the bitter mermaid. “I know nothing, but I do know you do not deserve this. We must find a way to make you beautiful again!” “SHE WAS NEVER BEAUTIFUL! ALWAYS UGLY, JUST LIKE HER HEART! THAT IS WHY I MADE HER SO IN FLESH!” A voice boomed like thunder, reverberating through the skull, startling both mermaids. On the shore, in the very spot she had stood the night before, was the enchantress. “It is you, the wretch who made me this way! Undo this you witch! Undo this at once!” Cried Selena, as she recognized the old hag. In an instant, as enchantresses often do, her ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful women, with hair as gold as the sun, and a dress as exquisite as any every crafted. “All I have done, evil one, was match your insides to your outsides, as I should have done years ago. You have done this to yourself, you must realize, even someone as kind and soft as little Alana must know this!” The enchantress remarked. “For years, I have watched you mistreat your sisters through that mirror, for years, I have seen you so consumed with only yourself, you have never bothered to think about anyone but yourself. And for years, I have made the mistake of tolerating it until it was too late. It is only fair that your appearance be tainted just as your soul is, to reflect who you are within.” Selena hung her had in shame and pity, and once more began to cry. “Dear enchantess,” offered Alana, “Do you not see how unhappy my sister is? Do you not see how she cries, how she wails so? It is true that she has not been kind to me especially, but I have forgiven her. I understand now how she was so proud of her looks, the only good thing she had for herself, that she felt threatened when I arrived. Oh! This is my fault! I shall leave! Take my things, take my beauty once again, if you like, take anything you like, but please, give my dear sister her looks back. Does she not deserve a second chance? It is not fair at all!” Bewildered by this statement, the enchatress could not speak for a moment. “Little one, after all she has done to you, you still have faith in her? You still believe her deserving of a second chance? But how, dear one?” Alana took Selena’s grotesque hands into her own, and simple said, “For she is my sister, even if she does not want it to be so. And I do care, despite her trying to be rid of me! Please, powerful witch, perhaps there is something I can do!” And she began to cry with her sister. “Little one, dearest kind one,” the enchantress said in a calm, soothing voice, “your words and sentiments touch me. How you would sacrifice your things, your beauty, for someone so undeserving. But you shall not. For there is nothing YOU can do for her, only something SHE can do for HERSELF. I shall give you another change, wicked one, but it shall not be as quick or simple as drinking a potion. Instead, you must work. For each act of kindness, generosity, compassion, and selflessness you bestow on others, a part of your body shall be replaced with a former part of who you once were. On the contrary, each misdeed of evil, selfishness, and cruelty shall undo you acts of kindness, and your body will return to how it looks now, bit by bit. If you live your days in kindness and take heed from Alana, you too, shall be gifted with the beauty that you once possessed once again. This is the once chance you shall have. You must keep in mind, your skin reflects your heart, and all will see you for what lies within it.” with a wave of her wand, Selena was engulfed in a shimmering shower of gold dust, which dissipated along with the enchantress. The two sisters were then left alone to process that which only just happened all at once. “Alana,” said Selena, with a softer much gentler voice than she had ever used before. “You still care for me, despite what I have done to you? I do not deserve it, but why?” Alana embraced her gently. “I have always cared for you, I have always tried. And I always will try, for you are my sister still.” And so hand in hand, together they swam to mermaid lagoon, where they were met with disapproval. “She cannot live here! After all she has done, and look at her!” “She’s a disgrace! How ugly!” they protested, shrieking and splashing Selena. Selena hid her face in her hands. “They are right, sister, I must go.” But Alana did not yield, and instead replied, “I have forgiven her, and I am the one who has bore the brunt of her cruelty! If you cannot forgive her, or cannot see beyond her looks, then perhaps you are no better than she!” Unable to offer a rebuttal, the sisters consented, although begrudgingly and skeptically. But it was not long before these precognitions faded, as Selena tried her best each and every day to change. With Alana’s guidance, Selena became more patient, more kind, and more generous with each deed. She offered her treasure trove of trinkets to her sisters, finding that their squeals of joy and bright smiles were far more rearding than hoarding these treasures for herself. She would offer to brush their hair, and tell them stories, and would even offer them beauty advice, if they so asked. Unnoticeable at first, scale by scale, her tail began to change from lifelessly gray, back to it’s former purple beauty. Then her skin, wrinkle by wrinkle, would change back into the smooth porcelain slate that it once was, radiating perfection. And her hair, strand by strand, deed by deed, changed from gravely ghoulish to rich, deep sea blue as it formerly had been, once become soft and long. And one day, she dared to glance into Alana’s mirror which had once been hers, and was ecstatic to find that was indeed once as beautiful as before. But it was not her hair, not her skin, nor even her tail that she was so pleased with, no, for it was her smile that outshone everything else, that reflected the happiness that she never before knew. Alana had told her it was what made her truly beautiful, along with her kindness. Her sisters, who had at one time despised her and avoided her, now adored her as they adored Alana, and showered her with love and praise, which Selena found far more gratifying than any jeweled ornament for her hair. Selena and Alana became the best of friends, spending their days not in front of mirrors, but exploring the deep seas of Neverland, having endless adventures, and sharing love and gifts with everyone they knew. The enchanted mirror, they say, still waits at the bottom of Neverland’s sea, long forgotten by Selena, but waiting to be discovered by the next vain soul who needs the biggest makeover of them all.”
