Dreaming of ShortS/Tags

Traumas And Disappointments

I was six when it happened. My family was touring a few famous Islands when I got lost in one of the tour trips near the beach. I followed a trail of seashells until I reached the sea and after realising I was lost, I started calling out for my parents while running all around frantically.

After twenty minutes of searching, I went back to the beach and sat in front of the water and right when my eyes were watering and my vision getting blurry, I saw her. Her head appearing over the surface of the water only to plop under as soon as our eyes met. At first, I thought it was a lady and that they lady was going to reappear out of lack of oxygen but after about five minutes, she didn't. Standing up, I yelled: "Hello?" Yet I received no reply. Fear started to creep up my spine as the possibility of the lady drowning was available. I walked into the waves in an attempt to drag her limp body onto the shore but as soon as the water came above my knee height, I was pulled underneath by a tug on my legs.

Something was holding my leg, I couldn't see it but the lack of oxygen kicked in my survival mode in which I grabbed at the sea's shore, trying to go back up and breathe but the creature's grasp was too strong to escape. The creature's movements stopped in a while and after a few seconds, I began to breathe. I stopped struggling and looked around. I was still underwater but a bubble of air surrounded my head granting me the ability to breathe under the sea. I looked at the arm holding me and at the creature owning it.

She was beautiful, a mermaid, her scales were an elegant shade of teal just like the oceans. Her thick brown hair danced across her angelic face to the melodic waves of the sea. She started swimming again and pulled me with her to a place filled with corals coloured in red, white, yellow, and peach. Fishes of all curvy shapes and colours swam around us. She led me to a door that opened to a tunnel. It was dark but her azure necklace shone the way and soon we were out and under the sun's rays. I didn't know where she was taking me but I'd rather be with someone that starve to death looking for my family so I didn't mind.

Soon, we reached the other side of the island from what've I've been told by the mermaid pointing her little webbed fingers on her waterproof map. We continued moving forth but the waters became dirtier. They were filled with opened cans and empty bottles and it smelt like dung. The mermaid's breathing pattern became heavier and faster as though she was swimming a race. Behind us, a humming noise could be heard. It was the engine of a speed boat I noted as I looked at as it neared us every second. The mermaid's tail started flapping hard against the water. Her face expression wore nothing but intense fear.

She struggled in the polluted waters while I used my hands to help remove anything that got stuck on her until she herself got stuck. I tried to pull the plastic off but shortly, the boat stopped beside us and threw its fishing net. I pulled her as hard as I can but she was trapped, the net seemed to be coated with glue. Desperately, I tried all possible ways of getting her out. From pulling the net from over her to find a sharp rock and attempting to cut her out but the men were already pulling the net up. I started crying while I held her hands in my last try to free her but the tears only popped my air bubble that surrounded my head.

The water started gushing into my mouth as I struggled for breath. My lungs were filled like bowls of soup, weighing me down and burning my insides. Drowning, my brain tried to revive me, flashing a movie of memories before my eyes with noises I clearly recognise. It didn't work of course. I simply faded into the deep silent sleep of death.

Yet as the last pieces of me started to leave, I felt a pair of hands grabbing my limp body and pulling me back onto the shore, Coughing, I was disappointed because now I may have to live without my family or even be tortured by the pair of hands that found me. Why couldn't they just let me sleep?