The Maiden and The Four Waters

She twisted her long hair up to her head and squashed it under her helmet. She looked down at the riverbed, she couldn’t see the depth of the normally shallow edge.

She took a deep breath to allow herself one last gasp of air before diving headfirst into the water.

She didn’t crash onto the river’s bed instead couldn’t feel the bottom of the water; she swam down into the water. She struggled to open her eyes. Her body began to struggle with air the further she pushed herself down.

Her body began to struggle under the height of the water. She couldn’t push on any further. She forced herself back up to the top of the water. She felt the sunlight beam down on her as her head poked up.

Her body took in the air, she allowed herself to give herself the thing her body have craved, oxygen.

Her face widened with panic as she was dragged under the water. She struggled to hold her beath the further she was pulled down. Water pushed up her nose and in her mouth. Her eyes struggled to stay open with the force of the dragging.

She felt her body tumble on what felt like a chair. She attempted to open her eyes, tempted to see the place she was in.

She struggled to see she was seated at a wooden hand craved table with ten chairs comfortable positioned around it.

She struggled to see the windows cut out of the wall with no glass barrier between the inside and outside.

She panicked when she felt something touch her. She heard a mumble before feeling her hands being wrapped around what felt like a metal cup with a handle.

She was assisted with lifting the cup to her lips. She felt liquid fill her mouth than travel down her throat. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it tasted sweet. She drank until the last drop left the cup; she lowered the cup from her lips. She closed her eyes as she struggled to find what the sweet liquid was.

She could hear someone stirring something in a pot behind her. She could hear something bubbling. Her sense of smell filled with curiosity; the smell of the sweetness pulled her senses alive.

She slowly opened her eyes taking notice of where she was. Seeing the water sway gently around her, not lifting anything in its path.

Flowers decorated the centre of the dining table.

She watched as a shark swam towards her, stopping at the gap for a window, watching her.

The shark turned away from her and swam away.

She slowly turned around. She noticed a woman with long flowy hair with her bareback turned.

The arms of the woman were wrapped with swirls of small shells that stopped at the back of her shoulders.

She looked down at the woman; she wasn’t able to tell if the woman was standing on her feet or if she was a mermaid with the way her tight skirt extended out on the floor.

The woman turned around.

She took notice of the bare stomach of the woman; she slowly moved her gaze up to the woman’s chest seeing small shells cover the nipples of the woman’s breasts. She looked up at the woman’s face.

“I’m...” The woman shrieked loudly “But you may call me, Mariana.”

Her lower jaw dropped. She had heard stories of creatures like Mariana but never believed they still existed.

“What do I call you?” Mariana stopped stirring as she inspected the human woman in front of her.

She paused for a moment, giving herself time to think about where she was, who she was and where she came from.

“Human?” Mariana curiously looked at the woman seated at the dining table.

The human woman remained silent.

Mariana waved her hand hard in front of her forcing the woman out of the window.