I am a perfectly, normal, nothing-is-weird-about-me, kind of girl… well, sort of.  

I have long, wavy, bleach-blonde hair and deep, watery-blue eyes.  See? That’s not weird; blonde hair, blue eyes, that’s nothing out of the ordinary.  Right?  I’m just your completely ordinary, teenage girl… okay, I have to say it… I’m not as normal as I make it out to be… I have a tail.

A tail you say?  Yes, I may, by chance, accidentally forgot to mention one teeny, tiny, miniscule detail about me.  
I am a mermaid.

But that’s not the only thing… and I’ll tell you straight out: I can’t swim.

Okay, I know that’s a lot to take in, but bear with me.  It will hopefully make sense at the end.  I know it sounds impossible, unbelievable maybe, that a mermaid can’t swim, but it’s true, so just believe it.  This story will go much faster that way.

It all started one beautiful, sunny, nothing-could-go-wrong, type of day, but as you guessed it, something went wrong.  Something always goes wrong.  I was on a cruise ship with my family.  And no, I was not a mermaid yet.  Keep reading, it will all make sense soon.  As I was saying, my family and I were on vacation.  It was just me, my mom, and my dad.  I hadn’t always been an only child, but my dead siblings are another story. Anyways, it was summer and my family had decided to take a cruise. We were in the middle of the Pacific ocean when I heard a strange, song-like noise.  I was all alone at the time, on the ship’s deck.  My hands gripped tightly to the metal railings as I peered out into the ocean.  A quiet breeze swept by and whispered secrets through my hair.  If only I had listened...

It was evening and the sun sat just barely over the cool waters.  I remember hearing the noise and looking down for some reason.  That was the last time I ever saw my precious feet.  As my eyes scanned further, I saw a flicker of color coming from under the water.  Suddenly the noise sounded again.  It was louder this time and very beautiful, almost like someone was singing a song.  I began to rock to the slow, graceful melody of the indecipherable words. The voice sounded of a young girl; high pitched and innocent.  I looked hard at the ocean, searching for the source of the sound.  All of a sudden a glistening image illuminated over the calming waves.  It was a beautiful girl with flowing hair.  She was perfect, flawless, a model.  The last thing I remember thinking before blacking out was siren.

The rest of the story is a blur to me, but I think you get the jist of what happened next.  Also, did any of you see siren coming?  Well, congratulations, now you know how I became a mermaid.

When I woke up, I had a green, scaly mermaid tail.  The siren was nowhere in sight, but a soft voice rang in my ears, “Juuuump daaaaaarling… juuuuuuump.”

I looked around me, the cruise ship had disappeared while I had been unconscious, or whatever state, becoming a mermaid is called.  I was sitting on a rock, lodged out of the water… I know, stereotypical right, a mermaid sprawled out on a rock? Anyways, the beautiful sing-song voice continued to repeat to me the command to jump into the water.  I shook my head.

The sun had set and the water had turned into a black, ominous, hole, glistening under the moonless sky.  I was scared.  The voice suddenly turned evil and mean, “JUMP OR ELSE!”

I was stubborn and stood my ground… errr… rock… and umm, not stood as really sat… whatever, you know what I mean.  The voice continued, “If you do not choose to live the life of a mermaid the proper way - in the water - then you will die.”

I thought I was dreaming.  Was I really going to die?  I didn’t budge.  I stayed sitting on the rock.  I mean, I wasn’t about to jump into an ocean with sharks and other scary things, in the middle of the night!  Did she think I was crazy?!  And anyways, what could she possibly do to me?  

I know, stupid thinking on my part.

Suddenly, I was thrusted into the murky water by a supernatural force. The splash made no sound.  Then, I started sinking.

I tried to swim, but my tail wouldn’t work.  I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything.  I was a mermaid that couldn’t swim!  I just plunged deeper into the threatening sea.  I blacked out again.  My eyes shut tightly and everything became darker.  I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t even hold my breath for one last second.  

Well, I’ll stop there.  That’s the end. You now know my story of how I became a mermaid that couldn’t swim.

I was a totally normal, completely ordinary, mermaid girl that drowned. Don’t ask me how I’m telling you this story right now, because I am, somehow.  And yes, I am dead.  I was a mermaid that drowned, okay?  Pretty remarkable, right?

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The End
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