A Date with a Mermaid

 “Remind me why we are on this cruise Jack’?” I said casually, “Would it be a cliché to say I feel a bit adrift.”

Jackie laughed, “We’re both in our late twenties we’re both single and we thought that we might meet someone, maybe a special someone.  If not, we’ll just have a fantastic time!”

“Oh yes, that’s right,” I winced, but I knew I had to made an effort.  “Well, we better try and make the most of it.  Want a cocktail Sis’?”

“Go for it!” Jackie said.  She ruffled my hair as I passed her by.

I’d had a bad break-up in the year and Jackie had amazed me by telling me she had booked this cruise as a Christmas present for us.  I didn’t really believe that there would be a chance of anything happening as I had felt hollow for ages, but spending time with my sister was a tonic, we’d always got on well.  As I walked to the bar the DJ was playing ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis, which didn’t improve my mood.  I ordered the cocktails then made my way back, but she wasn’t alone.  Beside her a man was chatting her up, he had a deep tan which was highlighted by his white shirt.  I noticed he was wearing a very sharp, expensive looking blue suit.  He didn’t look like a creep and Jackie seemed to like him.

I placed the drink in front of Jackie and said “I’ll be right back, I’m just going up on deck for a fag.” 

I bought a pack of cigarettes in Palermo and they were a bit different from my usual.  As I inhaled I saw a woman treading water in the sea.  I stood up to get a better look, what worried me was that she was miles from land.  She was looking directly at me, she was quite beautiful with long silvery blonde hair.

“Hi there!”  I shouted, “Are you alright?”

She just smiled and waved at me then dived deep into the sea, and I just caught sight of her green shimmering mermaid tail!

“I’ll be seeing unicorns next!  What the hell?!  These are some strange sort of fags.” 

I binned the cigarettes and made a swift exit from the deck.  I decided I wouldn’t tell Jackie as she’d think I was barmy.  She was dancing with the man to Shaggy’s ‘Bombastic’.  I sat, sipping on my mojito.  A few slow numbers later I had nearly finished my drink and was in a deep reverie about the ‘mermaid’ and allowed myself to fantasize about her, when I noticed a new arrival.  A beautiful young woman with silvery blonde hair wearing a smoky grey full length dress.  It was her!  But it couldn’t be?  I approached her.

“Hello again”, she said, smiling coyly. 

“Hello.” I said, trying to comprehend what was going on.

The music stopped and the DJ made the announcement “Please come and join us on the back deck for our Christmas Eve celebration, where you can enjoy free canapes and cocktails.  We will be entertained by the beautiful voice of Isabella Constantine.”

“What is your name?”  I asked her

“Farridah,” She said, rolling the r’s.

“It’s a beautiful name.”

“Thank you,” she said “It means precious pearl.”

“You’re so beautiful, would you dance with me upstairs on the deck?”  I heard myself say.

“I will…but tell me, what is your name?”

“It’s Andy, err, it just means Andy.”

I couldn’t quite understand what was happening.  I was sweating and felt hypnotised by this ethereal beauty who I was absolutely sure, twenty minutes ago I had seen swimming in the sea, with a mermaid tail.  A mermaid tail!  As we entered the deck Farridah looked at me with concern, noticing the sweat dripping down my face.

“Are you ok?”

“Yes, err yes, I’m ok.  Earlier you said ‘Hello again,’ may I ask when had we seen each other before?”

She looked deep into my eyes, her eyes were periwinkle, almost violet.  As an artist I pay attention to this sort of thing.

“You know,” she said teasingly.

“Yes, but I can’t quite believe it!”

 Farridah grabbed my hand and pulled me to dance near her.  We were soon joined by Jackie and the man called Marco.  I just couldn’t believe that she was real, I was having an amazing time and kept thinking that I was going to wake up at any minute.

 Near the end of the evening the fireworks went off and I kissed her, it was a heavenly kiss like nothing I have experienced, I wanted it to continue indefinitely.  But she pulled away then whispered, “I want to see you tomorrow evening my love.” 

“I would love that too,” I said, smiling.  She smiled back then fled and disappeared into the crowd.  I rushed to the side of the deck, away from all the people, and looked down to the waves crashing against the side of the vast cruise ship, I looked around but couldn’t see her anywhere.

            I turned around to walk back.  Farridah was standing there, in front of me.  I rubbed my eyes in disbelief as I saw her dress in her arms, she was wearing a green sparkling skin-like strapless bra top which was growing over her thighs and down her legs.  Right in front of my eyes her legs were changing into the most beautiful, shimmering mermaid tail.  To keep her balance she shifted forwards to hold the hand bar.  I was intoxicated, I’d never ever seen anything so fascinating in all my life.  I just stood there, dumbfounded, with my mouth wide open.

            “Andy, please do not let anybody know about us.”

            “Us?!”  I said, not knowing what she meant. 

            “Yes, us,” then she made a sound not too unlike a dolphin then pointed down to the sea.

            A dozen heads popped up through the waves, eight beautiful females and four Herculean looking males.  The mermen looked up at me with intent, giving me the distinct message that I needed to keep their secret.  Farridah dived into the sea, she waved when she reached her friends then they all dived down, their mermaid tails, green, blue, silver, violet, aqua and orange sparkled under the water.  They swam deeper and deeper until I could see them no more.  Shortly after this, six dolphins came into view and also dived down in the same direction.

     I stood looking into the ocean for ages.  I couldn’t quite believe what had happened.  Was this really happening to me?  I’d stopped taking the anti-depressants three weeks ago.  She was too real for me to have made it all up, to be a figment of my imagination.  But this sort of thing is fantasy, like what you read in books or see in films, this couldn’t be happening could it?

     I walked back, there were very few people left on the dance floor now.  I could see Jackie with Marco so went and sat down while they danced.  Jackie looked at me and smiled, then concern etched itself over her face.  She came over to me.

“Are you okay Andy?  Where did Farridah go?  I saw you going after her earlier.

I shook my head, as if that would shake my world back into normality, but my sister had seen her, she was real!  Was the bit at the beginning and the end real though?

“Oh, she said she had to go back to her room, she felt tired but she also said she would see me tomorrow evening,” I smiled at Jackie, trying to reassure her all was well.

“That’s good, but just seeing you sitting there, you looked like you were in shock.”

“Did you know that Farridah means precious pearl?  She is quite a precious, err, lady.” I said, I held Jackie’s hand and she kissed me tenderly on the cheek.  “Go on, go back to Marco, I’m going to head back to the suite, I might see you later,” I said, winking at my sister.

     Jackie had come back to the suite about twenty minutes later.  I’d pretended to be asleep, a ploy to ensure I wouldn’t repeat what had happened to me.  The next day Jackie had met up with Marco at the pool and had arranged to meet me at the deck restaurant at 2:00pm.  This gave me plenty of time to sunbathe and try and catch up with my sleep as I hadn’t slept well.  I just kept waking and giving myself reality checks, but when I did sleep I saw her violet eyes and we kissed again and again.  

     I felt jittery and also excited, I couldn’t really get my head around what had happened.  The evening finally arrived and I went to the club bar with Jackie who met Marco there.  I kept looking out for Farridah, it was an hour later than she had arrived the night before and I was beginning to wonder if she was going to turn up, was she real or was I crazy? 

                Marco asked me, “where is your beautiful lady friend? 

                “I’m not quite sure, she should be on her way.”  I answered weakly.

     A little later she walked through the door, this time wearing a shimmering green dress, but she wasn’t alone.  Behind her was a merman and a mermaid, the three of them were stunning and most people stared at them, wondering where they had come from.               

                Feeling magnetised I went straight over to her and asked if they would all like a drink.  I finally got her on my own and we needed to talk.

                “I couldn’t wait to see you.  Why have your friends come with you tonight?”

                “I took a chance when I came onto the ship last night.  I had seen you on the deck and you looked miserable, we can feel others feelings from quite a distance.  I felt your deep sadness and wanted to cheer you up.  I did take a big chance though and the others only agreed that I could come up again if they came with me.”  She gestured to her friends who were dancing, the merman nodded at me.  I nodded back then couldn’t help sighing.

                “What’s wrong?” Farridah asked me, looking concerned.

                “Tomorrow we are heading towards France and we only have another evening before we have to leave the ship and go to the airport.”  I said, looking desperately into her eyes.

                “Then my love, we only have this evening so let us enjoy it.  We will meet again in your dreams.”

                We danced and talked through the night and then headed for the quiet area on the deck and kissed and caressed. When she had to go I wept a little but then said, “I will miss you my sweet Farridah, but I don’t feel hollow anymore.  I feel full up with wonder at this beautiful world and its many secrets, I was broken and I think you have fixed me.”

                She smiled, wiping away a tear then gave me a final magical kiss.  When she dived down to the crashing waves, she turned to me and made a dolphin noise, I tried my best to make a dolphin noise back.  She giggled and dived deep into the ocean with her friends.   I felt dreamy and remained on the deck mesmerised by the sea.  The soft orange sun reflected coral slivers of light on the deep blue of the Mediterranean.  I so much wanted to tell Jackie about this but knew I could only tell her the partial truth that she had given me the best Christmas present ever.  Meeting Farridah had pulled me out of my depression, and it had given me hope.  I now believed anything was possible.  It would be my turn to bring Jackie on a cruise in the summer, perhaps Farridah and I would meet again.

The writer of this story, Lisa Horner, is better known as a local history author but has been dabbling in fiction for a few years.