the Little Mermaid (2023) [H.S. x J.C.]

Chapter ten

Harry bursts through the surface of the water, gasping for air. He looks around for the shore, but it's barely visible. He struggled as the waves try to pull him under. Zayn and Louis surface beside Harry and help keep him afloat.

"Oh, Harry . . ." Zayn says. He looks between him and the island in the distance. "Well, come on, boy. It's either sink or swim."

They swim for what feels like hours. Louis and Zayn are doing their best to guide him, but it's as if they're getting nowhere. Harry's human muscles feel weak and useless to him.

"Not so easy without your tail, is it?" Zayn chides him. Harry wonders if swimming is always this difficult for humans. There's probably a reason humans use ships when they are out this far in the middle of the ocean. Desperately needing to focus on anything else, Harry shifts his attention to the early-morning sky.

Instead of the blue she expects, it's a bright purplish pink, illuminated by rays or sun. The colors remind him of the sea's vibrant coral. It's more proof that these two worlds might not be so different.

If I can just make there, Harry thinks tiredly.

"Keep going," Zayn says encouragingly. "You just got to get your sea legs. We're almost there."

Harry braces himself, prepared to push his tired limbs just a little farther. All at once, the three of them find themselves swept up in a fisherman's net and dropped onto the deck of a small fishing vessel. For a long moment. Harry feels dazed. He glances up to see a group of seabirds circling him.

It looks like Sabrina might be one of them. He then registers the scratchy feeling of the net pressing into his skin and trapping him in the middle of a pile of small fish. It's not very comfortable, but he can't help feeling relief at being out of the water.

It takes a while for the fisherman on board to notice them, as he's busy swatting seabirds away from his fish. He gasps when he sees Harry trapped in the net and covered in seaweed.

"Lord have mercy!" He moves to help untangle him. "Are you all right?"

Harry opens his mouth to say, I'm okay. But the words don't come out. No sound comes out. Harry's eyes widen in surprise as he realizes that he can't speak at all.

"You poor boy," the old fisherman tuts. He looks at Harry with genuine concern. "You must be in shock. I'll go find something to cover you up." He hurries below, muttering to himself. "Another shipwreck. Saints help us!"

In the meantime, Harry is admiring his new legs with fascination. There are two of them! They are long and white and smooth. He wiggles his toes and silently giggles at the strange feeling. He has to be the first merman who has ever had legs. This feels like a dream.

He tries to rise, eager to stand for the first time. The moment he puts weight on his feet, however, pain shoots through him. He collapses. How do humans make it look so easy?

At that moment, Sabrina swoops down onto the boat. She was hoping to steal a fish or two for lunch and is surprised to see a familiar face.

"Say, what's going on, kid? I thought you weren't supposed to be up here. Now you're taking boat rides?"

"That rotten sea witch, he stole your whole voice!" Louis pipes up. He flops out of the pile of fish on deck.

"Oh, hey, Louis! What are you talking about?" Sabrina asks.

"So, Zayn told Michael that Harry saved a human, and Michael got so mad—"

Zayn climbs out of the pile interrupts him. "Okay, okay, this is no time to point fins!"