AmelieForbes

For the remainder of that night I stayed clear of the island. And I must have been giving off the kind of vibe that told I wanted to be alone and not disturbed, for not even Chloe sought to join or chaperone me. I felt safe. In my head I could hear and picture the scenes playing out back on the island and in the cave. Hal had instructed Charlotte to administer to Kristin the mermaids water. That done, Kristin's fate was sealed. Her long months of deprivation and suffering had been for nothing. At least that was the way I felt sure she would see things. Then, as if he hadn't done enough already, Hal had carried her helpless body to the side of

Gripped by fear I watched my lower body twitch and spasm as my change completed. Near my hips, transparent and delicate looking fins developed and caught the sun from time to time. I hadn't noticed them last night in the darkness, or perhaps they hadn't even been there, maybe this was an additional change only now occurring because I'm further along my journey to becoming a full time mermaid. I wept because it was now unlikely that I'd live long enough to develop gills and experience the joy of being able to stay underwater indefinitely, diving down into the depths and exploring parts of the world that most humans never get to see. And of cou

Sara joined Chloe and I for a late night fishing excursion. I got the feeling that neither of them would have gone to the trouble of feeding again were it not for me. Even though I was worried witless about Hal and Kristin my appetite won out and compelled me to satiate my almost constant hunger one more time tonight. There is currently no other individual, human or mermaid, with a bigger appetite than I have at the moment. In fact if being a mermaid entailed having an almost insatiable appetite all the time, I dare say I'd be approaching my new life with even more trepidation than I am already. I felt greedy and a little embarrassed to have

When I awoke it was still dark in the entrance to the cave. Chloe was sleeping, but numerous other mermaids had now gathered in the pool. I recognised Charlotte and Inge, Chloe's three daughters were also present. Charlotte's partner, Izzy sat opposite me and there were four other mermaids whose names I had trouble remembering. I felt a little overwhelmed and self conscious sat topless, naked really, among them. Fortunately Chloe stirred and sensing my discomfort she gestured for me to follow her. As we left the cave she paused and offered me another bowl of water. I gratefully accepted it. Grabbing my swimsuit I felt relieved to finally get

In the following days the heat was unrelenting. Midsummer. Long swelteringly hot days and short hot nights. The sun stirred early and the islands wildlife earlier still. Birds and animals alike knew better than to try and find food during the hottest part of the day. Birdsong woke us all before approaching daylight had the chance. During the nightshift nocturnal creatures roamed around the clearing we called our home in the hope of finding leftover scraps from our meals. Like us they were desperately in need of more water. I was in need of exercise. Long walks at daybreak became my habit. Hal wasn't up to joining me, but Kristin sometimes di

The sun continued to bake those on the island that weren't fortunate enough to be able to seek respite either in the sea or below its surface. As always, the mermaids looked cool, elegant and beautiful. We three humans are all looking the worse for wear. I find the symptoms of dehydration are very similar to an alcohol induced hangover. All the pain, but none of the fun beforehand. Constant headache, parched lips, dry mouth and a complete lack of energy. I've always loved hot weather. I've never been happier than the days I spent hiking through The Arches National Park. And what sun drenched energy sapping days those were. But we were never s

The next two days passed in a sweltering haze of heat and a torpid state settled upon every living thing upon and around the island. Without the gentlest of breezes to stir the languid leaves, even the tree canopy was motionless and eerily silent. In the thick vegetation all manner of rodents and reptiles sought cover and relief from the heat. The mermaids spent much of the time either at sea, presumably below the surface, or lazily passing the time in the rock pool of their cozy cave. I spent some time with them there, but while I did, I felt no small sense of guilt for leaving poor Hal and Kristin to bake in our clearing. It was on one such

I jumped to my feet, stumbled, began running towards her and called out, "Is he okay?" As I got closer to her I could make out the smile on her face. "He's conscious." I shrieked with joy and ran past her into the clearing. Charlotte was beside him and turned at the sound of my approach. She smiled and then moved aside to make room for me. Rather like a soccer player who's just scored a goal, I skidded beside him on my knees. His eyes were open and he looked a whole lot better than he had when I left. His face was flushed and nothing like as pale and washed out as it had been. "Hal! It's me! How're you feeling?" He looked at me and frowne

The remainder of the afternoon was a long and hot affair. Hal was showing no sign of recovery, but on the plus side, he wasn't looking or sounding any worse. I'm just relieved that he's still with us. As Kristin has suggested, I'm taking every hour that passes as a good sign. Overnight will be the crucial time for him. I shared a meal of - well, to be honest I'm not sure what it was. The meat was from a bird that Kristin can't identify. She told me that it's around the size of a turkey, but in appearance it's very similar to the long extinct Dodo. She says that it's rather hopeless at flying, and the male bird has a plumage so colorful that i

When we were still some distance from the beach I noticed that there appeared to be a welcoming party awaiting us. To my surprise, among them was a woman. The cause of my surprise was that the woman was standing. She had legs. Around her were three or four mermaids. As we drew nearer to beaching I braced myself at the stern of the boat. The bow buried itself into the sand on the shore, our momentum hadn't been that great, the wind having eased the last hour or so, but it still managed to make me stagger forward a little. The woman with legs was quick to wade out into the water and clamber aboard. As she lifted one leg over the boats side, sh