Me and the Deep Blue Sea

Content Warning: Sexual Content-   Today is the day I started to change. It was very subtle at first, I barely noticed the small changes that were happening in my body and what it needed. Among these changes was a sudden draw to be near the ocean. I always loved the ocean, but couldn’t swim a single stroke.  The draw was a small annoying tug at first that I followed because it was more annoying not to and the closer I got to it the calmer the tug became. At first, I was content to just be near it, the smell of the salt air and the continuity of the waves breaking on the shore was oddly comforting. I felt like everything was as it should be when I was there. Then, over the next few months, I wasn’t content to just sit by the ocean and contemplate its beauty, my feet itched to be in the briny saltwater.  So I started getting my feet wet and splashing about a little. It was when I found myself actually happy and content when in up to my knees and started noticing on my monthly pedicures that I was starting to develop webbing between my toes that I started to panic a little. What was happening to me?

    On a whim, I joined a group of people who got together and went swimming in the ocean once a month. I reached out to one of the other members, he said he would help me learn how to swim in the ocean, that it was very different than swimming in a pool. We met over coffee to make the arrangements. We met at a little café by the beach, of course. It was so strange, I walked right up to him and introduced myself.

  “Hi, I’m Gwen. You must be Lawrence.” He took my pro-offered hand in his in a warm handshake, I felt bereft when he released it and gestured to a small table on the terrace of the café. We sat and had coffee and blueberry scones. Then he asked me a strange question. “Why are you so drawn to the ocean?” He looked at me with his aquamarine eyes looking intensely right through me.

  “I have to be honest, I don’t really know. I’ve always loved the ocean, but lately, I find myself being drawn to it more and more and I can’t swim a stroke.  I’m finding that I have to hold myself from just going from knee-deep to diving through the breaking waves.”  This is where I realized that I sounded certifiable. “I know it sounds crazy.”  I just sort of left that sentence hanging. He looked at me as if he’d known me for years and took my hand in his. “You’ve noticed that you’ve started to develop webbing between your fingers and toes?”  He asked as he gently spread my fingers apart and touched the webbing that had apparently appeared just at that moment between my thumb and forefinger.

     “How old are you, Gwen?” He asked that question as if he already knew the answer.

 “I just turned twenty-five a few months ago.” I stammered.

    “You noticed these changes during that time, the last few months?” He knew something I didn’t know but desperately needed to know.

“Yes, do you know what’s happening to me?” I asked, not caring that I sounded like a crazy lady. If he had the answers I needed, I was damn sure going to ask the questions.

    “Yes, because the same thing happened to me almost a year ago. We’re merfolk, Gwen. I’m still not sure about the how or the why of it, but the metamorphosis takes place when we turn twenty-five. There are many of us out there more of us than you think out there.  This ocean swimming group is made up predominantly of people like us. I’ll come with you, the next time you feel drawn to stand knee-deep in the ocean. I’ll help you take the plunge.”  He grinned expectantly.

“That would be wonderful, but I can’t swim a stroke. It’s just like me to be a mermaid who can’t swim.” She had to laugh at herself.

    “But you can swim, Gwen. You can swim with fins and a tail, and once you’ve taken your first dive, you’ll be able to swim with legs too. It’s a merfolk thing.” He shrugged as he imparted this last bit of impossible information.

She stared back at him, you can’t make this stuff up. “Come with me tonight then? If I’m going to do this, I might as well go all the way.”

“It’s a date, I’ll meet you where you usually go to the beach.”  He got up and offered her his hand, she took it and allowed him to help her to her feet. “Wait, how do you know where I usually go to the beach?” She quickly held up her hand and followed up with, “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”  See you there around nine tonight.”

    He was right on time. I wore a short flowy skirt and a tank top. He wore, uh, nothing. He was naked as the day he was born. He looked me up and down and laughed a little.

“You do realize that you will need to lose the clothes once you enter the ocean.” He took a step closer. I could feel the warmth of his naked body as he came closer. “Here, let me help you with that.” Before I could protest, he had his hands on my waist sliding my tank top up over my bare breasts, gently caressing. I gasped and moaned. It was totally unexpected but felt so fucking good, I pressed myself closer to him, the attraction was too strong for me to resist. Once the tank top hit the sand, he now openly caressed my bare breasts.  His hands moved down to the waistband of my skirt. He slid it slowly over my hips and helped me step out of it. He pulled me into a tight embrace and I could feel his erection hard against my belly.  I moaned as I melted against him. 

    “The ocean awaits.” He whispered. He took me by the hand and led me into the deep blue water. When the water reached my knees I panicked a little. 

He tugged her in a little further. “Come on, love, time to take the plunge.”

  I held onto him as I dove through the waves, he held my hands as I acclimated myself to my new body. I splashed her beautiful silver and teal tail and dove under the waves, he was still holding onto me. His tail was silver and blue, dark blue, like the midnight sky. 

    We swam for what seemed like hours just under the surface of the ocean. When we headed back to the beach, our tails became legs again.  I still had a million questions. They would have to wait. As Lawrence and I sat back on my blanket, he put his arm around me and pulled me closer, and whispered something in my ear. I gave a slight nod and we were joined by at least six other couples.

I think I’m going to like being a mermaid.