Shego felt like she was going to be sick. She'd told Gracie to…and then she heard that her daughter was being fired upon and…she'd pushed the pilots to their limit just to get to Auckland as fast as they did...but they were still too late. According to all reports, the sapper used some kind of tractor beam to snare Kim and Jim and hauled them inside as prisoners. And Gracie…nobody had heard or seen her since their radio traffic an hour ago. Two members of her family were captured, having God only knew what done to them, and her daughter had just disappeared, hovercraft and all, possibly in a…if it had been anyone else in these circumstances, they would've been in a near comatose state; but Shego Possible? Her family was in danger and no force on Earth, nor God himself, would stand in the way of the white hot fiery wrath of the fearsome "Woman in Green".
"Ma'am," One of the security personnel interrupted her musings, looking half scared that Shego would incinerate her on the spot. "This…this just came in from New Zealand Costal Patrol. The boat leader is on screen in the communications bunker." She handed Shego the pair of hi-res images and scampered away. Shego had no idea how she must look so…even in these circumstances, she couldn't really blame her…especially after Shego actually looked at the images. By the looks of it, the entire right quarter had been lasered off the hovercraft. The second image was the remainder of the craft being hauled out of the water. Shego seemed to lose all feeling in her body but had the sense that she was somehow still moving, almost as if she was being yanked by marionette strings.
Gracie…Gracie is FINE! There's no…no body. They would've told me! Gracie…Gracie is OKAY!
That became her mantra. Each repetition seemed to give her the strength to keep going, the mental fortitude to keep from breaking down in a fit of tears.
"Shego?" came a distant voice.
"Shego?"
All at once, Shego's mind jerked back to reality. She'd covered the distance to the communications room without even realizing it and was now staring face to face with Betty and the comm screen directly behind her.
"Shego, its good news; Lt. Scott, I want you to tell Agent Possible exactly what you told me."
"Aye ma'am; the wee lass they said was flying this was a right quick thinker. By the look of the front portion, I'd say she ejected before the ship blew."
"Do you hear that Shego? Gracie made it out."
Shego couldn't remember her heart leaping so high since she'd first held Nicky after the adoption was finalized. She…she had to get out there! "I need transportation out there immediately. Where did she fall?"
"That's the bad news I'm afraid ma'am," Lt. Scot continued. "None of our sensors are picking up her beacon. It might have been damaged in the fall. There's debris for miles. You can't exactly steer around chunks of metal in those circumstances."
Nothing changed the circumstances. Gracie had made it out of the hovercraft! Her daughter was alive and come Hell or high water, she was going to find her. All she needed was a ride.
"Betty, with all due respect, either get me some transportation or I'll steal some."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKP
She…she could hear singing. All around her, these melodious voices seemed to be calling out to her, almost talking to her. It was indescribable. She wanted to open her eyes, to see the source of these wondrous voices. But her eyelids felt like bricks…but she had to see them!
With sheer force of will, Gracie forced her eyes to open. Even that was a strain, sending waves of pain coursing through her body, especially her head. But staring directly into her eyes were a pair of the most brilliant blue eyes she had ever seen, a blue so bright that the eyes resembled gemstones. Taking in the whole face, Gracie could see what looked to be patches of shining turquoise skin spotting her face, kind of like coral. She…she couldn't be much older than Gracie herself. How…how did Gracie know that this was a girl? She had no idea but…she just somehow…knew. Was this a dream or…"Where…where am…"
The girl opened her mouth and Gracie's ears were once again bombarded with that melodious sound.
"Who…where…?"
The strain proved to be too much and everything went black.
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
She would see them again one day, of that she was sure. So…time and again, she kept a constant vigil over the sea. And so would her boys if she had anything to say about it. For as long as she could remember, Stella Moolai Anderson had been put to bed with Gramma's tales of the Water Tribe, better known to the rest of the world as mer-people for as long as she could remember. Every time Stella had visited her grandparents' village or they'd come to the city, Stella would be hanging on Gramma's every word of how the Water Tribe would come to the aid of unfortunate fisherman in times of great peril. They were said to be beings of unspeakable beauty and that their voices could calm even the most terrified of souls. Gramma had often spoken of the time her grandfather had been lost in a gale-force storm, gone for days, only to crawl out of the water a week later, precisely where Gramma had been keeping watch. According to Gramma, she'd seen a great fishtail disappear into the water and…and she'd heard them singing, saying goodbye to him.
From that day on, Stella had eaten, breathed, and dreamt those tales. And her life's ambition had been to find one of the Water Tribe, even going so far as to borrow Grandpa's little old boat and paddle up and down the coast, month after month, sometimes for kilometers on end, always turning up nothing, nothing until that fateful day when she was eleven. It had been just after a pretty bad thunderstorm. Once the rain had stopped, she'd gone out to look at the waves still rolling at the cove near the village, her favorite place in the world…and then she heard it! Almost like whale song but…she KNEW! She KNEW they were real!
And so, on the last day of her family reunion, Stella once again found herself walking the beach of the fishing village where she'd spent so much of her youth, once again keeping watch over the kilometer and kilometers of open sea.
"Hi Momma," Olly's small little voice came from behind her.
"There's my little Joey," Stella turned and walked back, hefting the six year old into a motherly embrace. "Hey, how'd you like to go on a walk about with Momma? I can tell ya a story on the way." The little tike absolutely loved to go exploring, so he was already clamoring to get up on his Momma's shoulders. "I think it's time I take you to my special place, a place that's been in our tribe for years."
Now Olly was excited! He probably thought this was a BIG secret and started clamoring even harder to be put on Momma's shoulders. Once he was situated comfortably, Stella shouted up to Izzy that she and Olly were going for a little walk. Liam was busy watching his uncles rehearse their haka so he wouldn't likely feel left out. Izzy just wanted them to be back in time for dinner.
Barely five steps from where they started, Stella could feel the boy twisting around, trying to look at everything at once, never mind that it was exactly the same so far. To little Olly Anderson, it was all a grand expedition into the unknown wilderness. Ah, the innocence of youth; there really was nothing so adorable.
"Wanna hear story now?" Stella asked, already having an inkling as to the answer. Olly's response was a rapid series of "please" while shaking Stella's head. "Well here it goes. This is a story that my Gramma told me when I was a little girl. Out there," she turned Olly and pointed towards the ocean. "Out there is the Iwi Moana, the Water Tribe." She turned back and continued on towards the cove. "A long time ago, a nice woman named Aihe ran away because someone was very bad to her. She took her Papa's boat and rowed away. She rowed all night until she rowed into a storm. The storm was REALLY bad," She laughed jiggled the boy a little, eliciting a chorus of giggles from him. "Is my little Joey still there?"
"What happened next Momma?"
"Well what happens next is the best part," Stella continued. She could almost see the cove from here. "So when Aihe got scared, she prayed to Tangaroa, the Great God of the Sea. She said 'Please Great Tangaroa; Please help me be safe'. And Tangaroa heard her cries and rode to her rescue on a giant whale. She was so happy that she fell in love with him. He took her to his magic underwater kingdom and they had lots and lots of babies. And all those babies became the Water Tribe." Wow…Stella was actually pretty pleased with herself for being able to clean that legend up pretty much on the spot. Gramma had her own attempt and it wasn't until Stella had been sixteen that she'd managed to find an actual text. "The Iwi Moana are very beautiful, just like Mommy. My Gramma told me that they had a shiny skin like silver and eyes like jewels. It's said that when a good person is trapped in a storm, the Water Tribe will rescue them and bring them home."
"Wow; have you ever seen one?"
No…but I heard one once," Stella sighed at the memory. "Right here, I heard one sing." She hefted Olly down and permitted him to go exploring. "But God willing, I will see one someday," she said to no one in particular. And everyone who cared about her believed that she would too. Izzy had always said her wife's faith and belief in magic and the unknown was one of the things she loved best about her. She'd never made her beliefs a secret but her little quirk had proved to be difficult in her personal life, especially in upper school. She had a wide array of other interests that granted her a fair number of friends, but in the quest for a significant other, her beliefs had proved complicating to say the least…until blessed Izzy.
You and the boys are without a doubt the best thing that's ever happened to me.
While keeping an eye on the "Little Joey", Stella began poking around herself. Apart from being "her" spot, this cove always had the most beautiful sea shells for her craft projects back home. She'd just fished a few choice shells and reached for another when she scratched herself on something that floated into her path. What in the wide world was this? Stella fished it out and began examining it; a computer hard drive? What was a hard drive doing in the channel? Whatever it was doing there, it was a safe bet that the salt water had ruined it.
Still, she thought to herself, pocketing the little treasure. Might be able to get it fixed and use it at home.
Stella collected a sack full of shells and was about to call Olly back when her ears perked up. It was very faint but growing steadily louder…that sound! Her eyes darted up and she began looking in all directions. She felt like her heart was about to burst out of her chest. Where? Where were they coming from? She…she was GOING to see them this time! "Olly…come quick." He must've been able to sense the excitement in her voice because he ran straight into her arms. "Do you hear that? THAT is the sound of the Iwi Moana…and I think they're saving someone right now."
Louder and louder…it was like she could almost…all of a sudden, the noise had a very distinctive change. She needed to swim out there! She had absolutely no idea where that thought had come from but…it was almost like the voice was calling her to help. Even with Olly here, she was willing but she couldn't see where…Stella's heart skipped a beat. There; Stella could see a patch of bright red hair standing out against the blue water. And whatever it was wasn't moving! She felt at her side…bloody HELL; of all the times for her to forget her bloody mobile it had to be right now! She looked down at Olly…there was nothing for it. She hefted him down onto the sand and looked him in the eye.
"Olly sweetie, this is very important. I need you to run back to the village and find Mommy and bring her back here. Tell her she has to bring her doctor tools to help someone. Can you do that for Momma?"
He readily nodded his agreement and scampered back towards the village. That took care of one problem; now to take care of the other. Stella stripped down to her knickers, tossing her clothes on the bank and took off for the body. It was not quite a quarter of a kilometer to the mouth of the cove and Stella was slightly winded when she got there…but that was the least of her thoughts. Holding the young woman above the water, resplendent in all her glory was an honest to God Iwi Moana! Quite obviously a female, she was the most breathtaking thing Stella had ever seen! She…Stella needed to take the girl. Once again, the musical sound the creature made seemed to translate into words in Stella's mind. Izzy and the others were fast approaching and were strangers to the Iwi Moana. But Stella…Stella was now Friend to Iwi Moana and could be trusted. This child was soon to be a friend too and it was necessary for Stella to help her as a fellow friend. It was so much to take in but Stella grabbed hold of the chunk of plastic the girl was clinging on to. The female Iwi Moana reached out a speckled hand and placed it over Stella's heart in some kind of farewell and quickly swam back out to sea.
Stella was at an utter loss for words. Had she not been abundantly aware of the injured young woman at her side, she was certain she'd have been found staring slack jawed at the open water. But this young woman needed her help. As the wife of a doctor, she'd picked up a fair bit, enough to know that the woman in question was little more than a girl, probably in her early to mid-teens, and she was in bad shape. There was a smeared trail of blood running down her forehead that Stella had a sinking feeling was a concussion. Strange though was the deployed parachute trailing behind her. Bah, that was completely irrelevant right now! Keeping a firm hold on the chunk of plastic and kicked for all she was worth. All she had to do was get as far as the shallows; then she could just carry the poor girl to shore. Her arm was beginning to get sore just as her feet managed to grab the sandy bottom. Now she had to be especially careful. Pulling the girl closer, she cradled her in her arms. By a further strange turn of events, the girl seemed to have a duffle locked in a death grip. Her right arm looked to be dislocated; best to let Izzy try and remove the bag.
Speaking of, Stella's ears picked up the party quickly approaching the water. Izzy had her kit and Papa and her brother Jimmy were carrying the litter.
"What happened?" Izzy asked as she knelt down to start her examination.
"She was out floating in the water nearby," Stella gasped, trying to catch her breath. She turned to Jimmy. "Lend us your knife big brother. I'll cut those cords from her chutes."
A few moments later, Izzy got to her feet and whipped out her mobile. "I don't know what she went through but it's a miracle she's even alive. She needs a hospital NOW!" She dialed 111 and quickly asked for a helicopter to airlift her to Wellington. Stella turned back to the teenager…and noticed something. She was soaked to the skin but the auburn almost red hair, that pale almost green skin…MY GOD; how had she not seen this before?
"Izzy," She called her wife back. "Do you…do you know who this is; the red hair…that face?" Stella could see the wheels turning until they finally clicked into place. "This is Kim Possible's daughter Gracie!"
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
Not for the first time, Shego uttered a silent prayer of thanks to God for creating Wade and Minnie. While Betty and GJ were working on Kim, the Loads were able to zero in on Gracie's exact location thanks to her biometric marker. Shego's heart leapt into her throat when she found out that Gracie was fading in and out of consciousness but her nerves were slightly reduced when Wade was able to identify Gracie had been picked up outside a Maori fishing village and was currently in an aero-med chopper headed to Bowen Hospital in Wellington.
After what seemed like hours, the GJ Chinook helicopter descended onto the landing pad next to the aero-med chopper that had likely brought Gracie in.
"Return to base," Shego barked to the pilot as she ran down the ramp. "I'll notify you when I'm ready to be picked up."
Thankfully the pilot wasn't going to argue. Now on solid ground, the flood gates had burst. All of the worry and stress that she'd managed to hold back just cascaded over her. Her baby was in the hospital! She'd been in a plane crash and…and she was fading in and out of consciousness…her little miracle! Shego took off running, tears cascading down her cheeks, each one burning like acid. With a great leap she burst through the Emergency Room doors so hard that she nearly took the slabs of metal off their hinges. Someone…SOMEONE in here had to be able to help her. Her eyes settled on a very startled looking nurse behind the front desk.
"I'm Shego Possible. Please…please ; my daughter was just admitted here a few moments ago. She's got red hair and…"
"Oh…the Jane Doe who was just brought in a few moments ago; Can I please see some identification?"
Shego's hand shot into a jacket pocket and dug out her Pennsylvania Driver's license. The nurse, sensing Shego's distress, didn't ask many more questions and led her through the doors and to just outside the OR. Shego immediately spotted a brunette woman looking into the window of the operating room.
"Mrs. Possible, this is Stella Anderson. She arrived with your daughter."
Shego's eyes were focused on the window, at her baby on the X-Ray machine. "How is she?"
"The doctors will know more when the x-rays are completed feel free to wait here as long as you like."
Shego was having trouble thinking straight. Her mind was a jumbled mess. She could remember the day she and Kim had brought their little miracle baby home from the hospital, so small and utterly innocent and helpless. That day…that day she promised herself that she would always be there for her and…
"Uh…Mrs. Possible?"
Shego had completely forgotten about the woman next to her. "Oh…sniff…forgive me," Shego sniffed, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Shego Possible," she offered her a hand.
"Stella Anderson," She replied taking the hand. "No worries ma'am. If it were my boys, I'd be the same."
"Where…where did you find her?"
"My boy and I saw her out in the water a little ways from my grandparents' village. I fished her out and my wife did what she could and then called a helicopter. We…we actually met your wife in Wellington a few days ago."
"Thank you," Shego choked out. "God…God bless you for what you did."
Gracie's doctor came out a short time later to explain the situation. Gracie's injuries were pretty severe. She'd dislocated her shoulder, sustained lacerations to her torso where the harness had dug in, two of her ribs on the left were broken and three on the right were broken. Most serious was the concussion. It was far from minor but not so severe that it was life threatening or posed a risk of serious brain damage. The doctor predicted a full recovery but she'd have a long road ahead of her.
"Is there anyone we can contact for you Mrs. Possible?"
"No," Shego replied, trying to get a hold on her emotions now that she'd heard the prognosis. "Uh no; I can handle that. Thank you though."
The only one she could think of calling in a situation like this was Mom. Shego was mentally and physically exhausted and couldn't even begin to figure the time difference but grabbed her Shegophone out and dialed Mom's cell. It took a few minutes but years of being on call had trained Mom to listen for the phone at all times.
"Hi Shego; did you talk to Kim?"
"Mom, I…there's been an accident. Gracie is…in the hospital."
"Oh my God; what happened?"
"It…it's a lot to get into right now. I know this is short notice but…"
"Shego, I will be there as soon as humanly possible. You can fill me in then. I love you and I will see you soon!"
What was she going to say to Mom when she got here? Kim was being held prisoner God knew where and their eldest child had just narrowly survived a plane crash and Shego had…Shego had…
She understood on a rational level that none of this was her fault. But she couldn't…she felt like…while there would be plasma hurling and ass-kickings galore in the days to come, right now she felt useless, worse than useless. When faced with an enemy twice her size, Shego could take them down without even blinking twice…but put one of her babies in a situation like this? She needed Mom. Short of Kimmie herself, Anne Possible was one of the few whom Shego could bear her soul to, and the very first woman whom Shego had dared share her childhood with. She was every inch the mother that Shego had always wanted and the mother that she prayed she'd be with her own children. She…she just didn't trust herself to be alone right now.
"I don't know if I can be alone."
"Pardon?"
Had…had Shego said that out loud? She'd forgotten Stella Anderson was even there. "I…I'm sorry Mrs. Anderson."
"Please, call me Stella. If you'd like me to stay until your mum gets here…"
"Oh Stella…you've already done so much…"
"Nonsense," Stella assured, moving towards the door. "I'll call the missus and let her know. Can I bring you a cup of tea to help you sleep?"
Shego…Shego didn't know what to say. Even here in such difficult times, God blessed Shego with the kindness of strangers. "I…I…thank…thank you. I'd love a cup of Jasmine tea."
Shego heaved a sigh and turned back to the window. Gracie…Gracie…was going to be okay. Her meta-human abilities would speed the healing process. But Kimmie…
Oh Kimmie…May the Lord hear you in your day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob defend you, send you help from his sanctuary and strengthen you out of Zion; Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifices; Grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your mind; Amen.
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
She was dreaming; of that, Gracie Possible was sure. What else could it be? It was strange; this had been the first occasion in which Gracie was actually aware that she was dreaming. What did they call it? Lucid Dreams? She…she was under water. Definitely not Lake Erie; the water was far too clear. Hadn't…hadn't she been in…New Zealand…with…yeah; she was with Mom! But…she was underwater…and Mom was nowhere to be seen…wait a minute! Didn't she…didn't she need to breath?
The physical ramifications of her current predicament…wow; if only Momma could've heard that alliteration…anyway; the physical ramifications aside, Gracie's attention was quickly captured by what looked like a coral reef…wait ANOTHER minute! Were those…they looked like quilts of sea weed. And…THERE! Even in the shimmering clear water, she could make out the sets of shining blue and green eyes, almost like gems set into the coral itself. Slowly…EVER so slowly, the eyes became faces. The faces, streaked with the same colors as the reef almost like war paint, became heads, heads decked with pointy ears and hair of blues, greens, golds, and brilliant silvers. But where Gracie had expected to see legs attached to their pale turquoise skin, were…fins. These were…mermaids…and mermen. She was…she was dreaming about merpeople? Four, one male and three female…how in the world did she know that; four of them took up positions around her and began to sing. The sound was…other worldly, like nothing Gracie had ever heard before. But through the sound, words began to form in her mind.
Iwi Moana; she knew them to be merpeople but they called themselves the Iwi Moana…whatever that meant. She…she was a…a spirit child of Aihe? And that made her Hoa, a Friend to the Iwi Moana. In times of great trouble, they would be her Tiaki…her help in a time of need. But to protect her, they couldn't be known to others…and she had to wake up!
"Gracie? Muffin?"
Gracie jerked upwards. That…that was definitely a voice she'd literally heard. Momma; Momma had told her to…to avoid the vessel…the…THE ONE THAT MOM WAS ON! She'd left Mom behind to be…to be…
"MOM!" Gracie shot up. That…that was most definitely her first mistake; what…what had happened? She…every fiber of her body seemed to be crying out in pain, especially her head.
"Easy Muffin," She heard Momma and felt her familiar hands slowly guiding her back to what turned out to be a hospital bed. She…she was in a hospital? "You've got to take it easy. You're body's really been through the ringer."
"Momma, I…I left her…I left Mom to…but…but she ordered me to…"
"Shhhh," Momma clasped her daughter's hand. "I know. I know everything. It's all going to be okay. I promise you that everything is going to be okay and that we're going to get Mom back. You're going to get well and…and everything is going to be okay. How do you feel?"
"I…ARGH," Gracie cringed as her head settled back on the pillow. Momma…Momma said that she would get Mom back and…and Gracie's head was already spinning like a tilt-a-whirl. Just agree with her. Gracie couldn't argue with the fact that in the short term at least, it would be better to just agree with Momma. "Everything…EVERYTHING hurts. What happened? I remember ejecting and…"
"This has GOT to be a Possible thing. You and your Mom sure didn't get this from MY side of the family," Grandma laughed, brushing away a stray hair from Gracie's forehead. "You gave us quite a scare little lady. Dislocated shoulder, lacerations across your body, two cracked ribs and three broken, and one whopper of a concussion; but in true Possible fashion, you're going to be fine. Do you remember anything sweetie?"
"I…I remember ejecting and…oh man, the hard drives! What happened to…"
"It's okay Muffin," Momma gently guided her back to the bed, lifting the duffle up from next to the bed. "Mighty quick thinking; what else do you remember?"
"Uh…I…I think that the hovercraft blew up when it hit the water. After that…just stray images, being in the water, some…somebody pulling me to shore. Am…you're sure I'm going to be okay? I didn't die out there Benedict Cumberbatch isn't just waiting outside?"
"Much as I'd like that too, you're going to be fine," Grandma chuckled, leaning in and planting a kiss on Gracie's bandaged forehead. "They've got very good doctors here and I promise you that I won't leave your side. The doctors want you to spend a few more nights here then you and I will hop on a plane back to PA."
Back to PA? In the whirlwind of events that had been the past few days, Gracie hadn't even really thought about home. "What…what about Mom?"
"You let me worry about that," Momma smiled and ignited one of her hands in plasma. "They messed with the wrong Momma Possible and they are SO going to be sorry." Gracie couldn't hold back a small laugh, much to her ribs' chagrin. Times like this Gracie was so totally jealous of Momma's powers. Gracie could heal a broken bone in the blink of an eye…unless it was her own. A great healing power coursed through her veins and she had to rely on stupid old modern medicine. "All you need to worry about is taking it easy and getting better." Momma appeared to be mulling something over and stepped to her purse and pulled out a wallet. "I tell ya what. I'm gonna give Grandma fifteen dollars and when you two get home, you have my permission to invite Mary and everybody else over and rent as many movies as that will get you…within reason. Sound good?"
That…that DID sound very good; even now, Gracie was imagining a marathon of Rise of the Fearless Ferret, She's the Guy, and a few choice others; Grandma's supervision eliminated a few films, mostly ones that Billy and Jimmy would've lobbied hard for, but none respectable and classy ladies like Gracie or Mary would miss. What in heaven's name did Billy see in that foul-mouthed Pandaroo named Fred?
"Do we have a deal young lady?"
Gracie was too weak to offer up a hand shake but she smiled and nodded in agreement. "Thanks Momma."
"That's my girl," Momma smiled. The Shegophone chimed and she pulled it out, checking the screen. "Now…now I'm going to ride in on my white horse and bring your mother back."
"Can we GET a white horse after this?"
"Not even if your legs were broken and you'd been hit in the head so hard you thought you were Joan of Arc Grace Anne Possible!"
All got a tremendous laugh at that and Gracie a good deal of sympathy from Grandma after Momma left. This…this was definitely going to be a long recovery, even with the meta-human genes she and the twins shared with Momma. What was Gracie going to do? Was she supposed to keep from laughing for a month? Talk about a hollow life not worth living. Grandma excused herself to the little girl's room, leaving Gracie alone with her thoughts.
Now that she was more aware of her current situation, she couldn't help but flash back to that bizarre…was it really a dream? Or…was it some kind of memory? She had absolutely no idea what to think about that. Gracie had had sort of livid dreams before but none of them were so clear even after she woke up. She could almost remember coming face to face with one of them. In the wake of being shot down, had Gracie really encountered and been saved by…merpeople? And in…in the vision, she would call it, they'd advised her not to speak of this because they only showed themselves to those they chose to…but Gracie just HAD to talk to someone about this.
"Grandma," Gracie asked Grandma as she came back to Gracie's bedside. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course sweetie," Grandma assured. "You know you can ask me anything."
"Do you…do you believe in…fairy tales?"
Grandma took on a very thoughtful look, mulling over Gracie's question. Gracie had been able to talk to her parents about just about anything for as long as she could remember. But on the rare occasions that she was uncomfortable bringing something to Mom or Momma…or she was in a whole heap of trouble with them, Grandma had always had her back. She'd always listened to her granddaughter and seriously considered her opinions.
"That's a tricky one Muffin," Grandma sighed, taking a seat next to the hospital bed. "Well…I've been a doctor for almost 30 years and they train us to believe that everything has an explanation. But…when I look at the things your mothers do," Grandma delicately patted Gracie's shoulder. "When I see the things my grandchildren do, they are nothing short of miraculous. So…yes; whether it's fairy tales or one of the best grandchildren a grandmother could ever hope for, there are things out there that can't be explained. Why do you ask? You see a mermaid out there in the ocean?"
Author's Notes:
I've been wanting to write about merpeople for a long time. They're kind of a hobby of mine and something, like my profile says, I think could really exist. Hopefully the legend I've laid down is a good one.