by Sam Short
"Yes," whispered Reuben.
Millie pressed the soft fabric of Lillieth’s dress between a finger and thumb. "Then let's hope that when I get that pearl, the spell will work," she said, unhooking the dress from its hanging place.
Chapter 16
Having told Judith and Sergeant Spencer that she wanted to go for a walk alone along the beach, Millie took tentative steps towards the sea’s edge, the full moon casting her shadow over the gentle surf.
With Lillieth’s dress in one hand, and her slip-on shoes in the other, she wiggled her toes in the sand and gazed out at the horizon wondering whether, if the spell did work, she’d have the courage to swim out into the darkness and the unknown.
She took a sharp intake of breath as a rogue wave rode higher up the beach than the others, enveloping her feet and ankles in cold water. Reuben had surmised that the magic of the dress would give Millie all the qualities of a mermaid, including the ability to regulate her body temperature in even the coldest of water, and Millie hoped that her familiar was correct.
Glancing along the beach in both directions, and checking behind her, Millie took a few steps back from the edge of the sea, slipped her T-shirt over her head and allowed her shorts to drop to the sand, enjoying the sensation of the warm breeze on her naked body.
Tracing her steps back towards the sand dunes, she placed her clothing in a pile, with her shoes on top — a safe distance from the sea, and gathered as much courage as she could muster from within herself.
With an image of her mother’s smiling face firmly imprinted on her mind, Millie stepped towards the water’s edge once more, Lillieth’s dress still in her hand, and cold sea spray chilling her legs.
She stepped slowly into the sea, wishing that Spellbinder Bay was situated on the coast of the warm Adriatic, and not alongside the chilly English Channel. Bracing herself against the cold rolling waves, she ventured further into the surf until only her torso and head remained above water, her body trembling as the cold took hold.
She ran through the three possible scenarios. Scenario one — she’d put the dress on and nothing would happen. Either she hadn’t fixed the magic in the dress, or the magic wouldn’t work in reverse. A disappointing outcome, but probably the safest. Scenario two — she’d put the dress on, transform into a beautiful mermaid, and swim away confidently in search of a pearl of wisdom.
And the third scenario, the one which troubled Millie the most — she’d put the dress on, turn into a beautiful mermaid and sink in the surf, unable to control her new body, becoming tangled in the dress — unable to remove it before she drowned.
A ball of anxiety swelling in her stomach, Millie looked at the moon and spoke in a whisper. “Wish me luck, Mum,” she said.
Holding the dress above her in both hands, she drew the garment over her head, and allowed the soft silk to rest on her shoulders for a moment or two. Wondering at which point during the process of adorning the garment, the magic within the dress would be activated, she inserted her arms through the thin straps and allowed the material to slide down her body.
As the hem of the dress touched the water, Millie got her answer, and she got it faster than she had expected — with hardly a chance of sucking in, and holding, a lungful of air.
As if her legs had vanished from beneath her, Millie tumbled into the surf, her arms flailing as she attempted to keep itself afloat, but aware that the heavy weight where her legs had been was dragging her beneath the surface.
Panic rising in her throat, she attempted to remove the dress, but realised with horror that the worst scenario she’d envisioned had come true — instead of calmly lifting the dress over her head, as she was commanding them to, her arms refused to cooperate, and flailed helplessly in the surf as she tried to get her head above the surface.
Tangled in the garment, and with her lungs desperate for air, Millie realised with a calming acceptance which frightened her, that she needed to breathe. That she had to breathe. That she was going to breathe. That she was about to give in to the pain in her chest, and allow the sea to claim her. She searched for the ball of magic in her chest, hoping her powers would give her a last minute reprieve, but she felt nothing there, only a chunk of heavy despair which seemed to be adding to the weight which kept her from surfacing.
Unable to bear the pain in her chest any longer, Millie closed her eyes, stopped struggling and allowed the seawater into her mouth, hoping she wouldn't suffer for too long. Expecting the salt water to flood her lungs quickly, she kept her eyes closed tight, waiting for the inevitable.
The light-headedness which the lack of oxygen had caused beginning to leave her, Millie realised with growing hope that her body was becoming oxygenated, her lungs no longer hurting, and her arms gaining strength. Assuming she'd made it to the surface at the last moment, she opened her eyes and prepared to swim to shore.
Instead of the white-tipped waves and full moon which she'd expected to see, Millie gazed around at the subsurface seascape and realised with both fear and delight that she was breathing — underwater.
Not only was she breathing, but she felt at home in the water — everything seemed natural, and even her eyesight had adapted. Instead of the blurred shadows and hazy horizons which usually accompanied an underwater swim, her vision was sharp, the moonlight which filtered through the surface offering ample light, and casting the sand below her in a silvery glow.
She concentrated on what was happening in her mouth and lungs, and realised that her chest was not rising and falling, and no water was in her lungs. In fact, no water had penetrated past her mouth — as if a force field was preventing seawater from entering her throat. Somehow, her body was extracting oxygen from the water in her mouth and nostrils, and she realised with delight that she was in full control of her body.
Her hair floating gently around her face, and the dress moulded tightly to her body as if fused with her skin, Millie drew the appendage which had once been her legs towards her chest, and smiled as she examined her fin.
Speckled in purples and greens, the scales shimmering under the curtain of moonlight which lit the underwater scene, her fin merged almost seamlessly with Lillieth's dress, which had become a second skin — fitted tightly over her breasts and midriff, offering her a dignity she knew was wasted so far away from other people.
Instinctively, she flicked her fin, the muscles in her stomach tightening, and her body slicing effortlessly through the water as she propelled herself forward.
With a bubbling giggle, she flicked her fin again, this time with more power, and directed herself towards the surface — from which she burst in a shower of sea spray, and with a shout of delight.
Mimicking the dolphins she'd seen playing in the bay, she twisted her body in the air and allowed herself to fall to the water, flicking her fin as she landed, and holding her arms tight against her body as she headed for deeper water.
As the depth of water increased, the silvery sand below her gave way to coral — the purples, yellows and greens illuminated by beams of moonlight which shimmered, and seemed almost to move with the sea as the tide pushed towards the shore.
Fish peered out of hiding holes in the coral, and a lobster scuttled across a bare patch of sand, heading for a refuge into which it vanished as Millie swam deeper to take a closer look. Spinning in the water, her shouts of joy lost to all but herself and the marine life which populated the depths, she sped through the sea, her body arching with every powerful flick of her fin.
Not sure how far she'd swam, and not sure she cared, she noticed the coral had once more given way to sand, and the full moon — a blurred orb of blue and silver, had become smaller. Coming to a gentle halt, water currents making her hair dance, and the thin membrane which made up the V of her fin, sway — she hovered in the water, getting her emotions under control. Remembering she was there for a reason other than feeling freer than she'd ever felt before.
Her vision as perfect underwater as it had been on land, Millie
studied her surroundings. Moonlight still penetrated to the depth she was at, but the gloom below her had begun to dominate. She remembered what Reuben had said — the oysters she was looking for lived in deep water. Bending almost double, her fin grazing her chest, she performed a graceful tumble-toss, and with a few powerful flicks of her fin, slid from the silvery moonlit water she'd been floating in, and deep down into the inky blues in which even her newly adapted vision struggled to perform properly.
Slicing effortlessly through the water, Millie headed deeper, veering left as a large eye loomed from the shadows, its pupil reflecting the last slivers of moonlight. Surprisingly unnerved by the sudden appearance of the creature, she placed a hand on the animal’s large flank, the basking shark’s skin rough against her fingers as it glided peacefully past her, and was swallowed by shadows.
Her eyes adjusting to the gloom, Millie studied the seabed below her. Not under enough water to blot out sunlight entirely, the sand was home to large beds of kelp, whose tendrils danced in the currents, reaching high above their anchor points among rocks and seashell littered sand.
Swimming through the nearest bed of kelp, the rubbery fronds tickling her fin as she navigated the underwater forest, she found what she’d been searching for. Packed tight together, seemingly growing atop one another, with seaweed covered tips of rocks visible where the shells were less abundant, the oyster bed spread out before her, the oval shells a mix of porcelain white which glowed softly under the dim light, and dark blacks which blended with the shadows.
Her fin grazing the rough surfaces of oyster shells, Millie meandered through the kelp forest, searching for the blue glow which would indicate the presence of the magical pearls she was searching for.
The oyster bed spread for as far as she could see in all directions, and a startled crab reared up and threatened her with large pincers as Millie pushed into a thicker growth of kelp, the thick fronds creating a cold rubbery curtain. As she pushed the seaweed aside, and gave a flick of her fin, a faint blue glow in the distance stood out like a single lit window in a city shrouded in darkness.
Her fin slicing easily through the water, Millie covered the distance quickly, and gazed down at the source of the neon blue glow. Unlike the other oysters, whose shells were clamped tightly shut, the dinner plate sized oyster below her had opened wide, its magical prize proudly displayed, as if on offer to the first person who found it.
Millie swam closer, the blue glow of the pearl so bright it formed a circle of light two metres wide around its oyster. Her fin making gentle movements which held her steady in the tide, Millie reached for the pearl, and plucked it from its bed of vivid white flesh, holding it between a finger and thumb.
As its prize was removed, the oyster slowly closed, becoming just another of the countless shells which covered the seabed.
With the pearl making her finger and thumb tingle with magical energy, Millie gazed at it in wonder. The bright blues shifting and shimmering, the marble-sized pearl reminded her of the crystal balls portrayed in the books of fairy tales she’d loved to read as a child.
Tightening her hand around the jewel of the sea, Millie turned in the water and prepared for the peaceful swim back to shore. No sooner had her hand formed a fist — she knew something was wrong. Very wrong. There was too much magic.
She didn’t know how she knew, but even as cold water flooded her throat, and her fin transformed into kicking legs, she knew that between her own magical powers, the magic contained in the dress, and the paranormal properties of the pearl — there was too much variance in the magic which coursed through, and over, her body.
The weakest of the three magical elements, Lillieth’s dress, had been overcome by more powerful magic, and the spell interwoven with the silk had temporarily collapsed.
Realising that this time there would be no reprieve, Millie closed her eyes as a fresh surge of salt water forced its way into her lungs. She stopped kicking her legs, pictured her mother’s face, and prepared to be taken by the sea.
Chapter 17
Wondering if the clamping fingers which gripped her wrist belonged to the hand of death himself, and whether the sensation of being dragged upwards was her soul leaving her body, Millie kept her eyes closed, her lungs burning as she travelled at speed to whatever afterlife was waiting for her.
The fact that she was travelling upwards gave her some hope that she’d lived her life relatively sin free. The pressure of the water around her becoming weaker, and a gust of cold wind on her face, Millie spluttered as a voice shouted in her ear.
“Breathe, Millie! Breathe!”
Gasping for breath, and with her legs kicking aimlessly below the surface, Millie clung tightly to the source of the voice, opening her eyes as her body expelled a torrent of seawater in a coughing fountain. “Lillieth?” she managed. “It’s you.”
“Yes,” said Lillieth, her face moving closer to Millie’s, her golden hair glimmering in the moonlight. “Don’t speak. I will make you better.”
Lillieth’s soft lips closed over Millie’s mouth, and a warming glow spread throughout her body as Lillieth blew a gentle breath between her lips. The pain leaving her lungs, and the cold water no longer affecting her, Millie smiled at the mermaid. “What was that?” she said. “Was it magic?”
Lillieth nodded, her face etched with concern. “Yes,” she said, her accent a soft mix of different dialects. “It is mermaid magic. It is the magic which has saved many human sailors over the centuries.” She gazed into Millie’s eyes. “You are lucky. I heard you struggling for air. We mer-people can hear somebody in distress from a long way away. You took a risk, putting on my dress.”
Kicking her legs, Millie clung to Lillieth’s arm, both of them bobbing up and down in the rolling sea. “I know,” said Millie. “I thought I had it all under control. Until I picked that pearl from the shell.” Aware the pearl was in neither of her hands, she gave a sigh. “Which I’ve lost.”
Lillieth smiled, and opened her hand, the small round orb glowing in her palm. “I have your magical pearl,” she said. “I caught it as you dropped it.”
Millie took the pearl from Lillieth, and clenched it tightly in her fist. “Thank you,” she said. “And I’m sorry for using your dress. It was important that I got this pearl, and there was no other way to get it.”
“You could have asked me,” said Lillieth. “I would have brought your pearl to you.”
Millie turned her body so she was facing the shore. “I didn’t know you were back in Spellbinder Bay, Lillieth,” she said, wondering what the two lights in the sand dunes were.
“I have been back for one moon and one sun,” said Lillieth. “My travels across the oceans took me to the same woman who made that very dress you are wearing. I told her of the damage that had been done to it, and she was of great help.”
Lillieth lifted her hand, the large green ring on her index finger reflecting the moonlight. “She made me this ring. It has the same powers as the dress, but as well as giving me legs, it also clothes me as a land person when I wish to come ashore. All I need to do is kiss the ring, and I may leave the sea.” She smiled at Millie. “You have fixed my dress, as you promised. I no longer need it. You may keep it. It is a gift from me to you. You must promise to never wear it if you are planning to harvest magical pearls. That is the only condition.”
Millie clenched her fist tighter around the pearl, the small ball warming her palm. “Thank you, Lillieth,” she said. “I’ll treasure it.”
Dragging Millie alongside her, Lillieth propelled them both towards the shore, water blurring Millie’s vision. “You land people. You have a lot of arguments, don’t you?”
“Pardon?” said Millie, spitting water from her mouth and wondering if the two powerful beams of light illuminating a portion of the sand dunes were being created by torches. “Why do you say that?”
“Before I heard you struggling,” said Lillieth, holding Millie close to her side. “I was listening to the land people
fighting in the hills of sand. They are so angry.”
“In the sand dunes?” said Millie, kicking her legs behind her. “What’s happening in the dunes, Lillieth?”
“I do not know,” said Lillieth. “I watched as one of the land people’s metal chariots sped towards the hills of sand — into which it crashed. Then I watched as two men emerged from the chariot, both of them shouting. Then the kind policeman and his daughter emerged from the home in which you dwell, Millie. There was a bright flash of light in the hills of sand, and then more shouting.”
Millie kicked harder, her legs still weak after her ordeal. “Did you hear what was being said?” asked Millie, pleased to feel sand brushing her toes as they neared the beach.
“No,” said Lillieth. “They are too far away. And I do not like anger. We people of the sea try to keep our emotions under control. I did not try to listen to them. It made me sad.”
The water now shallow enough, Millie clambered to her feet, her wet hair stuck to her face and the dress cold on her skin. “Thank you, Lillieth,” she said, stepping from the sea as the mermaid watched her from the surf. “You saved my life. I won’t forget that. Will you come ashore with me?”
Lillieth shook her head, her wet golden hair framing the gentle features of her face. “No. Being ashore still makes me nervous. I will gain courage and join you on shore in the future.”
Millie span to face the sand dunes as a shout carried on the wind. Lillieth was right. The voice sounded angry. “I have to go!” she said, scanning the beach for the pile of clothes she’d left behind.
“Farewell, Millie,” came the soft reply.
Hearing the powerful slap of a fin in the surf behind her, Millie knew the mermaid was gone. Spotting her clothes fifty metres to her left, she ran as quickly as her sore legs would allow, stripping the wet dress from her body and slipping the pearl of wisdom into the pocket of her shorts as she hurriedly got dressed.
