Chapter 2

For as long as I can remember there were two constants in my life, the marsh where I live in, and the man in all black that came here to bring me food.

At first I was wary,  I had never seen a creature like it that walked on two legs, but my heritage whispered to me and I realized they were called humans, a very weird species of creatures.

The first time he materialize, he didn’t appear again for two cycles of the moon, then he returned with more food, I watched him from my rock I sunbathed in, he threw the body covered in black material, most likely to preserve it for me.

I was wary but also very grateful, I no longer had to search for food.

And the food usually lasted me till the next time he brought another meal.

I no longer needed to be a bottom feeder, or fight for food with other marine life, and soon enough my life entered a lull, scheduled feeding every two days, sometimes with one meals, some times two.

At first I was wary of this..human at first

Later I realized I was able to see the memories of the food..people I ate, it was intriguing at first, I could see the outside world through the eyes of another, watch someone else stories, the world outside was beautiful, interesting and very dangerous it was better to be far away from it.

Through the memories I realized something a common theme, if a human liked someone they would feed, clothes or provide as much as the could for the one they loved.

I arrived at a realization, that the human in black… was in love with me?

He was aware of my existence? How?

Why?

The way I looked at him changed from that day, although he hid with a mask and I couldn’t see his face, his body was very attractive and his smell was mouth watering, not in a food way but more in a…I would like to bury myself in him forever way.

From then on I tried and failed to interact with my future partner, I collected as much beautiful things as I could for him, instinct making me build a nest that we could both lay in.

I wanted him to see me as a perfect mate, but I could never reach him on time before he turned to leave, and it was terribly lonely, but I calmed myself, he was just shy that’s all.

He cant run forever someday he would come to face me.

That’s what I thought but I did not expect the day we met to be when he almost dies.

Earlier when I was at my usual rock watching the sun go down and awaiting his return, I was left with a sense of betrayal, and I was spiraling .

First off he was late, he was never

I didn’t understand I knew humans were fickle and they fell in and out of love as the seasons change.

But he had been courting me for so long, and he had not even looked at me, why would he suddenly disappear, it was unfair, and I couldn’t run after him to find him, I suddenly hated for the first time my beautiful tale that I took with pride.

Tears pricked my eyes, was I going to be abandoned, a dark cloud loomed over my thoughts, but I waved it away and cheered myself up it can’t be that, he was probably sick or resting, he’s allowed to have off days.

The next time I see him , my eyes darkened staring at the direction of the forest where he always appears.

I’m going to drag him into the water and keep him forever enough of this courting ritual.

I snarled.

Snap

I woke up from my dark revere and pushed myself into the water.

Someone was here, someone that wasn’t supposed to be here

I growled annoyed that people had breached my territory, should I eat them, I wasn’t going to get food today anyway, I thought sulking.

I watched them again sniffing the air, they smelled dangerous and very unappetizing, but

I sniffed again, there was something.

It smelled of sandalwood and blood.

It reminded me of my bride.

My chest felt hollow, I was scared of the answer, was he injured…was that why he couldn’t visit me, he was so injured that the smell of blood followed these men he obviously sent to deliver my food.

My heart warmed, hes really a sweetheart he even remembered me while hurt.

I forgave him instantly, muscles I did not know were tense instantly relaxing.

I watched the two men throw my dinner into the marsh and turn to leave.

One of them stopped looking in my direction, I pushed myself deeper into the water slowly moving my fins to prevent the water from being disturbed.

After what felt like hours but was probably a second he turned away meeting the other man that stood still waiting for him.

I sighed in relief, I wouldn’t want anyone to see me before the love of my life saw me, it would break some traditions somehow, very rude.

I humphed, he should've heard from my bride that I haven't showed myself to him and yet he wants to see me for himself, I will eat him the next time I see him, maybe not eat if he’s a friend, maybe bite his hand off, he smelt disgusting anyway.

When the strange smell was less apparent I swam to the food, my mouth watered, I was starving.

The body had sank to the bottom of the marsh, I fished it out and swam to the bank, I needed to separate the clothes and jewellery and materials from the meal, memories of eating everything together surfaced in my mind and I shivered, I almost died that day from hoking on steel and terribly tasting clothes , would not have been a pretty sight.

I laid it on the ground and got to work, I used my sharp nails to quickly rip apart the fabric, I was not ready for what came out, first I was hit with the most magnificent scent I had every inhaled, sandalwood, them my eyes feasted on the most beautiful man I had ever seen.

My eyes shook, without even asking I knew this was the person I had been looking for, he looked worse for wear, his complexion was pale, lips bloodless and hair in disarray, felt at the back of his head, and was met with the sight of blood, I couldn’t resist licking the blood of my fingers, and it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted.

I could feel the memories fusing with my blood, and a sense of emptiness filling me.

I popped my hand from my mouth, this was dangerous, I shouldn’t be doing this, my bride was heavily injured possibly dying I need to save him.

I slapped myself, stop being a glutton and think.

Memories floated in and out of my conscious path, I did my best to pick arrange them as most useful, the thoughts of the humans when injured needed a doctor, I know I have eaten a doctor once.

Doctor… yes doctor found it

I dragged the memory into my conscious zone, ignoring the screams of pain from the memory I searched for what to do. A memory slipped into my hand

His lungs were probably filled with water  he needed CPR.

I forced my weight into my arms, dragging myself onto the rocky shore. My tail remained in the water, the cool waves brushing against my scales, keeping them from drying out. But I barely noticed. My eyes were locked on him.

He lay so still. Too still.

My heart pounded painfully as I leaned over him, my fingers trembling as I pressed them beneath his nose. No breath. A cold fist clenched in my chest but when I felt for his pulse, there it was. Faint. But still there.

There was still time.

I laced my fingers together and placed them on the center of his chest. “Come on,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

I pushed. Thirty compressions. Counted them out in my head even as my vision blurred. Then I tilted his head back, pinched his nose, and pressed my mouth to his.

The taste of blood bloomed on my tongue  metallic and bitter. I tried to ignore the memories that surged up with it, dark and cold and suffocating. This wasn’t the time.

Breathe.

I kept going. Again and again. My arms ached, my lungs burned — but I didn’t stop.

"1… 2… 3… 15… 25… 30…"

Breathe.

Please. Please, breathe.

Tears pricked my eyes, hot and unwelcome. Panic scraped at the edges of my mind, but I shoved it down and kept counting, kept breathing for him. But the longer he stayed silent and still, the more the fear grew.

What if I’m too late?

What would I do? I had waited so long, dreamed so long,  of finally meeting him face to face. And now, after everything…

I don’t want to be alone again.

Not after this. Not after him.

A cough.

The sound ripped through the quiet like a lightning strike.

My breath caught, and then he was convulsing, water spilling from his mouth as his body jerked. I barely noticed the tears that slipped down my cheeks. I didn’t care.

He was breathing.

He was alive.

He jerked up, coughing violently, water and bile spilling onto the ground as his body convulsed.

I didn’t flinch when some of it splattered against my tail — I didn’t care. He was breathing. That’s all that mattered.

His half-lidded eyes flickered toward me, glassy and unfocused. For a second, I thought he was going to speak  but instead, he mumbled something soft and slurred before his eyes slipped shut again.

My heart leapt into my throat. I leaned in, pressing my fingers under his nose — and there it was. A soft, shallow breath against my skin.

He was alive.

The relief hit me so hard I almost collapsed right there beside him. But then…

Wait.

Did he… did he just call me pretty?

A giggle bubbled up before I could stop it, and I quickly clapped my hands over my face, heat rising in my cheeks.

I peeked at him again, and my heart squeezed. He was still far too pale, his body trembling so violently I could see it.

Okay. Now is not the time to ogle my man. I can do that later — when he’s not half-dead.

Right now, he needed warmth. And fast.

I though of somewhere I could take him, where he wouldn’t freeze to death before I had the chance to properly introduce myself.

I swam to a cave at the bottom of a waterfall, it was safe and would not be noticed by predators, I did not even notice it until once day I fell asleep in the water and a sudden strong current washed me away and ended up at the bottom of the waterfall.

Swimming up again would be a pain but I would bear it.

I placed my bride softly on the stone floor.

His complexion and the shivering had gotten worse, from the doctors memories this were signs of a  cold, I needed to warm him up, I was unwilling to leave him, I was afraid that he would die before I got back, he looked close to the underworld.

I became desperate, what would I do, what would I do, I prayed to whatever ancestor  I had to please bless me with anything to save him.

I searched every memory I had, there had to be something, anything I searched the traditional medicine practitioners , western doctors, everything I found, I either couldn’t get it from anywhere near me, or I had to go far away to find and it would take a lengthy period of time to come back and he could die by then.

Kiss him.

Something whispered to me. I stopped in my tracks tilting my head.

A kiss, multiple images appeared before my eyes, a lip to lip movement done by people that loved each other, I felt my face heat up, would this really work, wasn’t that too naught my human standards to do to a sleeping human.

Kiss? I thought about it, I had not seen anything in human memories to say that was the case, could it be a thought from my years old heritage memories that I had not fully grasped.

I had not heard a whisper from my heritage since  I was young it was a like a familiar but novel feeling to have the whispers appear again, although I had no memory or my heritage or have ever met another mermaid, it was nice to not feel so alone.

I shook away the thought

I propped myself over him, taking in his feature he had long lashes.

Wake up.. i whispered… wake up and look at me

I placed my lips on his, I used my tongue to circle inside his mouth feeling around. I moved back taking in his current status

Is this even working? I paused mid thought

Ah

His stopped shivering slightly, my eyes widened, I leaned over again placing my lips to his, the cave filled with squelching noises, this was quite enjoyable, if I moved my tongue down I could feel his throat, I thought against it, it could activate his gag reflex and he would wake up.

He needed rest.

I got up when his complexion looked better and nodded my head when he looked like he wouldn’t die on me.

I  took him in fully, his wet clothes hung on his lithe frame and his hair was wet.

That won’t do it would undo all the effort I made.

I stripped him of his clothes and dried his hair, then found something else for him to wear in the pile of clothes I got from his courting gifts.

I swaddled him in the clothes like a blanket well enough that he could not possibly catch a cold again, hopefully.

I snorted he looks like a maggot

Now to get ingredients for medicine, and probably make a fire, I think I ate a wilderness lover once I could probably start a fire.

I swam away looking for materials to make my adorable maggot comfortable

I found some leaves that could be used for medicine, made sure they weren't poisonous, almost lost a chunk of my scales because some of them were a bit far away from the bank.

I also learned that just because I know it doesn’t mean I am perfect at it, looking at my blistered hands from pounding leaves into paste and trying to start a fire, but thankfully after hours of trial and error I got the fire started, I probably should've waited till when the materials were dry.

I noted that fact for later.

Now to feed my maggot.

I opened his mouth and places the medicine there, his expression crumpled and he spat the medicine out.

I laughed hes so cute, he doesn’t like bitter things, noted

I shoveled a handful of medicine in my mouth decided to take matters into my own hand.

I used my hand to open his mouth and placed our lips together, using my tongue to shovel the medicine into his throat.

When he swallowed the last bit of medicine I leaned away.

He looked better, saliva pouring from the sides of his mouth, but good anyway.

He should be safe now, I laid next to him taking in his side profile.

Mine

I whispered into the air.

Usually I would be sleeping at the bottom of the marsh, but I didn’t want to be far away,placing half my lower body into the water, I snuggled next to them careful not to wet them, and closed my eyes.