The Servant Girl and The Sea Prince

Chapter Eleven: MELINDA

      Melinda was still in a state of shock that Poseidon actually promised to meet up with her tonight. He had even kissed her, albeit only on the cheek. She never would have predicted that her very first romantic kiss, on any part of her body, was from a merman! She managed to keep her smitten giddiness in check as she diligently worked, although she did amuse herself by making up little poems in her head about the red-haired merman.

Shortly after the clock struck eleven o'clock at night, Melinda found Poseidon already waiting for her in the shallows of the Western Ocean. "Good evening, Melinda. I have something for you..."

Poseidon placed a handful of small, round objects in the outstretched palm of Melinda's hand. "Pearls!" exclaimed the servant girl.

"Yes. I don't know precisely how the human economic system works, but I figured you could somehow trade the pearls for new shoes...".

"Thank you! Thanks so much...!". Melinda honestly could not remember when she had felt so happy. She was sure that Mr. Williamson, the local shoemaker, would be willing to accept the pearls in exchange for a brand-new pair of shoes.

"You're welcome...Melinda...". For about a minute, no words were spoken as Poseidon's aquamarine eyes peered longingly into her emerald green orbs.

"You know...". Melinda finally broke the silence. "I made up a limerick about you..."

Poseidon's pale forehead wrinkled in confusion, for a second. "A what...?"

"A short poem" explained Melinda. She then impishly grinned at the merman. "Wanna hear it...?"

"Uh, sure..."

Melinda cleared her throat. "Poseidon, man of the deep sea! When I'm with you, I feel so free! I love your fish tail! With bright blue and green scales! Much prettier than my own knees...!"

The handsome merman let out a delighted chuckle. "No one has ever composed a poem for me before like that...". His dulcet voice was now barely above a whisper, and he faintly blushed.

"Well, you've been awfully kind to me, a mere mortal, Mr. Merman...! You deserved to be honored with a limerick!"

Poseidon looked thoughtful for a moment, then a mischievous smile formed on his chiseled features. "All right, it's my turn now. Melinda, maiden of the dry land, who comes for me on the warm sand! I love her green eyes, her feet are a nice size, but compared to a tail, they look rather frail...!"

Melinda clapped her hands and laughed. "Bravo! Not bad at all, for coming up with a rhyme on the spot!"

"Thank you, Melinda..." Poseidon said, prior to disappearing beneath the waves.

The next morning, Melinda sought out Josephine. "Would you mind...doing some of my chores today, please...?" she requested. "I need to go into town, to get new shoes".

Josephine nodded. "You do need new shoes. I suppose I can help you out".

Irvine, the second most populous city in the kingdom of Kallia, was located more than a mile away from Huntington Manor. It was a long walk, especially in such uncomfortable shoes.

Mr. Williamson's Shoe Shop was on Fonda Avenue, in the middle of Irvine's busy commercial district. Inside the little shop, Mr. Williamson was hunched over a workbench, surrounded by tools and scraps of leather. A teenaged apprentice named Benjamin and two assistant cobblers worked alongside him.

Like all other places of business in Kallia, a relatively large oil portrait of King Ronald hung on one of the walls. An old, unattractive man with a sharp-featured face that reminded Melinda of a rat, the monarch was a mostly powerless figurehead, with the kingdom truly governed by the Prime Minister, who was elected every ten years. Even though Kallia, the so-called "Golden Kingdom", was a democracy on paper, only landowners with a minimum annual income of $200,000 in Kallian dollars were eligible to vote in elections.

"May I help you, miss?" Mr. Williamson asked when he saw Melinda.

"Yes...would you please accept these pearls in exchange for new leather work shoes?". Melinda handed Mr. Williamson the pearls Poseidon had given her the night before.

The gray-haired shoemaker was flabbergasted. "Where in the world did you get these...?". His eyebrows shot straight up.

"From a good friend...", Melinda answered vaguely. "He's, uh, a pearl diver..."

"Very well, miss..." agreed Mr. Williamson.

Mr. Williamson mostly sold custom-made shoes and boots, but there was also a small selection of ready-made pairs in his shop. Melinda selected simple yet elegant black leather shoes with shiny buckles on the toes. They had been designed with men in mind, but since Melinda had exceptionally big feet for a woman, they had fit her best, and they were a unisex style that was equally popular with both sexes in Kallia.

Thanks again, Poseidon, thought Melinda, as she proudly strutted out of Mr. Williamson's Shoe Shop in her brand new shoes. She felt like she was walking on air. First the merman had saved her life, and days later he had rescued her poor feet from the sheer misery of excruciatingly painful shoes. She had only known him for a short amount of time, yet he had already done so much to help her. He was evidently just as beautiful on the inside as he was on the outside. Poseidon swimming into her life was by far the best thing to have ever happened to her.