Katherine

I’m taking a personal fitness class. It really helps with this.

“Life Underwater” Katie Miller

On the first day of December in the winter snow, a man carries his lost love to a lake. He ties her up as she begins to scream. “Brad, what are you doing to me?” she yelled.

“Kelsey, I can’t take living like this anymore,” he said calmly.

Brad picks Kelsey up off the ground and slowly lets her go into the lake. As her body starts to sink, he walks away with tears in his eyes. His skin appears very pale and his red hair blows in the wind. Brad gets into his car to leave the life he has been living. He takes off hoping never to be reminded of his past.

When Brad’s car disappears off into the distance, Kelsey is close to the bottom of the lake. A strange creature appears before her sinking body. Kelsey can’t tell what it is. “What are you? Are you an angel? Have you come to take me to heaven?” Kelsey asks inquisitively.

“Darling, relax. I have come here to change the life you have been living,” it said.

“You can’t, I am already dead.”

“No you are not. Look down!”

“Um, how did I get these?”

“I am a fairy. I’ve granted you life as a mermaid. I hope you like it.”

“This can’t be real, I am just dreaming.”

The fairy disappeared before Kelsey’s eyes, leaving her filled with confusion. Many thoughts flew through her mind. What was Kelsey going to do? What was she going to eat? How was she going to live? Kelsey had become what she had always dreamed of being. This wasn’t how she pictured it. She wasn’t sure how she was going to deal with it.

Kelsey decided the best thing to do was explore the waters. As she went under the dirty water, she saw a whole new world. There were fish, frogs, snakes, and bugs. If only Brad dropped me off into the ocean, Kelsey thought to herself. The ocean is much more beautiful than a dirty lake. She began hearing quiet voices in the water, slowly looked around, and didn’t see any human existence. If the voices weren’t coming from people, then who were they coming from? Kelsey had to figure this out. She swam to the nearest creature.

“Hello there, I am a mess. I don’t know if I am imaging this, but did you just talk?” Kelsey asked.

“Yeah, is that a problem?” the snake hissed.

“Oh, I’m sorry but I didn’t know snakes could talk.”

“Of course they can. You are obviously missing out on a lot if you didn’t know that snakes could talk. We’re such charming creatures.”

“I guess.”
Kelsey never knew such a thing was possible. Maybe she was missing out on a lot, considering that her life had revolved around Brad for the past two years. The snake showed Kelsey around the water and helped her adapt to her new environment.

“Kelsey, I would like you to meet my friend Adam. He is a little on the frog side,” the snake joked.

“Jesse, shut up. I’m leaping right here,” laughed Adam.

“Aw, Adam you are a cute frog. Don’t let Jesse put you down.”

Adam signaled Jesse to leave so he could learn more about Kelsey. He had never met a real mermaid before, and was curious about this girl. Adam wanted to know about her past and if she had always been a mermaid.

“So Kelsey, tell me your story.”

“What story?”

“How you became a mermaid.”

“Well, it just happened four months ago. It was a miracle. I was drowning then a fairy appeared, and told me she granted me life as a mermaid!”

“You don’t hear that too often…Can’t you swim?”

“Yes, but it is kind of hard to swim with your arms and legs tied up.”

“Who would do such a thing? You are saying someone tied you up and threw you into the lake?”

“Yes. It was my ex-boyfriend Brad. I kept trying to get back with him and he never knew what he wanted. He decided he couldn’t handle our fights anymore so I guess killing me was his only option.”

“That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard.”

Kelsey lost total control of her body and leaned in to kiss Adam. Magic appeared in front of her eyes. The frog was no longer a frog, it was a boy. Adam swam quickly up to the surface to catch his breath. His legs were weak and he slowly sank back down. Kelsey caught him as he was half way to the bottom and took him to shore.

“Kelsey, thank you so much! I was just about to tell you that I was human once too!”

“This world is full of crazy magic. I am afraid of what is going to happen next. You can leave and go find your family. I will be fine living in the waters. My time will come soon to be free once again,” Kelsey stated.

“I don’t know what to do. I’ve been in the water for so long and I don’t know if I can handle reality. My family probably thinks I am dead.”

“Just go! Move on with your life.”

“Goodbye friend.”

Kelsey felt bad for letting him go but it was the best thing she could do. He deserved to return to the life he was living before. He had every right to be human. She just had no idea that one kiss could change someone’s life forever. As Kelsey was swimming around with her head down, she heard a loud noise. It had to be a roaring engine from a boat. She flew through the water to find out who could possibly be on that boat. The part of the lake in which she lived, was rarely visited by human nature. As she poked her head out of the water, a tear rolled down her cheek. It was him, the last man on earth she would ever want to see. He saw her face and smiled. This confused her terribly. Kelsey wondered how Brad had the nerve to show up, after what he had done to her. He put on a lifejacket and jumped into the water.

“Kelsey, come here I have something to tell you,” Brad demanded.

She swam over with her nerves shaking more than ever. “What could you possibly want from me? You tried to kill me.”

“Babe, you have a misunderstanding. I did not want to kill you. I wanted you to live your dream of being a mermaid. I wanted you to feel free. I knew the fairy was coming to you and wouldn’t let me down. I did this to prove how much I love you. I have thought about you every day since you have been gone. I have missed you. Kelsey, I’m sorry if I hurt you or scared you in anyway.”

“I can’t handle this all right now. It’s too much for me to take. I’m so confused.”

“I have come here to make you my wife and to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Aw, that is so sweet of you. I love you.”

“I love you too. Kelsey, will you marry me?”

“Yes, I would love to.”

Brad pulled Kelsey close to his body and kissed her lips. Her body spun into the air and the fin transformed into legs. He had missed feeling her warmth and seeing her in general. It had been a long five months without her and he knew she was exactly what he wanted.

i haven’t chewed off a nail in two weeks! go me! yay!