Niana's Journey

Chapter Nine

     "Excuse me?" A female voice whispered and someone tapped on my shoulder. I looked up and into the eyes of the merwoman doctor, who had a look on her face as if she were about to give someone bad news.

     My puffy eyes began to tear up again. "N-no...sh-she d-didn't..." I stuttered.

     "I....I'm sorry. I tried my best, but...but she'd already lost too much blood. I'm so sorry. I did everything that I could," She apologized. She tried to assure me that I'd be okay, but I wouldn't let her words go to my head.

     "Who are you to tell me that I'll be okay?" I yelled at her. I jumped up from my sitting position. "I have lost too much and in just two days! Y-You don't get it. You don't understand. She was all I had left! My sister was taken by scuba divers and now my friend died because of a fisherman and a doctor who can't do her job!" I screamed and pushed the doctor as hard as I could. I elbowed my way through the mermen surrounding Molla and I looked at her.

     I picked Molla up and when anyone told me I shouldn't or tried to help me, I just screamed, "Don't touch her!" I took her to her bed coral and lied her on her seaweed bed, then pulled her bed sheet over her body and face.  That was when I noticed the seashell necklace around her neck. It said "Molla" on it. Niana had the same one with her name on it and I had one with my name on it.  Quickly, I tool the seashell of its chain around her neck and put it on my chain with mine.

     "Sorry, Molla. But I need something to remember you by," I shrugged and finished covering her up. I swam out of her coral and once I was outside, I turned around and looked back.  My hand went to my neck wear the two seashells lied. "If I ever find Niana again, I'm asking her for her seashell too." I promised myself. " If anything like this ever happens again, I'll have to have something to remember her by, too."

     I sighed. "I'm getting out of this place." Then I swam out of the reef. I went through the gates and swam up the the land.

     "Oh! Hi there!" Someone said. My hair was in my eyes at the moment so I couldn't see, but the voice sounded male and like someone I'd met before.

     I uncovered my face. "Oh. H-hey Ben." I replied nervously. He was just the guy I was looking for. There was nothing (more like no one) left for me under the sea, so I had to ask Ben if his offer of me living with him was still on the table. "So...ummm...do you still have that transformation potion?" I smiled a big, cheesy smile.

      "Yeah. Sure, of course. I was hoping you'd come back and ask so I brought it with me." Ben pulled out a small vile from his jean pocket on his jacket. "Just drink this."

     "Wait." I pushed the vile away. "Why were you hoping I'd come back and ask?"

     "Because. I've always wanted to actually meet a mermaid. I mean. I know I already have technically, but I'd like to get to know a mermaid. Show you things you've never seen before."

      "Hmmm..." I thought for a moment. Should I really do this? But I figures nothing worse than what I've already encountered could happen. So I drank up.

     At first a weird sensation began at my fin, then crawled up my tail to my waist. My fin separated into two parts and turned the color of my skin along with my tail. Then my fin deformed and grew five smaller limbs at the ends of each one.  My tail also separated into two and my scales disappeared. My two separate tail parts each paired up with one of my separated fins.

     I watched in amazement  as my beautiful tail turned into...into... "They're called legs." Ben answered the question in my head.