"Demetrius, wake up! It's time to leave!"
"5 more minutes mom."
"No, right now! It's a 4 hour car ride, and Grandma's serving lunch at 12:45, and if we're not there by then we won't be able to eat until dinner."
The threat of no dinner gets me up and moving within seconds. I mean, Grandma's lasagna is to die for. Literally.
My name's Demetrius, I'm 14 years old, and I live in Hartford, Connecticut with my mom. We're heading up to the northern most part of Maine to visit my grandparents.
I'll spare you the excruciatingly long and boring car ride. I'm pleased to inform you that we did make it on time, so I do get my lasagna for dinner. After lunch, me and Grandpa went down to the beach.
"Did I ever tell you the story about the mermaid?"
"Mermaids? Grandpa, I think you have me mistaken with Rosemarie." Rosemarie is my older sister. She's hanging out with her friends back in Hartford now, but she's coming here later.
"Oh well. I'm gonna tell you anyways. When your great-grandfather was 13, he came to this very island on vacation, like you. One day, he went exploring, and found a cave along Dead Man's Cliff. And do you know what he found inside that cave?"
"A mermaid?"
"How'd you know that?"
"Grandpa, you said you were going to tell me, oh, never mind. Just tell the rest of the story."
"In the cave he found a beautiful mermaid. When he found her, she was singing an old pirate song. And he knew, in that moment, that he loved her. But she didn't love him back, because when a mermaid looks for her true love, it's his voice that brings him to her, not chance. And every hundred years, the mermaids and mermen will come ashore and look for their true love. And you're lucky Demetrius. Great-grandpa met that mermaid a hundred years ago. So now you may have the chance to find one."
"Okay Grandpa, I'll keep a look out."
After visiting the beach with him, we walked back to his house for dinner.
"Hey Grandma, did Grandpa take his pills this morning?"
"Probably not, dear."
"Okay, 'cause I think he needs them."
Dinner was, as expected, deliciously yummy, with lasagna, garlic bread, and homemade lemonade. Following dinner was a family game of Jenga and blackjack, in both of which I won $20.
"Alright, Demi, time for bed."
"What? It's only 10."
"Yes, but we had a four hour car ride today and you start work tomorrow."
"Work? Mom, this is vacation! I shouldn't have to work."
"Oh, please. It's at the ice cream shop, and you get a free ice cream every week. Get over it and go to bed."
"Fine." And with that, I headed off to bed.
YOU ARE READING
The Tale About the Mermaid's Tail
RomanceSure, we've all heard about Ariel and Prince Eric, but what about all the other mermaids? What's their story? Well, I only know Meredith's story, and it's one you should hear. It's got romance, friendship, and oh yeah, a whole town trying to KILL h...
