Epilogue - Chapter 7 of A Meeting of Mermaids

Wherein we bid our characters goodbye, albeit for a little while...


The moon pool was crowded; they had gotten four mermaids in there before but this was the first time they had tried to fit seven! The only way they could get it to work was by not stretching out their tails on the surface.

"Tell you what;" Jackie told the others, "I'll get out as this isn't my pool."

"So where is your pool?" Bella asked.

"There's a cave at Muir Beach north of San Francisco," Jackie explained. "The walls look just like this."

"I became a mermaid in Ireland," Bella said. "When I was nine."

"How long have you been mermaids?" Cleo asked, looking at Jackie.

"I became one about six months ago; you should ask Rowan and Tanya how long they've been mermaids?

"Didn't you three become mermaids at the same time, there at Muir Beach?" Rikki asked.

"Actually Tanya and I became mermaids right here," Rowan replied.

"About 2 weeks ago," Tanya said.

"Wow, you guys really are newbies!" Emma said.

"How long have you guys been mermaids?" Jackie asked.

"About four years ago," Emma replied.

"Do you know of anyone else who are mermaids?" Rowan asked as she pulled herself out of the pool onto the sand by Jackie.

"Well, fifty years ago there were three mermaids here," Cleo explained. "And then Charlotte was a mermaid for a little while."

"Charlotte, that's the girl who was looking for Lewis tonight but ran off when I said I'd tell you," Rowan said to Cleo.

"That's a long story, but she's no longer a mermaid."

"How'd that happen?" Jackie asked.

"Two years ago the planets aligned and the pool took away her powers," Cleo explained. "It was for the best, actually."

There was a momentary lull in the conversation as the girls thought about what it would be like not to be a mermaid anymore.

"Oh, the locket you gave me; where'd you really find it?" Cleo asked Rowan.

"Right here, in the pool. Charlotte said it belonged to her grandmother."

"Actually it did; her grandmother was one of those mermaids from fifty years ago. They all had matching lockets. Later they became ours."

"I bet Charlotte freaked when she saw it," Emma said.

"I saw the picture in the office," Rowan said. "As well as the picture in the locket."

"Some secret, eh?" Rikki said to Cleo and Emma.

"We weren't ever very good at keeping secrets," Emma said.


Cleo decided that it was time for her to get out of the pool; she pulled herself out onto the sand with Jackie and Rowan's help.

"Wait, you guys said you have only been mermaids for two weeks?" Cleo suddenly asked.

"Yes, during the last full moon." Rowan replied.

"Then I bet it was you guys who we almost ran into here that night!"

"We did hear someone coming into the pool one night and decided to hike out through the chute."

"Were you ever here with guys?" Jackie asked, remembering the night she had heard people talking in the cave.

"Sometimes the guys meet us here," Rikki said.

"I think we almost swam in once when they were here," Jackie said.

The warm breeze finished drying off Jackie and Rowan and they rippled and changed back into their human forms, complete with their uniforms from the café.

"I need to hire new waitresses," Rikki said with a moan.

"Why?" asked Tanya.

"I can't have mermaid friends working for me!"

"Well, we have another month and a half until we have to leave; that'll give you time to hire replacements," Rowan said.

"You guys were great; no one will do as well!"

"So where are you going to go?" Cleo asked.

"Back home to California," Jackie said. "At least there's a moon pool there."

"You will have to come and visit!" Rowan suggested.

"That sounds like a fun trip; maybe for a special occasion," Rikki said.

"Speaking of special occasions, Ash and I are going to get married," Emma said.

"What?"

"When?"

"Where?"

"Ssh! We just talked about it tonight and don't have any details. Don't worry, I'll let you know. Maybe we'll honeymoon to California!"


The girls continued to congratulate Emma who made sure that they knew she would let them know once she and Ash decided on plans.

"So when's Zane going to pop the question?" Emma asked.

"Come on, he knows I'm not the marrying type!"

"What about you and Lewis?" Emma asked Cleo.

"It hasn't come up," Cleo said.

"What hasn't come up?" said Lewis' voice from the tunnel.

Lewis, Will, Ash, and Zane all came out from the tunnel and stood there looking at the girls.

"Wow, there are a lot of mermaids in here!" Zane exclaimed. "Talk about hitting the jackpot!"

"We were just wondering when you were going to ask Cleo to marry you, Lewis!" Rikki said.

"Rikki!" Cleo exclaimed.

"Emma, have you been telling secrets?" Ash asked.

"No secrets with this group!" Emma replied.

"That's always worked best for us anyway," Will and Bella said in unison.

"Well, Lewis?" Rikki asked.

"I haven't even told Cleo my news yet," Lewis replied.

"What news, Lewis?" Cleo asked.

"That I'm back for good; I've got a research position at the university here."

"I need to be dry right now!" Cleo exclaimed.

Jackie, Tanya, and Rikki used their power on Cleo and after the puff of steam cleared Cleo was back in her dress and threw her arms around Lewis and started to kiss him.

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he does ask her pretty soon," Rikki said. "Anyone else?"

Rikki made it a point to stare at Will and Bella who just smiled.

"I do have some news; Will and I are going on a trip to Ireland," Bella said.

"We're going to find the pool where Bella became a mermaid."

"When?"

"In July, summer up there," Will answered.

"Well, fine. While the rest of you are off gallivanting I'm going to stay here at the café," Rikki said.

"I'll be here, too," said Zane. "We'll be together."

"We'll have to see about that," Rikki said and stuck out her tongue at Zane.

"You know, I do think Rikki and Zane will get married first," Cleo said from the sand.

Moments later everyone who wasn't in the pool was drenched as a furious Rikki splashed them all with her tail.

"Okay girls, back in the pool," Cleo said to Rowan and Jackie and the three quickly dove in and 10 seconds later turned back into mermaids.


The End - Thanks for reading...