Beneath the Painted Ocean

by CS Patra

  He hid behind a few boxes and watched as Kai talked to some of the other merfolk. No one came into the room for ten minutes so he looked around for something that could help. There were mostly boxes and rope, but they wouldn’t be enough to move the pool. Breaking the glass meant all the water would come out and those merfolk wouldn’t last long. They weren’t close enough to the beach so the lack of water or ocean air would kill them. He could take them back to the ocean one by one but that took time. At the moment, that seemed like his best option. He would start with Kai and then get the others. He knew he could run far away with him and get him to safety. It would wear him out but he would live.

  “I think you’ll be interested in what we’ve found. It could explain why your son is adamant about saving the ocean. I didn’t believe it until I actually saw it.”

  Oh God, it was him. It was the one person he was not expecting to run into. Judging from what he said, his father was there too. He gripped the handle of the knife and tried not to stab the boxes next to him. Instead, he began trying to come up with a way to free Kai and the merfolk. He looked around and saw his father show up. Knoll was happily displaying these merfolk like they were products to be bought. Callum knew that he had to work fast so he could free them all.

  “Extraordinary!” His father breathed out. “They do exist!”

  “Not only do they exist, your son made friends with that one in the middle. I’ve seen them. I might say they might be more than friends too.”

  “More than friends?”

  “Well, let’s just say your son and this merman have spent a lot of time together. They’ve gotten to know each other. After I first saw them, I thought this was another human. Then upon closer inspection, that the other one never left the water. I looked a little closer and I realized that this friend is not human; it’s a merman!”

  “A living, breathing merman.” His father breathed out, touching the glass. “I see why Callum kept this a secret. This is the type of thing he would want to protect and so would I.” Callum perked up at that. What did his father mean? The answer came almost immediately after. “I hate to say it but I don’t think this is a good idea. I can look at them and see how miserable they are. We should let them go.”

  “But think of how much you would make! People would finally know they existed!”

  “It doesn’t matter. All this time, I thought my son was being irrational, but I can see his point of view now. If he has been with these mermaids, then he probably wanted to protect them. This would be the exact opposite of what he wanted.”

  Callum could feel his heart beating faster inside. It was enough to make him want to cry now. His father finally understood. He finally got why this was so important. It took a lot of restraint not to run out there and give his father a hug right now. He wanted to apologize for acting childish and being so rude earlier. Maybe together, they could do away with this man and save these merfolk. Before he came out of his hiding place, his father held up his hand.

  “I’m sorry but I can’t take part in this. The deal is off.”

  “You don’t see what we have here?”

  “I do see it. It just feels wrong. I know I’m a businessman as well, but there are some things that I can’t cross the line with. This matters to my son and I just can’t hurt him. He’s been hurt enough.” He turned around. “Please. Let’s talk about this somewhere else. I don’t feel right doing it here.”

  Knoll seemed disappointed but he obliged. Once both of them were gone, Callum came out of hiding and looked at the pool. “I’m sorry about that. I’m still trying to think of a way to get you out of here.” He took out the knife again and looked for something that he could cut out. As strong as it was, he didn’t want to puncture the glass. The water would drain out and the merfolk would be in danger.

  His best bet was to take each of them out, one at a time. Doing it alone would be difficult but maybe he could get some reinforcements in here. He looked at Kai for a second, counted how many merfolk were in the pool, and asked the question he didn’t want to ask. “I think I have an idea but I need others to help me. Would you mind if I told just a few more people about you? This is only because I need them to help move you. I promise I will swear them to secrecy.”

  “It all depends on who they are,” Kai said. “If they’re anything like him…”

  “No! They are related to me.” Callum pulled out his phone, knowing very well that a few of his siblings would be awake. “Let me make a few phone calls. I know they will help me.”

  He knew that he only needed five people for this; Abigail, Brent, Emily, Frankie, and George. He went down his contact list and left each one a text message first. The first thing he said was that he needed help with something and they needed to call him immediately. When they did get in touch, he told them where they needed to be.

  “Don’t worry.” He whispered to Kai. “Help is on the way.”

  “I hope so. I don’t have much time left.”

  “What do you mean?” Callum stood on his toes and tried to touch Kai’s fingers. His hands stretched but he still couldn’t extend those fingers enough. It wasn’t enough. He couldn’t get close enough to brush his fingertips against them. “Are you dying?”

  “No but…” Kai closed his eyes. “Something will happen around midnight. It will determine my entire life. It will determine what can happen to us as well. You have to move fast.”

  “I’m thinking…” Callum looked around the room for a ladder or stairs or anything. “Damn! This pool is way too high for me to reach you. That’s why…” He snapped his fingers. “Of course! I think my sisters are still strong enough for this!”

  “What is it?”

  “Help is on the way,” he promised, reaching his hand out again. He was desperate to touch Kai and let him know things would be all right. “We’ll be out of here before you know it.”

  “What if you aren’t able to get me out in time?”

  “I will get you out in time. I know what I’m doing,” Callum nodded. “I will get you back home.”

  “Then we’ll be together?”

  “Yes.”

  We’ll finally be together.

  Chapter 23

  Callum wasn’t able to tell his siblings everything over the phone, but George and Frankie were able to figure it out. They knew that this had to do with their brother’s ‘angel’. They remembered everything he had said about the merman that he had seen. They also knew he was completely in love. They just didn’t think that the merman was the one he would be in love with.

  “You cannot tell anyone else about this right now.” He warned them. “As crazy as I sound, this is real. All of it is real. I need your help more than anything and you’re the only ones I can turn to. Just do this for me and I won’t bother you for anything else.”

  “Let me get this straight; you called us out here to help you save mermaids?” Abigail asked. “You’re not trying to get us to do anything illegal, are you?”

  “No. If anyone does accuse you of anything, blame me. I know I sound crazy, but it’s true,” Callum said. “I kept this is a secret because they didn’t want people to know about them. I found out when I went underwater. I was looking for my angel and I discovered them. I kept going down ever since and I found out so much.”

  “You really expect us to believe you?” Brent asked. “Bro, I know you’re fascinated with everything in the ocean, but there are limits.”

  “I didn’t think they were real either, but I know the truth. I’ve seen them and spoken to them.” He led all of them into the room and pointed to the pool. Every one of siblings was in awe when they saw what was in that pool. They weren’t even sure what to make of it.

  “Jesus, there really are mermaids!” George exclaimed. Callum glowered at him and motioned him to be silent.

  “I don’t want you to scare them or alert anyone so pipe down!” He waved at Kai. “Hey! I told you I’d bring help.”

  Kai’s eyes widened. “It’s yo
ur family! I can tell because you all look so similar!”

  Callum nodded. “Yeah, these are just a few of my siblings and the only ones who would be awake right now. We’re here to rescue you.”

  “What are you telling them, C?” Brent asked.

  “It’s okay. I learned how to speak their language,” Callum explained. “They won’t hurt you. I assured them that we were here to help them out.” He pointed to Kai. “This is Kai. We’ve been friends for a very long time.”

  “Friends?” Frankie repeated. “It sounds to me like you were more than that.”

  “You weren’t kidding! You’ve been dating a merman?!” George exclaimed. “I mean, I didn’t even know you were gay, but I guess it makes sense. You never seemed interested in any girls.”

  “That’s not the important thing right now. I need your help to transfer them from here to the ocean,” Callum explained. “If I don’t do this now, they’ll die. That’s why I called you all over here. I can’t do this alone. It would take me forever to transfer all of them. You guys can make the process much easier.”

  “All right, so what is your plan?” Emily asked. “You literally want to take them out of the water and take them to the ocean? Will they last long enough out of it?”

  “I don’t know how long they can last, but this is the best choice. I have no idea how I can move the pool itself. There’s nothing here that can move it,” Callum murmured. “I know it’s not the best choice but it’s all I’ve got now. Will you help me?”

  “Of course I’ll help you!” Abigail exclaimed. “I can see how much this means to you so let’s get moving!”

  “Good. Now I didn’t see a ladder or anything to climb on over here but...is someone willing to stand on my shoulders?” He asked. “Come on, Abby...Em...you guys were cheerleaders. You’ve stood on shoulders before. I promise I won’t drop you.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice. Do you think you can support me?” Emily asked as Callum got down. “I think I can reach that pool but I need them to trust me too.”

  “They will. They know you mean no harm. Use this knife to free them. It’ll cut through anything.” Callum felt her standing on his shoulders and gripped her ankles to hold her in place. He wobbled a little bit but managed to hold his ground. He got Emily as close to the pool as he could and tried not to let her go. Out loud, he told Kai. “That’s my sister. You can trust her.”

  Kai told the same things to the other merfolk who were still skeptical. When they refused to move forward, he made his way to Emily and held out his wrists so she could cut him free. The knife sliced through the ropes easily. Then he wrapped his arms around her and clung tight. She felt a little strange trying to hold him, eyeing the bright green tail and the scales on his body. Still, she said nothing as Callum lowered her. He wrapped Kai in a blanket that he found lying around so he could hide him. Quickly, Kai pressed a kiss on the bottom of Callum’s chin.

  “I knew you’d rescue me.”

  Callum said nothing and set Kai on the ground. “Try to hold on, okay? I know this floor isn’t clean, but I will get you all out of here and back in the ocean as quickly as I can.”

  His brothers and sisters helped move each mermaid and merman with difficulty, but it was done within ten minutes. Once they were all out of the water, Callum nodded at siblings to follow him. “The beach is a few feet from here. We can make it on foot but going by car would be better. I’m just wondering if they can last long in the car.”

  “Water helps,” Kai whispered. “If you have water, any water, it will keep us alive as long as possible.”

  “Fresh water works for you? I have packs of water in the car. Will they work?”

  “Yes. I can drink it and it will keep me stable until you reach the ocean.” Kai squeezed his hand. “Are you sure you can do this?”

  “I know I can.” Callum picked him up and motioned his siblings to go out the door. “Put half in my car and the other half in someone else’s. Take the water out of my trunk and keep feeding them until we get to the ocean.”

  Callum was nervous the entire time he was driving. Emily was in the back, feeding the merfolk water and trying to keep them hydrated. The whole time, she kept asking him how he knew about this. He tried to answer to the best of his knowledge without giving away too much.

  “How long have you known about them?”

  “At least two months,” he said. “I offered my friendship and that was it. They gave me the ability to talk to them. As for Kai, he’s the one I’ve been spending the most time with. He told me everything I know now. He’s shown me things that no one else has.”

  “Are you in love with him?”

  Kai waited to get the answer for this. He knew that if Callum said yes, then he was human. Midnight hadn’t passed yet. He waited eagerly for the answer but felt them go over a bump and then screech to a halt.

  “Hey, Cal! Why are we stopping?!” Emily wanted to know.

  “We have to go now. Move!” Callum told them, getting out of the driver’s seat and going over to where Kai was. “I’ll take it from here.”

  “Cal, we’re not close enough to the beach yet!”

  “I can’t get closer than this without someone noticing us. Come on, help me out!”

  He had his arms wrapped around Kai who was still holding on. Drinking the water helped out but he felt strength returning as they got closer to the ocean. Callum was running so fast that he lost a shoe in the process. It didn’t matter to him as those were just sandals he bought at the dollar store. He could get another pair later. Kai’s life was in his hands. He felt so cold in his arms.

  “Hang on...hang on...I’m almost at the water.” He said as he listened to the waves rolling in and out. If he got to the rocks, he could lower Kai into the water. The lack of one shoe would make it hard to climb but he would manage. He saw one of the rocks with the jagged edges and tried to step on it. His barefoot slipped and he fell down, still holding onto Kai.

  “Are you all right?” Kai asked as Callum winced and looked down at his foot. It was throbbing but he had to keep trying. “No, my love, don’t force yourself. I can make it from here. I already feel better.”

  “I didn’t put you in the water yet,” Callum whispered, rubbing his foot. “Can you drag yourself into it?”

  “Yes, I’m not that weak. But you...” He looked down at the foot and saw that Callum was bleeding. “Oh, you’re hurt! When did that happen?”

  Callum stared down at his bloody heel and saw a tiny trail of blood. He stared down at his heel and saw a tiny bit of glass stuck in it. “How did I not notice that earlier? I must have stepped on it while I was running down.”

  “Let me take care of it.”

  “No, no, I need to get you in the water. Forget about my foot.” Callum tried to stand up but the pain became too much and he fell back down on the sand. “I have to get you...”

  “Callum, stay!” Kai commanded. “You are in no shape to move!”

  “I can’t leave you like this…” Callum began to stand again and ignored the blood. With some difficulty, he got on his feet and managed to push Kai toward the water. He couldn’t climb the rock but he could make his way around to the shore. “Can you…Can you go down by yourself?”

  “Yes!” Kai tried to kiss him again but the water was rising. “Callum, get away from here! Get help! Just get out of here! Get…”

  “Just what do you think you’re doing?!”

  Callum felt cold as he turned around. Kai had disappeared into the water but he was now in danger. Slowly, he turned away from the ocean and found himself looking into the barrel of a gun. This was a familiar feeling but he was more scared now. He had no idea how to react. He wanted to get up but the bloody heel made him fall back down. The pain was too much for him.

  “Well, you didn’t get far, did you?” Knoll asked, pointing the gun in Callum’s direction. “I knew you were a freak but this is something unusual. You do know this wouldn’t have gone as far as it did, righ
t? All you had to say was yes.”

  “I can’t say yes to that,” Callum whispered, nursing his bleeding foot. “You would be hurting their home. I’m not doing this to be selfish. I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”

  “You are too soft, Dr. Caldwell. Though I will give you credit for getting them out without anyone knowing. Too bad this is where it ends for you. Where are they?”

  “I set them free. They don’t belong with you.” Callum held his foot and carefully plucked the piece of glass out. It hurt but he didn’t let it show on his face. “Just leave them alone and I will do anything you want. Don’t hurt them.”

  “Putting others ahead of yourself. That is an admirable trait, Dr. Caldwell. Unfortunately, it won’t be enough to save you. I’ve had it with you now. You’re disposable. I should have dealt with you a lot sooner.”

  “Come on, you don’t want to do this,” Callum whispered. “It’s not worth it. Killing me isn’t going to make things better. What are you going to gain out of it?”

  “I’ll get rid of a thorn in my side for one. You really are a pain in the ass, kid. Oh well, it ends now.”

  “Don’t!” Callum could hear his father yelling. “Leave my son alone! Leave him alone!”

  “Please don’t do this!” Callum pleaded, holding up his hands. “This isn’t worth it!”

  “Rot in hell.”

  BANG!

  Chapter 24

  The shot went off just as Callum raised his arms to try and deflect it. He heard a scream but didn’t feel anything. He was expecting intense pain but there was nothing. Finally, he opened his eyes to find that someone had tackled Knoll down and wrestled the gun away. Yet he had gotten away with firing a shot. Where had the bullet gone?

  I don’t understand. I know he fired it. I heard it. Callum looked down at his feet and saw the pool of blood. It wasn’t his blood. It was green and seeping into the sand. No, this couldn’t be right. It had to be a bad dream.

  Please tell me I’m hallucinating or something. Please tell me that I’m the one who got shot! Callum silently pleaded to no one in particular. His eyes made their way toward the sand and saw the one thing they didn’t want to see. It couldn’t be true.