The Mermaid Sisters

The mermaid was, as mermaids tend to be, selfish. She would steal anything she wanted. She was magical, yes, and very cunning. It was said that she would cast a spell on her victims, lure them into the water, drown them, and steal their precious items.

                This was only a legend of course, but nevertheless, there were a good number of stories where people left for the sea on a cloudless day, never to be seen again. These stories didn’t occur too frequently, but they weren’t rare.

                There was a girl named Beth Moore who lived in a village near the sea. She was quite interested in the elders’ tales of the mermaid. She would listen quite intently, and asked a great many questions. The stories would end the same each time. Beth would simply ask,

                “What is the mermaid’s name?” to which the elders would respond,

                “She has no name.” And Beth would reply,

                “She has to have a name. How would you like it if everyone called you, ‘the person’?” The elders would then end the conversation by saying,

                “She is not real, and therefore has no feelings.”

                Beth’s story began when Geoffrey Samuel Potter was shipwrecked out at sea. He managed to float his way back to the village on the small shards that remained of his boat. Unfortunately, his father didn’t survive the wreck and by the time he returned, he had gone insane.

                He had to be taken to the hospital, and he would constantly blabber on and on about the wreck, and other gibberish.

                “The singing,” he would say. “The singing, and then the crash and the waves, and the island. Yes the island. I saw it, but I couldn’t reach it. When I stepped on it, it was water, oh yes, not an island. But I still saw it. The singing from the rocks was near the island.” He was so hysterical, he had to be held down until he quieted. Beth’s mother was a nurse, and she witnessed the whole thing. When the nurses were done, Beth’s mother simply gestured for her to follow and leave. Just as Beth had started to leave, she heard the message through all the gibberish from Geoffrey Samuel.

                “The mermaid.” Beth turned around.

                “What did you say?”

                “The mermaid. Her eyes blue as crystal. Her hair black as night. Her tail a perfect shade of blue-green. She crashed me I know it. She wanted it, oh yes, she wanted it. I heard the spell.”

                “What did she want?” Geoffrey Samuel looked up at her. He began muttering something she couldn’t understand. Beth repeated herself louder.

                “What did the mermaid want?” He shut up, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small pouch. He gestured for Beth to come over to him. He put the pouch into her hand.

                “She’ll be back. Oh yes, she’ll be back. On the last day of February, yes. She told me so in her spell, the spell that wrecked my ship, and I saw the island of water which was only the spell-“

                “What is this?” He shut up again. He whispered, in a perfectly sane voice,

                “On the last day of May, at midnight, she will return on the rocks near the shore. Go and see her for yourself, tell her I have died, do not mention it.”

                “Don’t mention what?” He gestured to the pouch in Beth’s hand.  She heard her mother yell from the hallway,

                “Beth! Come on, it’s time to go home!”

                “Quickly, what is her name?” Beth asked. She couldn’t resist asking.

                “Jade.” He whispered. Beth’s mother came into the room.

                “Beth, come on. He’s gone insane, it’s time to go home!” Her mother dragged her out of the room by her wrist.

When Beth returned home, she looked at the pouch Geoffrey Samuel had given her. She wasn’t sure if she should open it. Would the mermaid know she had it? Would the mermaid cast a spell on her? Would she be drowned?

                Beth finally decided to go to the shore on May 31^st at midnight. She decided not to take the pouch with her, just in case something happened. She never told anyone she had it, and immediately hid it somewhere nobody would look. She had a little while to wait, because it was only May 26^th. Later that night, the conversation at the dinner table turned to Geoffrey Samuel.

                “it really is a shame about that boy in the hospital.” Beth’s mother, Kate, said. Beth and her mother were the only ones there who knew about it.

                “What boy?” Beth’s father, John, asked.

                “That boy who was shipwrecked with his father.” She thought for a moment. “I think his name is Potter.” Beth’s older sister Rebecca joined in.

                “Geoffrey Samuel?”

                “That’s the one.”

                “He’s the same age as me. Fifteen.” Rebecca smiled. She had just turned fifteen a week ago, and was still quite proud of it.

                “Wait a moment.” John stopped her. “Is his father the one who owns the big fishing boat?”

                “I think so.” Kate answered.

                “Yes, I’ve met him once or twice. Nice boy. He wants to open a bait shop when he’s older. What’s so tragic about him?”

                “Well, I’m not sure how to say it…”

                “His dad died.” Beth burst in. The table went silent.

                “What? How-“

                “They shipwrecked. His father was killed and he went crazy.” They all looked at her. “I think it was that mermaid.” Kate slammed her silverware down, grabbed Beth by the wrist and dragged her into the kitchen.

                “What was that?” she asked Beth angrily.

                “What? They wanted to know what happened.”

                “Beth Audrey Moore! You know very well not to burst things like that out!”

                “And we both know that’s not what you’re mad about.” Kate sighed.

                “You know perfectly well how fake those mermaid stories are, Beth. Now you are going to go straight to bed, and I don’t ever want to hear anything else about that mermaid.” Beth went to bed.

                The encounter obviously just made Beth want even more to go see the mermaid. So she went. She left the pouch at home, in case something happened. So, around 11:30, she snuck out to the rocky part of the shore, and  waited.

                Sure enough, the mermaid was real.

                There was nothing particularly extraordinary about her arrival. She simply climbed out of the water onto a rock. Her eyes were indeed blue as crystals, and her hair was indeed black as night.

                “Well?” The mermaid looked at her. “Who are you?”

                Beth just stared. She couldn’t think of any words to say. She finally managed to stutter out,

                “uh… Beth.” The mermaid laid down on the rock and relaxed.

                “And do you possess what I desire?”

                “That depends. What is it you desire?” the mermaid let out an exasperated sigh.

                “Well, I suppose you don’t have it.” She held her nose high in the air. “That isn’t a problem at all.” She smiled. “I’ll just call that bloke who had it before, and send him here to give it to me.” She sat up, leaned her head back gently, and closed her eyes. She opened her mouth, and let out only two notes, before Beth stopped her, unwittingly.

                “Geoffrey Samuel doesn’t have it!” The mermaid stopped. She raised one eyebrow at Beth, and then stared straight at her. Beth felt like an idiot.

                “Oh really then? Who does have it?” She leaned back down, still staring at Beth. “And while we’re on the subject, why were you here anyway?”

                “Well…” Beth stuttered more. “It’s kind of a long story-“

                “Believe me,” The mermaid smiled. “I have all the time in the world.”

                Beth didn’t answer. The mermaid sat up.

                “I think you have it. And you will give it to me.” She started to sing again, and once again, Beth stopped her.

                “That won’t do you any good! I’ve hidden it, and you will never find it if you kill me!” The mermaid stopped.

                “Give it to me.”

                “No.”

                “I said, give it to me.”

                “And I said no.” The mermaid let out a terrible sound that was halfway between a angry scream and a yell. She raised her arms, and rocks from around her were lifted up, and flew toward Beth. Beth dodged them all. The mermaid screamed again, and Beth took cover behind the largest onshore boulder. After a few seconds, the rocks stopped. Beth didn’t look to see what happened. She heard a short, pained scream, and then a splash, as if something collapsed. Then it sounded like something came up out of the water. There was another terrible mermaid sound, only louder, and much much more terrifying. A very large wave splashed onshore, and Beth was sure the purpose was to sweep her into the water. Beth was soaked, but managed to stay put by holding to the boulder. She heard a voice,

                “Come … back… tomorrow…”

                The shore went silent. Beth cautiously stood up and looked around. The mermaid was gone. Beth walked home and went to bed. The next morning, as you can imagine, Beth was exhausted. She was used to going to sleep at eight, but she had stayed up much too late to see the mermaid.

                Kate was extremely worried about her daughter, because it wasn’t like Beth to be tired. Beth slept most of the morning, and got up at lunchtime. Kate felt her forehead for a moment, then apparently satisfied, she sat back down.

                “You weren’t up late last night, were you?” Beth couldn’t tell her about the mermaid, so she lied.

                “No, I was just tired.” She poured herself a bowl of potato soup. “Hey, Mom?”

                “Yes?”

                “What happened to Geoffrey Samuel? Did he ever get better?

                “Why are you so interested in that boy?” What fun. More lies.  

                “Well he’s only three years older than me. I have to marry someone eventually.” Kate smiled.

                “Well, he was admitted to the mental hospital in the city three days ago. I’ve heard he is not getting much better.” She looked at Beth. “Sorry to crush your hopes. He is very handsome.”

                “Do you think I could go see him?” Kate had a concerned look.

                “Oh, honey I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

                “And why not?”

                “He was very… violent- I guess you would say. When they took him there that is.” Beth sighed.

                Later that day, Beth went out to the shore where the rocks were, and brought the pouch. Nothing was there. She didn’t know what time she was supposed to return. She kept coming back there, to that exact spot, multiple times throughout the day. Finally around 4:00, there was a mermaid there.

                This was a different mermaid than the night before. Yes, her hair was the same black, and her eyes the same blue, but her tail was a different color. She also had slightly different features.

                The mermaid was staring at Beth, with no expression on her face. She looked almost annoyed.

                “Well?” She asked. “Were you the one who was here last night?”

                “Yes.” Beth said, boldly. “ That was me.”

                “Did you kill my sister?” So that was what all the noise was about.

                “I did not.”
                “You liar.” The mermaid didn’t yell, but said it with such emotion that it struck fear into Beth’s heart. She shivered. “What did you kill her for?”

                “I told you I didn’t do anything to your sister. If anything at all, she hurt me! She was-“

                “Why did you murder my sister?” Beth froze.

                “I didn’t kill her. I will never confess to that, because I didn’t do it. But I will tell you that last night, she wanted this.” Beth pulled the pouch out of her pocket. It struck the mermaid’s curiosity.

                “What is that?”

                “I’m honestly not sure.”

                “Then open it up and see what’s inside.”

                “I don’t think I should-“

                “Open it.” Beth opened the pouch and pulled out a bracelet. The bracelet consisted of a gold chain, with a ruby set inside of it. Beth was awestruck.

                “That is mine.”

                “What?”

                “My sister wanted it, you killed her, and now it is mine.”

                “No, it isn’t.”  The mermaid stared straight through Beth with her crystal blue eyes. Beth had a thought. “Is your name Jade?”

                She let out a mermaid screech, which Beth was used to by now. Beth tightly held the bracelet and ran all the way home.