Drachma Cove

A catalyst. I remember how the water at the edge of Drachma Cove swirled with my movements. How the lily blossoms brushed against my fingertips as I sat on a rock peeking above the surface. My tail glimmered in the sunlight. The cerulean scales reflecting the glow. I waved it with fluid movements in and out of the tide. My mind was in a million places, and I needed stillness. Though nothing would ever be still because of the stream. The flow of water into the reservoir originates from the prolific pour of our waterfall. Then came the calls. Eurybia, our chief, had spotted someone down river. Her ethereal voice rang out, “Naiad, get back here!” 

I turned to see her, eyes riddled with a kind of stoic fear. I brushed my hair over my ear and returned to the deep. After a while, there’s a drop off. How deep I do not know, but deep enough to support our ecosystem. The sun barely reaches the seabed village. Bioluminescence makes up for the lackluster rays. Our slate homes draped with a layer of moss. Coral lined the walls of the abyss. Grasses flowed with the ebbing current as I made my way into the coliseum. Eurybia Tethys was our commander and chief. Leucothea, Scylla, and Eideothea follow closely behind in the pecking order. Everyone stared. The elders questioned me and my peers judged me with their gaze. 

Nothing about me screamed elegance. As women of the river we were expected to behold a certain level of grace. Since my youth I’d been running wild. Tracing the winding curves of the river alone. Riding the current to escape all responsibility. But the community had never approved of the freeing expeditions. They preferred a quiet life. One that reeked of stagnant energy. Only Eurybia understood. We’d all heard the tales of her adolescence. She used to walk among the ranks of men. Any of us could do so, for we are not bound to the water. We don our legs on land, though that realm is not home. Our own chief was just like me. Much to my chagrin, she’d left that life behind. 

I took my seat and admired the way the council’s bodies fell upon their thrones. My eyes circled the room, taking a look at my sisters. Galene, Thetis, Brizo, Asterion, Anapos, and Euryale. Though none were really my kin. The only person that even came close was Eurybia. No matter what, she always trusted me and my judgment. Even when I’d managed to alienate myself from the whole community. I was lost in those thoughts as she spoke, “Naiad Nerites. I was worried about you. We thought you had gone ashore again.” Scylla stared with monstrous rage. Patience had never been her strong suit.

“I was only at the surface, not that any of you really cared.” I looked at the marble floor, feeling the disapproving eyes on me. 

Eideothea cleared her throat before announcing, “Please, we called you all her for a reason. Tethys saw someone. Men.” Gasps echoed through the amphitheater. Quiet gossip filled the mouths of my sisters, but my lips remained fixed.

Eurybia spoke once more, “Everyone listen. Colonizers are approaching the creek. Men. I don’t know what they want, but they saw me. I spoke to them and they seem relatively harmless. The best way to go about this is to make an alliance with them.”

The muscles in my face scrunched together when the words rolled off her tongue. I began to yell, “Are you kidding. Men do not deserve our trust, nor our hospitality. This is my home and I refuse to be slaughtered in it. That’s what men do. They corrupt and destroy everything in their path.” When I studied the countenance of the tribe, it appeared to me that none had my back. Only scrutiny arised on their faces. I couldn’t take it anymore. Blind trust was one thing that I would never get behind. I raced out of the hall and down river. No one could catch me. The golden light at the surface called to me. I emerged when I was sure no one would find me. The sand stuck to my wet skin as I pulled my body onto the shore. There I laid, raking the mess of black curly hair out of my face and leaving my tail to bob in the water. My breasts only veiled by the wrapped seaweed formed to my chest. A sharp breath in startled me, so I blinked my eyes open. It was a man. Modern cloth fell on his torso and covered his flexed arms. His hair was dirty blonde and his eyes were almost identical to mine. Green like the trees that hung over our heads. I rolled over and said, “Why are you here?”

“I- you have a tail.”

“I thought Eurybia had explained us to you.” I rolled my eyes at his ignorance. My tail dissipated and only remnants of scales remain on my body. I stood and curled my toes in the sand. When I turned to face him, he looked away and covered his eyes. I scoffed, “Don’t even have the decency to look at me huh.”

“It’s just that you’re… naked.” His cheeks began to flush and I giggled at his innocence. I asked him if he had anything I could put on that would be to his liking. This was a joke obviously, but he actually reached into his bag and grabbed a pair of pink boxers. They tied at the waist and almost fit me, though I was shocked at the color. I figured enough of my skin was covered, but his hands still dug around in the bag. He pulled out a long sleeve shirt and handed it to me. I laughed and complied with his request. He stammered awkwardly, “So, mermaids huh. I’m still trying to figure this whole thing out. I thought you guys were supposed to lure men into the sea.”

“And I heard men are greedy genocidal maniacs. I guess we’re both wrong. As far as you know.” His face dropped and I painted a smile on my mine. Teasing him was easier than I had anticipated, “My name is Naiad Nereites,” 

“Charlie Christopher,” He gestured me towards to edge of the wood. From there on we toured the forest. We talked for hours and though I would never admit it, he was earning my trust. When the sun set, I peeled off his clothes and returned them. His fingers brushed against mine as he took back his belongings. I slunk back to the stream and he took a seat on the bank. As I swam home the sand washed out of my hair, away in the current. 

Over the next month or so, the peace treaty was formed, but I still held tight to my doubts. The day after the signing, I came upon a man on shore. He stood with his boots buried in the sand. His eyes were different than Charlie’s. They were darker, set back, and angry. I had learned recently that his name was Thomas. I only planned on watching, until he revealed his knife. Silver, reflecting sun onto his face. I was taken aback, so I took action. I ripped the knife from his hand and threw it into the sand. I tore away for just a moment to take notice of the handle. It was stained with blood. That was enough. I had known men were dangerous from the start and it was a mistake to doubt it. The water rushed over his nose. I had to hold him beneath the surface, so he couldn’t hurt anyone. Thomas yearned for air, for oxygen the river could not provide him. His trembling began to subside and the job was nearly done, but a cold hand took hold of my skin. I let go and Thomas escaped. The owner of said hand was Daniel Walters, the leader of the expedition. He wrapped his fingers around my throat and I clawed at him. Desperate for escape. Daniel banged my head into the bank repeatedly while screeching, “You retched sea wench.” Charlie ran by and screamed at him to stop. I heard the pain in his voice, the panic. His usual calm stature was nowhere to be found. I could feel the rage on his breath. I could sense it. We’d grown closer as Eurybia and I had grown apart. Daniel let up and I grabbed at my neck. The bruises were already forming. I pushed off into the water, heading home to Drachma Cove.

Again, I was sprawled out at the shore, watching the falls rush. That day a rainbow was reflected in the mist. The beauty of my home was not of this world. After my brush with the true nature of colonizers, I decided to stop taking my life for granted. That day everything seemed a bit brighter, but clouds were swirling above. Scylla approached me, “Naiad. The council needs to see you. Now.”

My head tilted, “Why isn’t Eurybia here?” Her silence served as an answer. One that I did not want to accept. Scylla flipped her tail and disappeared beneath the waves. I took a breath and followed. Returning to the coliseum, I feared what was to come. There I was, before the council, before the only woman who had ever shown me any affection, any love. But she couldn’t bare to look me in the eyes. My fearless leader was unravelling, and I could tell that guilt was pumping through her veins. 

Leucothea broke into a monologue, “Naiad Nerites,” I couldn’t believe that Eurybia refused to even speak to me, “What you did put us all at risk. The declaration of peace was just enacted and it still needs to be fostered. Pulling a stunt like that, Naiad, I thought you knew better. You could have gotten us all killed!”

Eideothea took over from there, “I’m sorry Naiad, but we’ve met with the men of the colony. The only way to keep the accords credible was to. Was to bar you from all further decision making and council meetings.” I had alway wanted to be free, but not like this. Not when Eurybia wouldn’t talk to me. Not when the tribe was at risk. Not when my family chose the likes of men over me. I tried to speak; words declined to form. I did what I did best, escaped. Just for a moment I spied over my shoulder to catch a glimpse of Eurybia, but her back was turned to me. She didn’t even turn to watch me leave.

When I climbed on shore, I began running. Sand kicked up behind me and clung to my legs. My breath quickened and I grasped a tree for balance. I remember that I was searching for comfort in the form of one Charlie Christopher. I heard his voice and headed towards it, but I heard Daniel too. I waited in order to listen in on their conversation. The grass tickled my toes as I hid behind a tree. Charlie spoke, “So we’re gonna betray them. Betray the mermaids? Kill them?”

Daniel returned, “Yes, but don’t tell that bitch you hang around with or the whole plan with fall to pieces. We have to strike tonight. They have invited us to a bonfire in the most elusive part of the cove. We’ll bring our weapons. This is an easy fight Charlie, what are a bunch of half naked women without land-legs gonna do? Seduce us?” 

I took a single step back, landing on a twig. It snapped and the boys looked in my direction. I kept walking backwards as Daniel cursed me out. I turned and picked up my pace. Charlie tried to reason, “No, Naiad. This isn’t what it looks like, I swear.”

His words jumbled together. I stopped short and cut off his stammering, “No! No Charlie you don’t get to rationalize this!” Salty tears mixed with the river water left upon my face. I cradled my head in my hands and dragged them upwards to push the hair out of my eyes. My voice cracked, “You lied. I trusted you, and you lied. I knew it. The first time we met, I told you men were corrupted and deceitful. And you almost had me fooled, but I guess I was right,” At the end my voice became breathy and dusted with regret. Charlie didn’t catch up before I waded into the river. I heard his calls, but I blocked him out. I blocked everything out. All that mattered was getting this information back to the council. They had to be ready. 

I burst through, breaking the silence in the coliseum. The elders were shocked at my unexpected arrival. Out of breath I shouted at them. I retold the story with vigor and determination. But they interpreted it as desperation. Even Eurybia brushed it off as a weak attempt to get the others to follow me. 

That night the sun set on Drachma Cove. The last lights of day were blinding. The men arrived at the shore and we emerged from the basin. Our figures wrapped in cloth of our own creation, to make the men more comfortable. I had heard a few of them call us vulgar names because of our lack of dressings. A deep blue skirt wrapped around my waist, complimenting my sea grass top. Before rejoining the tribe, I slipped Thomas’ knife into my waistband. 

The colonizers surrounded us casually, but Charlie wasn’t there. They made a barrier between us and the water. I knew what was happening. I watched as the men closed in and each took care of their respective women. None, however, came for me. Until Daniel stepped out from behind the fire. I charged him and he got me down on the ground again, admiring the bruises he’d left last time. A sadistic smile spread from ear to ear as he spoke, “Oh I’m gonna enjoy this. By the way, harlot, Charlie never knew of my plans to kill you. I thought it best to let you both suffer in loss. Unfortunately, you barged in just as I made Charlie aware of this ambush.” He raised his fist and I closed my eyes to brace for impact, but it never came. 

I sat up to find Charlie rolling in the sand with Daniel, inching closer to the water. Some men were left ripped to pieces by the elders, for their teeth were razor sharp. I sat dormant, watching as Daniel climbed on top of Charlie. He pressed Charlie’s head under water and I was frozen. When his limbs began to fall inactive, I stood to attack, but I was held back Thomas. He pulled me close and whispered in my ear, “It’s a gift to watch you suffer,” My eyes searched for help, but everyone was engaged. Then I remembered his knife. I reached into my waistband and unsheathed the dagger. Before Thomas could react, I jammed it into his chest. His own blood staining the weapon he’d killed others with. He fell back in the sand and I took off across the beach. 

I jumped on Daniel’s back, but it was too late. Charlie’s body fell limp in the tide. A violent breath entered my lungs as I realized. I slid the velvet knife across his throat, ending his sick life. The world was better off without him. I slumped over Charlie’s body and felt Eurybia’s touch on my back. His once warm body turned cold as the stars shone down on us. The fire shed light on his face, and I saw it for the final time. My scepticism was proven well founded. If only they had just listened to me.