One Word

12/11/16 Mermaid

MERMAIDElle breathed in and out hard and fast. "You're ready" Kai's voice was firm. "I don't have much choice so yes I'm ready" She held in a whimper. "Focus on
something else, place your energy there" Kai instructed. Elle could focus on nothing but the pain before the massive glow of the moon caught her eye. It looked closer and the stars brighter than most nights. "The moon" Her eyes squint with pain "I'll focus on the moon" She exhaled a breath she had tried to hold. Kai glanced up at the moon for a split second before disappearing into the darned waters again. "Don't struggle against nature my love, let it run its course" He emerged soothing her. Elle nodded and began the horrendous journey of pushing. This was a pain like nothing Elle had ever felt before. He legs wobbled and her stomach churned so much she thought she would faint. This was not the beauty of birth she had wanted to imagine but she drew strength from the moon and the thought that within moments she would hold her child to be. She tuned out every sound. No water sloshing about. No rustle in the leaves of the wind. No animals lurking in the brush. Just silence. She pushed again as Kai held her body close. She felt a tremendous pressure before release as Kai submerged again. One last push and her body was back to being one soul instead of two. The mild current rippled washing the blood away with it. Elle floated weightlessly against the shoreline when Kai emerged holding the most perfect child she had ever seen. No sound came as Kai examined the baby like it was something he had never seen before. Elle could feel the pain of the afterbirth that followed. Kai reached his hand to her as it sank to the water below. Kai swiped his hand on the baby's belly and the cord simply fell off. "Meet our daughter Ella" Kai placed the silent baby on Ella's chest and he propped her up. "Why is she not crying?" Ella's lips trembled with emotion.
"Our kind aren't birthed in tears love" Kai caressed the baby's cheek. "She's ok?" Ella stared at the two tiny eyes who stared back at her with curiosity.
"All is well my love" Kai kissed her forehead. Right on cue the baby wailed out a cry that made Elle laugh with joy and clutch her closer. As if summoned by her cries, a slow sprinkle of rain began. The gentle rain drops always soothed Elle. "What shall we call her" Kai asked. "Luna... it means moon in Spanish" Elle nuzzled her baby. "Luna" Kai repeated kissing Elle's lips gently. Pulling her partially out of the water Elle inspected her new baby girl. Her face was a mix of her lagoon colored eyes and full pouty lips with Kai's Merman ears and slightly webbed fingers. All in all, Luna's upper body looked like Elle's but her lower half was something new. Luna had two legs like her mother but they were a slick texture with a hint of green and very tiny scales from the upper thigh down. Aside from the appearance in color, the shape was very human. She looked at Kai. "She will be a great swimmer like her father" Kai said. "I would think so" Elle smiled warmly. Half human, half mermaid. "She's perfect" Elle kissed Luna's tiny webbed toes.