Heart of the Sea

Isla had been relieved when Quinn said she could keep staying with him. The town was too noisy and full of people. Quinn was a human too but he didn’t make her feel afraid. And he didn’t stick therma-whatevers in her mouth and bang her knees, either. More importantly he said he liked having her around, which made her happy since she liked him and being in his little house felt oddly homey even if it wasn’t the ocean. She hoped she wasn’t too big of an inconvenience for him.

She had watched him leave for work that morning and decided it would be a good time to visit the water again; it had been a couple of days and she was feeling a bit drained. She wanted to find some more shells too, and visit Octavius. It was a cloudy day and the beach was deserted so she scampered down to the beach and quickly waded into the surf. She just reveled for a few moments at being in the water, then she swam in figure eights and launched herself up out of the water to pretend she was flying, splashing back down with a laugh.

Octavius found her not long after that and they searched for more shells. She gave one to a nice hermit crab who had lost his shell and needed a new one. She boosted herself up onto a rock in the shallows to put it on him.

“There you go, little crab. Now you have a nice new home.”

Isla set him down on the rock and he raised his claw in thanks before scuttling away. Octavius was perched on the rock next to her, splashing her playfully with his tentacle. She splashed him back and giggled. She was admiring the way the overcast sky made the water a pretty grayish-green when Octavius grabbed her arm and tugged urgently.

“What’s the matter?” Isla frowned. Octavius informed her a human was coming. Isla dropped down quickly into the water, heart hammering in her chest. Then she heard Quinn’s voice calling for her. She tried to tell him to go away but clearly her being out for a swim struck him as odd because he peered around the rock and saw her.

Now she was bobbing in the water, and they were just staring at each other in shock.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Isla squeaked. “But I have to be careful and I was a little afraid you wouldn’t like me anymore if you knew and are you mad at me?”

“A mermaid,” Quinn said faintly. “You’re a…you’re beautiful.”

“Oh,” Isla said, almost losing her grip on the rock and feeling strangely warm. “You really think so?”

“Um. Yes,” he said, going a little red again.

Feeling a little more at ease, Isla slowly pulled herself back up onto the rock so she was more at his eye level. He stepped a little closer and glanced at her tail and she did too, watching how the iridescent blue scales sparkled even in the gray light. His eyes were incredibly wide as he kept looking at her.

“You’re not upset?” she asked.

“Upset? I never thought I’d see a real mermaid. Uh, this might sound really rude and you can say no, but can I touch your scales?”

Isla laughed. “Of course.”

“You won’t be offended?”

Isla splashed him lightly with her fins as she raised her tail slightly for emphasis. He reached out and very gently brushed the scales with his fingers. The scales shimmer shifted slightly as he skimmed them and he looked at her delicate fins, which were almost transparent and gossamer-like in appearance.

“They’re so…satiny,” he said and Isla felt a rush of pride, preening a little. She knew her scales were pretty but there was something especially nice about hearing Quinn compliment them.

“Incredible,” he said and she felt warm again at the wonder on his face.

“Can I still stay with you?” she asked softly, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

“I—of course, but why would you want to? I mean it’s just, my house isn’t that nice. It’s not really good enough for someone like you.”

“I like your house,” Isla pouted. “It’s right by the ocean and it’s so cozy and you’re there.”

His face went redder than she’d ever seen it before.

“I still need to heal from all these cuts,” she went on. “But I like it here and I want to make it up to you because you saved me and let me stay in your house and wear your shirt.”

“You don’t have to make it up to me,” Quinn said, still looking dazed. “You needed help. And I’m more than happy to help a mermaid. I can’t believe you’re real.”

“Well I am real, and I want to stay,” Isla said. “I just have to come out to the water sometimes, otherwise I’ll get sick. At least now I don’t have to sneak out.” She cocked her head. “You really don’t want to use or sell my heart?”

“I’d never do that,” Quinn said, seeming appalled at the idea. “I couldn’t take your heart.”

Isla smiled shyly, thinking that he probably could. She looked down when she felt a tug on her arm. Octavius was asking if she was alright.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “This is Quinn. He’s my friend, and he wouldn’t hurt us. This is Octavius,” she explained to Quinn.

“You can talk to sea animals?” he asked, getting wide eyed again.

“Of course. Mermaids can do lots of things. Octavius, I’m going to go home now but I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?”

The octopus wrapped his tentacles around her arm in a hug, then waved as she wiggled off the rock; practically falling onto Quinn. He caught her waist, seeming dumbstruck and shy at the same time.

“I just didn’t really want to wiggle up onto the beach like an eel,” Isla explained. “But I need to be on land to get my legs back.”

“Oh. Right. Of course.”

Seeming even more shy, Quinn slipped one arm under her tail and carried her up onto the beach, quickly averting his gaze as her tail turned back into legs. He set her down gently and she pulled his shirt on, wringing the water out of her hair. They walked back up to the house and she shivered.

“You’re cold,” Quinn said, noticing. “I’ll start a fire.”

Isla flashed him a warm smile and went upstairs to get dressed. Tubbs, as usual, followed her and kept licking her ankles.

“You’re a strange creature,” Isla told him. She put on her dress and stockings and padded back downstairs to curl up in front of the fire.

“Will you sit with me?” she asked Quinn. He looked dazed again but he sat down next to her.

“You came back early,” she said, turning to him. “Is anything wrong?”

“Oh, no. I was actually coming back to ask you something, but it doesn’t matter now I guess.”

Isla scooted closer to him and laid her head against his shoulder. He went very still; she hoped he was breathing.

“Is there anything else you want to ask me, then? Since you know what I am?”

“Oh. Well. What else can you do, besides talk to animals?”

“Mermaid tears can heal people. And it rains when a mermaid cries, but we don’t tend to do that often. We’re usually happy, collecting things and racing with dolphins and taking care of our hair. Mermaids are kind of fussy about our hair. And our tails. We bottle moonlight and mix it with kelp and make a wrap for them.”

“You can bottle moonlight?” Quinn asked.

“Of course,” she giggled. “If you’re a mermaid. Don’t you know how the god of the sea made us in the first place? He fell in love with a human woman but she got sick and was going to die. He wanted to save her, and let her come underwater with him and stay with him forever. So he gave her a kiss to let her breathe underwater, and then made her a tail from sea foam and moonbeams and crushed pearls. She was the first mermaid, and mermaids always like to swim up to the surface on full moons.”

“That’s amazing,” he said quietly.

She laughed lightly, because he sounded genuinely amazed. Tubbs, who had followed her downstairs to sprawl in front of the fire, seemed less impressed. He made a grumpy squawking noise at Quinn, who sighed.

“Yes Tubbs I know, it’s your lunchtime,” he grumbled. Isla laughed again and scooted over to let him get up and feed an impatient Tubbs.

“I’d never heard a story about mermaids bottling moonlight or collecting things,” Quinn said.

“Have you heard other stories?”

“About mermaids? Sure, and lots of other things. Sailors tell all kinds of stories.”

“Really?” Isla perked up with interest. “Will you tell me some?”