After another year, the soul thought, ‘I tempted him with bad, and his love is stronger than I am. I will now tempt him with good, and perhaps he will come with me.’

 

So he spoke to the young fisherman and said, ‘I told you about the joy of the world, and you did not listen to me. Now I will tell you about the pain in the world, and maybe you will listen. Pain is the Lord of this world, and nobody can escape it. Some people do not have clothes and other people do not have food, and others are ill. Come, let’s go and help these people.

 

Why do you wait here for your love?

 

What is love? Why do you think it is so important?’

 

But the young fisherman did not answer. The power of his love was so great. Every morning he called the mermaid, and every midday he called her again, and at night he spoke her name. But she never came to see him, and he did not see her anywhere.

 

After the second year, the soul said to the fisherman, ‘I tempted you with bad, and I tempted you with good, and your love is stronger than I am. So, I will not tempt you anymore, but can I please enter your heart and be there with you again?’

 

‘Of course you can enter,’ said the young fisherman. ‘I am sure you suffered when you did not have a heart.’

 

‘But I can find no place to enter because there is love all around your heart. There’s no space for me,’ cried the soul.

 

‘I am very sorry,’ said the young fisherman.

 

Just then he heard a terrible cry of sadness from the sea. The young fisherman ran to the beach. The black waves came quickly to the beach. They carried something that was whiter than silver. There at his feet the young fisherman saw the dead body of the little mermaid.

 

He sat down next to her, and he kissed her cold red mouth. He told the dead mermaid about his soul and all the bad things. He put her little hands around his neck, and he touched her neck with his fingers. His joy was bitter, and his pain was full of strange happiness.

 

The black sea came nearer and nearer to them.

 

‘Run away,’ said his soul. ‘The sea is coming closer and closer. Go away! It will kill you. Run away to a safe place. But please do not send me into another world without a heart.’

 

But the young fisherman did not listen to his soul. He said to the little mermaid, ‘Love is better than wisdom, and more precious than riches, and more beautiful than the feet of the daughters of men. I called you in the morning, but you did not come. The moon heard your name, but you did not listen to me. I was bad when I abandoned you. But your love was always with me, and it was always stronger than bad and good. And now that you are dead, I will die with you also.’

 

His soul implored him to leave. But his love was too great and he did not listen to his soul. The sea came near and tried to cover him with its waves.

 

When he knew that the end was near, the young fisherman kissed the cold lips of the mermaid, and his heart broke. It broke because it was so full of love. Then the soul finally entered his heart, and the sea covered the young fisherman with its waves the Fullers.