The Stories of an Immortal

The Impossible Mermaid

Olivia always wanted to be a mermaid, ever since she was an infant. When she first told me, I was thrilled! Here was someone else, someone younger than me, who also shared my love of the sea.

Not wanting a young child to face the dangers of the ocean alone, I accompanied her on adventures across gentle waves. I showed her the beautiful fish and the vibrant plants, the quaint seashells and the large rugged rocks. I made sure we overlooked the wreckages and the ruins and the destruction and the pain. No person that innocent should have their happy childhood memories tainted with distress.

Once Olivia was older, I gave her some money and sent her off into the world, silently making sure she kept herself safe. I watched her ask sailor after sailor if she could join their crew, yet, alas, they all agreed having a women on board their boat would be extremely bad luck.

As angry and frustrated as I was, there was nothing I could do. I must let Olivia solve these problems on her own, no matter how unfair they were.

And, eventually, that's exactly what she did. She tied up her long dark hair and hid it under a hat, put on strong, heavy clothes and lowered her voice as she asked one more sailor from one other ship. This time, she had beaten the system.

I saw her sail the seas, covering up her true identity the best she could, trying not to laugh excitedly into the deep waters below. For a while, she was happy. For a while, she was safe.

Until one day she wasn't. I was looking at her ship from afar, when all of a sudden, I could see her being hauled onto the deck, her hair flowing freely in the wind. I gazed on in horror as her legs were tied together, frustrated with myself because I unable to do anything to help.

With a mighty throw, the captain launched Olivia into the dark ocean. She sunk to the bottom, incapable of swimming to the surface. By the time I had reached her body, laying silently on the sea floor, she had already stopped breathing.

I clung to her corpse, salty water preventing my eyes from spilling out tears. I stayed like that, not moving, for many minutes, until a startling motion in my arms quickly gained my attention. I closed my eyes for a moment before looking down, not wanting to hope for something so very impossible.

It wasn't impossible. Her legs slowly changed into one powerful navy fin, and she started breathing once more, starting with small puffs which soon became deep breaths. I grinned at her and she grinned back at me.

Before we had the chance to exchange words of joy, she told me she had one thing left to do. With a swift movement of her tail, the whole ocean seemed to shake. The ship she was previously sailing rocked dangerously until it finally tipped and sunk, leaving all the crew drowning, just like Olivia had done a while before.

Both Olivia and I were thrilled that she was finally the mermaid that she had always dreamed to be. I told her to make sure she helped some of the nicer creatures exploring the seas, and help them she did, all the while being her usual cheerful self. But she also made sure that the only sailors who crossed her path were considerate to everyone. If they weren't, she would soon teach them an unforgettable lesson.