by Gentry Race
It was ideas like these that helped him rethink how the world worked. What if one could have a toilet composed of organic soils that recycled our waste?
He laughed to himself as he finished, feeling more relieved now, and pulled two shakes to get rid of the beaded urine on the tip of his head.
That’s when he heard it. A rustling sound in the bush not far off. The chance of another seaman walking about was slim, but maybe he had to relieve himself, like Arthur had. There was another rustling, and Arthur’s eyes widened in the dark, trying to take in as much as the faint moonlight would allow.
“Who goes there?” he called out in a whisper so as not to wake Elizabeth.
He walked toward the place he thought the noise had originated.
Through the brush, he saw what looked like a small woman. Her naked body glimmered with a slight red scaly iridescence in the dim moonlight. As he got closer, he could see that her soft, pearly skin transitioned from scales to her lower half. As she pulled back her shoulder length brown hair, she fastened what looked like a seashell-like bra connected to a high neck breast plate with two gardbraces. Arthur couldn’t help but notice how her perky breasts, hugged by the decorative motifs of brilliant jade and gold. His eyes traveled lower, continuing on until he saw that her legs were joined at the knees.
What the hell is she?
Possessing a curious, scientific mind, he stepped out into the light to get a better look. The notion of standing in the brush while he watched a beautiful woman bothered him; he was no peeping tom or pervert, but a man. And the man wanted to know more about the graceful creature before him.
The crackling of the jungle under his boot as he inched closer made more noise than he would have liked. Arthur quickly looked up to the see the nymph-like woman staring him square in the eyes. Hers were like heaven, with irises that glowed radiantly when the moon struck them. Her hair was a soft brown, and as he got closer, he could see her skin was also tanned, but appeared almost sheer.
“Miss?” he called out.
The gorgeous creature stood in silence like a deer in headlights. Next to her, a saber made of crystal twisted into a leaflet vine forming a handle. Behind her was a dark void and a set of natural steps carved into the cliffside. Arthur was nearly twenty feet away when suddenly, she closed her thick thighs and they sealed, forming a long, fish-like tail. Then she grabbed her saber and threw herself into the dark abyss.
Arthur ran to the edge of the pit. The cliff’s soft dirt started to give under his boot, and he stopped himself just before the drop. He peered his head over and could hear splashing. The noise made him feel sick, bringing the memory of the ill-fated night in his childhood.
Arthur slowly backed away from the ledge and turned his eyes toward his encampment, then looked back at the water, his deep brown eyes again widening to the darkness. The splashing sounds were undeniable. He had just witnessed irrevocable proof that something extraordinary lived on this island—or, more accurately, in the black, watery abyss around it.
He was lost in thought when he felt the slightest give beneath his left foot. He looked down and saw the beautiful melusine, just as his footing gave way and he fell over the edge.
His stomach sank as he gave into the pull of gravity and smashed into the cold water below. His biggest fear was now being realized.
He kicked and flailed his arms to keep his head afloat, trying to remember the hours of training he had performed before the voyage. The murky green water bobbed along his mouth as he sputtered for air. He knew his body would only last a few minutes in this frigid pond.
Then he felt it.
A strong hand around his ankle.
It gripped him and pulled him under, dragging him down twenty feet. The faint moonlight disappeared from above, turning his surroundings black. His arms reached for the surface, but it escaped him.
Something wanted him under. Something wanted him dead.
A set of bee stung lips pressed gently against his, and a blanket of relief came over his panic-stricken body. Like a lighthouse to a ship lost at sea, the warmth of those lips called to him. He opened his eyes to see a pair of luminescent, glowing irises. They belonged to the half-fish, half-woman, and they were even more beautiful up close.
She pushed a breath of sweet, amiable air into his lungs. Arthur inhaled her life-giving essence, barely hanging on under the crushing depths. As she sustained him, he could feel her thoughts and sense the depth of her character—her soul and history. Her soft arms embraced him, and she pushed her fish-like lower half against his body, gently gyrating her large fins to keep them from descending further.
Arthur couldn’t believe this was happening. He thought he even caught a flirtatious smile just as she pulled him up to the surface.
With another kiss and shared breath, he emerged into the brisk night air. Arthur gasped like he’d never sucked in oxygen before and felt a slight tug on his belt from below, as she pulled him to the stratified karst at the edge of the hole. He slightly recognized the geological features—Liz would definitely know more about them and would be delighted to spout off the information.
Reaching the cliffside, Arthur watched the young maiden break through the water. Her hair clung to her head as she brushed it back, revealing her radiant beauty. Never had he seen such a stunning creature. She was quiet as she smiled and pointed, showing him the way to the series of indentations in the rock that resembled steps.
“But—” Arthur tried to speak, but she put a finger over her mouth and made a shushing sound, then pointed to the top of the abyss.
He hesitated. He couldn’t just leave the greatest scientific discovery of the century.
“Who are you?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes and smiled again. “To ónomá mou eínai Phthinoporon.”
“Phthinoporon?” Arthur repeated to himself, recognizing the last word as Greek for ‘autumn’. “So you are Autumn?”
The creature paused and tilted her head, processing his words.
“Yes, please forgive me. In your language, I am Autumn,” she said, her demeanor becoming even more timid. “Now you must go, before my sisters discover your presence.”
Sisters?
Arthur was flabbergasted as he watched her float on her back and flick her green tail in a sudden splash. Her abdomen was toned, with just a tiny pooch of a belly that transitioned into scaly fish skin. He could now see the distinct markings on her skin. Specular green highlights that were tattoo’d along her forehead, cheeks and arms in some exotic tribal pattern he had never seen before.
“You have sisters?” he asked.
“Yes, now go,” she said hastily. “They will not take light of a seeker looking for the stone.”
Stone?
Arthur started his climb up the layered rock, looking back every few steps. He didn’t want to leave her. As he mounted the ledge, he looked back at her wading in the water. He winked and smiled, feeling that if there was a time to be flirtatious, it was now.
She smiled back and shook her head. Arthur could feel her looking at him. There was an energy, almost as if she was looking into his soul.
She uttered, “You are quite the jester.”
“Well, thank you, my dear maiden,” Arthur said. “Must you go?”
Autumn looked around, making sure they were alone, and then treaded water as she made her way over to the makeshift steps he had just climbed up.
“If I have words with you, then you will go?” she asked.
Arthur nodded his head in agreement.
She pulled her body up, revealing her tail, and he watched her every move with fascination as her scaly lower half split into two legs. As she climbed the stairs, the scales faded to just her lower calves. He tried not to stare too much at her naked body, which was now exposed for him to see.
She reached for his hand, and he pulled her up next to him. She sat down, wrapped her arms around her knees, and shyly looked at his clothes.
“You wear interesting d
ress,” she said.
Arthur didn’t even hear her comment, as he was so preoccupied by the fact that a real-life mermaid was sitting next to him.
“Where are you from?” he asked.
At first, she was reluctant to say, but when Arthur nudged her again, she fluttered her lush eyelashes and twirled a smile.
“I am an Atlantan,” she said plainly. “Protector to what matters most.”
“Atlantan? As in Atlantis? The Atlantis?” Arthur asked.
Autumn smiled back at him, resting on her elbows as she playfully kicked her feet in the water.
“Yes, the Atlantis,” she confirmed.
“But the stories of old say it’s been sunken for centuries,” he said,
Atlantis was one of the greatest myths, dating back to when Plato first wrote about it sinking into the ocean. A whole continent, gone. Many theories had speculated about its location. Atlantis originally got its name from those who believed it was in the Atlantic, however, the Mid-Atlantic Ridge had disproven the presence of any large continent there. Most theories currently led to the Greek island of Santorini.
“We are the only part of Atlantis that exists anymore. The last of our kind,” Autumn said quietly, pulling herself up and wiggling her toes as if surprised by the sight of them. “I missed having these. My sisters won’t let me keep them.”
Arthur realized she was fascinated by her new, fully-human form. It was a remarkable sight to see her change. He wondered if she was able to do this any time, or if she was governed by the moonlight. The fact the he was here, on an uncharted island in the Gulf of Mexico, and talking to a mermaid intrigued him. He wanted to know more.
“Why do they not let you have feet?” he asked.
“We are the protectors of that which is most important,” she said peacefully. “They say I shirk my responsibilities and deny my duties.”
“And what is most important to you? Being human or being Atlantan?” he asked.
“I want to be where the people are,” she said and then pointed to the cenote. “It can be very lonely down there.”
“What do you protect there?” Arthur asked.
“The Earth Gate,” Autumn said.
“Gate?” he repeated, as his eyes lit up with interest. “Where does it go?”
“No, it's not that kind of gate,” Autumn chuckled. “The Earth Gate holds three of the twelve amalgamated keys.”
“Twelve keys?” Arthur said, feeling as if he was just echoing everything the young mermaiden said.
“Yes, three keys are broken up into four elemental gates,” she told him. “If you obtain all three, you will have the ability to seek out precious metal on Earth.”
“I sense a sadness in your voice,” Arthur said.
“Aye,” she said, rotating her ankles. “I fear for the Earth. It has already started its decline into the cold. Something my sister Cheimon has warned us about for centuries. It won’t be long until we have to sleep.”
Arthur’s face became concerned, “Sleep?”
“Yes,” she said. “The ice sheets will come and we will await our turn to waken again.”
The glacial periods of Earth’s past had been known to last centuries. It wasn’t long ago that the Little Ice Age had struck, during the dark ages. Crops were lost. Famine ensued. This had lasted for over one hundred years.
Now the world was preparing for the next glacial period and what hibernation of progress that came along. It was up to Enconn to get Annulus Station constructed before then, and that was dependent on Arthur finding a large amount of iridium. He couldn’t help but wonder if this ‘Earth Gate’ could show him a suitable source. Autumn said you would have the ability to seek out gold. While gold was unlikely to be here, perhaps one could use it to find iridium.
“How can I help?” he finally asked.
Autumn looked at him and hesitated for a moment, considering.
“You can’t help me. This is my destiny.”
Arthur was concerned by her expression. “Are you…trapped here?”
“Yes,” she finally said carefully. “Taken against our will, we were drowned and revived with the Stone as protectors. I thought I would never step foot in water again after I experienced that pain.”
Arthur’s thoughts rushed to childhood. He sympathized with Autumn and the struggle of holding onto your last breath. Then he thought back to the receding jungle, where his encampment was set up. That the other members of his party would consider helping a fantastical creature such as she to be ludicrous. No one had heard of such an entity since folklore from two centuries ago. Arthur wasn’t sure how his company, let alone Liz, would respond, but doing the right thing sometimes meant sacrificing what you defined as reality.
“I will help you, Autumn,” he said.
Her deep brown eyes lit up in surprise. “There is only one way you can free us all,” she said. “Unlock the four gates and you will release the quintessence,” she said.
Arthur thought for a moment. A quintessence. A fifth element.
“How do I unlock them?” he asked.
“I will show you,” she said, her eyes as lovely as the cool, brisk night that had set upon them.
Autumn reached over, touching his stomach, running her fingers just below it.
“I know you have many questions,” she said. “I can show you an easier way of communicating.”
Arthur laid back as she pushed him down into the jungle dirt. His body felt frozen, unprepared for what the beautiful melusine was readying to do. He felt the wet tendrils of her hair fall over his lap as her head moved over his crotch. She was going for the sweet spot, and there was no stopping her.
Unsnapping sounds turned to unzipping, and Arthur could feel the cold air on his genitals. Autumn slowly pulled out all that he was, and rubbed his shaft to fully erect. It had been too long for Arthur, and he moaned and gasped from the feeling. For the longest time, he’d envisioned Liz doing this, and now he was having some kind of fantastical delusion.
Autumn wrapped her pout lips around the tip of his head. All he could feel in the moment was the warmth from her mouth. And like in the water below, he felt the essence of her. Her dreams, wants, and memories. In his mind, he felt her strenuous thoughts:
“But if you add to the Eagle the icy Dragon that has long had its habitation upon the rocks, and has crawled forth from the caverns of the earth, and place both over the fire, it will elicit from the icy Dragon a fiery spirit, which, by means of its great heat, will consume the wings of the Eagle, and prepare a perspiring bath of so extraordinary a degree of heat that the snow will melt upon the summit of the mountains, and become a water, with which the invigorating mineral bath may be prepared, and fortune, health, life, and strength restored to the King.”1
Arthur was overwhelmed by the imagery and thoughts. ‘Crawled forth from the caverns of the earth, and place both over the fire’? Is this how one unlocks the gates? ‘Snow will melt upon the summit of the mountains, and become a water’.
A bearded face appeared in his mind’s eye. In the center of a circled, seven-pointed star. He saw ancient alchemical symbols, a precursor to modern chemistry. A dirtied inscription surrounded the circled star as black as the night itself.
Arthur reached out in the projection and wiped the metaphysical dirt away. It was ghost-like yet solid. He still felt the sensation of the mermaid on him, stroking his dick with her mouth. Taking all that was him and giving all that was her. Under the dirt, black as pitch, he felt the letters:
V.I.T.R.I.O.L.
Vitriol?
Arthur tried to remember the Latin he’d learned in his college days. In chemistry, ‘vitriol’ was an archaic name for a sulfate, and the word came from the Latin word vitriolum for ‘glassy’, since the crystallized forms of several metallic sulfates resembled pieces of colored glass.
As the letters faded, he saw twelve keys combined into four elemental gates. All of these combined together, building to a white light brighter than the sun itself.
A magnum opus, each protected by one of four mermaids. The shape was unmistakable. It was a kingdom — the magnificent kingdom of Atlantis.
He watched the kingdom crumble in his mind becoming only rocky form. He mentally projecting himself inside. In the center, was an upside down triangle room with three sides. Arthur recognized it as the universal symbol for Earth. The numbers two, six, and ten were carved above each wall.
This is the set of keys Autumn spoke about.
On the first wall, below the number two, a winged Mercury stood was holding a caduceus in each hand. To the left was a sun and to the right a moon, and at his feet, a set of double wings. Approaching him from the left was a man with a sword, around which a serpent or snake coiled, while from the right came another man with a sword, upon the point of which, a bird perched.
On the second wall, below the number six, A bishop with his right hand raised in blessing performed the wedding of a king and queen, under a dark cloud pouring heavy rain. Above the cloud, a rainbow formed its bow, between the sun on the left and the moon on the right. In front of the king, a cylindrical vessel was being heated on a fire. On top of this vessel, flames burned above a double-faced head, their mouths of which hold collecting flasks. Behind this, in the distance, was a swan. In front of the queen, an alchemist with a trident tended a furnace, pouring water from a flask into a water bath in which an alembic was being heated. The emitted fumes were condensed and collected in a flask below, which already had a layer of liquid in it.
On the third and last wall, below the number ten, around a downward pointing, radiant triangle were the words: ‘Inside the vertices of the triangle were the symbols of the sun on the left, the moon on the right and Mercury at the bottom.’ Within the triangle, was a double radiant circle, inside of which some Hebrew letters were written.
