A Pearl Of Wisdom (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 3 : A Mermaid Meeting

"Your okay now, I am so sorry for hitting you like that", I hear.

"What is happening?" I say. I start to be able to focus my eyes and see a woman floating and holding my arms and body. I look closer and realize that she has a flipper and I start panicking.

"Sorry, I hit you while swimming, you see I normally am never in this part so I was panicking wondering how I swam so far away from home?" she replied.

"Wait! you are a mermaid? right? no? Do I have a concussion and not able to see right?" I say unconvinced.

"You are right, I am a mermaid! although I think this is the first human I have ever seen!"

"Wow I have heard stories of the past with the legends of mermaids, but I really did not think they existed."

"My name is Maris, and yes we exist, but we have had scary experiences from humans so we stay away. No one I know has actually met with a human face to face. You seem like a very nice human" Maris replies as she stroked my head.

"Well I hope I am nice, I would never hurt you or anything and even if I told anybody that I have seen you without proof everyone would think I was crazy anyway".

"Good, because I think I would like to see you again because this is really fun talking to a human!"

"So where do you live so humans can't find you?"

"We live in really deep waters and they are caves and places to hide really easy at the bottom of the ocean, believe me if we don't want humans to find us they won't. Most people can't handle even the pressure of the water that deep but we can."

"Then why are you in these waters right now?"

"Oh dearie! we like to get out and have fresh air once a while too! but we mostly go when it is dark outside but some of us young mermaids wanted to see it during the day. Basically our parents would kill us if we were found out!"

"Oh well that makes sense, if humans found you would definitely would be taken away from the ocean and all sorts of bad things could happen to you!"

"I bet there is many exciting things in your world that we have never even heard of!"

"I guess, maybe food would be an exciting thing for you?". I swim to my boat and pull out my bag where I have a piece of vanilla cake I stashed away for a snack later. I pull it out and hand it to Maris.

"What is this, it really smells delicious" Maris takes a large bite and finishes it in 3 bites.

"It is a vanilla cake, it is a dessert that we have for a treat!"

"Wow it is really delicious! I think being a human would wonderful! All we eat is things from the sea which can become very tedious! We have no such type of food!"

"Well I would love to have a friend or sister like you! All I have are brothers and of course my parents!"

"There are so many things above water that I would like to explore!"

"I don't think it is as great as you think it is, your life looks pretty exciting! and you are so beautiful! I am actually a bit jealous!"

I grab my towel and start drying off in my boat and start thinking about all the things I had heard about mermaids when I remembered something. "Wait a second, then is the legend true that if you sing a song to a mermaid they will grant you two wishes?" I ask.

"Oh so you have heard of that! yes it is true but since I have never met with a human I have no idea if it is still true. We should test this theory!"

"Alright, but I am not a great singer, but I will try my best" I reply. I try to think of a song fast and all that came to me was this song

"Blue into the deep I will follow thee.

Don't leave me to fall to my knees.

Please tell me that I will see you again.

We will find our way just like how it began.

Come back to me and never say goodbye.

You will leave me and take to the sea.

But promise you will say fare thee well

never utter those sorry words

I long for you to walk through the door.

I will follow you with my heart

We will never have to part

When you leave please promise me

That everything will be left at sea

Come back to me and never say goodbye.

good bye,  good bye,  good bye."

"That was beautiful Anise, I think that if you say your wishes out loud then they will possibly be answered" Maris says.

I sit for a while in silence trying to think of what would be a good wish because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"Anise, Anise, where are you? It is getting dark! you need to come back now!".

"It's my mother looking for me! If she comes and finds me you could be in trouble!" I say to Maris.

Maris immediately senses the danger and realizes that she doesn't have much time left. She grabs a pearl necklace from her bag and hands it to me. "Sorry there is not enough time for your wishes but take this gift instead! I think you will enjoy it!".

I grab her and give her a hug and tell her "I give you my wish! I know you will get more uses out of it!".

She smiles quietly says goodbye and with a flick of her fin she is gone deep into the water. I start paddling the boat back to the main shore and find my mother waiting for me.