A Twist of Fate: The Tale of a Mermaid

Chapter One: Alaina

    Humans have myths about us. They say a mermaid’s heart is as cold as the ocean itself – and perhaps it is. Some call us Sirens of the Sea. Some call us coldblooded killers. But all of them call us stories.                                                                                         * * *          The sandy shores were only a few short miles from my cluster of jagged rocks in the middle of the ocean. It was the perfect shelter from prying, human eyes with its thick pillars shaped like an eroded crown. I was perched on one of the flatter rocks, peeking through the pillars as the warm, ocean waves sloshed over my tail.

    I watched the humans for several minutes, loathing their existence. They kicked and squealed in the water like a bunch of seals evading an orca attack, yet they didn’t retreat to the shore. They stayed and splashed each other as if it were some kind of game.

    After a while, I grew bored of watching the humans – waiting for a few stragglers to venture toward my sanctuary. I’d begun to lounge back with my arms crossed behind my head and letting my fins float in the shallow water that rolled over the rocks.

    My eyes slowly began to close as the waves, and the soft warmth of the sun lulled me to sleep. But my nap was quickly interrupted by the ear-piercing squawk of a nearby seagull. It fluttered above me before landing clumsily on my tail.

    Baring my sharp fangs, I let out a menacing hiss and swiped at the bird. My claws sliced through its wing before it could take flight. It managed to fly off after my attack, but its wing was painted red with fresh blood. 

    Something between the pillars caught my eye. Three humans paddled around the corner on planks of bright colored wood. I ducked down out of sight. They clicked their tongues, making strange noises as they passed.

    Once they were far enough away, I inched back up, watching as they floated back toward land. I couldn’t help thinking just how easy it would be for me to dive beneath the surface and drag them to their deaths one by one.

    I knew, the moment they heard my song, they’d be paralyzed making for easy prey. No human could resist a Mermaid’s song. It was our very essence – the strongest weapon we had – full of mystical properties.

    Though we were superior, our tribe had laws in place to keep us safe from humans. None in my tribe shared the same hatred for them as I did. They’d rather we lived in fear, avoiding the surface at all costs. We were never to venture toward land, or anywhere we could be spotted.

    “The surface is a dangerous place Alaina,” I’d been told by Chief Zael, the leader of our tribe. “If you ever spot a human in the ocean, you must stay out of sight.” But I had a different strategy for my encounters with humans. One I’d used countless times. And one that didn’t involve swimming away in fear.

    A large, ten-foot wave barreled over the rock formation. As it crashed against the pillars, I leaped into the wave and let it carry me back into the open ocean.    

    I began swimming toward the unsuspecting humans still paddling on their boards. I was within arm's reach when something latched onto my fin yanking me down, away from the unsuspecting humans.

    With an angry hiss, I whirled around coming face to face with my sister’s disapproving stare, blonde hair tied in a bun with a strand of seaweed. We were twins in everything but looks. She was just as graceful and stealthy as I was – perhaps more after her sneak attack.

    “Where are you going?” she demanded.

    I thrashed my tail, knocking her away. “None of your business,” I snapped, baring my pointed teeth at her as I had with the seagull, but my sister didn’t back down. She crossed her arms over her chest.

    “It is my business. You know you’re not supposed to go to the surface, Alaina. You’re going to put us in danger.” I hated how calm her voice was. She didn’t share the same hatred for humans as me, but she wasn’t there when our mother was murdered.

    Our mother was beautiful with shimmering, silver skin, and long blonde curls. The scales that covered her tail were as black as obsidian, swirling up her sides and across her breasts. Everyone in our tribe loved her, but she was adventurous – always daring to hunt beyond the boundaries.

    She was taken from us by fishermen and their large nest that littered the seafloor. I was learning to hunt when we came upon a school of fish. They were wild and disorientated. That should have been our first clue, but I got excited and raced into the middle of the chaos.

    I was oblivious to our situation, but Mother realized the danger. She was able to push me away from the net as it rose from the sand. She didn’t have enough time to escape the rising net, and soon, she was dragged above the surface. I followed, in a panic, trying desperately to reach her. It was too late.

    When the humans on the fishing boat saw her, they killed her instantly. For years, her final screams haunted me. Even now, her screams would fill my head, driving me in my mission to rid our waters of humans.

    I was thankful that she hadn’t witnessed our mother’s death, but it made explaining my cause difficult to her. Still, I tried just like I’ve tried many times before.

    “I’m protecting us,” I hissed. “Those creatures are vicious. We need to hunt them before they hunt us.”

    My sister shook her head, giving me a sorrowful look. “I don’t see it. Just come with me. I want to show you something.” She held out her hand – claws retracted as a show of submission.

    With a sigh, I took her hand and let her lead me through the ocean. We swam for miles until we came upon a shipwreck that must have happened hundreds of years ago. Green algae covered the corroding ship.

    “Magdalena, what is this?” I gestured to the broken boat that didn’t belong in our ocean.

    “This was created by humans.”

    I rolled my eyes. “I know that. And that’s my point. It doesn’t belong here. Humans have been destroying our home for centuries.”

    Magdalena shook her head. “Maybe it didn’t belong here, but now it does. Look.” She pulled me closer to the ship. Seaweed grew all around the boat. And coral had begun growing on different parts of the ship. Different fish swam in and out of the circular holes in parts of the ship. Even a few eels were twisting and winding around the broken poles.

    “This ship is their home now,” Magdalena explained. “Not everything humans do is destructive.”

    I laughed at the hidden meaning in her words – the way she spoke so passionately about the humans. “All this time.” I shook my head. “All this time, you’ve been reprimanding me for going to the surface, but you’re doing the same thing.”

    “It’s not the same.”

    “Oh, come on, Maggie. How is it not the same? You’ve been going to the surface just like me.”

    "But I’m not a killer!” Fish scattered as Maggie’s screech tore through the ocean. 

    "Careful, Sister," I warned, my tone dark. "With a voice like that, the ocean might mistake you for a predator, and we wouldn't want that." 

    Magdalena hissed, baring her sharp fangs, “Our song is a gift. Not a weapon.” Her voice softened. “Please, let’s just go home.”

    My eyes fluttered back toward the surface. The distorted light from the sun trickled down casting a soft glow against the water. I shifted my gaze back to my sister and sighed. I knew Magdalena would follow me anywhere, so hunting was going to have to wait for another night.

    I flicked my tail, propelling myself forward. Magdalena followed close behind not saying a word. She could have easily swum past me, but I knew she wanted to keep close in case I decided to dart off again. The thought crossed my mind more than once.   

    We were almost home when a large shadow passed overhead. I knew what it was instantly, and instantly my blood boiled. It was a ship – most likely full of fishermen.

    “What do you suppose that is?” Magdalena asked curiously.

    I continued swimming. “It’s just a ship.”

    I expected some retort from my sister, but when I turned around, she was still watching the ship, mesmerized by its girth. She swished her tail, swimming toward the ship. I raced up beside her gripping her arm. “What are you doing?” I snapped.

    She shook my hand away. “I want to get a better look.”

    An uneasy feeling twisted in my gut. I grabbed her arm again. “I thought we were going home?”

    “In a moment. I’ve never seen a ship before. Only small boats.”

    “They’re not much different,” I assured her. “Let’s go.”

    Magdalena ignored me; swimming closer to the ship. She ran her webbed fingers over the thick metal, then darting away as the large, spinning propeller whirred by.

    “That was amazing,” she gushed. “How could something so magnificent be as bad as you say?”

    “Let’s not stay to find out.” I grabbed her arm in a tight grip before swimming in the opposite direction of the ship. Magdalena followed against her will, but her eyes stayed glued to the ship.

    “Oh, no!” Magdalena’s shout was suddenly drowned out by an explosion.