There once was a mermaid named Veronica who was a very unique mermaid. She had very long beautiful hair that stretched for miles wherever she went. This enabled all the sea creatures to see that she was coming long before she got there. They would wait in excited anticipation for her arrival, and when they saw her they would greet her with enthusiasm and joy.
"Hi, Veronica!! How are you today?" This made Veronica feel very special and loved. She would always answer back, "I'm doing very well, thank you. How are all of you?" Then they would chat for a bit and she would swim on. She became so used to this way of life that it started to become a bit of a rut. She craved something new and different, but wasn't sure what her options were.
One day she woke up and knew what she was meant to do: cut off all her beautiful hair. It was a bittersweet moment when she took a swordfish and cut off every bit of her prized possession. She knew it felt right, but she wasn't sure who she would be now that her biggest source of identity was gone. She soon became painfully aware of the fact that no one noticed her coming and no one greeted her as she swam by. They didn't recognize her and she was too embarrassed to say anything. She knew that they would all ask about her hair and she didn't want to have to come up with the words to explain why it was all gone. She wept bitter tears every night and woke up crying in the morning. Nothing seemed to matter anymore: it was as if she had ceased to exist. She desperately wanted her hair back at times, but she deep down she knew that that wouldn't solve her problem.
She couldn't hold onto it and yet she couldn't let go of it, either, because she knew of no other way to identify herself. This depression lasted for many moons until one day she woke up and took a look around the ocean. All different colors, shapes and sizes were displayed among the sea life and each mermaid she saw looked completely and totally unique. She realized in that moment that she would always be unique and special, without or without her hair. She didn't need others to notice her in order for her to feel this way. She swam off with glee, determined to enjoy her life as an anonymous mermaid.
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