Diary of a Mermaid

Samuel Prince

A big factory-like building springs into view. Armed guards are patrolling the entrance. I recognize two of them: the one that was on the bike and the one that was on the train. Our plan is simple: we will slip unnoticed into the main room where the general of the Poseidonian Army, Samuel Prince, will be. We will present him with the contract we brought and hope that he signs it. But we don't want anyone to see us, for then the plan will be foiled.

"How are we getting in?" I ask Theo.

"We'll do it the old fashioned way: through the air condition."

We silently scale the uneven stone wall and are soon on the roof. "Give me your rope." Theo orders.

I kneel, unzip my bag, and pull out the rope. I toss it to him and he ties it around his waist. He throws me an end and says, "Do the same," I comply and fasten the corse strips of twine around myself."

Theo takes a screwdriver from his bag and quickly unscrews the silver grate covering the entryway. It's a steep fall straight down.

He slips in and I hear a thud. "Theo?!" I whisper loudly.

"I'm okay. It's not a far drop. I'll catch you." It must not be far. We're attached by the rope and it's not even tense. I sling my legs over the hole, take one more look around, close my eyes, kiss the hourglass, and thrust myself in. Falling feels just like I imagined it. Everything is tingly.

I finally land right beside Theo. He helps me to my knees and we begin to crawl through the air ducts.

Ten minutes later, Theo pulls out his phone. He taps it a bit and then shows me what looks like a floor plan of the building. He points to a blinking red dot. "That's us," He points to a blinking green dot inside a small room. "That's Prince. Judging by the map, I'd say we have go approximately 100 meters." We continue to crawl.

A minute later, we come to a fork in the ducts where our path splits into two. Theo consults his phone, but the screen flickers and finally blackens. He groans and starts hitting it against the palm of his hand. It starts vibrating, increasing speed as the seconds tick by. Then it makes a fizzing sound and starts secreting smoke. Theo scoffs and shoves it back into his bag. "Which way do we go?" I ask impatiently.

"I don't know. My gut tells me to go left."

"Mine tells me to go right, but you're the captain. I trust you." I say confidently.

He looks at me, a little unnerved, but nods. We crawl down the left duct until we reach a grate on the floor. Theo lowers his body down and peers through the grate. "I think that's the room,"

He shimmies over and I take his place, looking down onto the room below. I see a man in a fern-coloured uniform pacing around the room, talking on the phone. "Can I have your knife for a sec?" Theo asks me.

"Sure," I take it out of my sheath and hand it to him. He cuts the rope equally between himself and I. Then he fastens his severed end of the rope to a ledge in the shaft and gestures to me to do the same.

"We'll be able to jump down and have an escape route if things go awry." he whispers to me.

I nod and tie my end off as well. He gives me a thumbs up and unscrews the grate cover. Then Theo whispers, "On the count of three, jump down. One, two, three!"