Heart of the Sea
One
Isla knew she shouldn’t swim too close to places where there were people, but she couldn’t resist diving for the shimmering pearls that were produced in this region of the Wisting Sea. These particular pearls, which were a stunning assortment of colors and had a particularly impressive shine, could only be found here. Isla knew of a place where they were abundant, but not many humans would dive there. The waters were too deep for them to reach the pearls and there were some easier spots to find them.
Being a mermaid, Isla collected things. It was just in a mermaid’s nature to find pretty treasures. Pearls, shells, coins or other things they scavenged from shipwrecks. Isla’s little underwater cave dwelling positively sparkled with all the things she’d found and cleaned up. Isla tended to swim into places most of her fellow mermaids wouldn’t. They used to swim freely among the human world, rescuing drowning sailors and warning ships out of danger. But then humans had realized that with the heart of a mermaid, they could create all kinds of things; love potions, draughts that could grant eternal beauty, potent luck charms. So they’d started hunting mermaids, and now mermaids tried their best to stay hidden and avoid any places that had a lot of humans.
But Isla was curious to the point of being a bit reckless, so sometimes she got close to towns. She could appear human if she went on land, but she was rarely brave enough to venture up onto the shore. Usually she was here, swimming lazily through the waves and diving down when she spotted the flash of a Wisting pearl or one of the huge onyx-shelled oysters who produced them. She could see much better underwater than any human, which also made it easier for her to find glittery things in the depths.
Isla caught a glimmer in her periphery and rocketed down into the water eagerly. A big round pearl in a lovely shade of pale green was nestled in the sand, abandoned by its oyster. She beamed as she rolled it between her palms, admiring its delicate color. She skimmed along the sandy floor, collecting three more pearls; one a creamy white and two in a pale lavender. Pleased with her haul, Isla swam back to the surface. She splashed up out of the water and pulled herself onto a sun-warmed rock where she’d placed a bag she’d fashioned by weaving kelp strands together. That was also how she’d made the makeshift bodice she wore, which was bedecked in small shells and white pearls.
She pushed her pale blonde hair off of her face and swished her pale blue tail through the water. A small octopus who liked to follow her around lately crawled up onto the rock next to her, pointing a tentacle toward her pearls.
“I found some good ones today,” Isla said, showing him the pearls. He touched her arm with his tentacle and she sensed that he was expressing approval at her find. Isla smiled and tucked the pearls into her bag, leaning back to enjoy the sun on her face. She’d only meant to lie there for a few minutes and enjoy the warm rock, but she must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew she was being slammed awake by a vicious wave.
Isla spluttered and sat up. Her octopus friend was tugging at her arm and Isla realized that a storm had rolled in out of nowhere. Waves were splashing up over her rock and forks of lightning were zigzagging wildly across the dark sky. Isla grabbed her bag and tried to scramble off her rock and get below the water. A huge wave knocked her back, slamming her into the rock. Isla gasped as the rock tore a gash in her side. She slipped down into the water again, a little dazed.
She shook herself and dove back into the water, ducking beneath another large wave. The water was dark and tossed her back and forth so that she lost her sense of direction. She managed to surface and look around, letting out a squeak of alarm when she saw a smal ship bearing down on her. It had likely been knocked off course in the sudden storm and was now about to careen into a jagged crop of rocks. Isla barely managed to avoid the bow taking her head off but coiksnt dodge all the debris when the ship hit the rocks.
Something sharp dug into her arm, her tail scraped roughly against the rock, and a chunk of wood struck her in the head. She winced and tried to swim away from the wreckage before she was seen. She was battered roughly by the wind and waves, and she began to think this was no ordinary storm. Her strength ebbed as her arm and side continued to bleed and her head throbbed mercilessly.
Isla let the waves simply tow her along, hoping she wasn’t tossed into any more ships or rocks. Abruptly the storm began to die down and Isla found herself just bobbing listlessly in the water until she was washed up onto a strip of sand. As soon as she touched land, her shimmering blue tail transformed into two slim human legs. She was too weak to crawl back into the water; her arm was still bleeding and her head hurt. She didn’t want to risk anyone seeing her turn back into a mermaid anyway.
Isla turned her head and saw that she was nestled in a sandy alcove, far down the beach from the shipwreck she’d witnessed. People would no doubt come looking for survivors before long, but she doubted anyone would notice her here. Isla tried again to lift herself up to her back to the water, but her injured arm refused to hold her weight and she flopped back onto the sand with a wince. The sky grew fuzzy and spun above her as the sun crept back out from behind the clouds, and then her eyes drooped and all she saw was black.
Being a mermaid, Isla collected things. It was just in a mermaid’s nature to find pretty treasures. Pearls, shells, coins or other things they scavenged from shipwrecks. Isla’s little underwater cave dwelling positively sparkled with all the things she’d found and cleaned up. Isla tended to swim into places most of her fellow mermaids wouldn’t. They used to swim freely among the human world, rescuing drowning sailors and warning ships out of danger. But then humans had realized that with the heart of a mermaid, they could create all kinds of things; love potions, draughts that could grant eternal beauty, potent luck charms. So they’d started hunting mermaids, and now mermaids tried their best to stay hidden and avoid any places that had a lot of humans.
But Isla was curious to the point of being a bit reckless, so sometimes she got close to towns. She could appear human if she went on land, but she was rarely brave enough to venture up onto the shore. Usually she was here, swimming lazily through the waves and diving down when she spotted the flash of a Wisting pearl or one of the huge onyx-shelled oysters who produced them. She could see much better underwater than any human, which also made it easier for her to find glittery things in the depths.
Isla caught a glimmer in her periphery and rocketed down into the water eagerly. A big round pearl in a lovely shade of pale green was nestled in the sand, abandoned by its oyster. She beamed as she rolled it between her palms, admiring its delicate color. She skimmed along the sandy floor, collecting three more pearls; one a creamy white and two in a pale lavender. Pleased with her haul, Isla swam back to the surface. She splashed up out of the water and pulled herself onto a sun-warmed rock where she’d placed a bag she’d fashioned by weaving kelp strands together. That was also how she’d made the makeshift bodice she wore, which was bedecked in small shells and white pearls.
She pushed her pale blonde hair off of her face and swished her pale blue tail through the water. A small octopus who liked to follow her around lately crawled up onto the rock next to her, pointing a tentacle toward her pearls.
“I found some good ones today,” Isla said, showing him the pearls. He touched her arm with his tentacle and she sensed that he was expressing approval at her find. Isla smiled and tucked the pearls into her bag, leaning back to enjoy the sun on her face. She’d only meant to lie there for a few minutes and enjoy the warm rock, but she must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew she was being slammed awake by a vicious wave.
Isla spluttered and sat up. Her octopus friend was tugging at her arm and Isla realized that a storm had rolled in out of nowhere. Waves were splashing up over her rock and forks of lightning were zigzagging wildly across the dark sky. Isla grabbed her bag and tried to scramble off her rock and get below the water. A huge wave knocked her back, slamming her into the rock. Isla gasped as the rock tore a gash in her side. She slipped down into the water again, a little dazed.
She shook herself and dove back into the water, ducking beneath another large wave. The water was dark and tossed her back and forth so that she lost her sense of direction. She managed to surface and look around, letting out a squeak of alarm when she saw a smal ship bearing down on her. It had likely been knocked off course in the sudden storm and was now about to careen into a jagged crop of rocks. Isla barely managed to avoid the bow taking her head off but coiksnt dodge all the debris when the ship hit the rocks.
Something sharp dug into her arm, her tail scraped roughly against the rock, and a chunk of wood struck her in the head. She winced and tried to swim away from the wreckage before she was seen. She was battered roughly by the wind and waves, and she began to think this was no ordinary storm. Her strength ebbed as her arm and side continued to bleed and her head throbbed mercilessly.
Isla let the waves simply tow her along, hoping she wasn’t tossed into any more ships or rocks. Abruptly the storm began to die down and Isla found herself just bobbing listlessly in the water until she was washed up onto a strip of sand. As soon as she touched land, her shimmering blue tail transformed into two slim human legs. She was too weak to crawl back into the water; her arm was still bleeding and her head hurt. She didn’t want to risk anyone seeing her turn back into a mermaid anyway.
Isla turned her head and saw that she was nestled in a sandy alcove, far down the beach from the shipwreck she’d witnessed. People would no doubt come looking for survivors before long, but she doubted anyone would notice her here. Isla tried again to lift herself up to her back to the water, but her injured arm refused to hold her weight and she flopped back onto the sand with a wince. The sky grew fuzzy and spun above her as the sun crept back out from behind the clouds, and then her eyes drooped and all she saw was black.