Mermaid's Kiss

Chapter 2

"Wait for me, mom and dad." 

"Your sister, Jane. Oh my poor Jane," Janet lamented.

"Go back son. Hurry and save her," Dennis said and they disappeared.

Arthur shouted, "No!" 

Arthur screamed out of the dream. He opened his eyes and found himself on the beach. He saw a scar of a bullet in his arm and felt its pain. But it is without a bullet. Who removed it? Who saved me? How did I get here? A poignant question without an answer. His stomach was famished. He needs food. Something for strength. Arthur stood up and walked through the beach and saw a house nearby. And he hurried there.

Walking towards the window, Arthur heard a girl sobbing. He leaned his ear to the window, listening.

"Maybe," A male voice said, "Maybe we should break up for good."

A girl voices sob, "Please be fine."

"I would be fine, please be fine too."

"Okay," sadness beneath the girl's voice.

"What if," The male and sighed. "If we say we are going to be fine." There was silence for a moment. "We might not be fine."

The girl's voice cried more. 

"I can't afford to lose you." Another silent crawled. "We should not allow a problem to destroy our hearts. We should not allow a problem to force us to utter unsure promises."

"I love you," the girl said, sobbing.

"I love you more." Arthur leaned his other ear against the window, listening. "Half of my heart is for you, and the remaining one is for only you"

There was a long silence. Arthur opened the window slowly and saw them. A pretty girl hugged a handsome guy and wet his neck with tears. The guy sighed. "It's so hard to let you go."

Arthur was touched and closed the door slowly. He lost his appetite instantly. Walking back to the beach. He saw many canoes tied down with ropes. He hurried there and lose one. He then pushed it down the sea and paddled it. 

"How dare you steal my canoe," A fisherman shouted.

Arthur looked at the fisherman. "I'm sorry sir."

"Return it now."

"Sir, I'm not sorry because I steal it. I'm sorry because I won't return it."

"You dare not," the man shouted. And five fisherman hurried there.

"Norman, Why are you shouting there?" Raymond shouted.

Norman looked at his friends and was happy that they show up on time. "That idiot steal my canoe." 

Arthur paddled faster. 

"We must catch him," Graham shouted. They hurried to lose other canoes and paddled after Arthur. "I would beat the hell of him."

"Sure," Ernest shouted.

"Better stop the canoe now," Neil shouted.

"Don't warn him again, he would soon regret it," Eric shouted

They paddled after him. Arthur, at the front, panicking, and he felt pain in his arm. He got tired and famished when the chasers were about to catch him, and he thought, "Should I jump into the water? What if I die?"

Graham paddled to his side and shouted, "I would beat the hell out of you."

I need to jump, I won't die. The lilting voice of the lovers comes back to him, "If we say we are going to be fine. We might not be fine." I might not be fine too if I jump, he thought.

Suddenly, Graham sinks with his canoe into the sea. 

"Where is Graham?" Norman shouted.

Norman boat sinks too. After five seconds, Neil's boat sink. Then Ernest's boat sinks too. Remaining Raymond and Eric, paddling back in fear.

"The boy did not come alone. This is a trap," Eric shouted and his boat sinks.

And then, Raymond's boat sinks too.

Arthur looked back. "Where are they? Hope isn't what am thinking? Shark attacked?"

"I can't pretend that I love him. If I refuse to save him, I might not be fine too," Isobel, the mermaid thought as she swims toward Arthur's boat. 

Arthur's boat moved faster now without him paddling it. He was scared and shouted, "Help. Help. Help. Shark, please. Help..." And Isobel, the mermaid laughed under Arthur's canoe. 

The canoe moved faster and Arthur fell into the water. And saw the mermaid. She was startled. They were gazing at each other. 

"I need to erase his memory," she hurried to him. Arthur was scared and kept gazing at her wiggly tail. And then at her pretty face. Isobel, the mermaid smiled, holding Arthur's hands. At that moment, Arthur forgets that he was drowning. Isobel, the mermaid leaned her lips to his and then kissed him.

Light fade. And in the beginning, there was void and darkness. The water sings and the fish danced to the tune. Winds whirl up, and trees bent to let them pass. A leaf dropped from a tree, and the tree moaned because it loses a child. And Isobel, mermaid dreamed dreams no mortal never dare to dream before, "I want him to kiss me by himself."

Arthur woke up and found himself inside a bush. Distance noise was heard The dogs barked. The door slammed. A baby cries. Cars horn. "I'm already in the city. Who took me here?" 

His brain wants to remember something, but couldn't. He remembered the lovers. He remembered when the fishermen chased him. He remembered when his boat speed by itself and he cried for help. He remembered that he fell into the sea. But can't figure out what had happened next. The more he tried to figure it out, the more he felt a headache. He gives up for the sake of the headache pain and walked toward the city. 

And here - here - the moon and stars light smile upon the sea, and Isobel, the mermaid moved out her head with her black and curly hair. She beholds the yonder beauties of the night. 

"It was not as beautiful as his face. His beauty is are rare. I miss him. I will find him after using my 20 years in this sea." And her tears dropped in form of small shiny golds. She felt like following him now, but she must not. Because her time to live among human beings is not yet come. 

She swims back to the water and her tail wiggle back and forth amid the water, leaving her treasure golds behind. Her tears for Arthur 

"I need him to hold my hands like I do and say 'can we kiss forever?" Her tail, wiggly deep in the water. "I wished he should not love somebody else." She wiggled deeper, out of sight. "I wished he called me by my name... I wished...," her thought was lost amid her tears.