The Ocean Calls

I felt a slow calming feeling travel down my back as a warm breeze breached the whole back half of my body.  As my body slowly relaxed, I closed my eyes.  I tuned out my thoughts and listened deeply to the crashing waves.  An occasional sea gull pierced my concentration on the waves.  The waves seemed to follow a rhythm.  My body fully relaxed, I opened my eyes half way and watched my skirt beat in the wind.  It felt like the ocean was calling me.  In a trance-like state, I neared the water's edge.  Cool water licked my toes, beckoning me in.  As I answered the ocean's call to me, everything blurred out of my focal point.  The only thing that occured to me was that big, blue ocean.  Cool water surrounded me and the heat of the day steamed of my body.  My skirt seemed to be a long ripple of fabric with a mind of its own as it dragged behind me in the water.  As my swimsuit became known to the water, my senses gave a scream at the water's cool pushes towards my belly.  The water shone at me with a friendly welcome.  My world was the water and my world was mine to explore.  Something slimy slipped past my left leg, sending shivers down my back.  Trying to ignore it, I pushed my attention, again, to the sparkling blue waves and ripples.  Again, something brushed past my leg.  Expecting nothing to happen, I just let the water swallow me some more as I walked forward.  To my utter shock, a sea turtle popped it's head up at me.  I froze in awe, never seeing such a beautiful creature so close before.  

"Why hello there, little guy," I called out in a cheery voice.

"Hello," the turtle laughed.

Screaming and making a ton of splashes trying to flee, I felt like my life was ending.  My thoughts and shock beat my relaxation and calm away.  ​It has to be a robot spy or something.  A new invention by the National Park Rangers to keep the water monitored.  Either that, or I am over-heating.

​Unfortunately for me, I could not separate my legs.  Thinking I broke my legs and could not feel them, I looked down into the water.  A mermaid tail shaped the area where my legs used to be.  Screaming, I felt light-headed.  The water I used to loved with all my heart seemed like a foreign land full of death traps. I looked around for the turtle, but he was nowhere in sight. 

​Ok, how do fish swim?  They flap their fins a million times and magically propel across the ocean.  I only have a tail fin.  They have several fins.  My arms!  My arms can be the other fins!

​After several minutes of splashing to get onto my stomach, I was able to figure out I needed water to survive.  Everytime my tail fin went above the water, it felt like someone burned it.  

​What now that I am on my stomach?  I cannot just swim back to shore.  My tail fin will be like a burnt piece of charcoal. 

​Deciding to swim further in the ocean, I beat my tail fin up and down, trying to keep it underwater.  My arms were a great help for direction.  If I wanted to go right, all I had to do was turn my stomach right and push with my arms.  Wanting help and an explanation, I seeked other life.  Seeing a school of fish, I awkwardly swam over to them.  They all talked in one voice, and you could not tell what each one sounded like as an individual.  Wondering who they were talking to, I looked around.  I swear it was love at first glance.  A merman with long hair and dressed in pirate gear smiled at me from a rock on the ocean floor.

As I swam over to him, he said "You are new."

I just gave him a sweet smile and called out "Where are all the other merpeople?"

He let out a loud, booming laugh and I wondered why I could never hear the merpeople when I was human.

"They are all gathered at The Octopus," he eventually hooted out.

"At the what?"

He gave me a weird glare and opened his pocket.  

"Here," he grinned, pushing a seashell at me.

Glancing at it, I noticed it had fine print on it.  The seashell's words told me "Event:  A dance of Merpeople.  Place: The Octopus.  Time:  All day Saturday, July 10th.  Bring a date."

Noticing me lower the shell when I was done reading it, he said "Everyone hates me.  Noone wanted to go with me.  So, I have an extra shell-pass."  Under his breath he mumbled something about losing a map.

"I will gladly go," I eagerly said.

​Deep down inside, my thoughts rang a different bell.  ​I have a mermaid tail.  I can understand sea life.  I have a crush on an outcast merman- whom I now have a date with.  This is just great.  I think I am dreaming.

​​"Why are you pinching yourself," the pirate merman questioned.

"Never mind.  My name is Anna.  Do you have a name?"

"They call me Pirate Fuzzy."

I could barely hold back the laughter at his seriousness to the name "Pirate Fuzzy."

"Come on," he ushered, moving his hand up and down.

Following him, I noticed a distant noise.  Are those conch shells?​  Swimming for a while in silence, I got a good look at Pirate Fuzzy.  His tail fin was aqua green, and very shiny.  His hair was black and in dread locks.  His milk-chocolate colored skin was his most handsome part.  I always lived in an area with dominantly tan and white people, so I really loved his skin.  His eyes were a deep green and they seemed to wander in the direction of whatever passed by.  He had a weird necklace made of seashells and a gold coin pendant.

"We are here," he boomed in his deep, peaceful voice, as we approached a rock formation that resembled an octopus.  At least 100 merpeople were all spinning around to conchshell music.  His smooth hand wrapped mine in his and his beauty really took a hold on me.  His eyes pierced me with the sudden joy in them.  He spun me around and around the great dance floor.  As we neared the conch shells, I realized each one had a different melody and volume.

Suddenly, his eyes filled with panic and he rushed away.  I looked around for a cause and found none.  Swimming in the direction he went, I saw a weird gold light.  His beautiful eyes gazed into his gold coin.  He noticed me watching and swam over to me.  

"I was a pirate captain, you see," his voice echoed at me.

"Very handsome, at that," I whispered.

A smile grew on his face.  He muttered the words "and you are very pretty."

The gold light of his coin engulfed me as he came closer to me.  Giving me a hug, he said "I wish you well, Anna."

Something slimy and very familiar brushed my leg.  The turtle head popped up and I frowned.  ​Why does this turtle want to ruin my life?

​A light engulfed me and Pirate Fuzzy, making me yelp.  All of a sudden, I felt my fin separate into two human legs.  Smooth wooden planks could be felt underneath my feet.  A red dress replaced my swim outfit.  Glancing to my right, I saw Pirate Fuzzy blocking out the sun.