“Come on, let’s go,” I shepherded Cruz and Megan away from the fence, savoring my moment of sweet vindication.
“Holy Crap,” said Megan numbly as we made our way down the pier.
“That was intense,” added Cruz, eyes wide with shock.
I knew how they felt. It was a strange thing indeed to have all of your assumptions about reality turned upside down in a split second.
We came upon the fisherman and I paused for a moment, “Thank you,” I said with a sincere smile.
“What is your name, water girl?” he asked, his deeply lined face holding friendly eyes.
“Marina, and yours?”
“Lue Khang,” he replied.
“Well, Lue Khang,” I said, my smile broadening, “Thanks again.” I pressed my palms together and bowed my forehead to them. I knew this to be a sign of respect from my time in Thailand and I hoped he understood. I turned to leave, “Good luck fishing!” I called over my shoulder with glee.
“Heh, heh, heh,” I could hear his happy chuckle as I rejoined Cruz and Megan.
“Come on guys– let’s go!” I prodded my dazed looking friends, “I’ve been doing some research and have a ton of stuff to show you.”
By the time we made it up the steep stairs Cruz and Megan were getting over the shock and speculating wildly about what it all meant. I was relieved to have someone to talk to about it, and grateful to Lue Khang for tipping me off about her. I wondered exactly what he knew about Lorelei.
When we got home I brought out my laptop and started to excitedly show them all the information that I’d gathered.
“There are lots of stories about how they lure sailors to their deaths,” said Megan ominously, her topaz eyes flashing with the thought of it.
“Yeah,” Cruz said, “But over here, it says that they’ve been known to warn fishermen away from dangerous storms and rescue them from shipwrecks.”
“That’s what’s frustrating,” I griped, “There’s so much contradictory information.”
“I think our mermaid is much too pretty to be the killer type,” said Cruz thoughtfully.
Megan cast him a satirical glance, “Our mermaid?”
“Well, Marina discovered her, but we’re probably the only ones who know she exists!” he sounded mightily impressed with the importance of this, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I suspected the old guy fishing knew as well.
We kept on reading mermaid factoids to each other until late in the day. Mermaids were said to have the gift of prophecy, and to be immortal. They were described as both good and evil in a confusing mix of legend and lore. We read that they blessed people who were kind to sea creatures, and were able to bestow creativity and talent. Artists, poets and adventurers claimed to draw inspiration from them.
Lots of stories claimed that they possessed the power to grant wishes, and that their presence signified abundance and protection. They were also known to have the ability to transform, to grow legs and become human at will.
“What if they’re all over the place?” Megan wondered.
“What if she’s the only one?” Cruz countered.
We decided to find out more about her, to determine where she came from and what she was up to. When I reminded them of their initial skepticism, we made a pact to keep her existence a secret.
“We have to be careful, if anyone finds out about her, the scientists might try to dissect her in some laboratory,” said Cruz, his big brown eyes open wide.
Megan scoffed at him, “Seriously Cruz, that’s only in the movies. In the real world the men in the white coats will be coming to take you away if you start talking about seeing mermaids!”
“That’s for sure,” I said, remembering their condescending behavior just a few short hours ago, “I think it’s important that we keep this to ourselves.”
“You know,” said Megan thoughtfully, “She looked a whole lot like you.” Cruz agreed, “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were twins. It’s weird– your eyes are exactly the same.”
I hesitated for a moment, “Yeah, I noticed... I wonder if that’s why she showed herself to me. She thinks she knows me...” I was still a little freaked out about it.
“Marina... why did you call her sister?” Cruz asked solemnly.
“She mistook me for her sister or something, because that’s what she called me... at first,” I said, “At least we know each other’s names now.”
“How’s that?” Cruz asked.
“You heard her,” I said.
“What are you talking about? All she did was make weird sounds.” I was stunned, “Megan, you heard her, right?”
Megan slowly shook her head no, “It sounded like she was gargling or something.”
“No way! You didn’t hear anything she said?” I asked, shocked.
“No, we just saw her hand you your bag.” Cruz said, reaching out for the damp leather tote.
He looked at the label, “Oh my God! It’s a Gucci!” Megan and I laughed at him, but Cruz cocked his head at me with questioning eyes.
“How did she sound to you?” he asked.
“She was definitely talking, but it sounded like singing,” I said, “Like bells ringing.”
“That’s hella weird! How come you hear that and we don’t?” Cruz looked at me skeptically and I just shrugged, as mystified about it as he was.
“Marina, what did she say to you?” asked Megan gravely.
“Well, she asked my name, and she said her name was Lorelei. She asked if Cruz was my mate.”
Megan’s eyes met mine and we cracked up, rolling on the couch laughing.
“Also, she said that your hair is beautiful,” I added, as I sat up wiping my eyes. Clearly pleased, Megan smiled shyly and raised her hand to her curls.
“Then she gave me my bag and I told her to keep the binoculars.”
“We could hear you talk, Marina,” said Cruz, shaking his head in wonder.
“Whoa,” said Megan, suddenly somber as she considered the implications, “This is really huge...”
“That’s what she said!” Cruz retorted, sending them both into spasms of laughter.
“Who’s she?” I asked, causing them renewed hilarity.
“I’m serious,” said Megan after she composed herself, “Marina must have some sort of psychic connection with her.”
“Maybe it’s because she rescued you!” Cruz speculated.
“Or because she touched you,” Megan said, making Cruz shudder.
We all sat and thought about that for a minute but no one could come up with a better explanation.
“You’re just lucky you got your bag back,” said Cruz gravely.
Megan snorted, “Cruz is more impressed with Gucci than he is with a supernatural being!”
“Honey,” Cruz snapped, “Gucci is supernatural!”
The three of us burst into cathartic laughter, all of us forced to accept the fact that there were mysteries in the world that were inconceivable to us until today. Now anything was possible, and knowing that was wonderful, exciting and more than a little scary.
That night I tossed and turned in bed, replaying my conversation with Lorelei in an endless loop. My mind was flooded with mermaid legends and lore. They were said to be the sirens of ancient mythology, and in the stories the siren’s song was dangerous, more often than not resulting in disaster. One of the recurring themes was of their seductive voices making them irresistible. I thought about how the mermaid sounded to me, and I was reminded of a man I once heard playing hand bells on a street in San Francisco.
Evie and I had stopped, transfixed by the glorious resonant tones that seemed to vibrate right through your chest and into your soul. We both stood rooted to the ground until the last ringing note reverberated off the buildings all around us. I could still remember the look on the bell ringer’s face when Evie tipped him lavishly, took me by the hand, and walked away without a word.
Lorelei, I thought, remembering her beautiful voice. Ho
w on earth was it that I could hear it when my friends couldn’t? I resolved to find out more as I drifted off to sleep, lulled by the rumble of the surf, dreaming of distant chimes ringing out a beautiful tune.
CHAPTER SIX
HYPOTHERMIA
Over the next few days Megan, Cruz and I became mermaid experts. We spent hours speculating about Lorelei and her possible story. We walked down to the ship several times but had no luck spotting her again. The three of us drew closer, bound by the knowledge of our shocking secret. I fretted about the fact that I alone could hear her and it piqued my curiosity; now I had to find out more about her.
We usually spotted the surfers on our mermaid hunting expeditions, and I couldn’t help searching for Ethan among them. I was more curious about him than ever, but now I had mortifying memories of being plucked from the sea like a drowned rat to dwell on. He and Megan had lots of classes in common over the years, and I coaxed some information out of her, trying not to be too obvious. I knew she was aware of my interest, but she mercifully stopped teasing me about it so much.
Like me, Ethan had been raised by a single father, and I knew it was foolish, but somehow I felt like I knew something about him, something personal. He lived down by the harbor in a row of apartment houses that looked out over the sea. His father ran a charter boat, taking tourists out fishing, whale watching and on sunset cruises. Ethan was an expert surfer who competed in local surfing competitions and had won several. I gathered that he was a hard worker, for in addition to running the market stand on Sundays he managed our landscaping as well as the yards of a few of our neighbors.
Megan said he had seriously dated a popular senior girl last year who had broken up with him when she was accepted into an east coast college. She theorized that this had broken his heart, since he hadn’t dated anyone since. I kept thinking about the tall mean blonde. She certainly seemed very interested in him.
The more time I spent in Aptos, the more elaborate my oceanic dreams grew. I didn’t tell Megan and Cruz about them because they almost always included Ethan. I began to have dreams we were surfing together, which was about the least likely thing I could imagine myself doing. I was surprised at how quickly thoughts and images of him had wormed their way into my subconscious mind.
I sent my dad a few e-mails informing him I was fine and telling him how much I liked Aptos. I wanted to put his mind at ease while he was working so hard. He had written back, describing village life and his living situation. It sounded pretty primitive, and I had to admit I was glad that he’d sent me to live with Abby and Cruz. The now familiar smells and sounds of the ocean agreed with me, and my morning beachcombing had become a pleasant routine; I was starting to feel like I had lived here forever– like I belonged.
I slept in on the last day of freedom before school was scheduled to begin, rising late to a bright sunny Sunday morning. I peered out my window to see Abby practicing yoga in the garden. It looked like a nice day to be outside. I dressed and went to the kitchen for some breakfast.
“Hey sunshine, wanna go to the farmers market this morning?” Abby said cheerfully as she came in through the back door.
“No thanks,” I said, shy about the prospect of coming face to face with Ethan. The last time I had seen him I was puking my guts out and fainting. I flushed with shame when I thought about it.
“You could thank Ethan for saving your life,” she said slyly. She did have a point about gratitude.
“Would you do it for me? I mean, just tell him I really appreciated his help,” I pleaded, looking up from my cereal, “He must think I’m such an idiot.”
“Marina, you didn’t see how worried he was when he brought you home,” she said chidingly, but when she looked into my stricken eyes she softened, “Don’t worry honey, I’ll let him know.”
When Abby left I cleaned up the kitchen and wandered out to the beach. Cruz was working and Megan was back-to-school shopping with her mom. I was on my own.
The beach was always crowded on Sundays, and since this was the last day before school started it was particularly busy. I picked my way through the umbrellas and beach towels crowding the dry sand, wrinkling my nose at the mingled aromas of suntan lotion and cigarette smoke. People playing with Frisbees shared the wet sand with headphone wearing joggers. Dogs splashed into the surf to retrieve sticks, bounding out of the ocean to shake off great arching sprays of cold water, rudely drenching unsuspecting sun-worshipers.
I walked through a chorus of blasting boom boxes to see little tribes of children building sand castles at the water’s edge. I smiled, watching them doggedly trying to dig holes to China before finally giving up and filling them with water brought from the sea in colorful plastic buckets.
Heading out towards the ship, I watched a couple of families strolling on the pier and taking pictures of each other leaning against the railings. The last thing I expected to see was Lorelei.
Considering her shyness, I knew she wouldn’t be hanging around the ruins on such a busy day.
I was wrong.
When I wandered to the fence and looked down, her head popped up immediately.
“Lorelei! ” I blurted out in shock.
She laughed, and it sounded like wind chimes. I looked around, but no one else had noticed her. I scooted to the edge of the chain link and glanced over my shoulder.
“Marina! ” she called with a brilliant smile.
“We need to talk, ” I stage whispered. She looked over at the edge of the fence.
“Come over here, ” she said, with a beckoning wave.
“How? ” I wondered, for there were more and more people coming down the stairs towards us. She smiled, and swimming over to a bobbing sea lion, she whispered something into its ear.
Suddenly the sea lions all disappeared underwater. A few seconds later there was a barking commotion on the opposite side of the boat. All the people ran across the deck to get a look at what was going on. I could see them pointing and laughing at whatever the sea lions were doing.
No one looked in our direction.
Sheesh, she can talk to animals, I thought. She gestured for me to come around the fence, which extended out over the water to prevent just that. I set my bag down on the deck, and looked around again.
Gathering my courage, I clung onto the fence, slipping the toes of my ballet flats into the links step by step. The sea lion commotion continued as I slowly picked my way around the fence. For a split second it occurred to me that this was a really dumb idea, but curiosity triumphed over rationality and I kept going. Once I had maneuvered around and climbed down onto a concrete chunk she swam close.
“Come! ” she said, beckoning me into the water.
“But I can’t swim! ” I exclaimed.
“I can swim for you, ” she said, and before I could protest she scooped me up like Ethan had and flung us into the surf. The water was shockingly cold, and we stayed under for much too long. When we surfaced I was gasping for air. We had cleared the boat by a good fifty yards and were further out to sea than even the surfers went.
“I know a place we can go, ” she said, and with a tight grip on me dove under again. My mind raced. I had read legends of mermaids who maliciously drowned humans. I knew I was going to die and they would probably chalk it up to another sleeper wave. Ethan would really think I was an idiot. I thought of how sad my father would be. We broke through the surface again.
“Stop! ” I managed to gasp. We went under again. Now I was really afraid. I tried to pry her hands off of me but the glacial water was rushing by so quickly that I could barely move. I held my breath as long as I could and just as the dizziness set in we broke through the surface. She grinned at me, and then noticing my terrified expression, paused.
“I... I need to breathe,” I gasped, “Air, ” I added.
She smiled again, wild and beautiful, “I know,” she said, and dove underwater with me. This time she came up a bit sooner.
“Wait! ” I screeched, “I need to bre
athe more often!!! ”
“Oh, ” she said, and then held me above the surface as we sped along. With each powerful stroke of her fin we were propelled at least twenty feet. I was so frozen with cold I couldn’t protest. Finally we reached a buoy, floating far, far from shore.
I grabbed onto the buoy as she hovered next to it, treading water with her powerful fin.
There was an odd collection of objects draped and tied onto it. I recognized scissors, golf balls and an old hairless baby doll. The binoculars I had given Lorelei were dangling there, along with my soggy leather jacket.
The buoy looked like a piece of modern art I saw at a museum once. My vision doubled as I began to have trouble focusing.
“Let’s talk, ” she said, giddily.
My body was involuntarily shuddering and my teeth were chattering uncontrollably but I managed to get out, “L-L-Lorelei, I’m t-too cold. M-must g-go back. ”
“But the wave riders stay in the water a long time...” she pouted, disappointed.
“T-they have w-wet suits to k-keep them warm, ” I said through gritted teeth. She looked puzzled. “T-the black s-suits–”
“Oh, ” she said crestfallen, and I could see she understood.
“P-P-please take me back... now.”
She looked disappointed, and taking me by the waist again, started to swim back to shore. I couldn’t feel my legs anymore and a pleasant warmth crept through my body. I stopped shivering.
“Lorelei...”
“Yes, ” she said, swimming without the slightest evidence of exertion.
“Why did you call me sisthter? ” I asked, slurring my words. My vision was starting to blacken at the edges.
She paused for a moment, and then said “You were born of one like us, ” she smiled, “And so you are a sister. ” The blackness descended upon me totally.
Derrolyn Anderson - [Marinas Tales #1] - Between The Land And The Sea Page 7
