The Mermaid
T'was a strange town, full of strange people. But none as strange as one man. Every so often, a house would blow up. No one knew who it was, just that the effects were devastating. No one, except Bannaben.
Bannaben was a man with two lines of hair for a mustache, and a skinny frame. Nobody knew who Bannaben was, or where he even came from. All they knew was that he had moved in 10 years ago into the gloomy villa on the outskirts of the town. The day after he moved in, strange things began to happen.
The sailors who filled the harbor with tales of their travels suddenly disappeared, never to be seen again. Weird eye carvings sprouted on trees in the woods. People began to isolate themselves from Bannaben. Except a woman named Urchinia.
Urchinia loved Bannaben, and ended up marrying him. Bannaben, though, was without love. He had no care for Urchinia. To him, she was just there to pamper him. He not only exploited Urchinia, but he abused her too. He yelled at her and beat her until she became a ghost of herself, wandering the villa with a most morbid expression on her face.
Five years after their marriage, some passerbys heard Bannaben and Urchinia arguing. It was a very big fight, and it was slowly turning into a physical one.
"Bannaben, you've exploited me since the day we were married. Not only that, but you've also abused me. I'm nothing but a tool for you, here to pamper and take care of you. I'm leaving you forever. I can't believe I ever loved you," Urchinia said.
Bannaben's beady black eyes filled with rage. "You dare leave me? In my time of need?"
Urchinia stood her ground, even though she was on the verge of tears. "Yes, because you're a wicked man who has brought only misfortune upon this town, and upon me."
Bannaben's tone of voice grew softer. "Urchinia, my dear. I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I promise, I'm going to change. I'll never hurt you like that again."
Urchinia wavered for a second. "I. . . hate you for all time! I'm leaving you, you heartless, dirty lout! I don't care what you say, Im leaving, and I'll never have to see you again, you pig-headed, pompous slug!"
Urchinia began to walk towards the door. Bannaben's face turned scarlet red. He reached his hand out, and grabbed Urchinia's. He pulled her towards him, and then slammed her against the wall.
"You ungrateful swine," Bannaben said.
Urchinia struggled to break free. She kicked and screamed for help as Bannaben turned her around, and put his elbow onto her neck. Urchinia looked around one last time at the swirling world around her. Then, she fell limp.
Bannaben put her body into a large trunk, and dragged it out to the the ocean. Then, he dumped the body into the cold, blue waters. As he began to drag the trunk home, he began to feel a cold frost in his chest.
He looked down at it, to find his chest covered in an thin layer of ice. Bannaben began to panic. His hands desperately tried to claw the ice off. When he looked down once again, the frost was gone. Bannaben continued on his way back to his home.
After putting everything away, Bannaben prepared himself a big meal. Afterwards, he began to wash the dishes. In the water, he saw a horrifying face.
Bannaben turned around. It was Urchinia. Her hair had bits of seaweed in it, her hat was falling off, her dress clung to her body, her makeup was rolling down her face, and her skin was wrapped tightly on her body, as if she had been in the water for a very long time.
Bannaben screamed. "What are you doing here, you hideous witch?!"
Urchinia did not speak. She only stared at Bannaben with lifeless, sunken brown eyes. Then, she disappeared.
Bannaben breathed a sigh of relief when she was gone. "She must be-be some kind of witch. Or related to a-a witch. A beldam in disguise to undo me!"
Bannaben walked up the narrow stairs, and into the villa's attic. He pushed past useless junk, before finding what he had came for. A book, passed through his family for centuries. It contained many ways to undo curses. Bannaben began to flip through it. Then, he found it.
"How to get someone you murdered to stop haunting you," Bannaben read out loud.
Bannaben flipped through the browning pages. Then, he walked off to the beach.
Bannaben stood at where he disposed of Urchinia's body. He chanted the spells. Then, a beautiful mermaid appeared out of the water.
"Bannaben, I am here to help you dispose of that witch forever. Do what I tell you to do, and she will never bother you again," the mermaid said.
Bannaben listened intently as the mermaid talked. When she was finished, he left.
After Bannaben left, the mermaid turned into a glowing blue wisp. Then, the wisp transformed into Urchinia.
Urchinia smiled cruely. "You repulsive disappointment. Maybe if you looked closely you would have seen that I've replaced your stupid book with a new one."
Bannaben followed the instructions that the "mermaid" had told him. When he finished, he suddenly felt a longing to go to the sea and meet with the mermaid again.
He began to drift towards the ocean, his head in the clouds. He finally arrived at the ocean. His crave for the mermaid and the ocean suddenly became insatiable. The mermaid and the sea was what he wanted, more than anything else in the world.
The mermaid rose out of the water. "What do ask of me, human?"
"You're what I want more than anything in the world. Please, let me be with you," Bannaben said.
The mermaid smiled. "As you wish."
The mermaid turned into Urchinia again. Bannaben opened hs mouth to scream, but Urchinia was too fast. She grabbed her husband, and dragged him under the waves.
Bannaben cut through the unforgiving waves. He tried in vain to break free from his wife's cold, lifeless hand, but he couldn't. The hand wouldn't let go, and the waters were too cold. Soon, he fell victim to the ocean.
No one knows what happened to Bannaben after that. Some say that Urchinia tormented him for all eternity, while some say that other spirits tormented him. Some say that Bannaben simply went to jail. But one thing is clear, the spirit of Urchinia is still wandering in the physical world, haunting abusers, her vengeance insatiable.
Bannaben was a man with two lines of hair for a mustache, and a skinny frame. Nobody knew who Bannaben was, or where he even came from. All they knew was that he had moved in 10 years ago into the gloomy villa on the outskirts of the town. The day after he moved in, strange things began to happen.
The sailors who filled the harbor with tales of their travels suddenly disappeared, never to be seen again. Weird eye carvings sprouted on trees in the woods. People began to isolate themselves from Bannaben. Except a woman named Urchinia.
Urchinia loved Bannaben, and ended up marrying him. Bannaben, though, was without love. He had no care for Urchinia. To him, she was just there to pamper him. He not only exploited Urchinia, but he abused her too. He yelled at her and beat her until she became a ghost of herself, wandering the villa with a most morbid expression on her face.
Five years after their marriage, some passerbys heard Bannaben and Urchinia arguing. It was a very big fight, and it was slowly turning into a physical one.
"Bannaben, you've exploited me since the day we were married. Not only that, but you've also abused me. I'm nothing but a tool for you, here to pamper and take care of you. I'm leaving you forever. I can't believe I ever loved you," Urchinia said.
Bannaben's beady black eyes filled with rage. "You dare leave me? In my time of need?"
Urchinia stood her ground, even though she was on the verge of tears. "Yes, because you're a wicked man who has brought only misfortune upon this town, and upon me."
Bannaben's tone of voice grew softer. "Urchinia, my dear. I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I promise, I'm going to change. I'll never hurt you like that again."
Urchinia wavered for a second. "I. . . hate you for all time! I'm leaving you, you heartless, dirty lout! I don't care what you say, Im leaving, and I'll never have to see you again, you pig-headed, pompous slug!"
Urchinia began to walk towards the door. Bannaben's face turned scarlet red. He reached his hand out, and grabbed Urchinia's. He pulled her towards him, and then slammed her against the wall.
"You ungrateful swine," Bannaben said.
Urchinia struggled to break free. She kicked and screamed for help as Bannaben turned her around, and put his elbow onto her neck. Urchinia looked around one last time at the swirling world around her. Then, she fell limp.
Bannaben put her body into a large trunk, and dragged it out to the the ocean. Then, he dumped the body into the cold, blue waters. As he began to drag the trunk home, he began to feel a cold frost in his chest.
He looked down at it, to find his chest covered in an thin layer of ice. Bannaben began to panic. His hands desperately tried to claw the ice off. When he looked down once again, the frost was gone. Bannaben continued on his way back to his home.
After putting everything away, Bannaben prepared himself a big meal. Afterwards, he began to wash the dishes. In the water, he saw a horrifying face.
Bannaben turned around. It was Urchinia. Her hair had bits of seaweed in it, her hat was falling off, her dress clung to her body, her makeup was rolling down her face, and her skin was wrapped tightly on her body, as if she had been in the water for a very long time.
Bannaben screamed. "What are you doing here, you hideous witch?!"
Urchinia did not speak. She only stared at Bannaben with lifeless, sunken brown eyes. Then, she disappeared.
Bannaben breathed a sigh of relief when she was gone. "She must be-be some kind of witch. Or related to a-a witch. A beldam in disguise to undo me!"
Bannaben walked up the narrow stairs, and into the villa's attic. He pushed past useless junk, before finding what he had came for. A book, passed through his family for centuries. It contained many ways to undo curses. Bannaben began to flip through it. Then, he found it.
"How to get someone you murdered to stop haunting you," Bannaben read out loud.
Bannaben flipped through the browning pages. Then, he walked off to the beach.
Bannaben stood at where he disposed of Urchinia's body. He chanted the spells. Then, a beautiful mermaid appeared out of the water.
"Bannaben, I am here to help you dispose of that witch forever. Do what I tell you to do, and she will never bother you again," the mermaid said.
Bannaben listened intently as the mermaid talked. When she was finished, he left.
After Bannaben left, the mermaid turned into a glowing blue wisp. Then, the wisp transformed into Urchinia.
Urchinia smiled cruely. "You repulsive disappointment. Maybe if you looked closely you would have seen that I've replaced your stupid book with a new one."
Bannaben followed the instructions that the "mermaid" had told him. When he finished, he suddenly felt a longing to go to the sea and meet with the mermaid again.
He began to drift towards the ocean, his head in the clouds. He finally arrived at the ocean. His crave for the mermaid and the ocean suddenly became insatiable. The mermaid and the sea was what he wanted, more than anything else in the world.
The mermaid rose out of the water. "What do ask of me, human?"
"You're what I want more than anything in the world. Please, let me be with you," Bannaben said.
The mermaid smiled. "As you wish."
The mermaid turned into Urchinia again. Bannaben opened hs mouth to scream, but Urchinia was too fast. She grabbed her husband, and dragged him under the waves.
Bannaben cut through the unforgiving waves. He tried in vain to break free from his wife's cold, lifeless hand, but he couldn't. The hand wouldn't let go, and the waters were too cold. Soon, he fell victim to the ocean.
No one knows what happened to Bannaben after that. Some say that Urchinia tormented him for all eternity, while some say that other spirits tormented him. Some say that Bannaben simply went to jail. But one thing is clear, the spirit of Urchinia is still wandering in the physical world, haunting abusers, her vengeance insatiable.