[Words: 334]

"We can't-this can't work, Erik, you know that," Ariel says exasperatedly. "I'm a mermaid, you're a human. This," she gestured to the space between them, "won't work."

"Why can't it?" He challenged. Even from her low vantage point, she could see that his eyes were glinting with the first sign of tears. His fingers dug deep into his cut palm. "I love you, Ariel."

"I know." Her face darkened.

Suddenly, wind started to pick up. The sea churned and waves started to form on the base of the rocks. Her father must be looking for her again, angry because she once again broke curfew.

"Erik-I have to go," she said, then turned to swim away.

"Then let me go with you," Erik said, his tone dripping with finality. Ariel kept swimming, ignoring his foolish declaration. Erik's eyes were determined. "I want to make this work, Ariel!" he shouted.

"I'll become a merman."

Ariel stopped on her tracks and turned to look at him, the boy with the black hair and blue puppy eyes she had grown to love. She had always regarded him a bit stupid-he tended to ignore the first signs of a storm and drowned too much for someone in the running to become the kingdom's best sailor-but this had to be his most foolish decision yet.

The tides were beginning to pick up. Ariel stood her ground, willing the sea around them to calm down as she stared at Erik's face. She saw sincerity in his eyes and seriousness in the set lines of his mouth. She remembered a dark cave in the bottom of the Last Ocean, a certain sea witch with a mutated octopus tail, and her the ability to grant any wish-with a certain price.

An even stupider idea came up to her, but she was too drunk on the spark of hope lighting in her heart to surpress it down. Their eyes met and she made up her mind.

"Okay," she said.