A/N- So I've had this written for probably over a year and just found it again. After a little editing, this is what it became. Let me know what you think, if you liked it or not and what I can improve on. Happy Reading, I hope.

After Ben returned to his parents, they set off for open sea for two years. He readily and happily agreed to go with them. Nixie had given him something to do and he intended to make sure he got it done. After all, not many kids could say they'd met a real life mermaid.

The whole time they sailed, Ben enjoyed learning all about the sea while out in the middle of it but he waited and waited in anticipation for the time when they would be over one of the deeper places in the Southern Pacific ocean.

"Mum?" Ben asked a few months out when he knew they were in the deep Southern Pacific. "It's a full moon tonight, right?"

"It might be, but I'm not entirely sure. The calendar we have up in the kitchen area has the moon cycles shown so we can check when the full moon is," his mum replied.

"Okay," Ben said, getting up and going to the small kitchen of the boat to look at the calendar.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in when the full moon is anyway?" his mum asked as they got to the kitchen.

"My friend Nixie, who convinced me to come, gave me something to take care of for a friend of hers."

"Alright," she paused, looking at the calendar. "So, on today's date there is an open circle which means that there is a full moon tonight."

"Sweet. Thanks mum," Ben spoke. He raced down to his room in the bottom of the ship. Excitement was beginning to build inside him now that he knew tonight was the night. He took the small glass jar Nixie had given him out from under his pillow and examined it for what had to be the hundredth time since Nixie gave it to him. He ran his thumb over the smooth glass surface of the jar and the metal cover. The shell that was protected inside was teal with two small silver marking on it that looked like mermaids if you looked closely enough.

He studied it for at least ten minutes, knowing that this would be one of the last times he was able to do so. Just as he was putting the jar back under his pillow, his mum was calling him up to help set the table for dinner. He followed the sound of his mother's voice to the dining room within the kitchen to help place three plates and sets of silverware.

As he and his parents ate, Ben wasn't able to sit still. As it got closer and closer to dusk and moonrise, anticipation continued to build in him. "Dad, this is one of the deeper parts of the ocean, right?" Ben asked at one point during the meal even though he was already certain it was.

"Yes, but tonight is the last night we're going to be in this deep of the ocean for a while, we'll be back to land for a few months after tonight," his father spoke.

All Ben could really do was nod in response to his dad.

When dinner was finished, Ben helped do and take care of the dishes for his parents so he had something to do while he waited. After that, he couldn't sit still. He would start pacing around the small living room area of the boat then sit down to watch TV with his parents for a minute or so before standing back up and repeating the whole process over again.

"Ben, are you okay?" his mum asked after the fifth time he stood up and sat back down again,

"Yes," Ben replied. He suddenly realized how strange his behavior was. He folded his hands in his lap until ten minutes to nine when he started getting ready for bed. At nine, he returned to his bedroom ready for bed even though he wouldn't be going to sleep yet. He didn't need to raise his parents' suspicion anymore.

Ben sat in his room with the light on. He picked up a book from the floor and started reading it to kill time while he waited for dusk and his parents to go to bed also. When he heard his parents coming down the creaky steps, he set the book back on the floor and quickly flipped the lights off, throwing his blankets up to his chin so they would think he was asleep.

Ben's parents opened the door, a little light seeped in through the doorway. His mum leaned down and brushed his hair off his forehead, "goodnight, Ben," she whispered. Ben resisted the urge to squirm as his mum kissed his forehead. After his dad whispered goodnight to him too, his parents left the room and started towards their own.

After hearing the door down the hall close, Ben switched his light back on. He picked his book back up and read a little bit more. He was planning on leaving his room at about eleven so at ten to, he stopped reading and took the shell out to examine it one last time before he threw it into the ocean. At eleven, tracing his thumb slowly over the glass again, he got out of bed and started sneakily up the stairs which, thankfully, made very little noise.

Once he stood outside on the deck, Ben looked up to the sky. It was nearly a cloudless night and hundreds of thousands of stars sparkled brightly, reflecting off the still, dark water. None of them could compare to the big, bright full moon as it shown in the sky. Upon closer examination of the dark water, Ben saw what looked like rings of people floating in the water with their arms stretched up high towards the moon.

Something inside him told him it was time. Ben looked down at the jar in his hands and taking a deep breath, he got ready to throw it. He admired the pattern once more before taking his arm back and sending it and the jar forward in one fluid motion. The jar flew through the sky, catching the light of the moon as it went far away from the boat, just like Nixie had told Ben to do.

He watched as the jar make a small splash in the water. It stayed floating in the same spot for a few minutes until there was some other movement in the area. The head of a person seemed to have appeared next to the jar.

The mysterious person in the water took the jar in her hands and examined the shell inside like Ben had done many times before. He was sure he saw a smile break out on her face as she dove back under the water. Her golden tail seemed to wave goodbye to him as she turned away from him. He knew she wouldn't see him, but Ben still slowly waved back. When he could no longer see her, he went back to his room to go to sleep. As soon as his head hit his pillow, Ben fell asleep, dreaming about all the mermaids of the sea.