"Nothing.  No evidence, sign, or possible trail that would even suggest an aquatic killer."  I was pacing in front of Andy, fuming.  When I had went out to search for whatever it was that drowned those sailors from Crador, I went straight to the docks.  I examined some of the ships, asked some ship hands if they had seen or heard anything, and even snuck into two of the ships' Captain's quarters to read the ship logs.  There was absolutely no data that told me there could be sirens in the area.

"Winnie, you have to admit that this is kind of absurd."  Andy had been trying to talk some sense into me ever since I got back from my etiquette class, but I was in a horrible mood.  I was upset before the etiquette class;  After the class was twice as bad.

Etiquette class was the dumbest way to spend one's time.  I was taught how to sit up straight and keep my elbows in while eating.  I was taught to be quiet unless I was addressed at the table, especially during a diplomatic dinner.  My mother had probably set the class up for me because of my outburst at dinner the night before.  I had left the class fuming and went immediately to find Andy.

"Andy, this is not absurd,"  I huffed, spinning on my heel and pacing the other direction.  "It's just a new idea that may or may not be completely incorrect."

Andy groaned and flopped on his back in a haystack.  I had found Andy in the stables after my class, and had proceeded to rant to him about my morning.  He was obviously tired of my whining.

"You know what?  I'm done complaining.  Please tell me you have a good prank planned for Susan."

Andy sat up like a puppet connected to a string, suddenly pulled almost to his feet.  "You bet I do!"

Half of an hour later, Andy and I were in position.  I was on the balcony looking from the second story down on the main ballroom in the center of the castle, which was bustling with servants cleaning the tall, wide windows and mopping the beautiful marble floors.  The room was one of the nicest and most expensive in the whole castle.  Even though we aren't planning any balls in the near future, the staff members who weren't busy were often sent into the ballroom to clean, shine, and polish the room.  

It was Andy and I's favorite place to prank Susan.

I heard Andy start speaking loudly to Susan, greeting her and causing her to walk slower.  He had pointed out which columns he would lead the large woman through, and I watched very closely for the pair, holding my bucket precariously on the railing of the balcony.

Andy passed under me, walking just in front of Susan.  She already sounded annoyed.  She took another step forward, and I tipped the bucket.

A bucketful of water rained down on Susan's graying hair, and a second later, a bucket landed upside down on her head.

I ran for it, tearing down the corridor and racing down a back stairway.  I could hear the servants' laughter in the distance and knew the prank had been a success.  I hoped Andy had gotten away, otherwise he would get in trouble and it would be much harder to prank anyone anymore.

Using another back hallway meant only for the staff members, I reached the back door to the castle and burst outside.  I ran through the gardens and into the forest at the back of the castle grounds.  I almost never went into the trees, since it would be obvious if I came back with sticks in my hair and bugs on my dress.  But before I could slow down, I heard the servants' door slam open and Susan's voice echo across the gardens.  "They must have come this way!  It's the fastest way out!"

I crashed through the brush and the trees, feeling the sticks scrape my arms and hearing them tear my skirts.  Now, I want to make this clear-- I wasn't scared.  Susan can't do much to me.  the chase was simply part of the fun.

The ground started to change under my feet, forcing me to slow down.  The plants changed from bushes holding berries into cattails and more trees.  I frowned, picking my way through the plants before I reached a clearing.

I gasped, a hand flying to my mouth.

A glittering pond sat in the clearing, with an old, rickety dock sticking out into the center of the water.  Trees surrounded it, and a few weeping willows dipped toward the water.   A large boulder stood by the back of the clearing, to the right of the blue tinged water.  It felt like a secret cove I had found, and I had it all to myself.

Why didn't I come out here before?

I took a few steps toward the wooden dock, then paused.  "Hello?"  I called to the silence, and received no reply.  I looked back toward the castle, but couldn't see the castle nor hear anyone pursuing me.  I turned back to the dock and walked the rest of the way to it.

I set one foot on the rickety wood, testing its strength.  It creaked a little, but it seemed to hold my weight.  I walked slowly down to the end of the dock and peered down, into the pond.   The water was a dark blue, and descended deep into the ground.  Maybe it was actually a spring, and that was why the color was so pure and the water so deep... I kneeled on the edge of the dock, peeking behind me one last time.

Gripping the edge of the dock, I leaned over to stare at the bottom of the pool.

My view of the rocky bottom was suddenly obscured by a large pair of lilac colored eyes.

I jerked my head back and landed back on my hands.  I scrambled away from the edge of the docks, panting.  My skirts got caught under my feet as I crawled backward, nearly causing me to fall of the side of the narrow dock.  I stopped and sat on the dock for a minute, calming my racing heart and staring at the edge of the dock.

I could see ripples spreading out in the water from just under the wood.  My eyebrows came down and knitted together.  While the eyes had startled me, the face around the eyes was just as intriguing... It looked like a person.  A girl.

Maybe even...

I slowly switched my position, crawling on my hands and knees toward the edge of the narrow dock.  I peered over the end, even slower this time, bracing for what I might see.

"A mermaid,"  I breathed.

For I was sure that was what I was seeing.  The face drifting just below the surface was pale and thin, but also innocent and sweet.  Her eyes were a striking lilac color, standing out obviously from her white skin and dirty blonde hair.  Her hair was floating around her, framing her face with its strands.  Braids and undersea plants were woven into her hair throughout, but her eyes drew me in.  They were wide, and sparkling with curiosity.

My lips had fallen into a grin as I took in the mermaid in front of me.  I raised my right hand and waved my fingers at the creature, the girl, hoping she  would respond somehow.

Instead, she darted into the shadows under the dock.

"Aw, come on,"  I groaned.  I was intrigued by the mermaid's tail, but I only got a glimpse of it before it disappeared from my view.

"Hey,"  I said softly, hoping to coax her out of hiding.  "Hey, it's alright."

While my voice was soft and mostly steady, inside my head I was thinking a dozen different things.  This is exactly what I suspected!  This is a real life mermaid/siren thing!  What is her name?  Are there others like her?  Is she nice, or will she drown me at a moment's notice?

This last part made me pause for an instant, weighing my options.  Either I could continue to convince this creature to come out of hiding, or I could get a maid or another servant and expose the mermaid to the world.

I decided I would rather try to get to know this siren than have her immediately killed.

I laid down on the dock and dipped my head down further and further, until the top of my head was nearly touching the water and I was looking at the underside of the dock.  "Hello?"  I whispered, my breath forming tiny ripples in the water.  "I don't want to hurt you-- well, unless you want to hurt me, then this may get messy."  My eyes roved around the surface, looking for bubbles, a little wave, or some other telltale sign that the creature was still nearby.

I only got a tiny warning, a slight bulge on the surface of the water, before her whole head slid out of the water.  From my point of view, it looked as though she was popping out of a ceiling made of water.  Of course, I was the one who was upside down, but it was strange to look at her this way.  She was only a hand's breadth from my face, and her lips were very close to my eyes.  They were pink.  They looked really soft.

I jerked my head back a bit, but not as violently as before.  "Woah, uh, hello there."  I giggled.  I tilted my head to the side.  "What's your name?"

The mermaid didn't say anything.  She just tilted her head to mirror me.  Well, mirror me upside down.  I tilted my head the other way, and she copied me again.  Her mouth wasn't smiling, but her eyes were sparkling with amusement.

I squinted at the mermaid.  "Can you speak?"

The mermaid grinned, keeping her lips closed.  Now that I was face to face with her, I started to worry.  What if she had fangs that she was about to use on me?  What if her saliva was venomous?  What if she grabbed me right then and dragged me to the bottom of this rather deep pool?  Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at each implication.

"Um, could you at least come out here?  My neck is starting to hurt."  My head was starting to pound from all the blood rushing too it.  I lifted myself to my knees, half hoping the mermaid would stay under the dock, half hoping the mermaid would come out.

She swam out from under the dock, floating just in front of me.  I smiled at her.  Not expecting this to help at all, I was surprised when she smiled at me.  And her teeth were not fangs, nor were they green, nor did they appear venomous.  They were perfect, actually.  They were straight and bright white and spotlessly clean. 

I realized I had been staring and pulled back a little.  "Okay, now we're getting somewhere!"  I laughed a little, and the mermaid raised her shoulders a little, still smiling.  "Now I just need to... guess your name, if you won't tell me it."

"I can speak."  The mermaid declared.  Her voice was absolutely beautiful, like a flowing song or a river of chocolate.  With just those three words, the music of her voice overtook her surroundings.  The light lapping of the water at the edge of the pool ceased, and the rustling of the tree branches quieted.  I couldn't hear any birds calling or any critters crawling in the underbrush.  My breath caught in my throat.  The world had paused at the sound of her voice.

I swallowed, surprised by both the fact that she could speak and how wonderful her voice sounded.  "Wow.  Alright then, what's your name?"

The mermaid smiled again.  I felt compelled to smile as well, nearly missing her name when she told me.  "My name is Symphony."

I nodded, trying to take hold of the conversation.  Again when Symphony spoke, the world seemed to quiet, so only her voice could be heard.  "Symphony, that's a pretty name.  My name is Winifred, but you can call me Winnie.  All my friends do."

The way I said that sounded as though I had a team of friends, a bunch of people to rely on and talk to.  That was not necessarily true, but the friends I did have called me Winnie.

Symphony twisted her shoulders as though trying to hide her widening smile.  Her dirty blonde hair fanned out behind her and around her shoulders.  Some people might say the color was boring, but in the water, floating gracefully and catching the little rays of sun just so, I thought Symphony's hair was mesmerizing.

Suddenly, I heard yelling.  It sounded far away, drifting through the trees, but it brought me back to the present.  I gasped.  I had forgotten about the rest of Andy and I's plan!  We were supposed to meet up after we were done, assuming we hadn't been caught.

"I have to go do something,"  I apologized, "but I will be back soon!  Will you be here?"

Symphony shrugged and nodded.  

I smiled and nodded as well.  "Alright.  Okay.  I have to go now."  I looked for something profound to say as our first goodbye, but I had nothing.  "Don't swim too far away!"

Symphony sunk back in the water as I turned and flitted through the trees.  I had done way too much running that day.  I barely even noticed how tired I was as excitement and adrenaline coursed through my veins.

I was about to dive into an abyss of adventure, but first I was going to tell Andy all about it.