Between the Land and the Sea - By Derrolyn Anderson Page 0,22

legs felt like rubber, and I struggled to keep from stumbling. When we reached the stairs he scooped me up and carried me.

I didn’t protest. I felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks, both physically and psychologically. I turned my face into his chest and closed my eyes. When I opened them back up I was at home. Ethan gently lowered me to the bench on the porch and knocked on the door.

The next thing I knew I was looking into Abby’s worried face and he was gone. Over a cup of hot tea with honey I told her about how I was blindsided by the massive wave, skipping over the mermaid part. As shocked and dazed as I was, I had enough wits about me to realize that no one would take my story seriously.

“You were lucky Ethan was there,” she said gravely, “Thank goodness for that.”

“Abby...” I met her eyes, “Please don’t tell dad. I don’t want to worry him.” She hesitated, “Promise me you’ll be more careful?” she asked, biting her lip.

“Deal,” I said.

I ate what she put in front of me and found myself completely drained. Excusing myself with a reassuring hug for Abby, I silently retreated to my room, taking care to avoid Cruz and Megan. My mind was a swirl of confusion, and I needed some time alone to process the experience. I didn’t want to answer any questions.

I sat on the edge of my bed, my back stiff from the tumbling I had taken. Who would believe me about what I’d just seen? I had to admit that I wouldn’t believe it myself, and I smiled grimly at my predicament. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and was shocked by how much I looked like her.

I soaked my sore muscles in a hot bath, crawled into bed and struggled to find a comfortable position. Playing out the strange sighting over and over in my mind I tried in vain to make some sense of it. Could there be any possible explanation other than the fact that mermaids existed? I thought about what my father would make of it, and tried to apply logic to the situation.

Zoologists classified the animal kingdom by body structure. So, having a spine, she would belong in the phylum chordata. But what class? She had breasts like a mammal, but her scales were incongruous– more like a fish or reptile. Did she breathe air? I didn’t see any gills... I couldn’t even get close to describing the genus or species before I gave up.

I knew what Evie would think. She believed in the supernatural, and had a magical explanation for every difficult situation in life. She sought out ghosts and spirits, and would often tell me that the world was full of unsolved mysteries and unimaginable truths. My father humored her, but didn’t like her filling my head with what he considered nonsense. I usually took his side on these matters, but this time I wasn’t able to.

I mentally chalked up one point in the Evie column. Exhausted, I fell into a deep sleep punctuated only by dreams of the sea.

I was floating on a surfboard in a brilliant blue green ocean, looking into Ethan’s face as he drifted along beside me. The sun was shining brightly, reflecting on the rippling water. As we rose and fell with the regular swells he smiled at me, and I laughed with joy.

CHAPTER FIVE

LORELEI

I opened my eyes to see Charlie’s sphinx-like face staring back at me. I sat up and winced, for my back and shoulders ached, and my legs were stiff and sore. My mind immediately started racing, considering the implications of what I’d seen yesterday. The whole world seemed to shift on its axis as I came to grips with the fact that mermaids really existed. I was forced to believe my own eyes, and it made me wonder what other mysteries lay hidden, waiting to be discovered.

Evie used to say that the most beautiful things in life were also the most mysterious, and I could certainly see how that would apply to mermaids. She would believe me, I thought, but she’d panic if she knew about my accident. I was busy formulating the words I’d use in my head when it occurred to me that I didn’t know one thing about mermaids other than what I’d seen in a Disney cartoon.

I got out of bed gingerly and went for my laptop. Wrapping