The Last Mermaid

~ 80 ~

Christmastime again. Once again, my family and I found ourselves at Uncle Drosslemeyer's Christmas party. This would be the year that I would be expected to date, and the promise of being married to a banker or a duke seemed nothing short of boring. Then there's also my uncle - he is exceedingly proud of my accomplishments. I don't like the way he looks at me though - he creeps me out. 

They paired me up with Andreas Bratzak - a Polish aristocrat from a wealthy financial family. He was handsome enough. He started making jokes at me that I found funny. We both agreed to abandon the party. 

We escaped to the basement to stare at Drosslemeyer's inventions. 

"These are amazing" says Andreas, winding up a mechanical faerie that whizzes past us. 

"My uncle has always been the master of deception."

"Ever wonder where he learned his tricks from? They had to have been taught from somewhere."

They entered a small viewing room where, once the dial was wound, a video started to play. There's a group of scholarly men sitting around, listening to a man that reminds me of grandfather. He points out several different circles on a map of Earth. These circles give way to another slide - one that shows a video caves. A few explorers then appear, carrying food and water on their backs, heading towards a city born into the rock. The rock has waterfalls and gardens. People walk along wearing colorful clothes. 

Grandfather Drosslemeyer brings in a man, who wheels behind him a beautiful case. She's completely naked, marked with strange symbols on her. The "wizard" chants and then, in intense meditation, summons the women to disappear across the Ether. 

One of the men gets visibly angry at this, knocking over papers, being restrained, and leaving the room. Grandfather acts amused by this, talking to the sorcerer whom, with intense concentration, brings the woman back. She's now sitting naked on an older man's lap. All the men look visibly pleased at this. 

What's strange is the year. He points to it - 1647. The men are joyous, paying him tons of money. The film then ends. 

We leave the film visibly confused. Walking up the stairs back to the party, we stand visibly outside it all, staring at the falling snow, trying to soak in this information. 

"I don't know what to think" I say.

Andreas nods, as if expecting this. 

"I've heard in passing of secret societies that practice witchcraft. I never really too much stock into it, but now it makes sense."

I laugh at this, as if the mere thought of what we saw being real is ludicrous, but the more I laugh, the more hysterical I feel. 

"Hey" says Andreas. He hugs me, pressing me to him. I feel as if my breath has been caught out of my body. "It's okay. We will figure this out together."

We do keep in touch by letters. Father is more than pleased to see this line of communication being kept going. That summer, I'm sent to my friend Alice's house. She's the last of all the Derbyshire girls to get married, and cousin on my Dad's side. Her mom, my aunt Margarethe, hopes I can knock some sense into her saying "Clara actually attends parties and meets young men. Alice can't even bring herself to wear a corset."

"Hi Alice" I say to her. 

She sits in silence, reading a book of riddles, asking "Clara, why is a raven like a writing desk?"

"I don't know" I say, throwing my hands in the air. "Aunt is really worried about you."

"Oh? She shouldn't be. I know that I will be married soon" she says, putting the book down, and sorting a pile of writing. "He suffered just like me, so he understands exactly what I'm going through. I can't bear to talk to that woman anymore."