A Mermaid Short Story

meeting him

The current wasn't too rocky today, letting me sunbathe on the surface for hours and clean my scales with no trouble. Being in the middle of no where, there is usually no boats or humans that come across our kingdom. We usually have to go close to shore or to the harbors, but every so often, we will see a pirate (that's what we call all sailors) and have to hide until they pass in hope they don't dive in.

Visitors are always welcome, but they're mainly all poachers wanting to harm us or do experiments, which is why we like to stay hidden and unknown. Protecting everyone is my family's duty and with the amount of children we have, we have to make sure the perimeters and always cleared. My father put out guards in hope that if anything did happen, we would have time to get everyone to safety and in hiding.

Brushing my long blonde hair with my fingers, I began to wonder what life would be like as a human. Someone so stupid and powerless, but nonetheless free and happy. I wanted nothing more but to be exactly that: free and happy. Sighing, I looked out onto the miles of bright blue water and decided I had spent too much time on the surface.

My mind wondered as I began to swim back to the castle, but I quickly tried to shove away all the negative thoughts and try to focus on the positive. There wasn't much, but deep down, I knew I couldn't go back home looking like a mess while everyone else looks like the top of the class.

When I got there, I waved to the guards and plastered a fake smile on my face. Seeing everyone in love, pregnant, and happy made me physically sick, but I looked forward and made my way to my room. It was a classic pink color with a large pink clamshell in the corner of the bedroom. My desk was in front of my window and my florals were scattered everywhere as decoration. There was one picture on the wall, which was my mother. She passed away when I was ten and now being eighteen, I still missed her with everything in me.

My heart ached but I pushed the feelings away and laid in bed. The cushion was soft against my skin, but I was quickly interrupted when my sisters barged in, pretty much screaming at me.

"Kat, wake up! It's the full moon tonight. Do your makeup and hair, this could be the day!" Alex said, smiling brightly at me as she swam towards me. "Come on!"

I groaned but got up anyway, going to my desk to clean my face off. Alex and Sybil started on my hair, putting it in a long braid with flowers and crystals intertwined. I put on some soft glittery pink eyeshadow and some lipgloss, then applied my mascara. Looking at me how, you'd think I was beautiful, but to me, I looked the same; just a bit more pretty. I hated my face and the way I looked, but no one knew that. Everyone thought I was happy.

Tonight came a lot quicker than I imagined and the Siren Event was about to happen. The full moon made the current go from peaceful to violent in just a few hours, leaving me overwhelmed. I truly loved when everything was calm, but tonight was the night I pushed passed it all and began to search for a pirate.

Before I knew it, I looked back to notice I had swam too far away from my family. I tried calling out to the in song, but I got no reply. The ocean was angry and the waves would've carried me under if I wasn't so good at swimming, but if anyone else was out here, they'd surely drown.

Thinking of that led me to believe the bright light that flowed my body was part of my imagination, but when I heard a man call out, I knew it was real.