Ariadne and the Golden Spindle

  In the Kingdom of the Shadowed Sea, near the edge of the dark and open sea, lived a young mermaid named Ariadne. There among the kelp and the coral and the bending light the merfolk of the Shadowed Sea lived in open houses made of sea glass, pearl and shells.

  Ariadne was the only child of a poor family. Her parents prized her above their meager possessions, and what Ariadne treasured above all was her golden hair, which was long and shimmered in a way that made it seem as if it was spun of gold. Her hair made her the envy of the Shadowed Sea. All the other mermaids had dark hair resembling the kelp that hid the city.

  One day a terrible storm swept through the ocean, wreaking havoc on the kingdom. When it passed, the structures lay like flotsam along the ground, but the reef remained. Yet more misfortune followed hard on the heels of the Shadowed Sea's troubles.

  A giant sea serpent called the Wevren came from parts unknown, bringing destruction like a whirlwind. The king tried to reason with the creature, but to no avail. Every day the serpent came and carried off some poor young maiden to eat. Seeing the Wevren's appetite for the young mermaids, the king began to have an idea.

  The next day the sun rose in a haze of red and gold, bathing the waters in colors of muddied blood. The Wevren arrived with the dawn. The earth shuddered and water churned at his approach, but the king barred the way. Curious, the Wevren glared at the king who dared stand in his presence.

  The king did not back down even though he trembled from head to tail. "What will it take for you to leave my kingdom and never return?" he asked.

  At that moment, Ariadne swam by. Her soft blue eyes widened as they lighted on the giant serpent. She paled and darted out of sight.

  But the Wevren had seen her. His eyes glinted as he took in her brightly-colored hair. He turned back to the young king. "King of the Shadowed Sea," he growled, "I will leave your people alone if you will give me gold as bright as the sun."

  The king frowned. The kingdom contained no gold, but he wanted to get rid of the beast. "If you give me time, I promise you I will give you the gold."

  The Wevren's eyes gleamed a poisonous green. "I'll be back in a week for the gold or the rest of the mermaids of this country." He turned and sped away before the king could respond.

  With a week to deliver the gold, the King sent mermen into the far reaches of the sea. The king waited and waited for them to return. Eventually, only three days remained.

  Finally, the mermen returned, but they were empty-handed. "Your Majesty, we searched the entire sea but found no gold," they said.

  The king, in despair, asked, "What do we do? The creature will eat us all before it is through."

  Just when he was about to give up, the youngest merman came forward. "Your Majesty, if I could have your ear for a moment, I might have a solution to your problem."

  "Well, speak up," the king said.

  "When I was child I ventured far out into the sea with my friend. We came upon a dark cave from which hot, dark water rose."

  The king wondered where all this was going, but politely kept quiet.

  "We ventured into the cave and discovered that it was the home of a sea witch, named Assana. She could do wonderful things! I believe she could even turn hair into gold!"

  The king straightened. Turn things into gold... If he could give the witch a strand of Ariadne's hair, perhaps she could turn it into gold! "Send for Ariadne immediately!" he commanded.