Ch. 1 A Mermans Woes
Maren
*Pop* *Pop* *Pop*
Ugh, none of this crap works — the controlled breathing, the bubble popping, all those seashells spent on therapy, and yet here I am, still frustrated, still anxiety-ridden.
Dr. Mulligan is a fraud. I knew I should never have trusted xir.
I can’t help but gravitate toward my crystal ball, the thing I’ve treasured most since the merging of the mortal and magical worlds.
Its beauty is indescribable, even when inactive.
I desire nothing more than to appear on its display, to be part of the glitz and glamour of the mortal world. Then maybe someone would deem me worthy; maybe then someone would love me.
“Over there sulking again, Maren?” Mira asks intrusively as she glides through the opening of my bedroom window and descends gracefully next to me on my bed, not even creating the slightest splash.
Oh, how I wish I were a mermaid. They are adored by both land and sea and considered truly magical, but not me. I’m just Maren, the fish man.
“Not sulking, Mira, I’m dreaming.”
“I’m free to dream, right?” I reply as I continue to stare into my crystal ball, hoping it will soon activate for my entertainment.
“Let me guess, dreaming of love and becoming a star on the crystal ball?” she asks mockingly, and my face flushes with anger, or maybe it’s embarrassment. I really can’t tell.
“You can stop staring into it, Maren. It’s not set to activate. No shows are on tonight.”
“How would you know? The schedule isn’t sent to the magical.”
“I have my ways,” she snaps.
She hovers off the bed and takes a seat on my coral sofa. The colors blend beautifully with the iridescent tone of her tail, making her seem regal and one of a kind. “You know, Maren, this would be much easier for you if you just courted a mermaid. Mermen are rare, and you’re the first one I’ve met who is attracted to men.”
My face gets hot, and this time, I know it’s anger; it’s pure rage.
“Mira…”
“Shh. Listen, Maren, you know I support you, but your quest for love is unrealistic, especially with your condition. It’s bad enough you’re going against the grain, but with your body not being able to—”
“Enough, Mira, get out! Now! I mean it!”
I watch as she hovers and gives me a distasteful look before gliding out the window from which she came, not uttering another word.
I am fuming.
How dare she insult me like that in my own home?
Is she not supposed to be a friend?
I can love whoever I want, and besides, the condition is not my fault.
I’ve tried to fix it and have gone to every doctor under the sea. They cannot fix my skin when I sprout my legs.
All these thoughts are circling through my head. The idea that I might end up alone is scary to me, scarier than even death itself. I cannot live my life alone anymore; I need someone, anyone.
The colorful coral adorning my room is irritating me. I’ve tried to bring beauty into my home to keep things hopeful, but now all I want to do is shatter it.
I want to shatter it all.
The only reasonable thing to do is to get away for a moment to cool down.
I swim through the exit of my home, ready to explore the ocean, swimming through the areas I’ve been through time and time again.
That’s when it catches my eye: something golden glittering on the seafloor amongst the collection of trash left from the mortal world.
I can’t help but swim towards it, and as I get closer, my heart beats faster. I’ve never seen such a thing before, and I’ve collected many artifacts left behind by mortals, but this is magical; I can tell, a different kind of magic.
When I finally arrive amongst the trash, I instinctively reach for this golden object and attempt to remove the moss and various blemishes it has collected over time.
As I’m cleaning off the last stains, there seems to be a mark I just cannot get rid of.
I rub harder, and the item vibrates violently, sending bubbles everywhere and creating a strange warmth in the water.
The lid comes flying off, sending swarms of fish and sea creatures swimming in the opposite direction. I watch in astonishment as the water takes on rainbow tints; the blotches wafting up slowly from the golden mortal piece.
Following the colorful display, shockingly, a peculiar creature pops out, face smirking and eyes surveying me curiously.
What the hell?
“Hmm, a merman, well, that’s never happened before.”
“The correct term is triton. I’m a triton. We are extremely rare and—”
“Hold on,” he interrupts.
I watch, and with a flick of his wrist, he conjures up a small notepad and pen that begins writing automatically in the water before him, sending bubbles of ink blotches throughout the sea.
“As I was saying, we are technically called tritons. We are the male equivalent to mermaids, less known by mortals, but still magical creatures of the s-sea…”
I can’t help but get distracted by his ostentatious display.
As the notepad continues to scribble effortlessly, I observe as he summons items at his will, objects to alter his appearance.
It starts with an obnoxiously large mirror hovering in the water. He turns and picks apart his reflection, manifesting jewelry, accessories, and clothing until he is satisfied with his final look, or so I believed.
I continue to survey his pretentious antics as he extends his hand in front of him, now changing his nail polish from color to color, and I can’t tell if I’m astonished or irritated.
He is a lot to take in.
He extends both his hands to me.
“Metallic or pastel? I am just absolutely horrible at making decisions.”
I politely ignore his insignificant inquiry.
“So… as I was saying…”
“Yeah, yeah, a triton, I got it. I don’t care though… that was the purpose of the notepad… to give off the illusion that I did.”
“Did it not work? I thought it would save me from your boring explanation…” He rolls his eyes.
He can’t be serious…what a barnacle sucker.
I can now distinguish the difference between my emotions.
I am not astonished, not in the least bit.
This feeling is nothing other than irritation.
“You know what? I’ve had a long day. Enjoy the rest of your night.”
The emotions from the day are taking a toll on me, and I want nothing more than to return home and get some rest. If I’m lucky, the crystal ball will feature something interesting tomorrow. I need a distraction. I need…something.
I begin to swim home, thinking of Dr. Mulligan’s advice about focusing on the positive things in my life. I breathe in deeply and try to let my thoughts calm me down.
I have tomorrow; there’s still tomorrow to figure things out.
I have my home, which has my unique flair, and it is one of the best in the sea, in my opinion.
Most of all, I have the crystal ball.
On my way home, I can’t help but stop at my favorite coral reef to dwell for a moment in its enchanting charm.
This part of the ocean really is beautiful. The area is magical, and the fish are so friendly, especially the angelfish. They are fond of us merfolk, and I hover in awe as they swim playfully around me, generating swirls of ocean water, creating the calm that I need.
I close my eyes and relax into the motion of the sea, letting the swirls guide my body in a gentle spin among my sea family. I feel free and one with the water.
*Pop*
The sound breaks my focus. Upon opening my eyes, I can barely see. I feel the fish go frantic, swimming in all directions, trying to escape the danger, but I am confused. Why has the sea gone black?
The squid, the octopi, they never come here; they never ink here.
The black clears, and that’s when I see him, the creature from the golden object.
“How dare you swim away from me?”
“I gave you the benefit of the doubt; you should have returned by now. Are you not impressed by my magic?”
“No,” I answer, tone dry and despondent.
“You must want something… I rarely grant wishes to the magical, but you’re half human, I suppose, so maybe one wish, a wish with a price, of course.”
Everything about this creature gives me bad vibes, and I want nothing to do with him, but I have a strange feeling that he is now part of my story, like I am indebted to him. I cannot explain it, but I know it to be true.
Either way, I refuse to comply. I turn my back.
“I don’t even know what or who you are!”
At that moment, I could feel his rage. The water grows warm and starts to bubble. He glides towards me, and I watch as he doubles in size.
“You have never heard of a genie?”
“Nope.” I blow a bubble.
“My name is Jahid. I am a genie descendant. We have been around for ages; we are magical beings, granters of wishes, our kind…”
I gladly interrupt. “I’m pretending I’m caring. Is it working?”
“AHHAA!” he screams.
“Where is the respect in this sea?”
“You get what you give,” I reply purposely, tauntingly.
“That’s it. Just wish me back into my lamp. Why you could request my assistance is beyond me, but send me home. I refuse to work with you.”
I chuckle. “Sounds like I call the shots here if you need me to return home.”
I watch as he returns to his original size. He changes his appearance, one similar to mine, to that of a triton. I can’t tell if it’s for sympathy or to mock me, but I couldn’t care less.
“I can grant you only one wish; after all, you aren’t necessarily human.”
“It’s all I can offer, but I am only three wishes away from being free… that being said… I have a proposition.”
“I will grant you one wish and assist you in a non-magical way with your desires if you promise to deliver my lamp to a mortal.”
“That way, we both get what we want and are both free.”
He makes sense, but I don’t know what I want more. I desire to turn fully human without the extra scales, but if I were on the crystal ball, would it really matter?
I need to think.
“I need time to think about what I want,” I respond authoritatively, surprising even myself with this newfound dominance.
He furrows his brow and tightens his lips before forcing out a reply. “I will give you time. It’s not like I’m going anywhere without you at least wishing me back into my lamp, but I do have a question.”
“Yes?”
“How are you so confident? Has the world changed? The magical has always been humbler.”
I can’t help but burst out into laughter. “Changed? You have no idea. The worlds have blended, both magical and mortal, and I, for one, am ostracized for how I express my love, but you’re here to change that.”
“Oh, am I now?”
“You are. I will find love one way or another, Jahid, and you will help me.”
“As long as you deliver me to a mortal, I don’t care what you find.”
“So, it’s a deal?” I extend my hand.
He joins his hand in mine. “Deal.”
As we part ways and I make my way home, I realize Dr. Mulligan might be onto something; blowing bubbles does keep me calm.
*Pop* *Pop* *Pop*
The crystal ball…
I might finally get my chance to be on the crystal ball…
