Chapter 2
I was snorkelling along Mako Island, looking for odd things. That day when I first saw Liz, I remember vividly.
Snorkelling was one of my favourite hobbies to do, and I often did it with my friends along the coast. However, that day I decided to rent a boat and sailed it to Mako Island.
"Here you go my friend, a small motorboat like you asked." The sales clerk showed me to the boat and asked: "So where ya sailing to?" He asked suspiciously.
"Oh, I'm uh, going to that Mako place," I said, a bit embarrassed. "Going to go snorkelling by the coast, apparently there are some very interesting things there."
"Ha, good luck on that! I have had many customers sail to Mako just to find nothing. In fact, I've had too many customers do that." He rolled his eyes and continued, "Oh, Clark, by the way, is my name". He outstretched his hand to give me a shake, but I just smiled at him. Clark sighed and walked back to his little boathouse by the decks.
I grabbed my little duffel bag and dumped it onto the boat. I jumped in after it. The boat's seats weren't that comfortable, but I sat down anyway.
I sailed the boat all the way to the very shore of Mako Island. I anchored the boat, grabbed my snorkelling gear and jumped off the boat. I put my snorkelling gear on and jumped head first into the water.
I was swimming around at first noticing nothing but the usual (fish, seaweed, coral). I was about to give up when I felt something swim past me. It was going so fast that I did not see what it was but my curiosity became the best of me.
I started to follow it as it swam around. I kicked my legs and went a little further until I was too exhausted to keep on going. I lifted my head out of the water and took a deep breath. I had a little thinking time and decided it was probably worth it to follow whatever that swam past me.
The creature that swam past me was probably something a medium size, similar to the size of… me? I took a while to think while I was chasing after it. I eventually slowed down as it took me around 30 minutes to realise that whatever I was chasing after, was probably long gone.
According to my GPS, I was about three quarters around Mako Island, so I kept on going in the same direction until I was back in my little rental boat.
My journey back to the boat was calm. I just spent the whole time exploring the area and smiling at the fish. I don't know why, but I felt like they were saying something back at me.
Well, that was interesting, not that I found anything inter- I stopped as I was thinking that. I had somehow found myself face to face with a… a… a… mermaid?
I found myself on the spot, frozen, and staring into her eyes. I wasn't quite sure if I was frozen with excitement, fear or… or… ok never mind, I wasn't frozen. I fainted… in water?
I woke up feeling something cold on my back, thinking that everything was normal and it was just a cold day.
Then it hit me. The entire event that had happened… was it the previous day? I quickly sat up and I found myself in an area where there was a pool of water and there was a hole in the top of the room. It seemed like I was in some kind of a volcano.
"Crap," I said aloud. I stood up and tried to find an exit from that room. Then I heard something that made me jump.
"Oh good, you're awake," Someone said from underneath. I look down into the pool. There she was. The mermaid. "I was afraid that you died, but I looked and you were breathing, which meant that you would wake up eventually. I think." Her voice was light and soft, which was almost the complete opposite of mine.
"I… you… tail…" I was completely lost for words, which had never happened before now. My lips trembled as I talked. I stared at her very long hair. It was a strawberry blond colour, and her tail was the most magnificent teal colour I had ever seen. She was beautiful.
"I'm sorry, I am not quite sure what I should say, it is my first ever interaction with a human." She looked at me with a sparkle in her eye. I could tell she was excited in some way "Oh, I am terribly sorry, I have to go." The mermaid left through some kind of exit down by the pool. I just guessed that it lead to the seas.
I looked up through the opening of the volcano. It was already dark. I decided, since I still had my snorkelling gear on, I would swim out before it gets too dark.
As the moonlight came through the hole, I thought the pool looked very welcoming, so I jumped in. But as soon as I jumped into the water, it started to bubble. I knew something was happening, but I just didn't know what. I turned my head a couple of times and stared at the water. I stayed in the water until the bubbles disappeared.
The bubbles went away and when I finally believed it was fine to go, I left. Somehow, I felt stronger.
I went home feeling…. Pretty normal actually.
Oh boy, I could not be more wrong.