Orla's Song

Orla's Song

The underwater cavern was alive and bustling that star-filled night. The merfolk were preparing for their annual festival to celebrate another peaceful year. It would begin with music and dancing, followed by a feast. In the small town, people were busy, too. In the era of computers and movie streaming, they were bored; tired of the mundane, craving excitement of any kind. Both worlds were unaware how soon they would collide.

The submarine was decked out for the celebration. "Welcome everyone. Let's begin." Queen Minerva smiled serenely, knowing what was to come. Sure enough, a conch shell was blown, and the musicians took their places. Above them, a coral chandelier sparkled with many snail shell candles. The merfolk immediately began to dance, fins slapping the floor, arms waving.

 Queen Minerva rose, and silence fell. "We have much to be thankful for these many years. We live in peace with other sea kingdoms. The human world believes we're extinct. So, this celebration is to mark this wonderful occasion." Amidst cheers, she sat down at the head of the table, and the feasting commenced.

What a feast it was! Seaweed soup out of scallop shells, followed by oyster stew. Next, a giant cake was carried in; everyone oohhed and ahhed. Shaped like a reef, the green icing was topped with berries.

As the first slice was served to the Queen, chatter broke out. Moira and her sister Orla were discussing the visit to see the stars which would soon follow. Being blind, Orla loved descriptions of anything above-water.

A hush fell over the merfolk as they lay on their backs, gazing at the sky dotted with twinkling stars. Moira and some others attempted to describe them to Orla, but they were too confusing. Bored, Orla slid off the submarine into the chilly water.

"Stay close. Listen for the shell!" Moira warned.

"I know. I won't go far!" Orla dove under, keeping to clearly marked paths made from shells and rocks. Each had been carefully laid out, running to and from various places around the kingdom.

Underwater, the silence was complete. No grown-ups, just the gurgling water, a fish or two, and freedom. Using her fins and hands, Orla traversed the familiar paths. They were for any young merchild who might stray. Locating a jagged rock, she turned, and soon left the party behind.

On the submarine, raindrops splattered down. "everyone, inside immediately." The Queen blew the shell, three long blasts, the emergency signal. Underwater, Orla didn't hear it.

Feeling the waves becoming choppy, Orla turned back. She'd just reached the rock, when an enormous wave swept Orla away.

Why didn't she listen for the shell? Buffeted by the roaring sea, wind howling in her ears, Orla felt herself riding each wave as it swelled. Where she'd land was anyone's guess. Rain battered her body until she was unconscious. Drifting along, her body was tossed about like a rag doll.

In shorts and flip flops, Tiffany ambled along the river that cool morning, after the storm. Kicking at loose stones, she cursed her bad luck. Unemployed again. Absorbed in her phone, she tripped over a soft bundle in the shallows, partially covered with rocks and sand. Kicking it, she almost dismissed it as more debris. "Hair?" Tiffany gasped. Brushing the sand away, the body of a strange creature was revealed.

"A mermaid!" Tiffany's only knowledge of mermaids came from Disney. There was no mistaking the woman's face and fish-like fins. She was so beautiful! Picking her up, Tiffany carried the unconscious mermaid to her house.

Filling her bath, she was very much in awe. Setting the mermaid into it, Tiffany waited for something to happen. This could solve my problems! Unemployed for months, she'd wracked up debt. She smiled!

Tiffany snapped a picture of her miraculous find, posting it immediately to Facebook. Her friends commented first, "What is that? Is that a costume?" She posted an instant message, "Wait and see."

Tiffany was very enthralled, she gaped at the creature, lying prostrate in the bathtub. The creature's hand moved as the cold water worked its magic. Orla stirred. Pain shot through her skull, making her dizzy. Was that a voice speaking? Why can't I understand?

Reaching out her hands, she felt something smooth, wet, and slippery. She was lying in water which was extremely shallow. Exploring further, Orla's hands encountered the smooth something on both sides of her. She tried swimming, but was unable to move.

Lifting her out of the tub, Tiffany realized this wasn't like any human she'd ever seen. The mermaid reacted instantly, thrashing wildly. "Hold still, I'm brushing your hair!" Tiffany frantically ran a brush through Orla's tangled locks. "Look!" She gasped. One of the mermaid's eyes was shut, the other open and unfocused. "She's blind!" The brush fell with a clatter from Tiffany's fingers on to the bathroom floor.

"Whoever heard of a blind mermaid!" She grimaced, "Let's check out the rest of you." Tiffany decided.

As the brush loosened the tangles, Orla stopped struggling. Lying motionless, she allowed the unfamiliar movements to ease her body a little. Wherever she was, it couldn't be terrible. Or so she hoped.

"There! You're beautiful." Tiffany couldn't stop stroking the mermaid's long hair. She was also curious about the creature's blindness. How much can she see? How does she swim, echolocation?

That afternoon, Tiffany was hit with a brainwave. "People are very gullible, they'll believe anything they read or see online." Taking the plunge, she created a YouTube channel titled, "Wonder of the Sea." She posted a still video of the mermaid, lying in the tub, arms at her sides. Within the first two hours, strangers were commenting, "Whose that lady in your tub? Are those fins real?"

As the first YouTube video of the swimming creature went viral, there were rumors she was a cleverly disguised hoax. Naturally, speculation was all over the place. Scientists wanted to study this amazing creature, the media wanted to photograph her. Little girls wanted to meet her. If she was indeed real! "She's mine." Tiffany gloated, staring at her fabulous discovery.

Back in the bath, Orla discovered she couldn't speak. Orla began to panic; she recalled her distant cousin Ariel, forced to surrender her voice to a sea witch. Don’t let that happen to me! All that came out were a series of hideous noises unlike anything she'd ever heard. Impossible to breathe above water, her lungs constricted, unable to take in air. Putting her head under, she opened her mouth. There, her voice was back. Would anyone hear it? She doubted it. She was trapped in this unfamiliar prison.

In her kelp bed, Moira tossed and turned restlessly. Where was Orla? Was she alive? An uneasy feeling came over her. Orla was in danger. She needed rescuing.

Overnight it seemed, Tiffany's house became flooded with reporters. The first time someone knocked on her door, she rolled over, trying to go back to sleep. The knocking persisted; pulling on her robe, she stumbled to her door. "Who is it?" She opened it a crack.

"I'm Carolyn with the Times. Is it true you have a mermaid in your bathroom?" The reporter thrust her card at Tiffany, who stood there, gaping.

Finding her voice, she growled, "Who do you think you are? Get outa here." Slamming the door in her face, Tiffany flew from room to room, drawing the curtains. Satisfied the house was dark except one light, she checked on the creature in her bath. There she lay, long hair obscuring her face. She looked almost peaceful.

Thanks to that reporter, Tiffany's sleep was ruined. Brewing coffee, she took a deep breath. Let me study my creature.

 In their underground cavern, a rescue operation was planned. Minerva assembled her fleetest and smallest creatures; crabs, sharks and the like. Their mission to somehow find Orla. "It was the storm." Moira kept going over the events, thinking what she could have done differently. If Orla was returned, she'd never let her out of her sight.

As the days passed, Tiffany tried in vain to figure out what she ate. Fish food was snubbed, as were worms and small fish. The first time Orla felt a small fish swimming near her, she floated away, disgusted. Orla tried communicating with it, but that too was a disaster. In the end, Tiffany threw in some canned oysters. That did it! Ravenously, Orla devoured them; grimacing, but uncertain if she'd eat again.

Tiffany spent hours observing her guest in the bath. She was amazed the mermaid's blindness didn't stop her smashing into its sides. Tiffany marveled at her ability to swim gracefully using her hands and fins. "Duh, not many obstacles here." However, she couldn't remain in Tiffany's bath. It was tedious lifting her in and out. Orla screeched and fought every time.

With a loan from her sister, a tank was purchased, fitted with rocks. "This should confuse her!" Tiffany observed with delight the mermaid's first exploration, expecting her to flounder.

 Under the water, Orla could sense something blocking her way. Carefully, she moved along the edge of this new prison, until her hand brushed up against something with a rough surface, and many sharp edges. A rock! Beaming with delight, Orla scrambled up, using her hands to grasp its cracks and crevices.

Tiffany experimented to see how the mermaid would respond to sound. Ringing a small bell, she waited. In the tank, Orla's ears vibrated with the unfamiliar sound. Covering them, she sank to the bottom. Again, the bell was rung. "Come get the food. Hear the bell!" Tiffany urged. To Orla's ears, the words were gibberish.

Each day, Tiffany persisted in ringing the bell. Growing impatient, Orla popped her head above the water, screeching angrily. "Very good!" Tiffany hoped her tone of voice would reassure her. Food was given as a reward.

Carolyn was called to observe, she ran a lengthy story about this discovery. This exquisite creature is now a YouTube sensation. Mermaid Fever is sweeping the nation.

It certainly was. Besides the videos, the media ran stories in their papers. For a fee, people could observe Orla. Children asked, "Is she Ariel's sister?" Perhaps. Her backstory involved a storm, being chased by an octopus, finally being washed up on the beach where Tiffany had discovered her. A squid's ink sprayed in the mermaid's face caused her blindness. The media lapped it up.

Orla was trapped! Day after day, she swam in endless circles, frustratedly going nowhere. Desperately lonely, her only wish was to return home.

Perched on her rock, Orla's mind could drift back to her family. She recalled the ocean with its shells, exploring its sandy floor. She missed her family and the other sea creatures. She and Moira might have fought occasionally, but they generally got along. When she returned, Orla vowed she'd never drift off again.

 Along the sandy ocean floor, two sharks swam, searching for signs of humans. Spotting the oars of a small boat, they swam nearer. Restraining themselves from attacking the humans, both sidled under the boat, close enough to listen and remain unseen.

Reporting back to Minerva, they shook their heads. "You're not trying hard enough." Moira burst out, unable to control herself, "Search all night if you must. Find Orla." Pushing away from her parents, she fled sobbing to her bed.

A small crowd stood in Tiffany’s living room, viewing the mermaid with curiosity. "What's her name?" A girl asked. Tiffany felt foolish; why hadn't she thought of that? A contest was held, with people submitting their perfect names. Of course, the usual names were considered—Victoria, Ariana, Taylor, Anna, even Ariel. (Yes, Taylor said she'd be honored to have a mermaid named after her.) In the end, the winning name was McKenzie. The winner received a free day with McKenzie, as well as a photo with her outside the tank. Propped up in a chair, she looked almost natural.

Orla understood none of this! All she knew was constant agony. The tank wasn't a sanctuary any more. The first time Tiffany called McKenzie, the mermaid raised her head slightly. For several days, Tiffany repeated the process, until McKenzie surfaced when called.

 Not all the guests were lookers. Removing the mermaid from her tomb, a man attempted to cut off her tail. Others yelled, shining lights in her face.

"Dear, Her Majesty wants to speak with you." Moira's Mom reached out to stroke her hair, but she pulled away. Not caring about her appearance, Moira came as she was. "What do you want?" She didn't care about manners at present, either. Keeping her distance, she purposefully swam in an agitated circle.

"I'm anxious about Orla, too. I promise, we're doing everything we can to find her." She was careful not to promise an instant return.

"No, you aren't. You haven't lost anyone." Slapping her tail, Moira dove down; surfacing, she sprayed water in all directions. She noticed with satisfaction the Queen's hair was drenched in water. She wanted to throw something, spraying water was the only alternative.

as an experiment, Tiffany placed a recorder on top of the tank, Returning from a friend's, she played the recording; all she heard were a series of wails, some low, others high and piercing. "Cool!" Logging on to YouTube, she immediately uploaded the video. Simply titled Mysterious Voice, it soon went viral.

Checking her YouTube channel, the following morning, Tiffany delightedly read comments from followers. Many thought it otherworldly, still others wanted to see McKenzie singing, to prove it was actually her.

Twelve tracks of the mermaid's singing were compiled into an album, and sold on Amazon and other music sites. Just like that, the money kept rolling in. Tiffany was finally able to pay off her credit card debt, and back rent.

In their search, the crabs hadn't fared much better. On an overcast day, they'd perched on the railings of aship, where humans were gathered. Their conversations were unintelligible, the crabs were just searching for Orla. A sudden downpour of rain halted their observations. If they'd stayed, they would have heard something extraordinary. Aboard the ship, over cocktails, the partygoers were listening enraptured to the singing mermaid, unaware of her true message.

One night, Tiffany was repeatedly ringing the bell when Orla realized she understood its meaning. Bell meant food. Knowing that single word "bell" gave Orla the confidence to act of her own free will.

"Watch this!" Tiffany ushered Carolyn and new guests into the room, where her mermaid resided. Grabbing the bell, she rang it twice quickly. McKenzie didn't appear. "Well?" The people raised their eyebrows, "What's she doing exactly?" In the tank, Orla grinned to herself. Take that!

"Maybe she's asleep. Can you come again tomorrow?" Tiffany forced a smile. Showing her guests out, she returned to Orla. After more unsuccessful attempts without a response, Tiffany threw in some food, and called it quits.

As the days became weeks, Tiffany was perplexed. McKenzie wasn't eating. No matter which foods Tiffany tempted her with, each was rejected. Perhaps she was sending a message.

In her tank, Orla's stomach rumbled hungrily, but she refused to surrender. Loneliness wasn't helping, nor was the environment. She needed her freedom. She was also experiencing periods of sweating and shivering.

Online meanwhile, criticism was rampant. Wildlife activist groups condemned Tiffany for profiting off McKennzie. They demanded she be released back into the sea, her natural habitat. "Release the singing mermaid" quickly became the hashtag on several social media sites. Many posted the mermaid's picture, alongside another photoshopped one of her swimming in the sea. "I don't care," Tiffany fumed, "She's mine. I provide her with food and water. What more could she possibly want?" Girls set up a fundraiser for the mermaid, which Tiffany found touching. Still, the mermaid belonged to her.

"What's wrong with her?" Carolyn peered into McKenzie's tank. There she lay, listlessly on the bottom, lacking the strength to move. "Can't you cure her?"

"Guess not. I've tried everything." Tiffany wrung her hands, very distressed. "She's refusing to eat."

"Starving herself. I wonder why." Carolyn dropped oysters into the tank. With interest, the women watched as a tiny morsel was eaten.

Even mermaids can't survive in unfamiliar environments. Stress, malnutrition, coupled with ⠋⠇⠥⠉⠞⠥⠁⠞⠬ temperatures, were taking their toll on Orla. She didn't think she could survive in the human world much longer. Without hope of escape, what was the point?

"McKenzie?" Tiffany rang the bell, no response. Peering in, she saw McKenzie lying on the rock, appearing to be asleep.

There was nothing for it but to dispose of McKenzie’s corpse. Her final video showed sobbing Tiffany saying a heartfelt goodbye.

Two months later, Queen Minerva was swimming along the ocean floor, when she spotted something floating face down nearby. Swiftly reaching it, her heart nearly stopped; she'd found the Orla’s body!

No longer beautiful, she was now unrecognizable. The humans had gotten to her. Orla was painfully thin, her tail had nearly been severed. Her once beautiful hair was matted with seaweed and any manner of sea debris.

Not wanting her family and the rest of the merfolk to see Orla's condition, the Queen and her attendants attempted to repair the worst of the damage.

Orla's funeral was held on a bright morning in the deepest part of the kingdom. Carried out on a flower-strewn shell, she was accompanied by a mermaid choir singing their mourning song. Moira was inconsolable! She couldn't bear to look as Orla's body was slid gently into the ocean depths.

After a period of time had elapsed, the Queen made a declaration that no one shall ever venture above the surface again. Regretful at not locating Orla, she felt something needed to be done to prevent others from suffering the same fate.

On clear nights in certain parts of the world, if the sea is calm enough, you can hear the merfolk singing Orla's song.

The End