Summer Tales

Chapter 1: Mermaid Hauntings

             You know there is always stories about mermaids dark or not, and only few truly believe. But I'm going to tell you a story my mother once told me when I was only 6, hours before she had drowned in the water just off the cliffs of Cornwall. My mother always told me the best bedtime stories, about elusive elves, fierce dragons and dark sorcerers.  But only days before that fateful night, she told me a story that would haunt me for the rest of my life. 'Althea,' my mother had said, rocking in her chair like she always did. 'Don't you ever wonder what is hiding just out of reach of our human lives? Don't you wonder how rainbows come to be? And what about earths mysteries? Why does the Bermuda Triangle exist? Who fuels the eternal flame falls? Who is really up on brown mountain guarding all those lights? You know Althea, I honestly think that they all exist, and in far greater numbers than we would have ever imagined. Oh darling, you don't think I'm crazy, do you? Come closer, and I'll tell you a story about when I was just a girl'. I climbed up into her lap from the bed that I had been sitting on. Even now, I remember her faced shadowed by the candle light. I remember the trees outside casting dark shadows on the wall, letting my little imagination get the better of me. 'When I was 9, I we were at a waterfall.  It was summer holidays  and I was at my grandparents house. It was already getting dark and almost everyone else has left. It was only me and grandpa left. Grandpa had fallen asleep and I was left to do what ever I wanted.  Naturally, I decided I wanted to go explore behind the waterfall but as I started swimming out, I felt something, something as cold as ice, grab my little handand pull me under. I was face to face with a girl. Her skin was whiter than anything I have ever seen. She spoke to me. Althea, so you know what she told me? She said' you are a believer, aren't you? You shouldn't have come' She had the most ethereal voice I have ever heard. I screamed, the air rushing out and water rushing in, and pulled away. The last thing I saw before I fainted was a beautiful, long, ebony black tail, splashing as it swam away'. I stared at her with wide eyes, and she seemed almost in a trance. Her eyes darkened and she shook herself. 'Goodnight my sweetheart. I love you forever.' And she walked out the door.
That was the last time I ever spoke to my mother. The next day, they found her body on the rocks by the sea. There was no traces of blood, no broken bones. The image of her empty face still rests on my mind. Now, next time you begin to doubt the existence of other creatures, I want you to remember this story. Till this day, I am haunted by what could have happened to my mother. I knew she had no reason to want to kill herself. But yet, the night after she told me this very story, she had was never heard from again.

Hey guys, this is just a random short story from one of our writing challenges. Check out Festive_Owls for the winning story by Ava_Larkwood!!!