Deeper

by Jane Thomson

  Che dived, and came up behind me, his lips to my ear.

  “I knew you’d come back to the sea some time. Mer can’t mate with humans, it’s not natural.”

  So nobody expected anything good to come of it, in the end, but me, and I was wrong. If only I was a stone, and could sink without effort out of the light. Then being wrong wouldn’t hurt so much.

  The flying thing flew away and didn’t come back, and the boats disappeared too. We had the Trapped Moon to ourselves. You’d said that another human would be along soon – but all during the rain, we were alone, and then when the sun came again, still no one came. It was just as well, because neither of us could live in Deep Sea with nowhere to make landfall. Che had found a cave on the cliff side of the island, but we much preferred to sleep on the soft sand, where the sun came up and warmed us in the morning.

  In the new year, we had our first pup, a girl, with a perfect tail and brown eyes. I don’t know how that came to be, but maybe the spirits of the air took pity on us at last. Bearing her was more painful than anything Grandmother ever did to me, and more beautiful. Che taught our daughter to hunt, down in the bay, while I crawled up to the Trapped Moon and made marks on paper, just as you had. I used the last of the paint, too, and finished my picture of the channels, and stood it up by the door to your sleeping room, so your totem could see it, maybe. It’s been ten wet seasons since you left and no one’s been here.

  Che is much kinder than any other mer male I’ve known – maybe it’s being away from the pod and their endless tussles to see who’s the biggest and fiercest. He doesn’t have to prove much, to me. I love him dearly.

  I’m happy. And you, you’re dead and the sea has crushed your bones, so I guess we mer won, in the end. Perhaps Grandmother would call it revenge.

  Acknowledgements

  First of all I’d like to say a big thank you to my dear friend Melissa Cryder, who paints and draws beautifully. Second, to those who read my book in draft and gave me feedback - it’s a boring and thankless task, but I really really really appreciate it. You know who you are - Mark, Hugh, Michael, Darla and others. Third, to everyone who puts up with me droning on and on about my latest effort. I notice, and I love you.

  Thanks a million, all!