You first. Follow my instructions carefully. Joseph pointed up. Don’t gasp for air. Let yourself adjust then when you feel your gills close, take a deep breath of oxygen. Your body will do the rest. Nervous, I did exactly what he said and broke the surface of the water slowly. I wanted to gasp for air but resisted, paying close attention to my gills. They closed and I took a deep breath. My lungs came to life and my legs separated as the thin layer of scales slid back down and were absorbed into the bare flesh just above my ankles.
He broke the surface of the water laughing hysterically. “I told you.”
I didn’t feel much like laughing though. “Joseph, what is going on? I’m a mermaid. How is this possible?” I cringed as I said it, feeling embarrassed at the ridiculousness of the word.
“Your parents, who are they?”
“Who were they? Is more accurate a question. Samuel and Ester Shedd; though I never knew my mother.” Curious as to why he was asking such a personal question.
“Well, they’re merpeople. Or rather, they were merpeople.”
“There is no way my father was a merman. He drowned, Joseph.” Nearly admitting that I had visions of him being pulled into the ocean by a sea monster, but I stopped short.
“They both had to be; otherwise you’d be—well, a goonch,” sneering a little as he said the word.
“A goonch?”
“If a merperson mates with an ordinary human,” a little uneasy as he spoke, “their kids are deformed. They’re like mutant fish-people. Some of them can’t even swim.”
I thought about what he was saying but, I would have known if my father was a fish…right? Then again, I didn’t even know I was one.
Exhaustion was taking hold and I could barely draw a breath. “Can we call a water taxi or something?”
“Your legs tire faster when you‘re breathing air into your lungs. Since gills are capable of removing oxygen from water because of their feathery makeup, more gas exchange can occur—the whole process energizes your body differently.” Sounding like a high school biology teacher, he added a sprinkle of humor to lighten the lesson. “That’s why most people are fat. Oh and whales too, they are super fat. Although, this is more of an advantage since their blubber is less dense than water. Being fat helps their enormous bodies stay afloat—otherwise they’d sink like the Titanic.”
“Dolphins aren’t fat.” I said.
“Well, that’s because they watch what they eat.” He teased. “Alright, hop on, I’ll take us to shore. I doubt you’ll be able to transform if you’re not threatened with the idea of drowning.”
“Sorry to say, you’re probably right.” I smiled.
He grabbed my arms and put them around his neck. Hold on tight. I heard his voice in my head.
I locked my legs around him like he was giving me a piggyback ride and he took off. It was by no means smooth and I had to bury my head in the back of his neck to avoid getting splattered in the face with water. I thought back to the 9th grade when Lucy Stevenson returned from Florida bragging about how she swam with dolphins. I was so jealous. If she could only see me now, I’m hitching a ride from a hot merman. Beat that! I heard Joseph laugh in my head. “What’s so funny?” I spoke in his ear.
Nothing, he replied.
When we were close to the shore, there were a few people wading in the water. Luckily they didn’t notice anything unusual; after all, Joseph looked average from the waist up. I swam next to him the rest of the way. He transformed, kicking with his legs, but I still found it difficult to keep pace. It made perfect sense that he was the state swimming champion, what didn’t make sense is the fact that he was an average, everyday college student. “You go to college? On land?”
“Yes. Like a real boy.” His sense of humor was endearing.
“But you’re not normal.” I regretted the second it slipped out.
“Wow, thanks. Neither are you and that didn’t stop you from going to high school…on land.” It was very logical response.
“You have a point.” It always felt like I didn’t belong there. All of the sudden, my life seemed a lot more complicated—even if some things were beginning to make sense. I smiled as I realized my therapist was wrong, water DID pull at me. It wanted me to know what I was and that I belonged in it.
We reached the rocky coast and I made the mistake of standing up. Not only did my legs ache but the rocks on the bottom were sharp against my feet.
“Oh, you shouldn’t stand on these if you can help it. They’ll cut the bottoms of your feet; mess with your tail fin. You cut your foot—you cut your fin. The tail fin is the most delicate part after you transform but it is also the most important. Your feet essentially are your fin. They morph. It’s where all your power and control comes from.”
I had so much to learn. “What about my leg? If I cut it will my scales be cut too?”
“No, just your foot and your toes; your scales originate from just below your ankles. You must have felt them.”
I did feel them but still found it hard to believe. They slithered right over the black pants I was wearing.
He was crawling with his hands, letting his legs float behind him. “This is how you get across sharp rocks. You can cut your hands all you want and it won’t affect a thing.”
“Good to know.” We were in only 2 feet of water but I did what he said and crawled across the rocks with my hands.
The water was green with algae and seaweed. The jagged bottom was covered with a thin layer of slime. Joseph, again sounding like a biology teacher, went on to explain how it was good to see the growth along the coast because when the water was green it indicated a healthy environment where fish and other marine life could feed.
I was less enthusiastic about the growth. The seaweed was caught in my hair and the slick rocks made it impossible to keep my balance. More than once I fell under the surface when my hand slipped.
The water was deeper the closer we came to the side of a sprawling wall made of stone, and I wondered why we were there. Before diving under he glanced to be sure no one was watching and then instructed me to follow him. “Take a deep breath, though, it won’t really matter if you don’t.” He said before he disappeared under the surface.
I, reluctantly, did as he instructed and followed. Nearly 10 feet down I could see him waving. It was difficult and I had to fight a current that wanted to pull me to the surface. Recognizing my struggle he floated up to assist. His hand grabbed my foot and he pulled me down and we met face to face. My hair swirled around us and for more than a few seconds we were caught in each other’s gaze. With a smile, air bubbles escaped his mouth, which, for some reason, made me giggle. Air bubbles danced out of my mouth as well.
Then it hit me, I was having fun, which should have been impossible considering the fact that my life had just been turned upside down.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and guided me to an opening in the rock. Together we swam through.
On the other side, the surface appeared darker. To my amazement, we were inside of a grotto. When my face met the air, I gasped at the beauty. It was dark with the exception of a blue glow that made the wide-open space seem magical. The water was calmer than the waves that brought us there. The walls and ceiling seemed to hug the space with their gentle but strong arcs. A thick layer of salt deposits coated nearly everything while blue crystals jutted out of the walls like spikes.
He caught my expression and smiled wide. “I had a feeling you would love it here. This is my favorite place in the entire world. It’s one of the only places on the surface where the water is deep enough and the ceiling high enough to really have some fun.” He pointed to the naturally vaulted ceilings above us.
They were much higher than in the Cosa Identica grotto. Recalling how I was amazed at his ability to jump out of the water with such force. “Do you mean you can jump even higher than you did before?”
A smug look came over his face. “Uh, yeah. That was nothing—child’s play. Even these ceilin
gs are no match for me.”
“But they have got to be nearly 50 feet at the highest point.”
Then he sighed. “What I wouldn’t give to be able to jump out in the open ocean.”
“Impossible. Even a dolphin can’t jump higher than 20 feet above the surface of the water.” I doubted him.
“Seraphin, you saw how I travel, right? Imagine me going that fast but allowing myself to break the surface of the water. There’s no telling how high I could go.”
He was right. I couldn’t begin to guess the speed in which he traveled. Miles meant nothing. I was certain he could cross an ocean in a day’s time.
“How do you go so fast?” I wondered. “Is that one of your special gifts—like healing?”
“We can all do it. You’ll learn too. I’ll teach you.”
“I doubt that. I’m not really great at this whole mermaid thing.”
He swam closer. “Don’t feel bad. I’ve been doing this my whole life. You’re just getting started and you’re already better than most of the mermaids I’ve met.”
“I doubt that too.”
“I’m being truthful. It’s who you are; besides, you’re so good at it. Already your senses are extremely powerful. More accurate than most—not mine of course.” At this he smirked and held his head high.
I did feel powerful for the first time in my life. My senses were amazingly precise—it was hard to believe I found Joseph so easily at the reef.
He continued. “What astonished me the most is how you caught my signal through Louie. Usually signals don’t travel through other animals or coral reefs. I should have been completely hidden. I’m the only one who ought to be able to do that.”
“Looks like you’ve met your match.” I joked. When I said it, I got the feeling it meant something more to him. There was an uncomfortable moment between us—interrupted only when I realized I didn’t know a Louie. “Who is Louie?”
“Louie is the manta-ray who was covering me in the tunnel, back at the reef.” We swam together to the side of the grotto and climbed onto a large rock. He held out his arm to help me—pulling me out of the water.
“He has a name?”
He went on to explain that there are ‘regulars’. Some marine animals he encounters more often than others—he’s pretty sure they follow him around but he can’t prove it. It’s almost like having a stray dog that keeps showing up but won’t quite claim you as its owner. He doesn’t take care of them—he just names them and observes. I had a feeling maybe he was the one being observed though. Louie the manta-ray looked less out of place on a coral reef than Joseph did.
I held his hand and followed through a narrow passage—large stones served as steps and we climbed higher into the grotto. It was so dark that I lost confidence in my own feet. Joseph caught on to my slowing pace. He reached his free hand back to my other hand and pulled both of my arms around his waist.
“Hang on to me and try to mimic my steps. We’re almost there.”
The hanging on part wasn’t going to be a problem. “We’re almost where?”
“The top of the cliff; I want you to see the sunset from up there.”
It was quiet as we moved together. The front of my body was against the back of his and I rested my forehead between his shoulder blades. I closed my eyes and concentrated on his motions—trusting, since I couldn’t see in the darkness. My legs moved with his quite naturally, we were in sync. I felt this way when we swam beside each other as well. It was comfortable to be near him.
Light seeped through my eyelids as we climbed closer to an opening in the rock. I lifted my head, glancing around. An extremely narrow passage bursting with light held a steep incline with small notches that reminded me of a very poorly designed rock-climbing wall—only without harnesses.
“Joseph, is that the way out of here?”
“We could always go back the way we came but what fun would that be? I thought we could work on your dive once the sun goes down.”
“My dive?”
“You’ll see.” He assured with an untrusting glance.
I let go of him. There was no chance we could fit through the steep passage together.
“I’ll go first, watch where I step.” Then he gripped two notches and pulled himself higher. When he was near the top I watched him turn his shoulders in order fit through the opening. His arms dangled down, waiting for mine.
I glanced back, reminding myself of the pitch-black passage that led to the breathtaking grotto. I almost turned—intimidated by the steep climb ahead. But then, I heard his voice coaxing—challenging me. “C’mon Seraphin, you can do it—don’t be a soggy noodle.”
“A soggy noodle?” I laughed. I felt like a soggy noodle and was certain, with my new lifestyle, that wasn’t going to change. I wondered what I looked like and since I was clear of his line of vision I took the opportunity to run fingers through my water logged hair. It proved to be a good idea as I untangled two slimy strands of seaweed from the thick black ribbon that was still tied around my head.
“My arms are starting to fall asleep.” Joseph shouted. They were still dangling, waiting impatiently to lift me through the narrow opening.
I grabbed the two notches, like he had done. It was difficult to lift myself higher and I used my feet more than Joseph had. I tried not to injure them—well aware that any injury would damage my fin. Stretching, my hand was barely able to make contact with his awaiting fingertips. He surprised me by taking hold and gently pulling. I was narrower than he was but still couldn’t fit through the opening with my shoulders square—my body contorted as I shimmied through.
When I finally emerged we stood at least 100 feet above the Gulf of Taranto on a cliff. There was barely room for two and I leaned against the rock, afraid to look down. Then a thought occurred to me. “I am not diving off of this cliff.”
He only laughed—not responding to the panic in my voice. “Have a seat. We’ve got time.”
I slid my back down the hard stone, sitting as far away from the edge as possible; though it was still only a few feet. Joseph perched himself on the edge with his legs dangling over. I wondered how many times he sat up there and if he had ever brought Nasani to see the sunset. “Do you and Nasani come up here often?”
“I’m always trying to get her to come up—she says I’m crazy to even try. Diving isn’t her idea of fun.”
“I’m pretty certain it’s not mine either.” I said nervously.
“How do you know? You’ve never tried. I bet you’re great at diving.” A poor attempt at trying to flatter me into seeing it his way no doubt. “Besides, I’ll be right beside you.”
That thought held a little comfort but not nearly enough. “And you’ll be able to put me back together again with your magic super healing powers when I bash my head off the jagged rocks below.” I said with false enthusiasm.
He laughed again.
For a while we were silent, it seemed wrong to ruin such a spectacular sight with meaningless chitchat. Joseph moved beside me, away from the edge of the cliff. A breeze brought a chill across my damp skin, which resulted in goose bumps. He caught on and pulled me closer to his warm body—wrapping me in his arms. It surprised me how at ease I was—though his casual behavior nagged. I had nearly forgotten about what got us there in the first place. “Joseph, you don’t seem the least bit concerned with what happened earlier.”
Confusion crossed his face. “Concerned about what?”
“What was the shadow hand? How were you in danger?”
“OH!” He chuckled. “That was Nasani. We realized you wouldn’t transform unless you were under extreme pressure to do so. We staged that whole thing.” He shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head. “Please don’t be upset. It was the only way—AND you were amazing! Thanks for coming after me, by the way. It’s nice to know I could count on you to help if I was actually in trouble.”
“That was a horrible trick.” I tried to stand up, feeling foolish after falling for their
ploy. “I’m not so sure I’d help again.”
He put his hand on my shoulder. “Where could you possibly go Seraphin? We are on a cliff in Italy along the Gulf of Taranto. Please sit and watch the sun set with me.”
I looked into his blue eyes and I knew I had no other choice. However, I didn’t have to snuggle with him. I sat further away—and he noticed.
“You’re upset with me?” he asked with sad eyes.
Before answering, I thought about it. It wasn’t that I was upset with him. It was embarrassing that Joseph and Nasani had to go to such lengths to break through my stubbornness. “No. I’m not upset with you. I understand why you tricked me. Though, I was very worried about you and I didn’t like feeling that way. Please don’t do it again.”
I stared at the setting sun disappearing behind the horizon—I didn’t want to look at him and I wasn’t sure why. In my peripheral vision I could see him staring at me with big eyes and a wide smile. He closed the gap between us and I felt the warmth of his body once more.
“Nasani will be relieved to know that you’re not mad at us. For the record, she thought it was a horrible idea and didn’t want any part but it was taking her too long to come up with an alternate plan so she had to give in.”
“Good to know. Though, she could have let me in on your little secret when I got to the reef instead of just blowing past.”
“What?” He looked concerned. “She wasn’t at the reef.”
“Are you sure? You know we weren’t alone right? There was someone close to you the whole time I was following. It wasn’t until I got to the reef that who ever it was left. And you said your senses were better than mine.”
“Honest, I didn’t know we were being followed. I was so focused on you that I disregarded our safety.” He looked terrified and stood up, glancing at the water, then to me and back at the water again. “Seraphin, I have to go. I have to leave you here for a while. I’ll be back, I promise.”
“Joseph, you can’t be serious. You’re not leaving me on a cliff, alone. I don’t know how to get back to the cavern. What if something happens?” I was in a strange place and he was all I had. No way would he leave me; for a moment I thought it was another trick. “If you think you can trick me into diving off this cliff, you’re mistaken.”
When, at last, he found me. Page 12
