The Mermaid's Escape Read online

  The water grows warmer and brighter the higher I go, but the currents are stronger, and I feel them pulsing against me. Suddenly, my body bursts out of the water, and I gasp as air fills my lungs, driving out the water. I choke on it, spitting out water, and sucking in the nothingness.

  My eyes dart around, but the surface does not look anything like I imagined it. Muriel said the sky was the color of a blue tang fish, with a yellow sun the color of its tail to warm the air, but this sky is gray and cold, with large, dark, menacing blobs floating above. Water falls from the sky in thousands of tiny drops that sting my skin, the exact opposite of the curtain of bubbles my wedding guests had created. Suddenly, a jagged line of light flashes in the sky, and a loud sound rumbles around me.

  A wave crashes down over me, burying me, and I fight my way back to the surface, but the water tosses me again and again, assaulting my body, till I no longer have the energy to fight it.

  Exhausted, I close my eyes and let the water take me.

  Chapter 2

  Mermaids do not believe in an afterlife. When we die, our bodies turn to sea foam that disappears into the sea. But I am in another world, whether or not I am still alive.

  My body feels warm, as warm as the water gushing from the vents deep in the bottom of the sea. But now the heat radiates down on me from above. It is strange, but pleasant. Underneath me, the sand is cooler but hard against my body. I am not floating. I am completely still, like the dead. I wiggle my fingers to make sure I still can, and sand sifts between them. It feels grittier than normal, and the tiny grains do not cling to each other but instead cascade through my fingers. I slide my hands deeper, enjoying the sensation.

  Muriel had tried to describe the sensation of dryness, the absence of water, but I could never understand. Now, I know what she means. My skin feels tight, and the air caresses it more gently than the water.

  I open my eyes and quickly shut them again. The light is so bright it blinds me. I crack them open slowly, letting the light filter through my lashes till my pupils adjust to it. Once they have, I blink rapidly, trying to clear my vision. I raise my hands to shield my eyes from the brightness, but the movement surprises me. They feel heavier and lighter at the same time, and I struggle to control them. A few grains of sand are stuck to my fingers, and they fall into my eyes. I try to rub them out, and my eyes start to sting. Water drips down my cheeks, leaving a tiny, wet trail.

  Eventually, my eyes are clear, and I gaze up into the sky. I’m rewarded with the sight Muriel had described — a vivid, blue sky and a yellow sun that is too bright to look at. The light is so much dimmer filtered through the water. Puffy, white blobs have taken the place of the dark ones that were there before, and I stretch out my arm to touch them but realize they are too far away. Is the sky like the ocean — so big you can never see the end of it?

  I turn my head and suddenly realize this is where the ocean ends. The water rushes up onto the land but only goes so far before the sea pulls it back again, leaving foamy bubbles. I watch it, mesmerized, for several cycles before turning my head the other direction. Just like Muriel claimed, there are tall trees with floppy, green fronds. My fingers itch to touch them, but I’m distracted when a tiny crab scuttles by.

  My stomach feels empty, and I think about grabbing him, but is he safe to eat? I don’t recognize his kind. Maybe I could return to the water to catch a fish instead.

  My head aches, and I lift a hand to touch the offending area, wincing at the swollen lump. When I pull my hand away, it is tinged with blood.

  My body feels so heavy, I don’t know how to move it. I raise my head, ignoring the throbbing, and press down with my arms till my torso lifts, propping myself up with my hands. But as soon as I look down, I scream, and the noise frightens me so much I fall back.

  My tail is gone! In its place are two appendages with the same skin as my arms, with a joint in the middle like my elbow, but bending the other way. My fins are shorter, thicker, with a round knob jutting out the back and tiny appendages like fingers at the ends that I’m able to wiggle.

  I flex my new fins carefully, exploring their range of movement, and giggle when I manage to roll them both around in opposite directions. The sound amuses me, and I do it again, amazed that no bubbles escape.

  I pull myself back up and try to bend my… what are these things called again? Legs, I think. Muriel used to entertain my endless questions about the human world with stories based solely on the knowledge she’d gleaned from others who’d actually walked on land before. But I gave up the fantasy of ever seeing it for myself many years ago and quit asking about it. Fantasizing about it only depressed me. But now, I’m here! And woefully unprepared. A million questions I wish I’d asked flood my mind. I guess I’ll just have to figure it out on my own.

  I manage to bend my legs, wrapping my arms around the joint in the middle — knees, I think they’re called. I know humans stand on their legs, but for the life of me I can’t figure out how to get up on them. I flop around on the sand for quite a while, twisting my body into different positions. Eventually, I roll onto my stomach, plant my hands in front of me, and bend my legs, shuffling them forward. I know it’s not how humans walk, but at least I’m moving. I’m embarrassed by my clumsiness, but no one is around to see me. Where is everyone, anyway?

  I head towards the water, intent on catching something to eat, but as soon as my fingers touch the water, a thought occurs to me, and I pull them back, terrified. The curse allows five days on land before I’ll die, but what happens if I go back in the water? Will my tail reappear? If it does, will it turn back into legs when I come out again, or will I have forfeited the rest of my time?

  I suddenly regret not asking more questions, but I never imagined I’d actually be here. Now that I am, I don’t want to risk cutting it short, so I back away from the water. Even if I eat nothing for the next five days, I won’t starve to death.

  The land is incredible on its own, but where are the humans? I can see a long way down the coast, but there is no one in sight, just an endless stretch of bright, white sand. Are they beyond the trees? I crawl over to the nearest one, the dry sand rubbing my skin raw. I have to figure out how to walk on these legs.

  The tree bark is rough against my skin, but I cling to it and plant one foot on the sand, pushing and pulling myself up. Once I’m upright, I wrap one arm around the tree and pick up one of my feet, moving it forward. I do the same with the other foot, and eventually I make a circle around the tree.

  Proud of my progress, I slowly let go of the tree and try to stand on my own. My toes dig into the sand, and my legs wobble, but I don’t fall, so eventually I try to take a step. I beam when I succeed. I can walk! I carefully make my way to the next tree, grabbing for it as soon as it’s in reach. By the time I’ve walked from the first tree to the fourth, I’m exhausted, so I let myself drop to the ground to rest.

  My chest is heaving, my breathing loud, and water has sprouted from my forehead and is dripping down my face. Some of it rolls onto my lips, and I lick it, surprised that it tastes like the sea. I wipe it away with my arm.

  When I feel rested, I try again, walking a little farther into the thickening grove of trees. A cry escapes me when something sharp pierces my foot. The ground here is littered with fallen plant material; I have to be more careful where I’m stepping.

  Ever so often, I glance back at the beach, till finally it disappears out of sight. The sky is darker, and the trees behind me all look the same. My heartbeat speeds up, and my breathing grows louder. What if I can’t find my way back? I suddenly realize I don’t want to die.

  I don’t know what I was thinking when I fled from my wedding. I guess I wasn’t. I just had to get away. Did I want to die? I don’t think so. I just couldn’t force myself to swim through that procession. What will happen when I go back? Grandfather will be furious, for sure, especially since I embarrassed him in front of the entire shoal.

  What about Kai? Will he still be willing to
marry me if I return? His family is the highest ranking in the shoal, after mine. But he’ll never be royalty unless he mates with me. His parents will never let him marry someone as low rank as Meribel, but what if he turns me down for someone else?

  I still wouldn’t be allowed to choose my own mate; Grandfather would choose another, and I can only imagine the dishonor that would bring to our family, for a suitor to reject me.

  Panic rises up in my chest, making my limbs shake. I drop to my knees and bury my face in my hands as water leaks from my eyes. What have I done? My only choices are to die on land or return to my family in shame.

  I let myself weep, great wracking sobs taking over my body. Eventually, I curl up on the ground as my body stills, no more energy left for tears. The air feels colder now, and I hug my knees to my chest, trying to warm myself. At some point, I fall asleep.

  When I wake, the sky is bright again, and the land is alive with foreign sounds. Everything sounds so different here, with no water to soften the noise. I have no idea what creatures are making the sounds or whether or not I should be afraid of them. Are there predators on land? Muriel never spoke of them.

  I look around, trying to locate the source of a chirping noise that sounds close by. A small, black and white creature hops back and forth on a nearby tree branch. He tilts his head at me like he’s just as curious as I am. My stomach rumbles, and I wonder if I could eat him. Suddenly, fin-like appendages fold out from his body, and he takes off into the sky. I gasp then chuckle; I guess he didn’t like that idea.

  My leg itches, and when I reach to scratch it, I notice tiny, red animals crawling up and down my leg. I watch them for a moment, but my leg starts to sting, and I realize they are snacking on me. I jump to my feet and brush them off, but they leave itchy, red dots on my skin. Are they poisonous? I hope not. I have no idea what dangers to look out for or how to combat them.

  I resume my quest through the trees, desperate to find… something. I don’t even know what. Humans, I guess. The branches scrape at my skin and pluck strands of my hair from the intricate updo. Tiny jolts of pain pulse through the tender skin of my new feet as I trample through the refuse shed from the trees, and my belly aches with emptiness.

  This is definitely not how I imagined life on land. This world is foreign and cruel, and I don’t know how to survive here. I assumed the humans would find me and take care of me, but it’s already the second day, and I haven’t even seen a human yet! How do mermaids ever find a mate? Legend says that humans are drawn to us, that they can’t resist our charms. If so, shouldn’t a human have found me by now? What if the curse took away that power? Could I lure a human on my own?

  Most mermen would give their right fin to be with me, not because they love me, but only because of who I am. No one’s ever had a chance to get close enough to me to actually fall in love. Except Kai, that is.

  I shake my head, trying to clear away the thoughts. I have bigger things to worry about right now, like the emptiness in my stomach and the burn in my throat. I stumble on, desperate for something to ease my body.

  I spot a small, bright green animal lounging on a tree branch. His skin is rough and thick with tiny spikes down his back, and he doesn’t look the least bit appetizing. But he just blinks a big eye at me so I rush towards him, longing for anything to satisfy my hunger. He scurries away, clinging tightly to the branch with his long toes, and I’m too tired to chase after him.

  Eventually, a trickling sound catches my ear, and it grows louder as I continue. Suddenly, the trees open up, and I shriek as I stumble into a small stream of water. I tense, expecting my fins to reappear, but nothing happens. The cold liquid covers my feet and flows around my ankles, soothing my sore flesh. I stomp around in it, going deeper, relishing the feel of the water and the wet earth squishing between my toes.

  I can’t resist plopping down and letting the water cover my legs, the flow soothing away the tension. I lay back and let it cover the rest of my body, opening my mouth under the water and sucking in deep.

  The water tastes so different! Crisp and fresh, but almost flavorless. It doesn’t taste like the sea at all, but I drink it, anyway. A tiny fish swims by, and I snatch it. It’s only one bite, but it tastes amazing, and my stomach growls for more. I manage to snag a few others, and tiny bubbles of happiness float up inside me.

  I splash around in the water till I feel refreshed, wondering again about why it’s so different from seawater. Is that why my legs didn’t turn back? Or will my tail only reappear when the five days are over? Once again, I desperately wish I’d sought the answers to these questions from Muriel.

  Feeling reenergized, I climb from the water and head off on the other side. Soon, the trees start to thin, and suddenly, I’m back on the shore again, facing the edge of the sea. Have I gone in a circle and ended up back where I started? My muscles tense with frustration.

  I glance down the shore line and notice something that wasn’t there before — large boulders piled on top of one another, jutting out into the water. This isn’t the same shore where I woke up yesterday. Have I crossed the full width of the land? Panic seizes me, and my heart races, the sound pulsing in my ears. Why haven’t I seen any humans? Are humans as rare on land as merfolk are in the sea? How will I ever find them?

  I drop to my knees and sob, hopeless. I’m such a fool! Why did I think I could do this? Grandfather kept me purposely ignorant about the human world, and now, no one is here to show me what to do. Have I forfeited the only future I had for this — five days of loneliness and suffering in a foreign world where I can barely survive?

  The sea calls to me. I long to dive back in and forget I ever tried to escape. But the fear of what awaits me keeps me huddled on the sand. If I thought my future grim before, my rebellion will only serve to worsen my destiny. I stare at the sea, lapping at the sand, and let my childhood fantasies rush back.

  In my dreams, I swim to the edge of the sea and climb out of the water on nimble legs. A beautiful, exotic world awaits me, and humans flock to greet me. One of them catches my eye, and I go to him. He reaches for me, and we kiss, and our fates are sealed. He lifts me up and carries me to his home where we make love all day and all night. In my fantasy, there is no curse, and on the fifth day, the human asks me to stay. I profess my love and promise to be with him forever.

  I bark out a pained laugh at my own childish stupidity. Happy endings only happen in fairytales. The real world is cruel and unfair. Even the fantasy world of humans.

  As I sulk, gray clouds roll in, dimming the sky, and the wind picks up, shaking the palm fronds and chilling my skin. I feel exposed out here on the beach, so I head back into the tree line, curling up under the biggest tree I can find.

  Water starts to drip from the sky, a drizzle that quickly grows heavier till it falls in a blinding torrent around me. The canopy of trees protects me some, but I’m still quickly soaked. I wrap my arms around my knees and tuck my head, huddling up to preserve warmth as the wind and rain lash my body.

  When I look up, I blink rapidly, sure the storm is deceiving me, but no, something is floating out in the water! A vessel of some kind bobs erratically in the choppy waves at the edge of the horizon. Is that a boat? Are there humans on board?

  My misery forgotten, I watch in fascination as the boat moves closer. It’s hard to make out any details through the sheet of rain except when flashes of light crackle in the sky and illuminate it. Waves toss the boat like seaweed, crashing over the sides and tipping the hull precariously.

  Suddenly, a giant wave swells up behind it. I gasp as the wave crashes over the boat, burying it in a deluge of water. I hold my breath, waiting for the boat to reemerge, but when it does, it’s upside down and sinking quickly. I jump to my feet, stricken with panic. What will happen to the humans? Can they even swim?

  Without thinking, I race towards the water and plunge in, clenching my legs together and kicking with all my might, and my tail reappears. Have I lost my legs forever? I can’
t worry about that right now; saving those lives is more important. I swallow my anxiety and face towards where I last saw the boat, swimming as fast as I can.

  It takes a moment for my body to readjust to the ocean, but soon I am one with the sea again, and I locate the capsized ship. Chunks of debris float around it, and a small, yellow raft bobs nearby, but no humans are in it. Another flash of color catches my eye — something orange, and I swim closer. It’s a human!

  A dark head sticks out above the bright vest that seems to be keeping him just barely afloat, but his eyes are closed, and he doesn’t notice me approach him. Is he dead? I grab hold of him and drag him to the raft, lifting his limp arms over the edge to hold him in place.

  I spot another orange dot, further away, and head for it. The man is moaning, and he opens his eyes when I grab him and sputters out a cry. I push him towards the raft as well, and he gets over his shock long enough to climb into the dinghy. He reaches for his partner and hauls him in. The effort exhausts him, and he flops down in the bottom of the raft. The other man stirs, and I know he’s alive.

  When I’m confident that they’re safe, I dive down under the boat, looking for other occupants, and see another man struggling, his orange vest caught in the railing. I swim up behind him, hoping he can’t see me, and my fingers quickly dislodge the vest from the railing. The man immediately starts floating to the surface. My eyes dart to the cabin of the boat. Is there anyone else stuck inside?

  I swim inside and find one more human, his pale body and black hair floating lifelessly in the small space. I grab him and swim to the surface, forcing his head above the water. One thing I know about humans is that they can’t survive under water for long. Is it too late for this one?

  When I’m positive I haven’t missed anyone, I ascend to the surface again. All four men are safely aboard the life raft, and the one who was caught in the railing is trying to rouse the one from the cabin. He pounds on his chest and blows into his mouth until the man coughs and sputters. They’re safe! They’re alive!