Heart of the Sea

Isla was very confused when she woke up. She vaguely remembered the sudden storm, and the shipwreck. But she was no longer in the water. She was dry and indoors. She sat up slowly, finding that she was wearing what was either a strange dress or a huge shirt. She didn’t have a lot of experience with clothes besides the seaweed bodices she made for herself. It had been a few years since she’d ventured on land; maybe this was the preferred fashion now.

Then she realized that all her cuts were cleaned up and bandaged. The wounds still hurt but at least she wasn’t oozing blood anymore. Isla glanced around the room; it was small but tidy and she could see the ocean through the window which was a relief. She didn’t like to be too far away from it. She looked down at her legs, wiggling her toes and then rolling her ankles. Carefully, she swung her human legs over the edge of the bed, standing a little shakily. It would take a little while to get used to the legs since she hadn’t walked on them for so long. It was amazing to her that humans could use these things with ease. They could even swim with them, though she thought they looked kind of silly when they did.

She practiced walking around the room a couple of times, trying to get a feel for the legs. Then she opened the door and poked her head out. She was at the top of some stairs and she had to walk down them very slowly, gripping the rail so she didn’t lose her balance and fall down the rest of the way. It was very early morning so the house was mostly dark, and something suddenly brushed against her leg.

Isla let out a startled little yelp, jumping back and then falling since her legs weren’t ready for jumping. She landed on the floor with a quiet, “oof” and realized the thing that had touched her was some kind of small fluffy animal with orange fur. It stared at her with large golden eyes.

“Hello,” Isla said slowly. She couldn’t understand this fuzzy thing the way she could sea animals, but it was looking at her intensely. She reached out a tentative hand and the animal sniffed it before climbing onto her legs and twitching its tail.

“You’re cute, even if you’re a little rude.” Isla patted the creature’s head, trying to remember what it was called. Then she jerked in surprise as a figure stood up in the dim light. She automatically shrunk back a bit, but then remembered that she appeared human. If this person had realized she was a mermaid and intended to kill her, they’d have done it already.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh, you’re a man,” Isla said, and he halted his slow approach. She glanced down. “I guess this is a shirt then. I thought it would be a strange style for a dress. Is this your…?” She gestured at the orange furball, which was sniffing her rather aggressively.

“Tubbs, get off of her,” the man said, trying to shoo the animal away. “I’m sorry, he really has no manners at all. He’s really just a fat dumbass who I fed one time and now he won’t leave.”

“Is he a tubbs, or a fat dumbass?” she asked, gently nudging the thing off her legs.

“He’s a cat,” the man replied, giving her an odd look. “His name is Tubbs.”

“A cat,” Isla repeated. “Of course. I mean, obviously he’s a cat. I’ve seen cats before.”

“Right. Listen, I’m not sure you should be walking around yet, with the shape you’re in.”

Isla tensed, momentarily thinking he was referring to her temporary human form.

“Your injuries are pretty bad,” he went on, and she relaxed. “I patched you up as best I could, I hope you’re not too upset. I didn’t mean to…to overstep or anything. I just couldn’t leave you down there on the beach, you were bleeding a lot.”

“So you rescued me,” Isla said, trying to get back on her feet. She braced herself on the stair railing, her weird human knees feeling awkward.

“Oh, I don’t know if I’d say rescued,” he stammered.

“Then what would you call it?” Isla asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Um. You should probably lie back down,” he said, changing the subject. “You’re still a little pale. And I don’t think falling down is going to do your stitches any favors. Once you’re feeling better I can help you get home.”

He took a hesitant step forward. “Do you need help getting up the stairs?”

“I think I can manage,” Isla said, but as she leaned away from the rail she almost toppled over again.

“Maybe manage is too strong a word,” she corrected.

“I can help you, if you want.”

Isla glanced warily at the stairs, then looked back at him and nodded. He gently took her arm and helped her keep her balance as they walked back upstairs. It was good that he thought the unsteadiness came from her injuries and not from her not knowing how to walk like a human. She sat down on the bed with a small exhale of relief, eyes going immediately to the window.

“Your house is very nice,” Isla said. If she lived on land, she’d want a house that offered a view of the ocean. She could even hear the faint sounds of the waves crashing on the shore. The man looked startled at the compliment.

“Um. Thank you. My name is Quinn, by the way. I realized I never even introduced myself.”

“Quinn,” she repeated. It was a nice name. She flopped onto her side and clumsily swung her legs up. “Well, thank you, Quinn, for rescuing me. I’m Isla.”