Several years ago, I saw a mock documentary about Mermaids on the Discovery Channel. It was extremely well done and, in fact, had me a total believer until I saw the disclaimer at the very end claiming the show to be fictional theory. But, it left me with some questions. Do mermaids really exist? And what if they do?  Do we really want to know about them? Should we know about them? What would be the ramifications of discovering their existence?

 

Well, it got me thinking and I just couldn't let it go until I wrote a short fiction story of my own. So here it is. I hope you like it.

 

 

 

 

WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE

Copyright ©2018 By Cheryl Ann Guido

 

Lily walked along the beach, visually searching the scores of dead marine animals that lined the shore. So many this time, she thought. The Navy obviously had not stopped their sonar testing despite the fact that it always produced a veritable massacre. This pristine beach had been so beautiful before, with its wide expanse of bright, white sand and smooth, water-worn rock formations that reached into the sea, but lately, it had begun to resemble a slaughterhouse.

 

Lily recalled the many times she had walked along this beach and watched the dolphins in the distance as they jumped up out of the ocean, then dove back under the waves. Sometimes the tide would bring one a bit closer in, where it would rise straight up on its fin, dancing on the water and chuckling its high-pitched dolphin laugh as it gazed upon the humans sunning themselves on the sand.

 

But there was no dolphin laughter today. Today, there were only swollen, odiferous bodies with slick sides that glistened as the sun reflected off of their slimy surfaces. Lily started to count the unfortunate creatures, but, gave up when she had gotten to twenty. Most were small pilot whales, a shark or two and one of her beloved dolphins. She fervently hoped that it was not one she knew.

 

As Lily walked toward the heartbreaking scene, an odd-shaped form caught her immediate attention. Something alive was lying partially propped up against a large boulder. Its long slender body was curled up almost into a fetal-like position and its head hung low to its chest. The poor creature appeared to have slammed into the protruding stones causing it to sustain serious injuries.

 

Lily approached cautiously. This being did not look like any fish she had ever seen and although a bit frightened, she felt compelled to get closer, almost as if the beast was sending her an unspoken message to come to its aid. When she was near enough to see it clearly, Lily could saw its chest rise and fall ever so slightly, almost as if it was breathing. But fish did not breathe. What was this thing?

 

Focused entirely on the magnificent beast, Lily did not pay attention to what was in her path as she walked toward it and accidentally stepped on a shell.  It crunched loudly under her foot and for a moment, the creature seemed to stop its labored breathing. Lily stood motionless, afraid to move. Slowly, the creature turned its head toward her.  The young woman could not believe what she was seeing.

 

The beast’s skull-like cranium was smooth with a face that had enormous round, pale blue eyes. It did not appear to have a nose, at least not a nose as we know it. There was a slight bump where the nose would have been, with two very small holes that could serve as nostrils. It did not have ears, instead, having what appeared to be gills on either side of its head and its mouth was large with full lips that were parted, exposing long pointy teeth. Instead of side fins, it had two human-like arms with large hands and webbed fingers. A raised ridge ran from the top of its head, on down its back and ended at the tip of its long, thick tail.  Overall, the creature appeared to be more than six feet long.

 

The thing seemed to be gasping for air as it gazed forlornly at Lily.  The young woman’s eyes grew wide as she realized what she was looking at.  This poor creature was a mermaid, the ancient beast of mythical stories. Lily rubbed her eyes in astonishment.  She had heard of these beings, but never really believed they actually existed even though people had told stories of them since ancient times.

 

The creature weakly reached out in her direction as if it was asking for help. Whimpering softly, it bore an expression full of fear but also great sadness. It was then that Lily noticed the dark blue liquid pooling on the sand, a puddle that was growing rapidly. The creature’s injuries were worse than she had initially thought.

 

 

Lily felt sorry for the mermaid and desperately wanted to help it, but, did not know how. Maybe she could try to get it back into the sea. There, maybe it could find more like itself that could help it. Unfortunately, fate stepped in before Lily could act.  With a pain-filled, high pitched scream, the fish like animal’s head fell back onto the rock and the breathing stopped. It was out of its misery.

 

Looking down at the dead creature, Lily thought,  I should try to push the body back into the ocean. She did not want the Navy or anyone else to desecrate the remains of such a fabulous thing, dissecting, testing and tearing it apart. The mermaid belonged in the sea and back to the sea was where it was going.

 

As she grabbed the mermaid’s arm, she heard a soft almost inaudible mewing sound.  After turning the body a bit to the side, the young woman cried out in amazement. For there was a tiny being, a carbon copy of the other only much, much smaller, who had obviously been hidden by its parent. It writhed back and forth, flopping its tiny tail in the moist sand that abutted the rocks.

 

Lily did not know what to do. She could not leave the little one here or it would either die or be found and suffer a fate she could only imagine. She did not want to release it into the ocean for she feared the sonar had scattered any of its kind that may have been near enough to rescue it. However, she couldn’t keep it either and even if she did, she had no idea how to care for it or prevent it from starving to death.

 

As she pondered her dilemma, Lily began to hear the sounds of men shouting in the distance. Peering over the rocks, she could see people in uniforms exiting military trucks. They headed towards the dead whales carrying equipment for testing and who knows what else. She had to get the poor little creature out of here or it would eventually be discovered. Once found, the Navy would surely confiscate it, or even worse, someone with bad intentions could take it and exploit it or even kill it outright.

 

If this mermaid child was discovered, the species would be doomed. They would be hunted into extinction. Those that survived would be captured and put on display or sent to research facilities to be poked, prodded, tortured and experimented on. Instantly, Lily made a decision.

 

A little further down the beach was a cave that according to legend, had been used by pirates to hide out and elude the authorities. In the cave was a shallow pool fed by the sea. It was there that she would go. Once inside the caverns, she could place the tiny mermaid in the pool and maybe catch some fish or gather seaweed for it to eat. But no time to figure out a care plan at the moment. The government people were beginning to make their way toward the rocks. She had to hurry!

 

 

As the shouts got closer, Lily hastily dragged the parent's body back to the water.  It took several tries, but finally, she was able to push it out past the waves where she hoped the sea would eventually give it the watery burial that it deserved. Then she returned to the rocks and scooped up the baby. It would only take a few minutes to get to the cave's entrance.

 

 

Little did she know that what she was about to do was history in the making. Two species that had never previously met, had made first contact. But the impact of the momentous occasion never even crossed Lily’s mind. Walking swiftly to the cave’s entrance, she gazed fondly at the being she held in her arms. It’s kind of cute in a strange sort of way, she thought and smiled as she cradled the infant protectively. This innocent was really only a child needing a mommy, and that mommy was going to be her.

 

Entering the cave, Lily bent her head and whispered to her new charge.  “Don’t cry little one. It’s going to be alright. I’ve got this.”

THE BEGINNING

:)