Hey guys! So, here's my entry! I'm not allowed to explain why she's on a card, so you'll have to figure it out yourself from the story! Hope you all like it! :D

"Bella! Bella, come on!"

"Calm down, I'm coming!" Mirabella shouted back, finishing with fastening her hat.

"Come on, Bella. We're all waiting on you, you know," whined Violet.

"Alright, alright. Let's go!" Mirabella said, grabbing her skirt and swiftly walking over to the group of young women, who all promptly cheered.

"Finally! The water is the most beautiful place around here!" said Aurora, grinning. They'd all been on vacation to Loch Lomond for the past week, a sort of 'ladies retreat' as they'd called it.

"Yeah!" Waverly agreed as they began making their way down the street. "And besides, Bella. We ought to get out and about as much as possible. We need to find you a great guy!"

"Oh, here we go again!" Mirabella muttered under her breath. "I've told you all, I don't need a guy!"

"But Bella! You're twenty five! It's about time you found someone to settle down with!" Aurora teased.

"I'll find one when I want to find one, okay?" Bella answered, making it clear that their discussion was over.

"Fine, fine," Waverly sighed as the water came into view. They all excitedly doubled their pace, quickly reaching the edge of the road and making it to the banks.

"I'm taking off my shoes," Bella announced, bending over and unlacing them.

"Bella! That's not proper!" Aurora said, looking shocked. Violet just shook her head, being used to Bella's oddities.

They all went and sat down together on a blanket, relaxing by the lake. For several hours they chatted and relaxed, staying until it started to get dark. They eventually folded up the blanket and were taking one more look at the water when something caught Bella's eye. She stared at it for a few seconds, trying to figure it out, before her curiosity got the better of her.

"I'm going into the water," she said, not waiting for any of her friends before she took off towards the water's edge. She heard them shouting after her, but she ignored it.

She waded into the water, which was shockingly cold, making her gasp a bit. But she kept moving, despite her skirt, which was weighing down with water and making it hard to move Looking around, she walked over a ways to where there was a large rock wall, all the while looking around for the greenish thing that had caught her eye. She moved towards that wall, and as soon as her friends were out of sight, it popped up right in front of her. She started, jumping backwards and accidentally splashing cold water up her back and soaking her red hair.

A mermaid. Or, more specifically, a merman. His head and chest poked out of the water enough for her to see that he didn't look anything like what she'd always imagined. His skin was tinted greyish, and he had long dark green hair. His eyes were bright yellow, and his teeth sharp and broken looking. There was a necklace made from pebbles around his neck and he carried a spear in his right hand. Looking down, she could just make out a silver fish tail.

She stared for a moment, too shocked to say anything. But finally, after being face to face with him for nearly a minute, she managed to speak up. "Are… are you a mermaid? Or... merman?"

He slowly blinked and nodded.

"Wow. That's… neat," she said. He remained looking at her. "Do… you looked like you wanted to… Did you want something?"

He looked at her for a moment before he opened his mouth and made a loud screeching noise that both startled and intrigued her.

"What… what does that mean?"

He made another sort of screechy noise.

"Is that your language? How you speak?" He nodded again. "I can't understand you. I don't speak mer… merperson, I guess. But… can you understand me, then?"

He nodded again. "That's good," she said, starting to shiver from the temperature of the water.

He reached a webbed hand out of the water, presenting her with a beautiful necklace of seashells and coral. She gaped at it as he held out for her. "Is that… for me?" she breathed. He nodded and held it out to her again. She gently took it from him. "It's so pretty. Did you make it?" Another nod from him. "Thank you. It's lovely," she said, putting it on though her fingers were shaking.

He brushed a wet strand of hair from her face and motioned her back to shore. "You… you want me to go? Why?"

He put his hands on his arms, mimicking her standing there and shivering. "Oh. Because I'm cold. But… I don't want to go." He motioned her back to shore again, and she suddenly shuddered violently. "Oh, alright. But… can I talk to you again? Tomorrow? In the afternoon, when the water is warmer." He nodded slowly, before sliding back into the water and swimming away, very speedily. She stared after him for a moment before wading back to shore, where she stumbled across Violet, curled up on the blanket.

"Hey," Bella said, nudging her.

"Oh, Bella. You're back. And completely soaked. The others went back already… What have you been doing all this time?"

"I met someone interesting," she said vaguely.

"Wait, where did that necklace come from? It's beautiful!" Violet said, standing up and studying it. "Wait… did someone give it to you? Like that guy you said you didn't need?"

"Oh, maybe," she answered elusively. "Anyway, I'm cold. Let's get back."

With one last look to the ocean, they started back, Violet firing questions off and Bella answering them as ambiguously as she could.

Nearly a month later, she waded into the water again, making her way over to the usual place. It was near the first spot they'd met, but a bit farther, where there was a large rock that she could sit on a few inches above the water. She waited there for a bit, dangling her feet in the water before she exclaimed, "Mermus!"

She'd been coming back to this spot every day to spend time with him. She'd gone back home with her friends when their vacation was over, but she'd returned the next day. He may be a merman (she'd curse anyone who called him a mermaid), but he was so much more… well, it was hard to explain. But he was different. In a good way. She hadn't taken off the necklace he'd given her. And she'd taken to calling him Mermus.

"Hello. How are you?"

He nodded back. That was mainly how they communicated. She talked, he nodded and blinked. Except for the times when he sang to her. She'd stick her head underwater to listen to him sing that odd haunting music, but it was well worth it.

He also gave her gifts every few days. Jewelry made of the things he found in the water, hand shaped pottery, flowers grown from the water. In turn, she would bring him things that he couldn't find in the lake. Silverware, glass figurines, bottles, he was delighted by nearly anything.

After a few hours as usual, she jumped off the rock and started on her way back, him slowly swimming along beside her. They departed for the day, grasping hands before she waded back onto the dirt shore. It was there that she was met with another great surprise.

"Father? What are you doing here?"

"Bella. You haven't been home in weeks. And your mother and I talked to your friend Violet, she'd said you'd found a man here. What were you doing in the water?" her father asked, coming to pull her farther up onto the solid ground.

"I… I was with him," she answered slowly. She'd known she was going to have to tell her family at some point. She decided it would be best to get it over with now, while Mermus was still watching from a few feet away.

"You were with him in the water?" her father asked, looking like he didn't believe her.

"Yes, Father. He… he lives there."

"He lives in the water? Bella, I think you must be confused. Or sick. Why don't you come back home with me? Your mother-"

"No! Father, listen!" she said, determined to get him to hear her out. "He's right there!" She pointed out to where Mermus was still floating, looking curiously at her father.

"What is that?" he asked slowly, squinting. After a few seconds he seemed to realize that what he was looking at wasn't human, and he stumbled backwards, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her with him.

"Father, stop! He's alright! He's more than alright! I love him!"

"You… you what? What is that thing?"

"He's not a thing, Father. He's a merman. And I said I love him."

"You love a merman?" her father said scathingly. "You really must be sick. Come on now. I'm taking you home."

"No, Father, stop! I'm not going home," Bella shouted. "I love him, and I'm going to stay with him!"

"Mirabella Plunkett, you will do no such thing. Do you expect to spend your life with a mermaid?"

"Merman!"

"Whatever! You're not going to keep seeing that thing. You must be sick in the head. You are coming with me, it's what's best for you," her father said, grabbing her arm and beginning to drag her back towards the road. She struggled for a few seconds, before pulling out her wand and sending a stinging jinx at his hand, forcing him to release his grip and cry out.

"Bella! How dare you!" he said dangerously. "What has gotten into you? First you tell me you're ing love with a mermaid, and then you hex your own father? That's it. I'm done playing games now. You're coming with me."

He pulled out his own wand, but before he could do anything she'd disarmed him. "Father. Stop, I beg you. I'm not going to come home with you and I'm not leaving him."

"Do you really think you are spending the rest of your life with a mermaid?"

"Merman!"

"Alright fine, Merman. But you couldn't live with him. It's impossible. He couldn't leave the water, you couldn't stay in it. How do you think that would work?" her father asked mockingly.

"I… I don't know yet, she said fiercely. "I'll find a way!"

"No. No you won't! I forbid this from happening. You're not to see him again. Now come on," he said firmly. He moved to grab her again, but she sent another curse flying his way.

"I won't! I'll show you! I'll make it work, I will," she screamed. Then, after a moment of thought she stormed back into the water to where he was.

Her father watched open mouthed as she tapped herself on the head and transformed herself into a common haddock. It was getting dark, and he could just make out the large white fish that swam up and clamped its mouth down on the wand that was now floating in the water, dragging it back underwater.

"Bella," he whispered disbelievingly. Had he really just watched his daughter turn herself into a fish to run away with her merman beloved?

He waded into the water after her, realizing too late that his wand was laying back somewhere on the dirt shore. The large white fish, his daughter, was still within sight, and he went to swim after it, or her, but the merman cut him off, lashing out at him with a spear and barely missing. The merman chased him back to shore, and by that time he'd lost sight of his daughter. The merman snarled at him and swam off, disappearing under the surface of the water, which quickly became flat and smooth once again.

So, how was it? Let me know in a review! Thanks for reading!