Real Mermaids 2 - Don't Hold Their Breath

by Helene Boudreau

  “Bobby thinks the high pitch blocks fishermen’s sonar signals, so it’s not all bad,” Luke said. “It’s the only way we’ve been able to hide from them for the past century.”

  So all the hi-tech gadgets on the Martins’ boat wouldn’t help us one bit. What was the point of going out with Dad the next day if we weren’t going to find anything anyway?

  “Hey, do you think Reese knows anything about my mom?”

  “I’ll ask.” Luke turned to Reese and they exchanged a few rings.

  Yes, mother. Then, Luke pointed to me. Daughter. He made a few signs with his hands and rang a few more sounds. Reese nodded as though he understood and rang back.

  “He says his uncle might know something.” Luke kicked off his shoes. “Come on, we should go check it out.”

  Just then, a humongous wave crashed onto our rock, soaking us to the skin. I lunged for the boulder beside us and worked to get my heart back in my chest cavity.

  “Might know something? Nuh-uh, nuh-uh, nuh-uh…let’s think this thing through a little bit. I mean, what if his uncle is an ax murderer or a homicidal maniac or a merman cannibal or something?” I knew I was babbling, but the hugeness of the ocean was seriously creeping me out. Dad was right. Next stop: England.

  Luke raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Cannibal? Seriously?”

  “Look. Reese seems like a nice guy and everything, but there’s no way we should be going anywhere with a mer we just met.”

  Reese looked up and glanced from Luke to me as if trying to figure out what we were talking about.

  “Okay, okay,” Luke said. “If it makes you feel better, you stay here and I’ll go.”

  “Um…did you forget you need a tidal pool to change back?” I asked. “That wouldn’t really help our cause.”

  “Oh, right. But we might not get this chance again.”

  “Fine, okay.” Reluctantly, I released my death grip on the rock and kicked off my flip-flops. Dad was going to kill me, but Luke was right. I couldn’t pass up this chance. “If anyone is going to get eaten by a merman cannibal, trying to find my mom, it might as well be me.”

  “Are you sure?” Luke asked.

  “Nope.” If I dove in and breathed in the water—especially saltwater—it was tail city and there was no turning back. But I hated swimming. I hated being wet. Could I take the plunge and become a mermaid again?

  But if Reese knew someone who might know what was happening with Mom, I’d have to suck it up. I crouched down on the rock and tried to see where Reese had gone through the ocean surf.

  Hey, Reese. Can you get me to your uncle before dinnertime? I joked, flashing the face of my Day-Glo Timex his way to show the time.

  Reese swam up to me. He reached out of the water and took my wrist in his hands to inspect my digital watch. He looked at me with an eager smile as if asking permission to touch the buttons.

  Knock yourself out, I rang in English. I took off the watch and attached it to Reese’s chubby outstretched arm. Maybe if I gave him a peace offering he wouldn’t drag me to their town center and hang me over a pot of fish chowder. So we can go?

  Go-rrsh. He smiled, staring at the watch.

  No, that’s a watch, I explained patiently. I looked up at Luke. “Give him yours too. That way at least he’ll feel bad when he leads me to my death.”

  “No way, this is a really expensive diving watch.” Luke put his hand over his watch as if to protect it.

  “Way to take one for the team!” I whacked his leg.

  “Sorry!” Luke laughed and rubbed his leg. “My grandpa gave it to me. He’ll kill me if I lose it.”

  “Fine, but if I get bumped off, I’m blaming you.” I turned to Reese. Now can we go?

  Go-rshh! Reese swam away then looked over his shoulder for me to follow.

  You do realize you just said that partly in Mermish, don’t you? Luke held out his hand and pulled me to my feet.

  I looked at him, not quite understanding what he was saying, mostly because he was speaking Mermish too. That’s when I realized I was kind of getting it!

  “Cool. I’ll get Reese to teach me all the swear words,” I joked, but my stomach cramped as I wondered what I was getting myself into. Sure, Reese seemed nice enough, but I’d watched enough horror movies to know that the ax-wielding, head-bludgeoning villain always seemed nice enough at the beginning of the movie. “I’ll teach you if I make it back.”

  “Hey.” Luke grasped my arm and pulled me into a hug. “I’ll be right here waiting, okay?” he murmured into my hair.

  “Okay,” I replied, my voice barely a whisper. My heart pounded hard enough that I was sure Luke could hear it, and a warm feeling of hopefulness spread through my body. I gathered up my courage and stepped to the edge of the boulder, taking one last look around to make sure no one was watching before making the big plunge.

  “Get me a new pair of shorts for when I get backrrppp…!” I called out as I dove, but the sound came out in a glob of bubbles, forcing a shot of saltwater down my throat. The water stung my eyes and burned my nostrils. Something disgusting and slimy, which I could only imagine was a jellyfish, swept by me, sending a sting of pain along my forearm.

  Just breathe. Breathe, I told myself, but all I could do was gag as I kicked and pulled at the water to dive deeper. It had been almost a month since the last time I’d turned into a mermaid, in Talisman Lake, and the expression “like a fish to water” definitely did not apply to me.

  Where the heck are…? I found my mer-voice and called out for Reese into the dark, murky water. I caught a glimpse of a tail about twenty feet away, deeper into the bay. But before my eyes could completely focus on what I’d just seen, my sudden legs-to-tail transformation blew my shorts to smithereens and sent me hurtling through the water.

  Ooorff! I fell back against the rocky bottom of the ocean, whacking my head in the process. So, yeah, with a jellyfish sting along my arm and a concussion to the head, plus the fact that the ocean looked like a big black hole, I was seriously wondering if I’d made a giant mistake. I let the water pass through my mouth and nose, and inhaled deeply to catch my breath. Surprisingly, it felt like a gulp of fresh spring air, a huge difference from the mucky water of Talisman Lake.

  Just then, something else brushed against my other arm. Ahhh! I yelled.

  Hello. Reese appeared beside me carrying his satchel, which I could now tell was made with the plastic rings that hold six-packs of soda, sewn together with some sort of twine. He stared in amazement and swam around me in dizzying loops and dives, like an otter I saw at the zoo when I was a kid. You are a Webbed One!

  Yes, yes. The fairy tales you heard as a kid are true, I said in my broken Mermish, but Reese got the gist once Luke translated from his perch on the rock overhead.

  Okay! We go-rshh. Ready? Reese asked, swimming ahead.

  Was I ready? If I looked back to the beach, I was fine, despite the swaying jellyfish, mossy rocks, and swirling sand; but out into the ocean was a sea of random fish, plunging cormorants, then nothingness.

  But this could be my one and only chance to find Mom.

  As ready as I’ll ever be. I waved to Luke one last time and swam to catch up as Reese raced ahead.

  For a chubby mer, the guy was surprisingly fast.

  We didn’t have to go very far to find Reese’s uncle—just a short swim across the length of the Toulouse Point Beach to the mouth of the boat canal leading up to Talisman Lake, as a matter of fact. That’s when it became pretty obvious I was about to run into some old pals if I wasn’t careful.

  I hung back, darting from one swaying clump of seaweed to another, trying to keep the canal sentries in my sights without being seen. I couldn’t tell for sure, but they looked like the same sentries I had had to escape from with my mom and Serena a few weeks before.

  Reese swam back to see why I wasn’t following quite so closely anymore.

  Uncle. Uncle Alzear. Reese motioned to one of the two mermen patrolling the mouth of the canal.


  A sentry? Your uncle is a sentry?

  Yes, uncle. Reese searched my face. Find mother?

  Yes. Yes, I want to find my mother, but it would probably be better if they didn’t see me. I looked down at the T-shirt I was still wearing compared to everyone else’s bare chest. Surely, that would be a dead giveaway that I wasn’t from around there. Reese seemed to understand. Ask your uncle—could you ask him if he knows anything about a tidal pool?

  Reese squinted. Tidal pool?

  Yes, I replied, making a sweeping motion with my arms to try to explain. Water pool. Tides. In and out.

  Reese nodded and grasped the strap of his satchel, then swam up to the mouth of the canal. The sentries swam up to meet him, holding their spears across their chests. Uncle Alzear put a hand on Reese’s shoulder while the other one yelled at him.

  Restricted. You cannot be here!

  I flinched at the sound of his piercing ring but tried to stay hidden while peering through a clump of swaying seaweed. Uncle Alzear put his hand up to stop the other sentry, then spoke quietly in Reese’s ear. Reese shook his head as if to say he wouldn’t go, then turned to the other sentry. He offered him several things from his satchel but none seemed to be of any interest. Finally, Reese unclasped my watch from his wrist and held it out to him.

  Geesh, that was a forty-dollar Timex, I muttered.

  The sentry smiled with all four of his teeth, attached the watch to his spear, then swam back up the canal, but not before glancing back to flash Uncle Alzear a warning look.

  Reese and his uncle spoke, but their backs were turned, so it was hard to tell what they were saying. Uncle Alzear shook his head a lot but Reese persisted. Finally, Reese motioned in my direction. I ducked behind a large clump of swaying kelp to avoid being seen. By the time I had the nerve to risk a peek a few minutes later, Reese was swimming to my side.

  Are you crazy? He could have seen me, I whispered in a low ring once he slipped behind the kelp with me, hidden from view.

  Reese fiddled with the closure of his satchel. Did not see you.

  So, what did he say? Does he know about the tidal pool? I asked. But from the smile on Reese’s face, I could tell the answer was yes. I put a hand to my mouth. Could it be? Was I that much closer to finding Mom? Where? Where is it?

  Reese glanced around to get his bearings, then turned to the western coastline, past the canal and away from Toulouse Point.

  Can you take me there? How far is it? I asked, trying to keep my tone low despite my growing excitement.

  Reese let out a series of rings, none of which I could understand.

  Whoa. Slow down. What are you saying?

  Reese fumbled around in his satchel and pulled out a Happy Meal toy still in its packaging, pointing to the large M emblazoned on the plastic packaging.

  I turned the toy over and examined it. Seawater had seeped into the package but the blue plastic figurine inside was still intact. I recognized it from a movie I’d seen advertised the spring before.

  There was only one McDonald’s anywhere near Port Toulouse. I looked at Reese and raised an eyebrow. The McDonald’s by the mall?

  Reese pointed at the toy again, as if he figured I hadn’t understood.

  No, no—I get it. Okay, the mall it is. Let’s go!

  Go-rshh. Reese stuffed the toy back in his satchel and smiled, then took my hand to head westward.

  I glanced over my shoulder and quickly turned away when I saw Uncle Alzear watching us swim off, his spear held loosely by his side.

  •••

  We swam for miles—nautical miles, which I was sure were ten times farther than actual miles.

  The thought of Mom kept me going despite how big and scary the ocean seemed compared to Talisman Lake. The whole saltwater experience had its pluses, though. I could see better, hear better, and actually understood what Reese was saying more and more as he gave me a guided ocean tour. We stuck to the coast, where the kelp was thicker to hide me from view, and swam along the ocean floor, around outcroppings of rock covered with mosses and crawling shellfish. I saw a humongous green lobster the size of a preschooler snatch a passing mackerel in its massive claw.

  Note to self: Stay away from scary, snapping lobsters.

  We followed a school of mackerel for a while, which was kind of cool, until I realized the floaty bits swirling behind them were probably chunks of uneaten flesh or digested food, and I got totally grossed out and gagged at the thought of breathing in that stuff.

  My tail ached and my arms were about to fall off by the time Reese slowed down long enough for me to catch up. I spotted the big golden McDonald’s arches off in the distance.

  Holy Chicken McNuggets. We actually made it. We—

  But before I could finish my sentence, something whizzed by my head.

  Reese pushed me out of the way. Stay down!

  What the heck was that? We ducked behind an outcropping of rock covered with swaying seaweed. Who’s after us?

  Not sure. Reese parted the seaweed with one hand so we could get a better look. The projectiles kept whizzing by us but missed us by a mile, judging by the streams of bubbles a dozen feet away.

  Either they’re not shooting at us or they have really bad aim, I rang in a low tone.

  Seconds later, a PING sounded through the water. The shooting stopped.

  You’re late! A deep mer-voice rang from a couple dozen feet away. I peeked around the rock. A large grizzly looking merman brandishing a spear swam to meet a small elderly mermaid.

  Yeah, well, tell that to your goon friends, the mermaid replied. They wrecked my stall back at the market looking for contraband. It will take me days to get it back in order.

  It’s Renata, Reese whispered. With food.

  Renata held out a package wrapped in seaweed to Grizzly while another sentry hung back by a large underwater metal culvert by the shore, which was probably where the projectile had hit to cause the sound. Could they be guarding the entry to the tidal pool, keeping the Webbed Ones in and the rubberneckers out? My breath quickened as I thought of the possibility. What if we were finally about to discover Mom, but they caught us before we could get to her?

  The merman by the culvert called out to Renata with a friendly wave. Any squid today, Renata?

  Got some right here for you, Omarlin! She searched in her sleigh-like cart and tried to swim toward the culvert to bring it to him, but Grizzly blocked her with his spear.

  You know the rules. He took the squid from her and piled it on top of the package she’d already given him. I’ll take it from here. He turned to go.

  What? No tip? Renata rang after him. But Grizzly ignored her, swam back to the culvert, and disappeared inside. Omarlin smiled weakly and waved, then disappeared into the darkness of the culvert too.

  Renata rang out a bunch of sentences, which I was pretty sure were mer-curse words, and stooped over to arrange the rest of the packages in her cart.

  My stomach cramped with anticipation and worry.

  This is it, I whispered to Reese. This must be the entrance to the tidal pool. Only problem is how do we get in?

  But just then, another rumble gurgled from my stomach. All the excitement had set Bridget’s lunchtime cheesy nachos into motion. Roiling, gurgling, cramping. This couldn’t be happening. Not now!

  No matter how hard I tried to control it, a mixture of nerves, fear, jalapenos, and bad timing all came together in a stomach-rumbling, gas-producing…mwuuurppppp.

  A huge burp bubble escaped from my mouth and traveled past my face, up and over the rock and seaweed where we were hiding.

  Excuse me, I whispered.

  Reese flashed me an odd, approving smile. I couldn’t help it. An uncontrollable urge to giggle took over me just like it always did whenever Cori and I were at a really serious school assembly. It started as a jittery feeling in my chest and escaped as a massive underwater snort. If Renata hadn’t seen my burp bubble, I was sure this would blow our cover. I poked my head aroun
d the rock to check.

  Who’s there? Renata scanned the waters around her and slipped out a slingshot-looking weapon from between the packages in her cart.

  What do we do now? I whispered.

  Reese said nothing but rifled through his satchel. I peeked in and counted four flip-flops, a waterlogged cell phone, and about six gold chains.

  Where did you get all this stuff? I picked out an ID wallet and wondered what poor sap had lost it. Bridget Lavoie according to the expired driver’s license. Bridget’s Diner–Bridget? I stifled another laugh. I bet my boss would never guess her ID had been stolen by an underwater kleptomaniac.

  Reese took the wallet back from me and stashed it in his satchel. He hesitated for a moment, looking like he wondered whether he could trust me. Beach. From tides, he said carefully.

  I said, who’s there? Renata said once again, this time more forcefully.

  You stay here, Reese whispered to me and pulled out one of the flip-flops. She likes these.

  Renata turned as Reese slipped out from our hiding spot. Stay hidden! she hissed, glancing over her shoulder to the culvert to make sure no one was looking.

  Reese swam slickly to another clump of kelp nearby while Renata busied herself, packing items into her cart, keeping her back to the culvert.

  You can’t be here, she said in a low ring.

  What is this place? Reese asked from his new hiding place. Is this the tidal pool?

  Renata stared at the clump of kelp and quickly turned back to her work. You do not know what you are asking.

  I stayed behind my rock, quite sure I didn’t want anyone popping out of the culvert and skewering us with their spears, but I had to know.

  How do we get through there? I called out to her.

  Renata scanned the waters around her. Who have you brought with you?

  Reese slipped out from his hiding place and looked my way, shaking his head slightly to signal me to stay hidden.

  A friend. He took the flip-flop and tied it onto Renata’s cart. That’s when I noticed all the other ocean-weathered flip-flops adorning the cart’s side like a string of colorful banners. A friend looking for her mother.