Mermaid's Beach

*Just a short story I wrote*

    It was their family vacation, this year to a secluded beach. Mermaid’s Beach to be exact. A little girl with curly blonde hair, Adele, was ecstatic. Her brother, Jeremy on the other hand, not so much. He rather go to a resort with wifi and an indoor pool.

     “How much longer?” Adele questioned, squirming in her seat.

     Their mother laughed and looked at her. “Not too much longer Hun. Jeremy, at least try to look happy!” she scolded her son.

     Jeremy wanted to glare and retort back, but he knew that would only make his mother angrier. Instead, he crossed his arms and glared out the window.

     “C’mon Jeremy, it’s going to be fun! I bet the beach is going to be beautiful, I’ve always wanted to go to the beach!” Adele exclaimed, bouncing her seat excitedly.

     Jeremy turned his glare to his sister. “I couldn’t care less about what you want! What about what I want?” he snarled.

     Adele’s eyes started to water, and her lower lip quivered. The boy saw this and instantly felt regret.

     Some big brother I am…

     “Kids we’re here!”

     Adele glanced out the car window and dried up the tears that were threatening to fall. She jumped out of the car and grinned widely. “I was right! It is pretty!”

     Jeremy rolled his eyes and got out the car. He glanced around and sighed, it wasn’t all that pretty in his eyes. It looked like a haunted beach off of an episode of Scooby-Doo. “I don’t see what’s so great about it.”

     His mother gasped, “Oh my! It really is!”

     His father then leaned toward the bitter boy. “Don’t worry; I don’t see what’s so great about it either.”

     Jeremy was about to reply back, when he was cut off by, “Hey there!” He looked over and saw a man with an eye patch and older looking clothes walking up to them.

     “Oh hello there,” his mother greeted, turning the man that was walking over to them.

     “I’m Eddie, I live close to here,” he greeted.

     “I thought this place was secluded…,” she trailed.

     “Oh, it is; just me and Richard.”

     “Ah,” she answered back simply.

     “Um, mister, can I ask you something?” Adele spoke up in a small voice.

     Eddie grinned at her. “Of course you can! As long as it’s not school related,” he joked, causing the girl to giggle.

     “Is it called Mermaid Beach because there are mermaids here?” She questioned, looking hopeful.

     “Oh, Adele, don’t ask questions like that!”

     “Oh, no it’s fine!” Eddie laughed, “It’s fine, but the answer is, yes. Though…,” he trailed and leaned closer to Jeremy, who in turn tried to back away, “She’s not too fond of males, because in their eyes she’s in ugly creature.”

     Jeremy scoffed, “Is that why you wear that eye patch? You saw her and it turned you blind?”

     Eddie looked confused for a moment, before letting out another loud laugh, “No, of course not! My granddaughter loves it!” he flipped his eye patch up before flipping it back down, “But Richard… he has…”