Big Book of Little Stories

Mermaids: Part Three | Into The Waves.

The more Kelly tried to get Clara involved in her life, the more she started to pull away. Days went by without her seeing her friend and Kelly felt lost without her. Deciding to try talking to her mother, Kelly waited until it was nearly dinner time before going to find her. What she didn't expect was for Clara to be hiding around the corner. She held her finger up to her lips, and silently the pair went closer to the kitchen where her parents were talking.

"She was actually happy Greg! So she has an imaginary friend, what kid doesn't?" Her mother sighed.

"She is nearly sixteen and now she is on the meds she actually needs!" Came the response from her father.

"Have you been taking the pills they give you?" Clara whispered.

"Mum said they're not like the others." Kelly admitted guiltily, "I thought it would be okay?"

"I just want our little girl back, these last couple of weeks were like before she got sick with this mermaid nonsense!" That got Kelly's attention and Clara looked at her sadly.

"They don't understand Kel, they never will. They're just going to keep stopping you and not just from getting home, but from seeing me too!" 

Speechless, Kelly watched Clara leave before looking back to her parents.

"Give the new meds time to work. It's all trial and error with schizophrenia and hopefully one day our daughter will be able to live a normal life." Her father hugged her mother who began to sob against his chest.

Kelly ran back upstairs to her room.  Her mind was a tornado of thoughts. How could her parents call Clara an imaginary friend when she was as real as she was? Going to her wardrobe she pulled out a shoebox and picking up her greatest treasure, she placed the horned shell against her ear.

"Kelly. Come home. We miss you!" The voices sang to her like a lullaby, "We need you with us!"

"Are you ready for dinner?" Her mother interupted the moment and she quickly put her seashell away.

"No. I'm not hungry."

The door opened and her mother walked over to her; smoothing back her hair as she studied her daughters face which showed no emotion. Kellys eyes were glazed over, a tell-tale sign her mind was clearly elsewhere.

"Are you alright love?" Her cold hand was placed against Kellys forehead.

"I'm fine. I'm just going to bed."

"Have you seen Clara lately? Maybe she would like to come visit soon?" It was a sad attempt at trying to break through the wall that been reconstructed around her daughter.

"No. We had a fight." Kelly mumbled.

"I'm sorry sweety." She kissed the top of her head before asking one more question, "Did Clara ever, tell you to do things. Naughty or dangerous things?"

"No. Why would she do that? We were best friends?"

"I know, well maybe you'll make up soon? I'll leave some dinner out incase you change your mind." 

As soon as she was alone, Clara climbed through her bedroom window. "It's a full moon tonight. We should leave now before we miss it!"

"Miss what?" Kelly asked, watching as Clara found her shell in the wardrobe. 

"Didn't you hear?" Passing it over, Kelly put it back to her ear.

"Under the moon, full and bright, come back to us tonight!" The words she had been hearing for as long as she could remember had changed. The shell's song was now a message for her. 

"How did you know?" Kelly asked Clara who instead of answering her, pulled out a shell of her own. "We really are meant to be mermaids aren't we?"

"Come on! We don't want to be late!" Clara urged and as she climbed out the window, Kelly went too.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Unlike the first time Kelly tried to return  to the ocean, tonight the water was like a mirror. The surface faintly trembled with the remnants of a swell, while the moon glowed orange before the girls as they walked out to the end of the jetty. No other people were out despite the beautiful evening, and only a couple of seagulls balanced on the railing nearby, not bothered by their arrival.

A flicker of doubt bloomed in Kelly's stomach, and looking at Clara, she clearly didn't have any of the same doubts. She always had been so calm and confident, everything Kelly wished she could be. Maybe once they start their new life she would have her time to shine? Either way, something didn't feel right.

"Are you ready?" Clara asked; her smile like a madmans as they stood at the end of the pier.

"I don't know."

"Did you not want to do this anymore?" Pretty blue eyes darkened as they narrowed in on Kelly.

"No, I do. but-"

"But? Oh Kelly. You're pathetic! Why they chose you I have no idea!" Clara's words cut deep and as Kelly opened her mouth to protest, Clara climbed over the rail and jumped to her destiny.

Kelly went to stop her, but it was too late. There was no splash, just a mere ripple on the golden surface as she disappeared into the depths. The more her eyes focused on the water, the more Kelly could see. Milions of sleek fish tailed shapes darted around beneath her before the surface began to bubble.  Tiny firey sparks began to dance into the air and a dark shape grew within the light.

"Clara?" Kelly weakly called, not sure what was happening. "Clara?"

Finally Clara appeared where she had just jumped in. Her wet hair stuck to her face, neck and shoulders, silver now instead of white. The most impressive part of all was her tail, which she proudly showed off as floated on the surface.

"Oh Clara! It's beautiful!"

Scales of silver sparkled like diamonds and Kelly knew she was ready now.

"Goodbye Kelly!" Clara waved and turned to dive back beneath the water with the grace of a dolphin.

"No! Wait! What about me!" Kelly clumsily climbed over the rail, "Clara!"

Holding the shell out like she had seen Clara do, Kelly held her breath and jumped, set on following on her friend. The hidden undercurrent grabbed at her clothes as it pulled her further from the shore and into the cold, deep water. The guiding light from the moon disappeared, leaving her with no clue as to which way was up or down and as Kelly lost her grip on the shell, the water hummed with her name being called.

"Just a little further Kelly! You're almost there!" Mermaid Clara appeared, lighting up the ocean as she circled her friend.

A tiny school of fish darted past them as a moment clarity hit Kelly. She could see it all now. The underwater world, with it's coral homes and the other merfolk.  Kelly opened her mouth yet no words came, instead a flurry of bubbles raced towards the surface.

"That's it! Come on!" Clara motioned for Kelly to follow her and with no fins of her own, the task was impossible.

"Kelly!" A million voices continued to call her name, louder than when she had listened to the seashell.

Her growing exhaustion stopped Kelly so she just floated as the ache in her lungs left her. She felt as light as a feather in the vast ocean, completely at peace. Just before she closed her eyes one final time; she glanced down to find her jeans gone and in their place were shiney blue scales as she got a tail all of her own.

This was it. She was finally a mermaid and she was home.

  ~ ~ ~ ~