Treasuring the last mermaid (Now published so sample size only)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Byron would be here soon. That thought kept on a roll in my head. I didn't know what to do next. I frantically danced around the only object in my house, the gigantic pool.

Never in my life did I think I would have a human visitor. My house was in no way a normal human habitat. The trouble was that a normal human house and what it should contain was still quite a bit of a mystery to me.

What was a human male going to think when he saw the interior of my house was a pool? Sharks teeth, I had surely done the stupidest thing that a mer could do, stand out.

I tried to breath,  but I needed my gills to feel in any way myself. Glancing at the human gadget known as a watch, I discerned that I had about fifteen minutes until I had to meet Byron. That would, hopefully, be enough time to calm my nerves.

I dived into the water and my gills appeared, helping me to calm somewhat. I swished my sparkling golden tail in the water. As a royal, I was the last to ever display a golden tail. For a moment, sadness overwhelmed me as I stared at my tail.

Forcing those thoughts away, I swam through the cave, dug out of solid rock, that led straight to the ocean. Many of my friends came and went through here. Having my connection with the ocean meant the world to me.

When the humans had started construction, I had to suffer many arguments and exclamations of disbelief to obtain my pool. No human wanted to dig the cave, even when I held the water back for them. I had told them there was rock under the sand and they didn't want to believe me. Many had left in fear or anger until I offered them the golden treasures from one of the many sunken human ships.

Aquala didn't enjoy the human reckless behaviour towards our beloved ocean. She liked to punish those who she deemed unworthy, so many human ships had succumbed to her wrath.

After much frustration, the humans agreed to build what I had asked of them. On the outside, my house resembled any other that dotted along the beach. The inside tells another story. A pool runs the length and breadth of the building. My roof has huge sky lights of glass, so the sun gives dappled rays through the water. It is the best I can do while trying to replicate human life.

With the completion of my pool within a house, I had to instill what we call the mermaids kiss on anyone who had even sighted the construction. In my species, only the females could deliver the kiss.

To humans a mermaids kiss, even on the cheek, was enough to wipe any memory. We could selectively delete the memories we wanted while leaving everything else intact. It made me grateful that I was born into a female body. If not, my house may not exist and I don't know how I would cope without it.

Having a closeness with humans had become as important as my closeness to my ocean friends. I needed the interaction with others. How ironic was it that I wanted any relationship with the people who had destroyed my species?

I swam out of the cave and could hear the frolicking of human children in the water near the shore. That made me smile and then sigh. I would never have any merlings and it saddened me.

A familiar noise echoed through the water to me, and I snapped to attention. Byron made his way along the shore to my house. Frantic nerves made me flail in an awkward arc.

When my mind decided to return to me, I quickly swam back through the cave. I reverted to my human body, dried myself and tossed suitable human attire over my person. With my fingers shaking, it took concerted effort to dress myself.

Byron's presence always had the ability to flabbergast and stupefy me. I gulped down half a bottle of salt water, and tried to prepare myself for meeting him.