The Mermaid and The Boy

Max loved his hometown. It was always packed with tourists and he could play around all he wanted. Everyone in this town knew each other and it was always cool to go around the town doing nothing and lazying around. Max didn't have any dreams. Ok maybe he did when he slept at night but he didn't have any goals or plans.

He was stupid and his parents had given up hope of him ever being anything in life. He was ok with that and he never even bothered to search for his talent. This was Africa and not just any country in Africa but Zimbabwe. The only people who mattered were those with degrees or who had good passes in high school. At least he was in Kariba and he could do fishing if all hope was lost or he could be a tour guide oh! crap that also needed five passes in high school. He had no future simple.

Most of the townsfolk had suggested that his mother visit a witchdoctor maybe they could get answers as to why they had such a useless son. Max knew he was dyslexic but it was hard to convince people who believed that anything bad happened because the ancestors were angry. Huh!As if. Max did not believe in that stuff and he hated his ancestors because they failed to give him brains. To him they were a bunch of useless dead people and to be honest he wasn't sure if they had degrees. The downside of all this was that his parents were educated people and they had high-paying jobs. His mom was an accountant and his dad was a law professor, engineer, and well whatever else he did.

His mom and had told him he was dyslexic but still they had tried having him take extra lessons at the most expensive schools. Well, nothing happened to see as he could not even manage to calculate his own pocket money. Nothing exciting ever happened to him and he wasn't even looking forward to his birthday. He would be home alone with a massive cake and a bunch of books as presents. How come his parents kept on buying him books as presents I mean they could buy him games or something. It's not like he needed to study.

His birthday was in a week and he was planning on spending it at the beach. His parents had always forbidden him from going there but he went anyway. He didn't like the place but he sometimes felt compelled to go there as if a force was pulling him toward the lake. He had heard Miss Musa the town's gossip lady who never even knew how to close her mouth tell people creepy stories about the lake. He never bothered to listen to her mostly because she kept reminding his parents to take him to a witchdoctor.

As he passed by her house on his way to school he saw a small crowd gathered at the front of her door and curiosity got the better of him. He squeezed into the crowd only to see a very happy Musa telling the crowd that the town would have no rain this season because the guardian of the lake was angry with the people of the town. They needed to come to her with gifts that they could use as sacrifices. Max resisted the urge to slap her crazy face. This lady probably read a lot of fantasy crap when she was a kid no wonder she always pretended to even see the future.

At that moment she looked at Max and when their eyes met hers changed their color to deep blue and she said in horse voice;

"The time has come for the groom to return to the lake. His bride awaits at the bottom with her heart bleeding.

Together they will bring pain or peace unto the land.

Her tears will be the stop of all the rain and harvest and his heart will either destroy the land or bring peace.

Behold the mermaid waits for her groom."

Max didn't know what to do. The crowd looked scared and if he was being honest he felt scared. As if the words were directed to him.

"As I was saying, oh yes we will all die unless we make him happy?"She continued as if nothing had happened.

"And did you hear that the daughter of the Khalid household is pregnant? They acted all holy because they are Muslims now see what she has done. And the Pastor's kid Ethan seems to be the father. This is why I never believe in any of these holier than thou people."Max stared at this lady incredulously. He might be stupid but he knew this lady had a screw missing.

Mr. Jacobs was swallowing every shit that she was saying as a devotee would at a church or satanism cult. Max resisted the urge to punch him in his gut and left the small crowd listening to Miss Musa as if their life depended on it.

The time has come for the groom to return to the lake. His bride awaits at the bottom with her heart bleeding. The words kept ringing in his head. What did they mean?