Ten-year-old Elliot Gilbert has always wondered about how his big sister, Emma, changed her attitude about water. Why did she do a complete 180 from loving the water to avoiding it like it was the plague? For Emma was the one that taught him how to swim when he was four and she's the one that first introduced him to surfing when he was eight. In fact, she promised him that she would teach him to scuba dive when he turned twelve in two years. Then suddenly, she started begging off that promise. It just never made any sense. She's always saying to let the professionals teach me, but I want her to teach me", quipped Elliott.
Elliott knew it had something to do with that day she spent at Mako Island with her two friends, Rikki and Cleo. It just didn't make sense to him. Emma never had any problem with attending his little league games and soccer matches, unless rain was in the forecast. He had even gotten online to research Mako island and all he got was that the island was a national park opened to campers and hikers and some mystic bullshit about urban legends that had to do with mermaids and mermen. More BS that my friend, Kim, keeps telling me. Like she believes her sister, Cleo, is a mermaid. Mer people don't exist.
"Oh, stop it Elliott, he scolded himself, you're starting to sound like that brat, Kim, Cleo's little sister that read her sister's private diary. How rude. Even I would never read Emma's diary and I know where she keeps it but that wouldn't be right. Just like she wouldn't read mine either. "Yes, Emma and me, were as thick as thieves, at least we used to be", Elliott thought sadly. It's as if she is trying to avoid me. Did he do something wrong that pissed her off?
He's going to get his chance today to investigate that island today as he stood on the bow of the boat that's taking him and his cub scout troop for an overnight camping trip. Hadn't the Hardy Boys gone to the scene of the crime to investigate, even Nancy Drew would have done the same with her friends.
Once on the island and camp is set up, everyone is in free time and Elliott sets out to explore the island on his own.
An hour later, Elliott finds an entrance to a cave, and he enters it to find a cool blue pool. Then he jumps into the still blue waters. Immediately he feels a strange type of calmness. Elliott decides this will be his private place that nobody knows about and he's going to come back tonight when everyone is asleep. He gets out to join the others like nothing happened.
After dinner the troop gathers around the campfire to roast marshmallows and talk trash about everyone's favorite football team. Eventually everyone goes back to their tents to climb into their sleeping bags to fall asleep, but Elliott feigns sleep until he's sure everyone is fast asleep.
Elliott gets out of his sleeping bag, and he's prepared to use the excuse of having to relieve himself if caught. Luckily, he's not caught. Soon he's now standing at the edge of the blue pool. He finds the blue water is different tonight. This afternoon the water was still like glass but now it's swirling like a hot tub, and it seemed so inviting so he jumped back in. Elliott feels the same safe contentment that he felt this afternoon, but this was way different though. He looks up to see the opening over the blue pool just as the full moon passes over it. After the moon passed it, Elliott Gilbert, kid brother to his sister, Emma, feels something strange happening to him. He falls asleep. He dreams that he's a merboy with a tail swimming alongside his big sister and her friends exploring the ocean.
Hours later, Elliott awakens, "Oh shit! It was just a dream but what a cool dream it was. He climbs out to head back to his troop mates. Like nothing happened.
Later that day, they are back on the mainland of the gold coast and he's walking toward home, and he decides to cut through the park when he sees Emma and her two friends playing frisbee. He cuts through the running sprinkler system, as he has done before numerous times and soon, he sprouts a tail. WTF! Emma sees her brother now has his own tail and needs her and her friend's assistance.
Emma, not thinking about herself but only of her younger brother, ignoring the pleas from Rikki and Cleo, rushes over to help her brother, finds herself drenched in full mermaid form next to her now merboy brother.
"What the hell! Yelled Elliott. I have a mer-tail like in my dream and Emma has one too".
Emma first cloaks herself and then her brother and then dries herself and then him, telling him that he's going to have to learn to do this himself, but we will teach you. Once they both have their legs back, Emma tells her younger brother,
"Obviously you discovered the moon pool", Elliott, questioned Emma.
.
"No shit, captain Obvious", responded Elliott, in the same smart-ass way of his that she came to adore about her younger brother. He has absolutely lacked a filter.
What am I supposed to do now, Emma"? You should've told me, "Are Rikki and Cleo mermaids too", asked Elliott.
"Yes, they are", answers Emma.
"Now everything makes sense with you avoiding water, Emma, it wasn't me", exclaimed Elliott. Can I assume that this is permanent?
"It seems to be with us as I assume the same with you", answered Emma.
"So, I'm in the same predicament as you three and I have to try avoid that nosey sister of yours, Cleo", added Elliott. For she's already suspicious of you three and she's going to suspect me too.
"Thanks for the heads up about Kim, thanked, Cleo.
We've noticed that you and Kim hardly hang around anymore, Rikki.
"I got tired of her calling the three of you freaks and when she started calling Emma a freak, that was the last straw. Now no one dares call my big sister a freak and I mean no one.
"Let's take this to my house," offered Rikki, my parents are gone for the night. We can start teaching Elliot about his new abilities that he is about to discover as a new merboy.
"Can we get something to eat first, asked Elliott, I've got such a craving for pralines all sudden.
"You are definitely one of us now", declared Cleo.
"You can now call us, the three mermaids and a merboy", Emma added.
"I like the sound of that", agreed, Elliott.
