The Little Mermaid

Cast -

The Little Mermaid: Kathrina Griebel
The Prince: Ootori Kokona
The Little Mermaid's Sister: Yanagiba Panda
The Sea Witch: Sasuga Chisa
The Neighboring Country's Princess: Niizuma Yae

Act 1 -

The Little Mermaid, who lived at the bottom of the sea, longed for the humans who lived above the waves.

One day, she found a mirror in the sand at the bottom of the sea and was overjoyed.

It was a tool that reflected the image of whatever it saw. It was one of the mysterious objects left behind by a sunken ship.

“Things made by humans are truly wonderful. ...I want to go to the human world too,” wished the Little Mermaid.

However, there was a rule in the mermaid world that they must not come into contact with humans.

To keep the mermaid from getting any strange ideas, her sister told her of the fear and ugliness of humans, and the horror of the ‘Ocean Graveyard’ where mermaids who broke the rule were banished. But the mermaid's resolve did not waver.

When the mermaid heard that they moved using two supports called legs, she dreamed, “If I had legs, could I become human too?”

Persuading her astonished sister, she made her promise to take her to the surface of the sea when she turned fifteen.

Time passed-and when the mermaid turned fifteen, she was taken to the surface as promised.

Above her spread a night sky like another sea. As she marveled at the ‘world above’ she saw for the first time, a sailing ship approached.

A young man-a prince-appeared on its deck.

“Today is my birthday! Everyone celebrate grandly!”

Fireworks lit up the sky, and the mermaid princess was captivated by the beautiful sight. But as she gazed in awe, rain began to fall. In an instant, the sea grew rough and turned into a storm.

The ship was swallowed by the raging waves, and the prince fell into the sea.

The mermaid princess panicked, shaking off her sister's attempts to stop her, and rushed to save him. She pulled the prince, sinking into the sea, onto the shore and checked his breathing.

“What a beautiful face...”

As she marveled at his striking features, the prince began to stir.

Hiding behind a rock so she wouldn't be seen, the mermaid princess watched as a nun came upon the fallen man.

The nun tended to the prince, and when he regained consciousness, he thanked her.

Act 2 -

Watching the two walk away from the shore, the mermaid felt a pang of loneliness, thinking that she was the one who saved him.

“But...this is for the best.”

Mermaids and humans must not interact. True to that law, the mermaid returned alone to the sea.

Back on the ocean floor, her sister approached, looking worried. She had been anxious, wondering where the mermaid had been since the stormy night.

When the mermaid honestly confessed she had saved the prince, her sister scolded her for breaking the law and coming into contact with a human.

Her sister urged her to obey the law and live peacefully, but the mermaid could think only of that prince.

Her love for humans grew ever stronger.

“I...want to become human.”

Hearing those words, her sister flew into a rage.

She struck her sister's cheek, trying to stop her, but it turned into a fight.

Fleeing her sister, the mermaid, unable to contain her feelings, came to the graveyard of the sea where the sea witch was said to dwell.

The terrifying witch, who granted wishes, already knew why the mermaid had come and asked eerily.

“Once you become human, you can never return to being a mermaid.”

“And if the prince marries another girl-”

“-Your heart will burst instantly, and you'll vanish into bubbles without time for repentance. Is that truly what you want?”

Though her resolve wavered, the mermaid nodded-

“...I am prepared. Sea Witch, what is your wish?”

The sea witch demanded: If you want legs to walk on land like humans, give me your beautiful voice.

To see that prince once more, the mermaid princess made a pact with the sea witch.

Act 3 -

When she next awoke, the mermaid princess lay washed up on the shore. Rising, she noticed legs where her tail had been and rejoiced.

But as per her pact with the witch, she could no longer speak.

(I can never speak or sing again...)

The mermaid grieved.

(But this means I can go to him...)

As she tried to pull herself together and stand, excruciating pain shot through her legs like walking on needles. She couldn't walk properly with these new legs.

Just as the mermaid despaired that she'd never see him, the prince she longed for happened to pass by.

“Hmm...? Have we met somewhere before?”

The prince helped the mermaid princess, who couldn't stand.

He took her to the royal castle and gave her a dress.

Even after learning she couldn't speak, he smiled and said, “Somehow, I understand your feelings.”

He picked up the mermaid princess, who couldn't walk well, and took her to many places, showing her the human world just as she had wished.

The days that followed were incredibly happy for the mermaid princess, but they didn't last long.

The two lived together, went out together, and grew closer.

But one day, the prince happened to meet the princess of a neighboring kingdom who was visiting on an inspection tour.

She was the same person the prince had met on the beach, the sister who had been at the convent training to be a bride.

When the princess met the prince, she shyly told him they were betrothed.

“Is that so...perhaps this is fate.”

Mistaking her for the woman who had saved his life, the prince decided to marry the princess.

The mermaid watched this unfold right before her eyes, yet she could not speak.

The prince and princess, holding hands, happily departed to report to their respective kings.

Left behind, the mermaid reached out, trying to chase after them, but she couldn't walk properly and couldn't catch up.

(I can barely walk on my own.)

(I can't even call out for help.)

(But that person was kind to someone like me...)

The mermaid princess recalled the days spent with the prince.

The life above the sea she had always longed for.

On land, there was the scent of flowers. There were green forests, snow capped mountains, and birds singing with the wind.

-How beautiful this world the prince showed me is.

If only I could convey these feelings to you.

The mermaid princess thought this amidst her sorrow.

Act 4 -

After announcing their marriage, the prince returned to the mermaid princess in high spirits.

Noticing her sad expression, he asked, “What are you thinking?”

“Ah......”

The mermaid princess tried to speak, but her thoughts wouldn't form words.

“I see! You're happy too, aren't you! How incredibly lucky I am! The princess who saved me during that stormy night is marrying me!”

Unaware of the truth, the prince openly expressed his joy before the mermaid.

(No! I was the one who saved you!)

(I saved you!)

Seeing the mermaid suffering from the frustration of being unable to speak, the prince asked if something was troubling her.

“Are you sad? ... It's okay. I'm here. I'll always be on your side.”

Gazing at the prince who offered her a pure smile, the mermaid princess recalled why she had made a pact with the sea witch.

(...Yes. To meet this man, I gave up my voice, my mermaid tail, my family-everything.)

Resolved, the mermaid princess smiled.

For this man's smile, she didn't care what became of herself.

-I wish for others' happiness more than my own.

The prince, having decided to marry the princess of a neighboring kingdom, took the mermaid princess with him on a tour to greet the nations.

Though she knew her final day was approaching, the mermaid princess danced with a smile at the wedding to bless the couple.

Her dance, performed while enduring pain and hiding her suffering heart, captivated everyone present.

And so, on her final day, the mermaid princess waited on the shore for the sunrise.

She remembered the pact she made with the sea witch.

If the prince married another woman, she would vanish.

Time was running out. As she gazed at the sea with tear stained eyes, her long lost sister emerged from the waves.

(Sister...! Why is your hair so short?)

Her sister approached the mermaid princess and scolded her, “What a foolish thing to do!” She knew about the contract with the witch.

Then she handed the mermaid princess a knife.

If she stabbed the prince in the heart with that knife-the one her sister had traded for her beautiful hair-she could become a mermaid again.

“Once the sun is fully risen, you'll turn to foam and vanish.”

“There's no time left. Quickly, stab the prince in the heart.”

Her sister pleaded. But the mermaid shook her head. She simply couldn't bring herself to kill the prince.

Her sister begged tearfully. "Please, come back. I don't want to lose my beloved sister. Everyone is waiting for you to return."

Facing her sister's desperate plea, the mermaid's mind was made up.

(Happiness is meeting someone you value more than your own life.)

Strangely, she felt refreshed now.

Without a sound, the mermaid princess silently said “thank you” to her sister.

The morning sun finally rose.

As her sister watched, the mermaid princess dissolved into bubbles and vanished.

“...Idiot...idiot...idiot!”

“Why do you always do things on your own...!”

Her sister complained while crying, but she also felt a little envious of the Little Mermaid.

Her sister had surely lived the life she wanted to live and gained something more important than her own life.

Believing this, she looked up lovingly at the bubbles rising into the sky.

Yanagiba Panda
sob

Kathrina Griebel
Hey, the performance is over now. Why are you crying?

Yanagiba Panda
Well, playing the part made me realize how tragic the love story really is. When I think about how the Little Mermaid's sister must have felt, I can't help but cry! And the prince! I can't forgive him! How could he choose the princess of a neighboring country over my adorable little sister!

Ootori Kokona
Ahaha...sorry about that.

Sasuga Chisa
Well, in that situation, it's hard to see the truth. I guess it's just a twist of fate...

Yanagiba Panda
Ugh, it's so frustrating! But that's what makes this play so good!

Kathrina Griebel
Well, that's the story of The Little Mermaid...heh heh. But seeing Panda cry over me made me feel better somehow.

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Pub: 28 Jan 2026 20:12 UTC

Edit: 28 Jan 2026 20:13 UTC

Views: 5