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Breathe, my child.
Just breathe.
Open your eyes, child.
Your life is just beginning.
Water. There was water all around me.
But I didn’t drown. I could see the depths clearly.
And I saw her. The Queen Mother. The Goddess of storms, the oceans, and all life. She was beautiful…so beautiful that I nearly wept. She held me close and eased my pain, told me that I was safe and the magic in my blood led me here.
She kissed me and told me that I was home. I believed her.
I felt myself change. It wasn’t the form I once knew, but it felt so natural. As if I couldn’t have been anything else.
Yemaya taught me her ways: how to call the storms and command the waters, how to protect her children and to speak to the moon. She shared her deepest secrets and her ageless wisdom. She loved me as her own.
For a while, I forgot about the world above, and the life I had before. Except…
When I slept, I could see his face. I could still hear his voice, his laugh. His smile could still warm the core of my being.
I missed him. Beyond what words could express. But I was thankful for the memory of him. Until…
There was a storm above the surface, one I had to allow by order of my Mother. But there was also a rowboat, and they were struggling to get to shore. The boat turned over, and its lone passenger was taken by the undertow.
I swam hard and fast, pulling the stranger to a nearby cove. There was a small cave in the isolated space that would shelter them until the storm passed. Lanterns were left there from previous visitors, and a couple of blankets as well.
I started to revive him first. Checking for life in the dim artificial light from the pier, I could feel a thick beard, then a pulse. It was weak but it was there.
Placing a hand upon his chest, I closed my eyes and leaned in close, breathing life back into him. A gasp and sputter, and he coughed up the water that kept him from breathing. I smiled in relief. He would survive. He laid down, catching his breath, and I waved a hand to light the lanterns.
Once I could look upon the face of the man I pulled from the water, I froze.
And so did he.
His name was on my tongue before I could stop it. “Finn?”
His eyes widened. He spoke a name. One I hadn’t heard in a long time.
I panicked and dove into the water quickly.
“Wait! Don’t go, please!” I heard him call out. I was afraid…but of what?
Stopping myself from going any further, I peered out from the water and looked upon his face. Same beautiful blue eyes, same short hair, and his beard was thicker. He hadn’t aged much. But I knew his features anywhere.
“Finn,” I tried again, certain it was him.
He drew closer, looking as though he might cry as he studied my face. “Your eyes weren’t golden like that before…but I know your face. I’ve known that face for almost a decade of my life.”
“You remember me?”
“How could I forget my best friend?” His voice cracked, and my heart ached a little.
I looked away, knowing my appearance might be a little alarming to him. “I’m…I’m not the same. I didn’t want to scare you.”
He smiled softly. “Not at all, sweetheart. Somehow, I’m not all that surprised to find that you’re a mermaid.”
His acceptance stunned me. I rose from the water and sat on the edge, shimmering tail waving. I allowed him to see all of me: scales in an array of golds and greens and blues in contrast with my dark skin, which was bare save for the translucent pearls strung around my neck and hanging between my breasts.
“Well, at least I’m not a siren,” I replied in a lighthearted, teasing tone. It felt so…normal, comforting.
A short laugh came from him, then a sniffle, and then he pulled me into a warm embrace.
I… I remembered this.
I returned his embrace, tears pricking at my eyes. We held each other, and memories flooded back. Even those I wish I could forget.
Meeting at the hospital…the tattoo studio opening…his girlfriend…the fundraiser…coming to the beach…
I remembered everything.
“I…I left you alone…” I managed.
“I know. I understand why you did. If I’d known-”
“I didn’t want to make you unhappy. It was such a good night for you.”
“But it was better because you were there to share it with me,” Finn replied, emotion in his voice. “It’s been a few years since then. We all thought that you…”
I understood without him finishing that statement. I pulled back to look him in the eyes as he went on.
“I came out here to leave flowers as a kind of memorial. Got a late start and thought I could still do it before the storm got any worse. That was a dumb idea. But…you’re here. You’re alive. You saved my life.”
I heaved a deep, pained sigh. “I’m so sorry, Finn. They’re right. The woman you knew? She died on the shore that night, heartbroken and alone. But…the Queen Mother, she gave me a new life. She took me in as her own. I don’t feel that pain anymore. Then again, I’m not human anymore. I’m her daughter, and I rule this particular ocean. This is my home now.”
“Are…are you happy?” I could see the pools in his eyes ready to spill over. I remember hating seeing him so sad. Some things never change.
I nodded, a small smile on my lips. “I’m happy. But I’ve missed you.”
Placing a hand on his cheek, I wiped away a falling tear with my thumb. ”No matter what else I’ve lost, I couldn’t forget about you. Perhaps she intended that for me, knowing that we might see each other again in this life.”
Finn leaned into my hand, gazing up at me. “Is there a chance…I mean, I don’t know if… I just wish I could show you how much everything has changed. Your shop is still standing, I’m still teaching at the wrestling school. The center is finished, as well as your art space…”
He wants me to come back with him?
I would be lying if I said I hadn’t considered it for a moment. I knew there was a way to visit the surface, but I had never used the spell before. “There’s a way. Something the Queen Mother taught me…something she does herself from time to time-”
Before I could finish the thought, I could hear the winds calming down. The storm outside seemed to finally subside. I looked at him. “It’s safe now. I’ll take you back to shore. It’s but a minute or two away.”
Finn looked sad at first, then curious. “How? If you took me with you, how would I be able to hold my breath?”
That was easy.
I placed my lips to his gently, granting him my breath and my sight for a short time. His lips were soft, warm…all I could have imagined them to be. It was almost difficult to pull away.
Finn looked as stunned as I was. I just smiled and extended my hand. “Come on. You’ll be able to breathe, and see what I see underwater. Just don’t let go of my hand.”
Without hesitation he took it, and we were gone. The skies were beginning to clear up, making way for the sun. The waters were calmer now, easier to see the wonder in Finn’s eyes as we swam through them to reach the mainland.
I allowed him to go first. “Wait for me,” I asked. “There’s something else I have to do.”
With a nod, he obeyed with absolute trust. I sank underwater, swimming out a short distance away, and I prayed to her.
Queen Mother, Benevolent Goddess…please grant your daughter this one request…
I had barely begun when I could feel the change happen, and her voice in my head telling me what I needed to know. She clothed me in a simple garment, bright as the sun, and wrapped it around my naked body. She adorned my neck with a single string of pearls, and placed her blessing upon me.
When I broke the surface of the water, I took a sharp breath and felt the air fill my lungs. It was so familiar, and so new at once. My new legs carried me to the shore, bringing me to stand upright in front of the man I thought I’d lost.
Finn’s eyes met mine with disbelief and amazement, and his hand reached out to touch my cheek. I’d missed his warmth, and nearly melted into it.
“But…how?”
I placed a hand over his, holding it in mine. “She gave me her blessing, under certain conditions. You and you alone know what I’ve become - no one else can know the secret. I can only stay on the surface for three days at a time, returning to the water for three days after. And…”
I took both his hands this time. “I can live forever, never aging. And I know the day will come that you might…”
Finn just squeezed my hands and smiled. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Right now, this - any time I have with you - is more than enough. And I have so much to make up for.”
He pulled me in and held me tight.
And I felt like I’d found home again, for the second time.