You pick your way carefully over the rocks. It wouldn't do any good if the rescuer became injured too. When you get closer to the woman, you can see that her ankle is resting in the shallow water. She was probably trying to get the swelling to go down by using the cool water. Smart.

"Hey!" You make yourself sound extra cheerful, hoping to stop her crying. "You need some help there, miss?"

She looks up, her pretty blue eyes full of tears as she wipes at her cheeks. "Oh! Yes, please! I twisted my ankle on some rocks. I was just trying to get a better picture of the coins in the water." She sniffles.

You step closer to her and crouch beside her. "I see. Well, you're lucky it's not worse, but we should still get you out of here. It's probably pretty painful right?" While you rack your mind for any first aid that would be helpful, you have a look at her ankle. It's a nice shade of dark purple and looks pretty nasty. It's possible she's even managed to break something, but for now, you just hope for the best.

"Okay, we can probably get you back to the trail if we go slow. I'm not the strongest, but we should be able to manage it together." You offer her a smile and she returns it. She's very pretty.

With a little effort, you manage to pull her to her feet and turn around to head back to the trail, with you closer to the lake so she doesn't slip again. You take a step, and she slips out from under your arm. You look over at her, confused.

She smiles prettily, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. It was you or me."

Before you can fully register her words, she shoves you hard. You fall backwards, into the lake at the base of the waterfall. As you struggle to get back to your feet, clawed hands reach up from the water and grab hold of you. With inhuman speed, they drag you out to the middle of the lake. You barely have time to shout before they drag you under the surface.

In the clear water, you catch sight of two beautiful women, with teeth as sharp as needles. And tails that shimmer in the light of the sun.

Mermaids?

Then their teeth are ripping into your flesh, tearing you apart as you scream.

**********

[END]

Ending Achieved: Fishy Circumstances