by Amber Garr
Suddenly, she hissed and pulled away from me with a look of horror on her face.
“A mermaid.” Her voice came out in a breath and washed over my mind like a warm blanket. I thought she might be intrigued, but her eyes seemed wide with fear.
“And you,” she turned toward Brendan. “I have not seen one of your kind in quite some time.” She stood back up and looked beyond us into the forest. The dancing hair continued to move with a mind of its own while she stayed silent. “Yes, it has been many years.”
I couldn’t take my eyes off of her even though I wanted to ask Brendan what she was. I had never encountered a creature like this.
“I am a naiad, little mermaid, and I am the protector of this lake.” She answered as though hearing my thoughts. “I did,” she said abruptly and I swear I saw her face change into something dark and nightmarish. “Now, tell me what you want.”
“We…we don’t want anything,” I stuttered, thinking that it would be better to say it out loud instead of having her pick it from my brain.
A ghost of a smile played at the corners of her mouth as she listened to my inner analysis. “Are you sure?” She answered me but looked at Brendan. Snakelike arms of fog and hair continued to float around her face and body. I followed her focus and was surprised to see Brendan looking bashful.
“Forgive us for the intrusion, but we are seeking guidance.”
What was he talking about?
“I would like to know that myself, mermaid,” she said while answering my unspoken question.
“My father told me about you a long time ago. We’re embarking on a great journey and I would like to know if all will be well.”
The naiad swooped down and plucked the seal skin from around us. We dropped to the stones and stared up at her in utter disbelief and in complete nakedness. She rubbed the fur all around her face and body in an almost sensual manner. I turned away for fear of interrupting a private moment.
“Yes, I remember him.” She hissed while continuing to sniff and caress the seal skin. “I remember him well.”
Her head snapped down and she stared at Brendan. It was then that I noticed her eyes. An almost iridescent lavender color, I swear they were glowing. She gently placed the skin back over the top of our bodies while wisps of her hair embraced us like a hug. Water dripped onto the skin making small plopping noises. She looked directly at me again and I saw another hint of fear playing behind those large shiny eyes.
“You have much to learn little mermaid. Your journey will not be long.” It was all she said before turning away in a spray of water droplets. Her body began to fade amongst a mirage of tiny bubbles and endless fog.
“What do you mean?” Brendan called after her, but it was too late.
I think I heard her laugh as the last of her figure disappeared beneath the surface. Instantly, the sky cleared and the forest became alive again with a cacophony of chirping crickets and peeping frogs. I was momentarily stunned at what had just occurred, until I remembered Brendan’s question.
“You knew about her? About naiads?”
“Kind of. My dad used to tell me a bedtime story, and I thought that was all it was until I found this lake on a map. I figured it couldn’t hurt to check for sure.”
“But naiads are supposed to be extinct.” At least that’s what we had always been taught. Once they inhabited all types of bodies of water, but increased pollution and a growing human population made it difficult for them to survive. In fact, all of the water sprite lines had supposedly disappeared.
“Don’t tell this one,” he teased.
“So what do you think she meant about our journey not being long? Does that mean that something’s going to happen or that we’re almost finished? Because we’ll be at the coast tomorrow.”
Brendan ran his hand through his hair. “It’s hard to say. They’re kind of like genies when it comes to evading and fortune telling.” I must have looked pitiful because Brendan continued to explain. “Neither is known for giving you a direct answer. And usually there will be a million different ways to interpret their words.”
“So why did we come here?” I asked.
He smiled. “To see if she was real.”
“Yeah, okay. That was pretty cool,” I agreed.
He squeezed me one more time before standing. We dressed and walked the complicated path back to the hotel. The moonlight struggled to reach through the pines but our night vision was good enough to get by. I let Brendan lead the way and tried to step wherever he did.
My mind drifted since we didn’t speak much on the return trip. Today was Sunday; my wedding day. I wondered how things were going back at home with Kain and my family. Did he get my note? Did he hate me more than anything? My only comfort was in knowing that our friends were there and that they could provide him some sort of comfort for a while. That thought made me feel lonely when I realized that I’d also lost all of my friends. I couldn’t even tell them about the naiad.
It was just Brendan and me now.
It was almost midnight before we made it back to the room. I decided to take a shower and Brendan told me he would get us some snacks. We’d skipped dinner to go swimming in the lake, but it had been worthwhile. The warm shower water almost took the chill out of my body, but I suspected that the remnants buried deep within wouldn’t go away any time soon.
I’d wrapped myself in the fluffy robe supplied by the lodge by the time Brendan got back to the room. He stuck his head around the door and called out to me. “Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
He stomped his foot. “Just close them. And face the bathroom.”
I did as he asked but listened to him shut the door and sneak up behind me. Pretending not to hear him, I stood still.
“Okay, open them.”
I did. He stood in front of me in a pair of jeans, no shirt, and with a vending machine cupcake in his hands. There was a single pink candle in the center and a cheap lighter hidden in his palm. “Happy birthday, Evs.”
“It’s not my birthday yet,” I argued.
He jerked his chin toward the bedside table behind me and I turned to see that the clock showed it was five minutes past twelve. Today was my eighteenth birthday. I smiled at him and felt a few tears building in my eyes. He remembered when I’d forgotten.
“Make a wish,” he said.
I squeezed my eyes shut and wished for happiness. I know that was a pretty vague wish, like asking for world peace, but I just wanted everyone in my life to be happy and content. Especially those I left behind. I blew out the candle and wrapped my arms around his waist. My head rested against his bare chest and my nerves began to buzz again. We were totally alone and he was only partially dressed. I looked up at him wanting to feel his lips against mine. But when I lifted up on my toes, a piece of cupcake flew toward my mouth. He smashed it against my teeth before I had a chance to take a bite.
“What’s wrong with you? Why can’t you eat like a normal person?” he teased just before another piece of chocolate got smeared down my cheek. I pushed at him, but only half heartedly because I was laughing too hard. Every time I tried to snatch the cupcake off the plate, I’d get another smudge of chocolate icing somewhere on my body.
“I just took a shower you know,” I yelled at him.
“Well, if you’d stop smearing chocolate all over your face, you wouldn’t need another one.”
This continued until both cupcakes from the packet painted our skin. I washed my face while Brendan picked up the crumbs on the hardwood floor. When finished, he climbed into the shower and I collapsed onto the bed. The soft sheets wrapped smoothly around my naked body like a second skin.
I decided to make my move. Brendan had always been patient with me, but now I was eighteen and I intended to stay with him the rest of my life. There was nothing stopping us from moving forward in every aspect of our relationship now. I heard the shower turn off and my heart climbed into my throat. This was it.
The lights were o
ut but I stayed tucked under the covers anyway. I heard him playing around in his suitcase for what seemed like an hour before he finally crawled into bed next to me.
“Are you awake?” he whispered.
In response, I rolled over on top of him and kissed his soft lips. My hands held his head in place and he didn’t make any attempt to move at first.
“You’re naked,” he stated between ragged breaths.
“Yes, and I’m eighteen.”
I continued to seduce him in the only way I knew how. Soon, his hands began to wander over my body, exploring areas that he was already familiar with and some that were newly discovered for both of us. I’d never felt so close to anyone in my life and I just knew this was right for us. Here, in this amazing lodge, on my birthday. I began to pull at the top of his pajama pants.
His hand grabbed mine and stopped my intentions. “Are you sure about this?” He was gasping for air and I could tell that his control slipped away with each touch.
“Yes,” I breathed into his mouth and any last sign of restraint disappeared from both of us.
We spent a wonderful night together followed by a prolonged morning enjoying each other’s company and love. It was perfect.
When the time came to check out of the room, we reluctantly got out of bed but still managed to take one last shower together. Breakfast had already ended in the restaurant, so we got on the road and continued on our drive to the Maryland coast. We held hands the entire time. It felt like I couldn’t get enough of him and breaking contact, for even a moment, seemed wrong. We talked, and laughed, and planned for our future. I was saturated in love and I knew that, no matter what the consequences might be, I was meant to be with Brendan.
Three weeks had passed since we first arrived in our new home. Well, it wasn’t a home exactly, but the hotel efficiency was good enough for me. We were able to get a discounted rate by staying longer than a month, and although small and ancient, it worked. The tiny kitchenette held appliances older than our parents. Chipped paint, cracks, and water stains highlighted the cream walls while mismatched tile, carpet, and linoleum made up the flooring. It had smelled a little damp and very musty when we first moved in, but with enough air fresheners and moisture traps, the smells were beginning to fade. We hung some curtains and a few pictures to make it cozier, and soon it became ours.
It was almost time for Brendan to come home. He’d started his job just a few days after we arrived and every day was an adventure for him. The smile on his face was enough for me to see how much he truly enjoyed this new life. I, on the other hand, had not been able to find a job yet. There were a few promising call backs, but most of the summer staff had been hired months earlier. The best I could hope for was something part-time or temporary, but that would be sufficient.
Although I very much enjoyed playing house with Brendan and cooking dinner when he came home, I was also going stir crazy. We hadn’t gone swimming very much and that was impacting both of us. The changes were a necessary part of our existence…much like eating. It nourished and replenished our bodies and kept us strong and healthy both physically and mentally. I’d get anxious and Brendan would get sick if we postponed our changes for too long. The bathtub could always work as a temporary solution, but our little residence did not have the room for one.
“Evs, I’m home!” Brendan called from the door.
I rushed over and jumped into his arms. His smile became muffled by my kiss and I tried to focus on the smell of his sweat and selkie essence and ignore the dead fish aroma that saturated his clothes every evening. He held me in his arms long enough to reach the bed, which was only a few steps away from the front door. Collapsing down as one, we laughed as our heads slammed together and completely ruined the romantic moment.
“Are we ever going to get the hang of this?” I asked while rubbing the spot where I was sure there would be a bump in a few hours.
In response, Brendan rolled on top of me and kissed my injury. “Yes, we will.”
I drew his face down to mine for a longer kiss before he pulled away. “Plus, we have the rest of our lives to figure it out,” he said although the words were lost against the warmth of my lips.
His bright green eyes stared directly through my heart and I saw in them how much he loved me. Every time I worried about Kain and my friends from home, one look like this from Brendan would brush my anxiety away.
Pushing himself up from the bed, he removed his shoes and his shirt. His hands moved down his sides to slowly unbuckle his belt and I watched with fascination and hunger as he lowered his shorts to the ground. I thought his little strip tease was for me until he walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
I threw my arms out to the side of the bed and let out a loud sigh of frustration. His laughter echoed through the tiny room like a chastity belt locking down my raging hormones. I’d make him pay for this later. While plotting my evil ways, I made us a quick spaghetti dinner, as I hoped we could swim tonight. It didn’t take much to convince him, and once the sun succumbed to the rising night, we headed off toward the beach.
Since seals weren’t so common in this part of the country and mermaids were just a fairy tale to humans, we needed to be careful that we weren’t seen. Night swims were pretty much the only way to guarantee privacy and safety during the busy summer season, even though I was dying to explore the warmer east coast waters during the day.
We stopped the car at the park entrance and walked through the dunes to an area typically blocked off to swimmers. The rough rip current and large rock jetties made this a dangerous place for humans and an unattractive spot for fishermen. But it was perfect for us. Stripping quickly, we ran to the water’s edge and I watched as Brendan slipped into his seal skin. It was so graceful and natural for him and the ease in which he transformed was always so fascinating to me. In less than a few seconds, his furry vertical body sat by my feet. I looked down into his piercing green eyes and smiled.
“You know you look like my pet right now?” I said while rubbing the top of his head.
He snorted and pushed against the side of my leg.
I wiggled a finger at him. “Now, now. Behave Fido or I’m taking you home.” That earned me a nip on the ankle but before I could retaliate, he disappeared into the water.
The breaking waves penetrated the quiet night with the slaps and murmurs of water from distant places. A cool breeze rustled past my face soothing me yet also causing my senses to suddenly tense. There, underneath the smell of the sea, was something familiar yet unidentifiable. Almost the scent of another being, I couldn’t quite place it. Goosebumps rose along the back of my neck and chills ran through my body. I looked all around us, down the beach, and behind on the sand dunes. But no one was there.
Brendan’s seal voice broke my concentration, his grunting and chirping a sign that he was waiting for me. Ignoring my concerns and trying to convince myself we were alone, I dove into the first wave I could reach and let my body adapt to its second home.
From the moment I felt the waves envelop me in their embrace, I knew something felt wrong. The underwater world vibrated with an unfamiliar energy. It was dark, my senses were heightened, and we weren’t the only two out swimming tonight.
A shadow darted over my head but quickly disappeared into the darkness. I stopped moving forward and frantically turned in circles to see if I could identify our guest or try to see Brendan. There was nothing but a sandy bottom below and black water all around. With the moon only a sliver, it wasn’t big enough to provide light for me to identify the animal that just made a horrible piercing scream nearby.
I swam to the surface to catch my breath and survey the damage. Surely something had just died, but the calm seas didn’t give away its secret. Diving back down to the bottom I remained still, listening and sensing for something; some sign that Brendan was all right.
It seemed like minutes passed before I heard his signature snorts coming toward me and closing in fast. Brendan dashed fro
m the dark waters and crashed into my body. His flippers pinned me down to the ground, but his eyes scanned the emptiness around us. A faint ray of moonlight pierced through the depths and I thought I saw a piece of his fur floating in the water, hanging on by only a thread of skin. Looking more closely, I noticed that he did in fact have a large section of his shoulder ripped apart, exposing pink, muscled flesh underneath.
What could have possibly caused this injury?
I reached up to put the skin back where it belonged, but Brendan grunted and snapped his teeth at me commanding me to stop. His body weight crushed me and at the first moment I could, I kicked out from underneath him and spun my body around to face the oncoming danger.
But when I turned, there was nothing there. No shadows, no bodies, and no enemy. Brendan continued to lie in a guarded position on the sea floor, so I ventured a few kicks away ignoring his warning noises. I didn’t breathe underwater, so my sense of smell was useless. But I could still try to feel for electrical pulses and listen for movement at the surface and through the water column.
However, they were too quick. Three dark shapes rushed out of the blackness from the side. I couldn’t tell what they were exactly, but they were large and they were fast. They swam directly toward Brendan and attacked him with such savagery and quickness that I couldn’t even react at first.
He screamed, which is one of the most horrible sounds in the world coming out of a seal’s vocal chords. I watched him snarl and bite at his attackers in pure rage. He was larger than them, but he was outnumbered. The brutality of the fight seemed surreal until one of them sank their jaws into Brendan’s already injured shoulder and yanked a piece of flesh off his body.
That knocked me out of my paralysis and I tried to swim to his aide. I only got a few feet when something sharp and painful sliced into my tail. Screaming in frustration I whipped around to see what had happened, and found myself staring into the green eyes of another large seal.