“Roar! Roar!” Spash, splash! went the Merlion, the creature that lived in the waters around Singapore, helping ships into the harbour and keeping pirates away. He was a proud Merlion who enjoyed his job very much. He was very proud indeed, in fact. Too proud to admit he had grown lonely, wishing every day for company in the waters around Singapore.
As time went by he grew more lonely and, as he did, so his mane grew longer and longer until it ravelled around his tail, meaning the Merlion could no longer swim and was washed up on a Singaporean beach much to the surprise of the island’s people.
They duly cut his hair and returned the Merlion to the water only for it to happen again as the Merlion’s sadness continued and, because the Merlion saw happy couples when on land and from the sea, his mane began to grow back faster and faster until he was washing up every day and the shipping lanes were in disarray.
The people despaired. Without the Merlion they were not safe anymore. Every time the Merlion washed up onshore they tried hard to find out why his mane kept growing when it had not before but no answer would he give. He only spoke to ask to be cut free.
And so it continued until the Merlion’s mane started to grow back instantly and the islanders were forced to leave him in a pool of water until they could find a solution.
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