A long, long time ago, before the first sailors began exploring the oceans, the
King and Queen of the sea lived below the waves in peace and happiness.
They had many lovely sea-children, with brown eyes and straight limbs, who played with the wild sea-horses and went swimming through the purple sea-anemones that grow in the ocean bed.
They loved to make music and there was always a sound of singing like the laughing of the waves.
But one day a great sadness came to the King of the sea. His wife fell ill and died and was buried among the coral caves. Then there was no-one to look after the sea children, to comb their lovely hair and lull them to sleep. The King saw that their hair was like sea-weed. He decided he had to find a new wife.
