'Mr. Arial Bone, we are sorry to inform you....'

'We regret to inform you, Mr. Bone...'

'Apologies for the inconvenience...'

'I am sorry, Arial, but I don't swing that way.'

'Arial, you are a good teacher, but some parents found out that you...your preference, and they are not comfortable with a gay man teaching their children.'

I seem to be stuck in a rut where no sooner does a glimmer of hope shines than it is extinguished by the cruel blow of fate. The only constant, a source of warmth and comfort, is the fragrant coffee that rests in the palms of my hands. My fingers stroke the rim of the old ceramic cup as I sit wrapped in a blanket in the almost dark apartment.

No heat.

No light.

'Mr. Arial Bone, due to non-payment of electricity bills for the past three months...'

I had had a great start, then how come things had ended up like this? I wonder for the umpteenth time and peer into the hot liquid lapping at the smooth inner walls of the chocolate-colored cup.

At twenty-seven- still a child at heart- my eyes drift to the paperback copy of The Little Mermaid, my favorite fairytale, lying face down on the coffee table. "Ariel, you were a princess, yet you saw your fair share of heartaches and misery. I am but an elementary school teacher; what hope do I have, hum?"

A tiny splashing sound pulls me out of my musings, and I glance at the only liquid matter in my vicinity: my cup.
To my surprise, I see something moving on the surface. Had it been my mother, she would have tossed the cup and ended its existence, but not me, and more importantly, not my favorite coffee cup!

Deciding to go with the logical thing to do, which was to investigate, I bring the cup closer to get a better look at it when suddenly, the shiny liquid-as if possessed- rises up and splashes all over my face.

I panic and wait for the burn. It never comes. Instead, I feel like I am floating...in water.

Blue. Everything is blue. And there are fish. And coral reefs. And more fish.

Is that Nemo!?

I take a three-sixty turn, and that confirms it. I was definitely underwater. I was also most definitely breathing, for I could feel my gills dissolve oxygen from the water and passing it to my blood.

I was breathing underwater!

Concluding that this has to be a pleasant dream, I decide to calm down and look at myself in the next reflective surface I come across.

"Arial," I hear a small yet authoritative voice and turn. Firey red hair obstructs my view, and I try to peek through its strands.

I find a red crab, thrice the size of my palm, with an annoyed, condescending look on his face (yes, he has a face) staring at me.

Ha! I am dreaming about The Little Mermaid!

That means that...

I look at the lower half of my body, and sure enough, I am a fish, a merman, to be precise. Two things occur to me simultaneously, the previously encountered luscious mane of hair was mine, and I was Ariel...I mean Arial.

"Arial, what are you looking at me like that for?" The crab questions making me wonder which version of the fairy tale I had fallen into, so to speak. My answer arrives in the form of a chubby, bright yellow fish with a vibrant blue mohawk adorning its crown.

So we are going with the Disney version then.

The blue angelfish fumes, "Sébastien, are you giving Arial trouble again!?"
Not having noticed 'my best friend' swimming in to intervene and rescue me, the crab yelps, surprised.
"Flounder! You almost made my heart give out. How dare you insinuate something like that?"

The blue angel huffs and airly turns his face away, "Ya, right. Who was it that tattled to him about Arial's secret stash?" It demands rhetorically, then it turned its large blue eyes at me and smirked as if it had won a war on my behalf.

Sébastien ponders for a bit and then waves his claw dismissively. "Enough. You both made me forget that I was here on official business." The crab fixes me with a disapproving gaze, "You have been wallowing all alone in that wreck of a ship since you returned after your trip up top. Do you know how worried your father is? Do you know how many tears your sisters have shed?"

Wow. Sébastien sure is dramatic.

I try to look ashamed. And from the way the crab sighs and swims closer and pats my back, I must have succeeded.

"Fine, I will make an excuse on your behalf. I will tell King Triton that you are spending your time polishing your vocal cords. After all, every citizen of Atlantica is looking forward to hearing your compositions on his Majesty's birthday tomorrow."

I nod, agreeing with the crab, and he gives me a sad smile before swimming away.

"Arial, I think it's better if I follow him. I don't want him telling on you again." Flounder suggests then just before swimming to catch up with the loyal crab, it warns, "By the way, the sea witch's eels are up to something. She usually keeps them hidden; I wonder what they are doing out and about."

I shrug. "I will swim to father if they try to approach me," I reassure,  and that seems to put the chubby adorable fish at ease.

Left to my devices, I get busy exploring the beautiful, mesmerizing underwater world and lose track of time. Only when the water turns from clear blue to grey and murky, that I realize that I had probably taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up exactly where I should not have: the mouth of the sea witch's lair.

I gulp and turn tail and come face to face with the very eels Flounder had warned me against.

Oh, dear!

"Prince, our mistress has been expecting you." The two sneer, gesturing me to follow them.
Concluding that it's for the best to follow the vile creatures and face the problem head-on, I comply and soon find myself in front of the large octopus woman: Ursula, the sea witch.

"I was expecting you to get here much earlier, Prince." She says, sounding empathetic and slithers closer. "I know your heart aches to see the land prince, but alas, you have no legs."

How did Ariel fall for this overdramatic fakeness!?

Thinking that it would save me unnecessary trouble if I played along, I bob my head and woefully glance at my bottle green, gorgeous tail.

"Though Triton is open-minded, and he may allow you to chose a merman as your future partner, for he loves you so very much, he would never allow his precious son to keep any contact with the land prince."

What? Would Triton do that? For real!? Oh my God, this is brilliant!

I try to keep my happiness under wraps and nod solemnly. The witch falls for the act, "What if I told you I could give you legs...for a small price, hum?"

I beam at her and put on a show as well. "You can give me legs?"

"Sure." She drawls, "All you have to give up in exchange is your voice."

I gasp. "My voice. If I don't have my voice, how will I speak? How will I tell him that I love him?" I fall to the ocean bed like a damsel in need of saving and sob.

"You have your beauty. All that the humans care about are looks, and you are the most handsome merman in all of Atlantica. Who wouldn't fall in love with you at first sight?"

Enjoying the character whose life I had taken over, I look up through my lashes, and with quivering lips, ask, "Are you sure?"

"Of course. So, shall we get on with it then?"

I plaster a smile on my face and announce, "Yes. A hundred times yes!"

The sea witch smiles so widely that for a split second, I think that it might crack her face. "I will get the contract right away. Once you sign-"

"But," I interject. The witch's face falls, her bushy brows crawl closer to each other, and her eyes narrow suspiciously. "But, what?"

"I need to sing at my father's birthday extravaganza. I can't just disappear. If I do, I am afraid you will get into trouble. Moreover, I would like to see them one last time before I leave them forever."

My words do nothing to put her at ease. I sense the eels closing in on either side. "Ursula, you have no idea how grateful I am to you. Knowing that I will be with my price shortly has brought me so much joy." I bite my lips looking uncertain, "I hope you will not have changed your mind when I return tomorrow night." I fall at her tentacles and beg, "Promise me that you will keep your word. Please."

My Oscar-worthy performance finally makes her a believer. Her eyes soften, "Oh, my dear child, I will not change my mind as long as you come to me tomorrow night. But be aware, any later, and you will lose the chance to be with the land prince forever." She announces and turns away, "It's getting late. Go now." She commands, and the eels are at my side again.

As soon as we are out of the murky waters, the eels leave and making sure that I am not being followed anymore, I ask my way back home.

Without wasting time or beating around the proverbial bush, I seek an audience with my father, who grants it immediately. I am his favorite, after all.

"Father, please forgive me for having disobeyed you, for going to the surface and for collecting useless human things. I promise that I will never bother you with such trivial matters ever again."

The joy that settles over the King's face makes him positively glow. "I knew you would come around, my son. Whatever you shall ask, you shall receive." he promises.

I bow, "Thank you, Father. I will ask for it when the time comes, but right now, you have an urgent matter that you need to attend to."

King Triton stands up straight, his fingers wrap around the Trident, "And what would that be?"

I glance up, grinning. Our eyes lock. "Father, I know where Ursula is hiding."

Well, what happened next is anyone's guess. In one fall stroke, I had helped my father get rid of the witch, and I had secured my future love life by making sure that when the time came, Triton would accept any merman I presented before him to be my life partner.

#WrittenWithPride