Jake Nusynowitz
AP Literature
Ms. Howard
6
December 2014
We are told we evolved from an ancestor
common to humans. A wizard, Mermis of Atlantis, activated our DNA. Something
not many people know was that Atlantis was in touch with the supernatural
world. Atlantis was not forever, though. Mermis foretold the end of
Atlantis, but few heeded his warnings. My ancestors chose to have their genes
activated and imbued with special powers. When Atlantis sank, we were the
only ones to survive. Mermis became our leader. We rebuilt Atlantis deep
beneath the ocean as our new home.
I
I always have this dream that I’m flying.
It always starts the same, my lone body hovering above cerulean waters. All of
a sudden, I am in total control, exploring the world, watching humans. You
know, it’s in that fantasy where I feel completely safe. I’ve finally escaped
the waters that trapped me for seventeen years. And then I wake up.
That dream was, in a way, always a
fantasy, until the eleventh full moon of the year. It was a normal day; I woke
up, had breakfast with my parents, collected four baskets of sea kelp, and
raced Meranda around Mermis Rock. It wasn’t until I returned to my parents that
things became far from normal.
II
“You’re
going to land today, Meredith. We’ve found a beautiful city for you to stay in
and go to school. There are many prospective humans there,” my parents
explained. I felt my head getting light. I never thought this day would come.
They were sending me out of the ocean and to land. I felt the sea kelp I ate
earlier come up. But I knew it was time, and I was ready. When a mermaid turns
seventeen, she joins the human world to search for a human man who can help her
reproduce and continue her family. I just didn’t know they would send me off so
soon. That night, I said my goodbyes to Meranda and my parents. Soon, the
Transfer Committee took me to land. As soon as the sun came up, they brought me
out of the water. I always imagined what my legs would look like, but I never
actually thought I would have them. They were so long and beautiful, just like
a human! We all walked to a black box, what we were told were called “cars,” I
thanked them, and they were gone. I was on the road to my new home.
III
We pulled up to a beautiful house in
“Miami, Florida.” As I stumbled to the front door (I was still learning how to
use my legs), a man, a woman, and a boy were standing there, smiles beaming
from cheek to cheek. “Welcome to Miami, Meredith!” They all shouted. They all
shook my hand and brought me inside. This was my new home. This was my new
family. They showed me the kitchen, the family room, and my bedroom equipped
with a pool of water for me to sleep in. When the moon came out, my tail came
back and without water, I would not be able to survive. They showed me my
clothes and where I would be going to school. It all seemed to happen so fast,
but I loved it. After getting to know them, I settled in, then headed
downstairs for dinner. The mother and father prepared something called sushi. I
did not know what sushi was but it reminded me of the ocean. I liked it.
IV
That night, the boy came into my room.
His name was John. He had brown hair and beautiful piercing blue eyes. He asked
me how I liked it here. We started off with small talk, talking about school
and friends and Miami. We couldn’t stop talking. We talked about religion and
politics and the mermaid world and the human world and love and hatred and everything
in between. We talked for six hours. I loved him. I knew he was the one. As the
sun came up, he went back to his room while as we both grasped the few hours of
sleep we could get. He woke me up and told me to get dressed. He told me he was
taking me somewhere. I didn’t argue. I slipped on my new shorts and a shirt and
walked downstairs. He stood at the bottom of the stairs with a picnic basket
and told me we were going to have lunch. We headed to a park with a grassy spot
that looked like it was meant for picnicking. We ate and talked for hours. As
we got ready to leave, he leaned in and kissed me. I knew it was real. I could
feel it. As the sun started going down, he told me we needed to get back before
my tail came back out. We got into his car and drove home. I knew I needed to
ask him to be mine.
V
We arrived back to the house to the
surprise of our parents standing there at the front door with three tall men in
suits. “What’s going on?” John asked. “Back away from Meredith,” his mom
yelled. All of a sudden, the three men started walking towards me. They grabbed
me and shoved me in the back of a car. I yelled for help, but nobody was there.
It was over.
VI
I woke up in a white room. I was tied up
and had things stuck to my entire body. I screamed and cried for hours until
finally a man came into the room. “What am I doing here, please let me out!” I
yelled. “Hello Meredith! Welcome to the MCA! Here, we control disgusting
creatures like you. We are a branch of the US government that works with mermaids,
mainly. Your new parents were communicating with us the entire time and helping
us pinpoint the exact time to bring you here and exterminate you! I appreciate
you cooperating so well.” I felt queasy. This was it. I was going to die. My
life was over. “Are you going to kill me?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Oh,
Meredith, of course we are. And then, once we’ve killed you, we’re going to
throw you back into the ocean so your disgusting relatives can see their dead
daughter, their dead sister, cousin, and friend and know to stay in the water.
Land is not a place for you things. I’ll be back shortly.” I couldn’t stop
crying as he left the room. My family, Meranda, John, I would never see them
again. I sat there, tied up, with my eyes closed and prayed. As I prayed, I
heard screaming. All of a sudden, the door swung open. It was John. “Meredith!
I found you!” He quickly untied me. “We have to go.” I kissed him and then we
went. We ran. Gunshots seemed to be coming from everywhere. We made it out of
the building and jumped into his car. We drove for miles until we were safe and
could talk. He apologized to me about his family and told me he never wanted to
go back. He asked me to be his forever. I cried and nodded, “yes, of course.”
He asked me, “Where do you want to go?” I smiled, and said “Anywhere, as long
as I’m with you.”
Five Years Later
We moved to Orlando, Florida, where we
both got jobs at Sea World. I could use their facilities every night and we got
to be together every day. We moved into a modest house outside of the city and
eventually had a baby girl. We named her Mercy. We visited my family in the
ocean every so often, and made trips down to Miami to show Mercy where her
father grew up. We truly had it all. And I didn’t want it any other way.
