The Mermaid's Key: A Novella

After his grandfather Theo's passing, James sets about clearing and cleaning up his grandfather's belongings before the estate sale when he runs into something peculiar. A box made of shells, worn shut with time, and hidden in the dark recesses of the past. The contents: a key, a brass heart, a journal and letters that leave behind a glimpse into a part of his grandfather's life that James never expected - a world of ancient magic, witches and wizards, mermaids and a love story strong enough to break any heart. The legends are real, partly. Atargatis, the first mermaid, was an ancient witch thrown into the sea by the hostile and fearful townspeople who didn't understand the magic they knew and sensed. What they didn't see was the consequences of their actions, Atargatis' use of magic and the creation of the mermaid with all of its magical abilities. Centuries later Ariana, a young daughter of the clan leader, lives her life in torment, torn between her love of everything under the ocean and the beauty of the boundless sky above. She discovers Theodore, a human, and falls so much in love that she can't fathom a life without him - an ideal that she will go to any length to stand by. What you think you know is but a small part of a much larger story, one that before now has never been told. Love is simply a transfer of energy from one of us to another, all of us connected in a web that we simply label "The Universe." Love and sacrifice have consequences, some which can never be foreseen.