"Madame Grape will be alright," Tanner said.
"You're just lying to yourself to make yourself feel better." Eugene folded his arms. "Are you sure you saw something fall from the battle?"
"I'm certain," Flynn said. "It was golden, just like Madame Grape's mask and bracelets. Even if she is truly dead, we want something to hang on the memorial."
Tanner paddled further into the water. Night had begun to fall, and the remaining light was scarce. The only shimmer of hope that remained was to see a golden bracelet shine in the distant spotlights of Sparkle Theater. Travis examined the stars with his telescope before it was taken by Tanner. Tanner looked intensely through the lens as the boat bobbed in the mostly still sea.
"There! I see it! Madame Grape's mask!" Tanner tossed Travis back his telescope. "I knew she was still alive!" He padded with a new determination.
"Just because her mask is fine doesn't mean she is," Eugene snapped back.
Flynn stood and went to the front of the boat. "We need something long to reach with, or we could move in closer. Tanner, you're the ship expert here. What should we do?"
"If we get too close, we might push her mask away with the motion from the boat. Maurice!"
The Bunchling poked his head out the water. "Yes?"
Tanner took the telescope from Travis again. "Here, look over there. That's Madame Grape's mask. Can you go grab it?"
He looked through the telescope. "Oh...Sure. Here." He ducked back under and the ship-riding Bunchlings watched him swim away.
Tanner handed the telescope back this time. "Alright, we've saved the rest of Bunchlings and found Madame Grape in the same day. This day's really turning around for us!"
Maurice returned. "It wasn't her mask...But I found this." He dropped a few cardboard coins into the boat. "Her mask probably sank, since it's metal. Do you want me and the rest of the mermaids to find it? It's dark down there...I might fall asleep. I'm already tired...Can we call it a night?" He yawned. "We've been searching for three days..."
Tanner sighed. "Fine. I'm just worried about Madame Grape, is all."
Maurice smiled. "Don't worry...My friends can keep looking for you. We can take turns. I love her, and I hope she's okay too..."
Trevor tapped the side of the ship. "Let's head back to shore. We can give our arms and legs a rest there. I don't want to drift out into the ocean while we sleep."
Tanner turned around and began paddling back to the beach. "We have to find her, we need to. If we fail Madame Grape..."
"We won't fail her," Flynn comforted. Although, it was more like an "angry comfort," since he had a naturally aggressive voice. "She trusts us, and I know we'll find her. And she knows that too."
She couldn't hear anything, and lacked the energy to open her eyes. It felt as if somebody tossed her in a trash compactor, the pressure slowly increasing the longer she sat there. If only she was more prepared...Perhaps this was her fate, whatever it was. Perhaps she was the one to fall to tragedy in the end. Her curtains were closed.
Her story was finished.
