Sorry about the header ads. It was either that or pop-ups. And I HATE pop-ups.

Just then, a shadow fell over the cave, as a huge ship sailed by overhead. Ariel forgot all about King Triton being angry, and swam quickly up to the surface to look. It was Prince Eric’s ship, and everyone on board was having a party for Eric’s birthday. Ariel watched Prince Eric playing his pipe. She thought he was very handsome.

“Happy birthday, Eric,” said Grimsby. His present to the prince was a huge statue of Eric himself. Eric pretended to like it because he was polite, but really he thought it looked silly. “I wanted it to be a wedding present,” Grimsby went on, but Eric said that he wasn’t going to get married until he found his one true love.
Lightning flashed suddenly, and a thunderstorm began to crash. A bolt of lightning hit the sail, and it burst into flames. The ship was on fire! Everybody got into a life-boat as the ship began to sink. Max barked – he was still stuck on the ship! Bravely, Prince Eric climbed back onto the burning ship to rescue Max. Max escaped safely, but then, before Prince Eric could get away, the ship exploded.

Click Ariel to swim to the next page.

Animated Ariel picture courtesy of Le Monde Merveilleux.