I'm starting to worry my work is becoming repetitive and stale. I know I'm probably the only Siren writer still going at it (at the time of this writing) but I still worry that I'm taking it too far. Kinda like how some tv shows, no matter how good, go on for season after season when it should have ended a long time ago. I'm beginning to wonder if that is what I'm doing here. I mean, I'm up to… I think 18 (Marathon makes 18) works now? I may be overdoing it. This one is also a bit shorter than I'd like but it's been a very long and busy week. Anyway, on to my newest work.
Today's update comes from the mind of reader Richard Becker. He isn't the first to suggest it, but he was the latest to do so and left a huge comment (the best kind), so wish granted, Richard.
Enjoy.
"Ending, very sad."
"It is supposed to be, Ryn." Maddie couldn't help but agree. "But happy, too. Look how at peace Frodo finally is, and Sam has his own wife and family now."
"Happily ever after?" Ryn looked up from where she was curled up against Maddie' side.
"Yup." Ben spoke up from across Maddie. "Now we can cross the classic that is Lord of the Rings off of our list."
"What next?" Ryn sat up, enough to look over at Ben, but not enough to dislodge the fluffy blanket she was sharing with Maddie.
"Next." Ben stood up from the couch and retrieved the empty plastic bowl before them. "I am going to go make another batch of popcorn. Maddie, why don't you pick out another one from the stack? You gave me the last choice."
Maddie had never thought twice about it, but she hadn't noticed Ben didn't even own a television until the pair decided to do this little movie marathon for Ryn. A problem that was quickly remedied with a quick purchase of a decently cheap one.
"No problem." It really wasn't, but Maddie was having a little difficulty with a certain mermaid who didn't want to be deprived of her warm pillow.
It was a double-edged sword that Ryn was learning more human facial expressions. On the one hand, she was better adapting to life on land. On the other, she was developing a more devious and underhanded side to her because she knew Maddie all but couldn't resist her mermaid when she pouted like that.
It took a full ten seconds of Maddie's best glare, which was always meek when turned on Ryn, before the mermaid relented and allowed Maddie to rise. This didn't stop her disappointed, and overly faked, frown, of course.
"I think I've got the perfect one to do next." Maddie, speaking loud enough for Ben to hear from the kitchen, slipped the DVD into the player and hit play. It was a movie Maddie thought they should start with but Ben convinced her to do it at a later date. "Ryn may find it a bit weird, though."
"No offense to Ryn, but almost everything is weird." Ben called back. "Comes with the culture clash."
"Not all weird bad." Ryn pounced on her mate the instant Maddie was seated once again. Only this time, Ryn laid herself across Maddie's lap. The human half of the pair thought nothing of it, simply draping the blanket back over the two of them while Ryn snuggled close once more. It was almost child-like in innocence when Ryn showed affection like this.
Maddie and Ben both loved every second of it.
Eventually, they needed to get a much larger blanket. One they could all share for times like this instead of constantly alternating pairs between the three of them.
"Sometimes weird is goo…" Ben announced from the kitchen but stopped short when the sound of Maddie's newest addition to their watched list reached his ears. "Seriously? The Little Mermaid?"
"What?" Maddie faked indignation. "She's going to have to see it eventually. Besides, Ryn's a mermaid, Ariel's a mermaid. They have that in common, at least."
"Ryn's a real mermaid, not one of those lovey-dovey fake cartoon ones." Ben laughed. "I bet our mermaid would eat ten of their mermaids alive."
"Nah, she could take twenty, easy."
Ryn, while listening to her mates back and forth, was paying more attention to the screen. Her bewilderment growing by the second. Maddie couldn't blame her, the difference between her people and the ones in the movie were staggering. Plus, with Bristol Cove's near obsession with mermaids, the town practically lived a Little Mermaid fan-club every other day.
"These…" Ryn found her voice while Ariel was singing her heart out from the television. "Not my people."
"That's a cartoon for you." Maddie pursed her lips. "They romanticize mermaids even worse than Bristol Cove does. Not just mermaids either, all kinds of things. The original stories these are based off of were much darker, and a lot less friendly."
"Hanzel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and so on." Ben returned, placing the newly cooked bowl of popcorn on the table. "Tons of old stories remade to appeal to children."
"I see this before, but never understand. Why wear…" Whenever Ryn hesitated like this, it was almost always because she was mentally searching for a word she couldn't recall. Instead of trying to figure it out, she brought both hands up to cover her sweater covered breasts. Ben and Maddie got the gist easily enough.
"The clamshell bikini?" Maddie's eyebrow arched.
Ryn nodded.
"That's so kids can watch and not be seeing something they shouldn't." Ben interjected. "Nowadays they're synonymous with mermaids."
"I see before." Ryn repeated, no doubt talking about all the times people did the mermaid dress up thing around Bristol Cove. "Know why now."
"Can you imagine it? Ryn, with a clamshell bikini?" Maddie giggled, her fingers running through Ryn's locks of hair. The mermaid let out a muffled hiss of approval.
"No way." Ben shook his head. "She looks perfect as she is, scales, claws, teeth, and all."
Sitting up again, Ryn hissed at Ben. She was learning English scarily well, but even then Ryn sometimes spoke in her own native language. Neither Ben nor Maddie ever understood her, but they always did understand the message. Ben leaned closer so the mermaid could capture his lips in a kiss. It was a quick one, but Ryn opted to nuzzle his jaw as well.
Maddie grinned like a lunatic. Watching her boyfriend and girlfriend being affectionate with each other never failed to bring a swell of happiness to her heart. Disney and the rest of the world should be taking notes, this is what true love looked like. Not that cartoony hogwash.
"Hey." Maddie pouted like Ryn had done earlier. Maddie always denied it to Ben when asked just where Ryn learned how to sucker the two of them in such a way. "Where's my kiss?"
Maddie was instantly the victim of two kisses, one on either end of her lips.
"Better." Maddie's smile grew wider, if that was possible.
While the movie progressed, Ben and Maddie mocked its inaccuracies without mercy. Ryn would pose a question here and there, but otherwise watched in silence. At least when she wasn't lavishing attention upon her mates. Somewhat like the opposite of the clichéd image of a house cat, just human sized. Maddie wondered if Ryn didn't see their ribbing of the movie as compliments to her and her people.
"Do all humans see us as this?" Ryn had to of wondered this question before, but was only just now voicing it for some reason. "Singing human words, clamshell bikinis, human skin?"
"Afraid so." Ben winced ever so slightly. "People always use fantasy to change the way things are to what they find more pleasing. Most movies with mermaids are like that, but now that I think about it, I think Little Mermaid is the only one I've actually seen. We've got several here, but I don't think they're similar to Little Mermaid. H2O, umm… Maddie what was that other mermaid one we found?"
"Splash."
"Ah yeah, that's right. I haven't watched either but they seem to be more of this." Ben motioned to the TV where Little Mermaid was nearing its end. Although, not always. There was one movie we picked out, the one that made mermaids almost realistic. Ugh what was it called…"
"Oh, umm…" Maddie drummed her fingers on Ryn's leg, trying to remember the name. She'd just seen the stupid DVD box less than an hour before.
Ben snapped his fingers at the exact same moment Maddie remembered.
"Pirates of the Caribbean!"
"Pirates of the Carry Bean…" Ryn's attempt to pronounce the last word fell flat as she often did with more complicated ones. Neither of the mermaid's mates said a word about her fumble, but they did give her an opportunity to get it right before correcting her.
"Pirates of the Caribbean- On Stranger Tides. The mermaids in that one actually aren't too far off from you. But it is something like the fourth movie of the series." Ben explained.
"Skipping ahead bad." Ryn nodded in understanding. "We watch, after others."
"We absolutely will, but first things first, Ben? You're up." Maddie brought their attention to the fact that The Little Mermaid had already begun rolling the credits.
Ben jumped up, perhaps a bit too eager. Maddie knew that look, too. He must have already picked out their next target. Lord only knows what he had up his sleeve.
"Lady and mermaid, I give you…" Once Ben had the disc set into the player, he paused for, what Maddie could only assume, dramatic effect. Much like some showman unveiling another wonder of the world. "The Wizard of Oz!"
"Yup, classic alright." Maddie nodded with her best stoic expression. It didn't last long, unfortunately. The thunderous laughter burst out like the breaking of a dam.
"Hey." Ben brought his hand to his chest in mock hurt. "Don't be insulting the true classics. This movie inspired a generation and beyond!"
"I didn't say it didn't, but you have to admit, it isn't that great." Maddie countered.
"Says you." Ben waved a dismissive hand before hitting play and reclaiming his seat on their couch. "Ryn will back me up when we get done watching. You'll see."
Shortly into the movie, Maddie's eyes drifted to her boyfriend, whom was sitting at the edge of his seat, utterly enraptured at one of his favorite movies. Ryn, was no less enthralled, say what you will about the mermaid, when shown something new by Ben or Maddie, she gave the new experience or sight her all.
Maddie had her boyfriend beside her, and her mermaid girlfriend across her lap. There truly was no better way to spend a day off than with the ones you loved most on this earth and its oceans.
Maddie took Ben's hand in hers, he never took his eyes off the television but gave her hand a soft squeeze, while her other arm found its way around Ryn. The mermaid responded by crawling the rest of the way across her lap so that she could be draped over both Ben's legs and Maddie's. This prevented the blanket from covering her, but it did allow Ryn to be close to both her mates at once.
Oh yes, this was true love alright.
I haven't actually seen Splash, or H2O, so I'm afraid they only got a mention here instead of going into detail. Before watching Siren, I was pretty indifferent to mermaids, now I can't get enough of them. I blame Ryn for this, she may have set a pretty high standard in my brain, though.