Serenitatem

Chapter 7

Tal had no idea what to do. At first the human girl looked like she was going to help, but then she ran away. He wasn't really sure why though, because he had no idea what she screamed before running away. Merpeople did know the human tongue, but they never spoke it because it wasn't made for communicating underwater. Tal had mistakenly spoken in the merlanguage, which to the human it probably sounded like whistling. His father once compared it to how dolphins spoke, but way more complex.

He had never seen a female before, mermaid or human, so he was a bit stunned when she showed up out of the blue. Her hair was the most interesting color, like a sunset. He had never seen anyone with that hair. It was so bright against all the dull colors that surrounded her. Even her white clothing seemed to glow.

Tal wished he had concentrated more on her words so he could figure out what she was thinking. He looked in the direction she had gone worriedly. She was probably alerting her colony to his presence on their land. Tal needed to get back to the water but didn't really know how. Should he try to walk? Humans did it all the time, so it must be easy.

He pushed against the ground with his feet in an attempt to stand up. His legs had no strength and he toppled over on his side. Tal spat sand out of his mouth in frustration. He rolled over onto his stomach and tucked his legs under himself. He pushed up with his arms and found he was halfway there! Now on his hands and knees, Tal carefully balanced one foot on the ground then stood up. Tal nearly yelled in triumph.

Humans could swim, as clumsy as they were, so a merman could certainly walk.Sure, his legs were shaking (especially the hurt one) and his arms were moving about to keep his balance but it was working. Tal felt a surge of pride. He'd like nothing more than to rub it in Sebasou's haughty face right then and there. Tal felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. How was he going to get home? The ocean was right there, beckoning him, but he didn't know where to go. The storm had completely separated him from the familiar waters he grew up in.

"Hey kid!"

Tal spun around in shock to see a male human striding towards him with an angry look in his face. The sudden movement caused Tal to lose his balance and he tumbled to the ground. His fear of the human drove out any embarrassment he might have felt. He covered his head and closed his eyes, waiting for the end. There was a long silence.

"I can still see you."

Tal opened one eye to see the human standing over him with a bemused expression. He was older than Anyir but much younger than his father. Either way, Tal just wanted him to leave. He felt exposed and vulnerable on land. The wind was cold on his body and he was tired and sore. He wanted the sea to envelop him in its warmth and keep him safe like it always did. Tal began inching to the water's edge, hoping against all hope the human would be glad to see him go.

"I sure hope you're not trying to leave." Barnacles. The human crouched down next to him and waited for Tal to stop moving. "My niece told me a couple of things about you and one of them was that you are hurt," he said. "I didn't see much but that leg looks pretty bad from her description." He handed Tal a large piece of blue cloth. "Put this on. I think you exposed yourself enough for a lifetime."

Not sure else what to do, Tal took it. It was a soft material, nothing like he had ever felt before. Kind of like how he thought clouds would feel. He rubbed it between his fingers until he realized the human was waiting patiently for him to put it on. Merpeople didn't cover themselves up so Tal had no idea what to do with it. He opened his mouth and tried to think of the best way to tell him. "I...can't." Tal felt incredibly pathetic.

The human's eyes widened. "So you can talk. Now we're making progress. Come here, I'll help you."

Tal was amazed at how quickly the human was able to figure out how the cloth worked. It was a large piece of fabric with two long tubes, one on each side. He was told to stick his arms in and now it rested on his shoulders. Then the human wrapped the rest of it around his body and tied it with a long rope. He called it a "bathrobe." Tal had a tiny moment of panic when the human looked at his webbed fingers but then he said nothing. He probably didn't think it was important. The man introduced himself as Axel and Tal stammered out his name.