Halloween Mermaid Photo Story

 
Halloween Mermaid
 

She lay on the ocean bed tracing patterns with her fingers on the sand and a lazy smile gracing her lips. Her world shimmered and flowed around her…a large school of fish swims by…a predator stalks its prey creeping up on it stealthily…someone cries out for its mate…but she was blissfully unaware of the constant motion around. Lost in her own land made of dreams she lets out a deep sigh as she lifts her head to gaze into the distance. Murky depths stretch for miles but she looks at it unseeing…lost so deep into her lonely thoughts. her eyes roam over the vast expanse as if searching for something…something or someone…as if she could conjure up the said person with the power of her thoughts alone. Lowering her eyes as disappointment washes over her and a lone pearl falls down her face she flops on her back with another sigh. She gazes towards the surface and lifts her webbed fingers as if reaching out…imaging that she can see the light shimmering on top…her fingers slowly start dancing to a soft tune in her head. She closes her eyes and sways…she can feel her tail flick in tandem with the music in her head.

 
Halloween Mermaid
 
Halloween Mermaid
 

the predator creeps up closer to its unsuspecting prey…

 

A smile tugs her lips as she opens her eyes and drops her hand to the floor. Her heart calls for…something…even she is not sure what that is but she feels it deep in her bones that she lies there waiting. Maybe what it seeks is a prince, like in the stories that the bearer of tales of their shoal used to regale them with when she was a fingerling…come riding on a white seahorse to whisk her away to his castle where they would live out the rest of their days in love. Maybe she would risk it all and fall in love with a land walker! That was one of her favorite stories…to risk it all for the sake of love. The thrill of finding a sea witch so that she could trade in her tail for what were known as legs so that she could be with her love. She giggled as the thought is it made her giddy. A sigh escaped her lips again as her mind chased the different patterns that she weaved in her head. 

 
Halloween Mermaid
 
Halloween Mermaid
 

the predator lay in wait for the perfect opportunity…

 

Or maybe it was a great destiny like her madre would say that she was intended for. Maybe she would discover new sea creatures. Ones no one had seen before as they hid in the great depths of the ocean far away. She imagined herself exploring uncharted waters feeling the excitement as well as the dread of the unknown that lies in wait. How proud her papa would be of her when she came back home with tales of her victory. Or maybe she would rescue a young fingerling from the jaws of death as she fought valiantly the beast who hunts it. Maybe the bearer of tales would tell stories about her bravery to other fingerlings! Her chest puffed up in pride as thought of how that would feel…

 
Halloween Mermaid
 

the predator tensed its muscles preparing to attack…

 

Wait…something is not right! Its too quite…nothing moves. Where did the fishes go? Why is everything so still? She looks around with fear as she realizes a moment too late…

too late to swim away…

too late to prepare…too late.

 

A flash of teeth…a burning pain…a deep anguish…

too late….too late for dreams…

 
Halloween Mermaid
 
Shikha Agarwal