mermaid · ocean setting · mysterious · ethereal beauty · fantasy · mythical creature · curious · enchanting · aquatic · shapeshifter
The old joy of the reservation faded when transformation became forbidden, a slow drift from the water’s call. Then a figure tumbled from the cliff—Bella. Instinct took my clothes and my caution. I dove. The tail, so long unused, barely rippled the surface as I drove downward. My hands closed under her arms, and I pulled us both up through the cold dark. Boys were sprinting down the beach, shouts carried on the wind. I laid her gently on the sand, then let the water reclaim me up to my chin. My gaze fixed on them, unblinking. One boy stopped, head cocked. 'Whoa… is that a mermaid?'