Chapter Seventeen

When Melody woke, she was staring up at the sun streaming through the oceans surface. Purple petals obscured her view. Melody sat up and found she was in the Little Mermaid's garden. Atiana looked like she was seven years old again, sitting on her rock and gazing at the prince statue.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"How did we get back here?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Melody realized her mistake. "You don't remember ever leaving do you?"

"No. Are you all right? You look like you're in pain."

"I got a headache. Not much more than that, thankfully."

Melody took a seat on Atiana's rock. The book character lost interest in Melody when she became silent. Once more, the mermaid gazed at her statue, oblivious to all else, waiting for her story to be read.

So, trying to get out through the ending didn't work. I wonder why. Too bad Atiana can't tell me anything. Or maybe another version of her could.

Melody looked in the direction of the white void. She hated the thought of having to go through the entire story again. It was too bad they couldn't just jump ahead, skipping the pages like she did when reading a boring part in a book.

Why couldn't they? Melody currently wasn't at the very beginning of the story, and she reasoned only Atiana could have brought her back here.

"Atiana, I'd like to try something. Could you come with me?"

Melody led Atiana over to the white void. They got right up to the edge before Melody explained her plan. "I want you to picture the ending of your story. I'm hoping we can swim straight to that part instead of going through the entire book again."

"But, Melody, I don't know how my story ends."

"Close your eyes." Melody told Atiana the story. She told her of the storm, rescuing the prince, the deal with the sea witch, and her time spent on land. Melody gritted her teeth and told the part of the prince falling in love with the other girl. "Now, it's the night after they got married. You're on the deck holding the dagger your sisters gave you, just about to throw it into the water. We need to go to that part."

"Okay." Atiana took Melody's hand, and they swam into the void. It was just as uncomfortable as before, but when the light faded Melody found herself standing on the deck of the ship. Atiana was a grown woman now, standing on two legs and holding the dagger in her hand.

"Do you remember now? What happened when we tried to swim through the last void?"

Atiana nodded. Then she pointed to Melody with one hand and then made a circular arc with an open palm.

"I don't understand what you're trying to tell me."

Atiana made a slicing gesture across her throat.

"I was dying?" Atiana nodded. "But how?"

The Little Mermaid made gestures.

"It's a storm. Not storm. Rain. It's raining. The rain…goes away. It evaporates. Are you saying I was disappearing?"

Atiana smiled and clapped her hands at Melody's accurate guessing.

"So how did I survive?"

I pulled you back, was the result of the mermaid's gestures.

"Wow. Thanks for saving me."

The two girls shared a smile.

"Don't suppose you know of a way out?"

Atiana shook her head apologetically.

"It was worth asking."

Melody took a seat on a nearby crate. She needed to think. Atiana assumed her pose of standing by the railing and gazing at the dagger.

"Spells can be broken. I know that much about magic. What I need to do is talk with someone who knows more about it than me. And there just so happens to be a sea witch in this story. That's it!" Melody jumped up. "Atiana, can you take us to the part where you meet the sea witch?"

Are you sure? Was what Atiana's look said.

"I don't think I have a choice. Will you be able to get us there without me disappearing?"

Atiana put her hand over her heart and nodded, as if to say, "Yes, I promise to keep you safe."

Once again, the girls jumped off the side of the boat and swam through the void. This time when the girls emerged, they were in a terrible, dark part of the sea. The first time they had swum through this section, Melody had paid little attention; she was so focused on her escape. Now it was in her best interest to heed her surroundings. Beneath them the ocean floor was a bubbling pile of mud. Behind them Melody could see the ground spotted with whirlpools that were pulling in small bits of debris. Melody was thankful she did not have to pass through that, but there was a more terrifying obstacle between them and the witch's house.

A field of polyps, reaching to the surface as tall as the tallest trees Melody had ever seen, was between them and the small hut in the distance. Each strand looked like it was made from a hundred snakes, all entwined together with their eyes glaring back and their tails lashing out ready to pull in unlucky victims. From where they currently swam, Melody could see the vines clinging to bones.

"Boy, why go through all this trouble of learning spells and whatnot if you don't want to have customers?" Melody questioned aloud.

Melody recounted when her mother told the story about going to see Ursula and ask her for a pair of human legs.

"I bet you were scared," Melody had said that night, tucked snugly in her bed.

"I was the most scared I had ever been in my life," her mother admitted. "But I knew it would be worth it. So, I swam inside the serpentine's skeleton. The bottom was covered in polyps that tried to reach out and grab me. I didn't know it at the time, but they were Ursula's customers who couldn't pay her price. They were trying to protect me from her, but I didn't understand."

Staring at the menacing forest in front of her, clinging to unlucky skeletons who didn't make it through, Melody doubted these polyps had well intentions.

But if Melody ever wanted to see her mother again, through the polyp forest she must go.

And that would definitely be worth it.