The community pool said that it was closed for the night, yet one light that shown near the pool was still on. Secretly, a fifteen year old girl was taking an evening swim, slowly gliding on the waters to stare up at the sky. Unfortunately, her very angry mother came storming down the path that led to the pool.
"Desiree Syreni!" the mother barked. "Get out of that water now!"
Startled at her mother's sudden appearance, but not expressing any signs of rebellion, Desiree got out of the water as quickly as she could.
"What have I told you about going into that water by yourself?" her mother shouted, as she dragged her daughter (who was soaked head to toe in pool water) out of the pool area. "We may care for the community pool, but you have no right -no right at ALL- to just simply go in there unattended! Good god, what will your father do when he finds out you were in there by yourself?"
Desiree didn't say anything. Then again, she wasn't supposed to.
Once upon a time, a young beautiful mermaid fell in love with a human prince. The mermaid went to the sea witch and gave in her voice for legs at the price of her beautiful voice. But it was in vain, the prince was to be married to another girl. Although the prince liked the mermaid's company, he still went on to marry the other girl. The prince and the girl were married on a boat not far out from the shore, the mermaid felt herself growing weaker and weaker, and fled into the ocean without the notice from anyone at the wedding. The mermaid enjoyed the feel of salt water upon her skin once more, and her tail came back one last time. She swam to the shore and lay there, waiting for her early death that she had ransomed for with the sea witch as well. A few moments after she had laid there, a man came running over to the shore, looking as if he had been running for a great deal of time.
"Please sir," the mermaid cried out to him, surprised to hear her voice, "Help me, I'm dying!"
The man turned to see who had called him, and when he saw it was the mermaid, his face drew a large and rather terrifying smile. The mermaid didn't care, she was dying and desperate. The man came over and inspected the mermaid as she did the same to him. His skin was a color of dirty gold, and the textures as such as well. It was a skin tone that the mermaid did not recognize, but it gave her a cold shiver to look at it.
"What can I do for you madam?" the man asked, bowing a little, pretending to be polite.
"I wish to have an immortal soul." the mermaid told him, tears gathering. "I was a fool to think that a human boy could love me in such a short time, when I don't think it was him I was after to begin with!"
"Ah, but mermaids do not have immortal souls, if anything happens to them in this world, they won't enter the next."
The mermaid was fully crying now.
"I know sir! I know! I need a fairy to grant my wish, then I can have the gift of the immortal!"
"But surely, whoever gave you legs to begin with so you could seduce the boy must have told you that the only way a mermaid can have an immortal soul is by marrying the boy?"
"She did! She did! And now I am close to death because of my ignorance!"
"And what if I was able to split my soul into yours, as if I would do that, and you received your piece of my soul?"
"Then I'll forever give you my thanks, and be sure to keep both of your souls safe and from harm. If you die then I die, and vice versa. I would give my voice back up for you, and I'll only talk if you are the only one present in the room."
The man considered this for a few moments as the mermaid began to feel her arms not able to hold her body weight anymore and her fins felt like they were being deflated.
"Deal." the man said, then conjuring a piece of paper and a pen. "Just sign on the dotted line."
"I can't believe you Desiree. Of all the things in the world you could have done, you had to choose to swim in that damn pool! I told Mr. Gold we shouldn't be operating it with you around, but no, he insisted upon it and then Regina gives us the permit to maintain it!"
As her mother ranted, Desiree looked at the police car that strolled by. Her mother noticed it as well.
"I see Emma is enjoying her new position at the police station." she huffed. "Strutting that car around like that, you'd think she had a Ferrari. She has only been elected a month or so ago..."
Desiree just absentmindedly nodded her head, then the name sunk into her.
"Emma!" she said as every part of her body seized up. The next thing she knew, she has passed out on the street.
"Desiree!" her mother said in shock, and bent down to make sure her daughter was alright.