Mermaid Story

I wanted to post this story that I wrote for a friend. He asked me to write a story about his pirate character meeting a mermaid. It's a little long, and could use some editing but I wanted everyone to have a read. Enjoy!

     It was a warm autumn evening when I spotted her. I was standing at the docks, waiting to board the ship. Out in the distance I saw it; a bright green tail, glittering across the red-orange sunset. At first, I thought it was a large sea creature. But there was something about the fluke that didn't match anything I have seen before. It almost resembled the fluke of a dolphin or whale, but it was too small, and it glittered. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. As the tail went below the surface of the ocean, I realized that I could make out the faint shadow of what looked like a human body. I was shocked when I saw that the body and the tail were attached. As a sailor, I've heard rumors of mermaids, but I have never had the privilege of seeing one. But there she was, clear as day. She had beautiful flowing red hair, and she was covered in shells. Her eyes sparkled, and she had pale willowy skin that glistened with drops of water, as if she were covered in tiny jewels. She swam to the shore and perched up on a rock. I approached her carefully, as she looked like she would dart back under the waves at any moment. I realized that she dared come to shore because her fin was tangled in fishing net. She looked like she was in pain as the net was tight against her skin and tail. There were places that I could see the rope burns and she looked like she was bleeding. When I realized that she was hurt, I rushed to the shore to help her. I stumbled over the rocks, banging up my own knee in the process. When she heard me stumble, she darted back between the waves. I could see her head pop back up out of curiosity, so I hollered, “I’m here to help! Please, let me help you!” As she hesitantly swam back toward me I realized that every time she moved her tail it was excruciating. I ran to the shallows and lifted her out of the water. She seemed resistant at first, but she was in so much pain she didn't fight much. I set her gently down on the beach and took out my knife to cut her loose. She let out a sigh as I freed her from the net. I tore off my sleeve and went to the ocean water so I could wash the wounds. As the water hit her fin and skin, the wounds healed instantly. She seemed grateful for my help, and as a thank you cut off a lock of her red hair to give to me. She told me that if I ever need her help, all I had to do was drop a single strand back into the ocean, wish for her, and she would return. Then, just as quickly as she came, she disappeared underneath the waves.

     I thought of her every day for months while away at sea. I wanted to use the hair, but I was too afraid. I would pull the soft red lock out of the leather pouch I carried it in around my neck. I would pull a single strand away. There was something in me that wanted to see her again, yet I knew that it would be heartbreaking when she had to return to the depths. So just as quickly, I would put it back. Being in the ocean helped me feel closer to her, but it also filled me with a yearning I could barely contain. With each passing day I was falling for a mermaid I had only met once. I refused any other female companionship. I found legs to be foreign, and wished only for my mermaid to come, but she never did. And I was always too fearful of the pain of her leaving to ask her to come again.

     A year passed, and I found myself at the same docks that I had met her before. I walked to the beach and stared out into the sunset. I stood there for hours and before I realized it, the sky had turned from red to violet. Glittering stars dotted the horizon, and they reminded me of the water droplets glistening on her arms. It hit me at that moment. I didn't even know her name. I knew nothing about this mysterious creature. But all the same I was irrevocably in love with her.

     Standing on the beach that night I felt a cool breeze. The tide was coming in, and before long I found myself almost waist deep in the drink. I knew the tide was rising. I knew that I should start to head back to land, but I couldn't  This was the closest I would ever be to her, maybe for the rest of my life. So I stood, watching the tide get higher and higher. The waves began to crash over me, drenching me from head to toe. As one came over my head and pulled me in its undertow, I realized that I had lost my leather pouch with her hair. Frantic, I dove beneath the surface, my eyes filling with water and sand. But it was too late. The pouch had drifted off to sea, taking with it my only memory of her. I swam back to the rocks and lamented my loss under the moonlight. Out of nowhere came the sound of the most beautiful voice I had ever heard. Someone, out in the darkness, was singing. Her singing tinkled across the night sky, clear and bright as the stars. I couldn't understand the language it was in; the words were foreign to my ears. I focused in the direction of the sound, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could make the faint shape of a woman’s figure against the light. My heart pounded, could it be her?

     She dove beneath the waves, and as she did the sound disappeared. I searched frantically. Could it really be her? I nearly fell off the rocks when I felt a cold hand touch my ankle.

     “I was wondering when you would come back.” She said with a smile.

     My heart was racing. Here she is. I was convinced I would never see her again, but there she was stretched out before me on the rocks; that familiar green tail glittering under the light of the moon. I could see her red hair shimmering above the waves, covering patches of her perfectly pale skin.

     “You’re here. You’re really here. I-I-I thought I’d never see you again.”  I stuttered.

     “Of course I’m here. You called didn't you?” She replied. “You did drop my hair in the water, see?” She held up the leather pouch for me. “But you didn't need to drop the entire lock!” Her laughter filled the silence.

     “I thought that it was lost. The ocean reclaimed it when a wave pulled me under.”

     “Well, don’t lose it again.” She replied, plopping the pouch into my hands.

     We spent the next several hours talking. I was finally able to learn that her name was Thalassa, and that she lived deep beneath the ocean’s surface. Like any human, she had a family, she had friends, and there is even an entire underwater kingdom, much like we have here. I learned that she loved to sing and travel to exotic places to learn their songs. I also learned that she wanted to spend time out of the water, on land, but she was afraid to because no mermaid has ever returned home that went on land for more than a few hours. She said there were rumors of them going to the surface, and being captured studied, put on display, and eventually killed. Despite these rumors, she yearned to be on the land. She wanted to know what it was like to dance, ride a horse, and walk along the beach. She wanted to see the buildings that they saw from the waters up close. She wondered what it felt like to wear beautiful gowns and shoes. She wanted to stand on top of a building, and feel the wind underneath her. She told me all of these wishes. And with longing in her voice asked, “Will you take me? I need someone to protect me so I can go and experience all of these wonderful things. In return I can show you the greatest treasures beneath the sea. I can make you wealthy beyond your wildest dreams.”

     “I don’t need your money. But I would love to spend the time with you. I would love to let you experience life out of the water. Yes. Of course I will take you. It would be my honor and pleasure.” I was ecstatic. This was the opportunity I had dreamed of. This was my chance to make her fall in love with me, my chance to win her heart. I vowed that I would protect her. I vowed to show her the wonders of the walking world. “I just have one question. How will you grow legs?” I asked.

     “Mermaids can make a single wish if they retrieve a pearl from a clam in the deepest parts of the ocean. If we wish upon this pearl our wish will come true for as long as it remains close to my body. If I lose the pearl, or if it gets destroyed, I will also lose that wish. Today, I will swim to those depths to retrieve my pearl, and wish to have legs as long as I have the pearl on my person. That way, I can go back to my home in the ocean when it’s time.” She replied. When the sun started to creep up over the eastern horizon she gasped. “I have to go. They will notice that I've been away too long. Meet me here tomorrow night?”

     “I will be here. And I will watch for you. Please, be careful.” I feared that the journey she was about to make would be too treacherous. I have never seen the bottom of the ocean myself, and I could only imagine what dangers would lurk there. As she dove beneath the waves, I felt my heart sink. It was heavier this time. Heavy with the burden of knowing I could never see her again. The following day went by in a haze. Each minute seemed like an hour. It felt like a lifetime had passed before I was back watching the sunset over the ocean.

     An hour went by, then two. The sun disappeared beneath the surface of the ocean, and the moon began to rise. I waited anxiously for her return. There was no fin, no singing, and no sign of her. I feared that she had perished while trying to retrieve her pearl. Just as I was about to lose hope and walk away I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. It was her. I nearly fell over with joy, knowing that she was finally here. I noticed her legs, which in so many ways were just as beautiful as her tail. Her dress was white and fell to her knees. It looked like canvas from an old sail. The fabric was coarse, and she had silver rings dotting the bottom from where the ropes would have been suspended. Around her neck on a silver chain was a single pearl. Her hair was plaited down her back. She looked like a goddess. I noticed a tiny tremble in her legs. She looked as if she wasn't going to be able to hold her own weight up.

     “Can you walk?” I asked.

     “Barely. It took me a half an hour just to walk from the docks to here.” The distance to the docks was a mere 30 feet, and I could tell that she was nervous about walking again. I picked her up, and she was light. It was almost like carrying a child. I carried her clear to my home in town. I had already prepared a room for her the day before. I made sure everything was perfect. As I set her down on her soft bed she immediately buried her face in the pillow.

     “It’s so soft!” she exclaimed.

      I laughed and told her to rest. It had been a long day for both of us.

     “Please don’t leave me here, I’m still a little frightened.” She said sheepishly. So I helped her beneath the covers, and she quickly fell asleep. I waited by her side for a few hours before falling asleep in the chair next to her.

     We both awoke late the following morning. There was a rush to get proper clothing for her before we could go out on the town. Of course, I thought she looked beautiful regardless of what she wore, but questions would be asked if I took a girl around the town in a short canvas dress. I quickly had a seamstress visit my home to fit her and get her proper clothing. It was easy to make dresses for her as she had such a tiny frame. I instructed the woman to use her finest fabrics and design a dress fit for an ocean princess. When she arrived later that day the dress was perfect. It was long and flowing with a petticoat underneath, and it was the color of the ocean on a stormy day. She had even dotted the dress with pearls along the sleeves and neckline. It was perfect. 

     I took her out to the market later that afternoon. She darted from cart to cart amazed at all the wonderful things that there were. She couldn't get over the food. I laughed as she tried almost everything in sight. She couldn't get over the taste of fruit. I ended up walking home with a basket so heavy with goods from the market, the handle nearly broke off. She returned home exhausted, and smiling. There was nothing in the world I wouldn't do for another one of her smiles. She reached up to kiss me, and as her cool lips met mine, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with happiness. I had been waiting over a year for just this. I lifted her in my arms and held her close until we both fell asleep on the parlor sofa.

     It’s been over a month since Thalassa first came ashore. We spend every day together like it’s a holiday. Each day brings us new adventure, and every day I love her a little more. She too has expressed her love for me. She returns my love and favors with an endless waterfall of kisses, poetry, and songs. She sometimes will leave for a few hours to return to her ocean home. There is something about the water that she will never be able to give up. And each time she leaves my heart sinks because I fear she may not return. Each hour that passes without her seems like an eternity. And when she returns, I feel happiness so profound I cannot put it into words. As I write this, I am alone. Waiting for her to return home to me, knowing that in moments, I will feel her in my arms once again.