Emily Windsnap and the Tides of Time

by Liz Kessler

  “Fish supper for the rich tonight,” Mandy mumbled.

  “Fish supper?” I said before I could stop myself. “They’re selling fish to the highest bidder? I’m surprised Neptune even allows it.”

  Mandy gave me a strange look. “Emily, you’re acting like you don’t even live in this world, as if you don’t know how it works.”

  Tell me about it.

  “Neptune’s always allowed it,” she went on. “Sure, he says he doesn’t. But we all know he turns a blind eye, as long as those doing the selling line his pockets along the way.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Of course.”

  “He’s here!” Mom exclaimed, and I looked where she was pointing.

  Dad!

  Yes, he was older; yes, his face was wrinkled; and yes, his hair was half gray and his head was half bald — but the twinkle in his eye was exactly the same, and his smile warmed me up like it always did.

  He came straight to us, grabbed Mom, and wrapped his arms around her. She giggled with delight like a young girl, not like the older, frailer, and ragged woman I’d spent the last hour standing with. Dad seemed to bring her to life.

  Dad spotted me and swam over to me. I wanted to dive into the water with him, but I was nervous. I didn’t know the rules of this new world — and there seemed to be a lot of them. What if I turned into a mermaid and it was against the law or something? What if people saw me and — I don’t know — what if they did something awful? What if a mayor wasn’t allowed to be a mermaid?

  I remembered the guard who had stopped me when I was swimming to Brightport. I still didn’t know the rules of this world well enough to take risks. So I stayed on the land, even though my heart hurt from how much I wanted to jump in the water and throw myself into Dad’s arms.

  “Hey, Dad,” I said instead. I allowed myself to tiptoe to the edge of the water and lean over to kiss his cheek.

  He smelled of Dad. All salt water and sandy skin. For a second, I closed my eyes and breathed him in.

  “How are you?” I asked, through a lump in my throat.

  “Oh, you know,” Dad replied. “Neptune’s keeping me busy. You?”

  “Oh, you know,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. “Brightport’s keeping me busy.”

  Dad laughed. “So I hear.”

  Mandy was nudging me. “There’s Shona,” she said. I looked where she was pointing.

  “Go ahead,” Dad said. “Go hang out with your friends. I’ll see you soon.”

  “OK. Love you, Dad.”

  Dad stroked my cheek. “Love you too, little ’un.”

  I went over to Mom and kissed her cheek too. “See you soon,” I said, my voice hoarse. “No matter what, and no matter when, I’ll always be there for you. You know that, don’t you?”

  She looked surprised. “Of course I do, honey pie. And ditto. Go on. Go see Shona before the tide has turned. You haven’t got long. Make the most of it.”

  I left the two of them, and Mandy and I went over to join Shona. We had an hour to talk. One hour. Would it be long enough for me to figure out what was going on, what had happened to us and our friendships — and the world around us?

  I couldn’t help thinking I’d need a lifetime for that and it still wouldn’t be enough.

  It wasn’t going well. Mandy was her old stubborn self. Shona was trying to be lighthearted and fun. I was stuck in the middle, wondering if all adults acted like this or if there were some way of getting us to be normal with one another.

  “So. It’s nice to have the three of us hanging out together again,” I said, trying to sound bright and happy and positive. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

  “It’s been years,” Shona said. “How are you, Mandy?”

  Mandy scowled at Shona. “You really want to know?”

  “I — yes, of course I do. That’s why I asked,” Shona replied tightly.

  “Well, in that case — I’m pretty dreadful, actually. No, I’m worse than that. I’m barely surviving. I live in a town that’s been destroyed.”

  Shona looked shocked. “I know. I’m sorry. I understand that —”

  “No, you don’t,” Mandy snapped. “You don’t understand anything about my life. How could you? Yours is perfect. You have everything you need. Look at you. Your perfect hair. Perfect smile. Even your perfect tail glistens in the dark. Tell me, Shona. Why do you come here? So you can look at those less fortunate than you and remind yourself once a month how lucky you are?”

  “I . . . no,” Shona replied, her voice sounding thin and stretched. “That’s not why I come here at all. I come to visit my friend. My friends. I’ve offered you my friendship many times. It’s not my fault that things are like this.”

  Mandy made a sneering sound. “Of course it’s not,” she muttered.

  I wanted to say something. I wanted to try to get them to stop talking like this. I wanted to make them be friends again, but there was nothing I could say.

  In the silence, I heard a whooshing sound. “What’s that?” I asked.

  “The tide is turning. We’re running out of time. I need to start heading back,” Shona said. “Maybe it’s for the best anyway,” she added in a flat voice.

  “But we just got here!” I said.

  “It always goes so quickly,” Shona replied.

  I looked around. Merfolk were starting to swim away. Mom and Dad were still wrapped up in each other.

  We couldn’t leave things like this. Maybe I could swim back with Shona, go back in the ocean, have a bit more time with her.

  But then, what about Mandy? I couldn’t abandon her now. Not like this.

  My head was spinning with so many questions and possibilities that I didn’t notice the ground beneath me start to sink. The water was running away from us even faster than it had come in.

  A moment later, I heard a yelp. Mandy had slipped and fallen. She was starting to sink into the sand.

  “Emily!” she called. It happened so quickly. Before I even registered what was happening, Mandy was flat on her back, being dragged away on the turning tide. Her eyes were wild.

  “I’m coming!” I yelled. “Shona, help!”

  Without stopping to think twice, I dived into the water and, with Shona by my side, raced to catch up with Mandy before the tide dragged her out to sea.

  I hardly knew what was happening when the rush of water grabbed me, tumbling me over and over.

  I lost sight of Mandy in the thrashing, frothing water.

  “Help me!” I heard her call. “Shona! Emily! I’m being washed out to sea!”

  “It’s just the tide!” Shona yelled as we tried to swim — but we mostly got thrashed around like an old pair of jeans in a washing machine. “Hold on. We’re coming.”

  I fought to keep up with Shona. “Don’t worry, Mandy,” I shouted. “We’ll get to you. You’re going to be fine.”

  I didn’t know what made me say that.

  Right now I wouldn’t put money on any of us being fine.

  “Wh — what’s happened? Where am I?”

  Mandy’s voice warbled toward me. I wiped hair from my eyes and looked around. We’d been hurled down the river on the raging tide and out into the open sea.

  “Mandy?” I called into the darkness. “Where are you?”

  “I’m — I’m here,” she gasped. “Help me.”

  I swam toward her voice. As I got closer, and my eyes once again adjusted to the darkness, I could see her more clearly. Her arms were flapping around, her head slipping under the water as she garbled words. “Em, get me out of here! Not supposed to be here. Not allowed!”

  When she resurfaced, she started coughing and choking.

  “Hey, Mandy, it’s OK,” I said. I reached out to help her stay above water. Her eyes were wild, her legs jerking around so much underwater that she kicked me a couple of times. “I — I can’t be here!” she said. “It’s illegal. I don’t even know where I am, how far out we are. Em, there are guards all over the ocean, especiall
y after the new moon. You have to get me out of here!”

  I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t understand anything about this world. I didn’t know where we were. I couldn’t see the shoreline in the darkness.

  What was I supposed to do?

  A moment later, Shona surfaced beside us. She looked almost as scared as Mandy. Luckily, she had an idea.

  “Mandy, are you able to swim?” she asked.

  Mandy nodded.

  Shona turned to me. “She’s exhausted. Let’s make sure we stay with her. One on either side. We’ll help her find her way. I know where to go. It’s not far from here.”

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Our place,” Shona said.

  “Rainbow Rocks?” I asked. “That’s still our special place?”

  “Of course it is,” she answered with a new softness in her voice. “Plus, it’s literally the only place I’ve never seen any guards. It’s our best chance of buying some time to think about what to do next.”

  “That OK with you, Mandy?” I asked.

  “Fine. Whatever,” she said. “Let’s do it. Please, just get me somewhere safe.”

  “We’ll need to be quick,” Shona said. “Once the new moon’s tide has turned, Neptune will have his rays and hammerheads all over the river. He loves catching humans who break his laws.”

  “OK, let’s go,” I said.

  The three of us swam. Shona and I were on either side of Mandy, staying close and slipping through the water as carefully and quickly and quietly as we could.

  As we swam, my thoughts felt as dark and blank as the night.

  “Thank you,” Mandy croaked, her voice lifeless and dull.

  We’d reached Rainbow Rocks and dragged ourselves up and onto one of the smaller, more hidden rocks in the middle.

  “You’re welcome,” Shona said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Mandy reached out to touch Shona’s arm. “I was wrong,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said those things. I’m sorry.”

  Shona put her hand over Mandy’s. “It’s OK. Honestly,” she said softly.

  “I — I just don’t know what’s happened to my life,” Mandy said in a broken voice.

  “I don’t think any of us knows what’s happened to our lives,” I said. It was the truest thing I’d said to her since she’d opened her door to me.

  I wished I could think of a way to make her feel better. I had nothing, so we sat in silence for a while, listening to the quiet sounds of the night.

  Then, in a whisper so quiet it could have been the sound of a soft wave lapping on the rocks, Mandy said, “Do you ever wish we could just go back and start again?”

  “Back?” Shona asked.

  Mandy shrugged and smiled sadly. “I know. It sounds like a fairy tale, doesn’t it? Pretending you could close your eyes and make a wish and travel back to a place before any of this happened.”

  Something started itching and wriggling inside me.

  Shona laughed. “It’s a nice fairy tale, anyway,” she agreed.

  But was it? Was it just a fairy tale? What if it were possible? It had happened the first time I traveled here. I’d gone back again.

  What had the poem said?

  When you have a magic stone,

  Hold it close to take you home.

  Had the stone really taken me home again? And if so, would it do so again?

  For a moment, I was filled with hope — until I realized that even if it did work, it wasn’t enough. Maybe the wishing stone would take me home, but that still meant abandoning my two best friends in this awful world.

  Unless . . .

  The stones from Millie — were they magic stones too? She’d been so convinced there was something special about them.

  “At least we have our friendship back,” Shona was saying to Mandy. “And that’s the most important thing.”

  Yes! Our friendship! I knew exactly what I was going to do. It had to be worth a try, at least. I opened my pocket and pulled out the two stones. I smiled at my two best friends. Then I held out my hand and opened it.

  “Here,” I said. “These are for you.”

  The two of them looked at my palm.

  “What are they?” Mandy asked.

  I turned to Shona. “Remember when we were first friends?” I asked. “We swapped pebbles?”

  Shona looked confused for a moment. Then I saw a smile of recognition light up her eyes. “Our friendship pebbles,” she said. “Of course I remember. Wow, that’s a throwback.”

  I held my palm out to them both. “Take one each,” I said.

  Mandy reached out to take a pebble from my hand. Shona took the other one.

  “These are a symbol of our friendship,” I said. “And a promise that we will always be there for each other. Agreed?”

  Shona and Mandy caught each other’s eyes. Mandy was first to speak. “Agreed,” she said.

  “Agreed,” Shona followed.

  I hesitated before continuing. I had to make sure they kept the pebbles with them — but without risking them laughing at the idea that these could help Mandy’s wish come true. I guessed that adults in their thirties didn’t really believe in magic like that.

  I kept my voice light as I went on. “Keep them close to you all the time,” I said. “As a symbol of our friendship, as a promise that we will always be there for each other.” I looked from one to the other, meeting their eyes. “Promise me,” I added seriously. “Keep it with you. Always.”

  Shona laughed. “I promise.”

  “Me too,” Mandy said.

  “What about yours?” Shona asked.

  I pulled the wishing stone out of my pocket. “I’ve got this,” I said. “We all have a reminder of our friendship — and we’ll never forget it, right?”

  “Right,” Shona said.

  “Agreed,” Mandy added.

  Shona looked around, peering into the darkness. “So, what do we do now?”

  Mandy’s eyes were half closed. “I need a rest before we do anything,” she said, stifling a yawn.

  “Is it safe?” I asked.

  Shona nodded. “It’s the middle of the night. No one will be looking for us here. Not at this time.”

  I fought down a yawn myself. “I could do with some sleep too,” I admitted.

  “Me too,” Shona agreed, stretching out.

  Mandy’s eyes had closed completely now. Her fists were bunched up, one of them holding her friendship pebble, as she lay down and curled her legs up to her stomach.

  “Look, let’s take shifts,” I suggested to Shona. “One of us keeps an eye out while the other sleeps. You sleep first. I’ll look out.”

  “You’re sure?” Shona asked.

  “Yes, definitely.”

  “I’ll just take a quick nap. Wake me in an hour, OK?”

  “I will.” I agreed.

  Moments later, Shona had stretched out beside Mandy on the edge of the rock. One hand under her head, the other holding her pebble. Good. Shona’s tail flapped in the water; Mandy snored softly as she slept. The water lapped gently against the rocks, like it always did here. It was making me feel calmer.

  And sleepier.

  Maybe I could just rest my body a little. I clutched my stone and lay down beside them both. Yes, that felt more comfortable. Just letting my body relax a bit.

  Perhaps I could close my eyes. Not to sleep. Just rest.

  That was better. I’d lie here for a minute. I wouldn’t fall asleep.

  I definitely wasn’t going to let myself fall asl —

  The dream washed over me, blocking out everything else.

  I was in a current. It was really strong — too strong. Stronger than anything I’d ever felt.

  Except — wait. Hadn’t I experienced this before? It felt familiar.

  Yes, that was it! I’d had this dream before!

  A recurring dream. It felt so real.

  I couldn’t fight the current. I tried. I swam as hard as I could, but it was way to
ugher than I was. My energy drained out of me.

  I tried to call out. Silent screams.

  I had to wake up. I had to fight it. I pushed hard against it. The current. The sleep. It was closing me in, closing me down.

  I flicked my tail.

  Wait. Yes, I was a mermaid. And — there was someone else with me now. Calling my name. Two people?

  “Emily!”

  “I’m here!” I tried to call back. Again, my voice stayed locked inside me.

  “Emily!” they called again.

  I’m trying to get out.

  I tried to flick my tail. Nothing happened.

  I was sinking. Lower and lower. Deeper and deeper. Until I stopped fighting.

  I gave up. I let the force take me. Let the current do what it wanted with me.

  I remember this, I thought. I remember losing.

  I didn’t think anything else. There was nothing else. Just darkness.

  BANG! BANG! BANG!

  I was in a prison cell. They’d caught us.

  BANG! BANG!

  The guards pounded on the doors as they passed. I put my hands over my ears as they came to mine.

  Go away. I just want to curl up and sleep.

  BANG! BANG!

  “Wakey, wakey!”

  “Leave me alone!” I cried out.

  “Rise and shine!”

  Rise and shine? What kind of a guard shouts “Rise and shine”?

  “Go away!” I yelled.

  A creaking sound. The cell door was opening.

  “Come on, time to get up,” the guard said.

  I turned over in my bed, pulling the pillow over my eyes.

  Wait. Pillow? In a cell?

  I opened an eye. I wasn’t in a cell. And the voice didn’t belong to a guard.

  “Mom?” I croaked.

  Mom sat down on the end of the bed and smiled at me. “Back to school!” she said. “Are you excited?”

  My whole body turned to ice.

  “Am I . . . what?” I asked. My brain felt like mashed potatoes. Was I really back here again? Back in the present day? The horrors of that future world were gone? I didn’t dare hope.