A mermaid emerges

Walking up the river bank, the morning spring sunshine warming up my face, yet somehow a chilly wind still took a bite of me, reminding me that it was only early spring and to not get to carried away with the heat. 

I done this walk every single morning. Have done for many years, ever since I was sent away to live with my grandparents, next to the river and the seaside. I loved it, don’t get me wrong but I still sometimes missed the city and my friends, mind, I’m twenty one now so I’m rather independent and find my own things to do. I haven’t made many friends here, in Diamond bay, but I was fine with that, I spent most of my time walking down the river bank and swimming in the sea in the spring and summer and being in the warmth of the cottage in the winter next to the roaring fire.

This morning started like any other morning as I was wandering up the bank, I noticed that Mr. Salmon and he’s husky dog we’re walking down, Milo the husky barking, Mr. Salmon telling him to shush, but once all was quiet something happened that hadn’t happened before, as I crossed the creaky wooden bridge over the river, the last of the snow and ice melting away from the banks, I noticed something glinting, something enchanting. 

As I wandered down to the bank the glinting got more stronger and I shielded my eyes. I tried to be careful as I walked to the bank but just as my foot touched down near the glinting it stopped. I looked down as I removed my arms from covering my eyes and see a blue diamond, embedded in a silver chain, a pattern of shiny mermaids around the diamond. I reached down and picked the necklace up, stuffing it into my pocket. In utter shock and excitement I made my way swiftly back to the cottage.

My grandma when I was young used to tell me stories of why our bay was called diamond bay, she said that it was because there was a certain necklace given to each member of a family embedded with a diamond, each family member who received or found the necklace would then become a full mermaid, leaving the previous family member to pass on and become sea foam. 

I remember hearing the seagulls and smelling the sea air through the open window when she used to tell me stories. I ran up the path towards the cottage, the shells lining the path as if trying to guide me to where I need to go. 

I flung open the blue cottage door and ran in. Shouting for my grandma but not getting a response. 

I ran into the living room, covered in seashells and mermaid ornaments and ran through to the kitchen, still no Grandma. 

I ran all around the cottage until the last stop was my late grandpa and my grandmas room. I opened the door and the stench of the sea was stronger than ever before, hitting my nose so hard I had to hold my nose to stop it burning, a bright light shone through my pocket and I reached in and pulled out the necklace.

The necklace was glowing and emanating a pattern of waves across the room. I couldn’t believe my eyes! 

As I walked over to the window to look out upon the shore, I see her, my grandma in a flowing white dress, moving around in the breeze, bare feet heading toward the sea, the foam running up her feet and legs. I ran as fast as I could out of the cottage and out the back door, across the lawn towards the sea wall, I hopped over the sea wall and ran toward the sea and toward my grandma. 

I shouted for her desperately waiting for her to hear me but it seemed she couldn’t until finally I reached her “Grandma?” I said quietly and she spun around her beautiful face growing younger and younger until I only recognised her from the albums she showed me growing up, her face pale, bright blue eyes shining as if someone had dropped a circle of sea in them, silver hair turned to brown, shining in the spring sun, her pouty lips smiling and she spoke to me a voice that hadn’t changed at all over the years “my child, now it is your turn, your turn to enjoy the sea, your turn to rescue sailors and fall in love.”

I clicked that the stories grandma had told me are true “But Grandma I need you?” I said tears forming in my eyes. She smiled “I’m part of the sea now child, if you need me, just swim.” She said calmly. She smiled a wide smile and turned back around she walked into the sea, disappearing inch by inch until eventually she was gone. 

I had the sudden urge to go after her and ran into the water with the necklace around my neck, as I reached the water I felt it, immediately, something had changed. The water felt to my skin like water felt to my throat when I was thirsty, every inch of the water made me feel alive, my legs felt more energised than before and any fear I may of

Previously had of the water was gone. 

I reached out my arms and dived under the surface, feeling free as I spun around onto my back and looked up at the glimmering blue surface, I smiled as I just laid back and watched as I went deeper and deeper into the sea. With each inch deeper I went the necklace changed to a different shade of blue and shimmered glittery almost.

And this was my life now, I was the mermaid of the family now. I alone would be the mermaid of the sea, for this necklace that I found this morning changed my whole life. One piece of what others would see as junk found by a frozen riverbank had altered my very reality.