rose until their heads broke the surface.
They were shocked to see how close the land was, and that among the scattered rocks and lush greenery there were tiny, colorful houses. Human houses. Fishing boats bobbed in the distance, their sails puckering in the light wind. Enchantment lit up Grietâs face. Sheâd never seen a human settlement, and she certainly hadnât expected it to be so like a mermaid village. The scale of the houses, the way they sat alongside each otherâit swelled her heart with longing for her own home. Without thinking, she began to swim toward the rocky shore.
âGriet!â Syrena gasped. âDonât!â
âJust a little closer. Look at the colors!â A mermaid village was beautiful in its own way, fashioned of the pale shells and bones of sea creatures, furred here and there with a neon burst of algae, but mostly it was a pale and fragile construction. These little houses were boldly colored, red as shark blood and yellow as the sun, blue as the sea! Colors that looked so different outside the waters that it was as if Griet had never seen them before.
Syrena followed her sister with darkness in her heart. It was true that the settlement was charming, but Syrena could not help but be wary of the humans that dwelled there. Humans had rarely shown mermaids kindness. Their once-friendly exchanges had happened so long ago they seemed to Syrena nothing more than fairy stories. It was because of the humans that the sisters were here, lost and alone, bobbing in a bay far from their home sea. Syrena unsheathed her tusk and kept it at the ready as she paddled through the shallow waters, joining Griet at the banks.
Griet clutched at the rocks with her hands, her pearly fingertips shining in the light. Her smile was so wide Syrena couldnât even see her fangs; they blended in with the rest of her teeth. The tip of her baleen poked out from under her lip.
âOh, donât you wish you could go there!â It wasnât a question, it was pure desire. Griet didnât even turn to her sister to see what Syrena thought; she tilted her head back to the mild sun, enjoying its rays on her bluish-white skin. Her nose flared as she inhaled the special smell of the placeâthe salt in the water as it dried upon the rocks, the sea plants lying stiff on the shore, kicked up by the tides. Griet reached as far as she could and plucked one from the land, brought it to her mouth with a crunch.
âAwwwwwwhhf!â She mumbled a loud, happy sound, her mouth full of seaweed. âTaste this!â she thrust it to her sister. âHave you ever tasted something like this before?â
Reluctantly, Syrena took the food. No, she hadnât ever tasted anything like it before. The heat of the sun and the dryness of the air had transformed the plant to something altogether different than it was underwater. The salt of the bay had crystallized upon it, and it crunched pleasingly between her teeth.
âWhen we get back to the village, Iâm going to make this!â Griet cried, inspired. âWe can find a rock and leave the plant in the sun! The others will love it!â
The mention of the village and the thought of feeding the others made both mermaids quiet with sadness. But as Syrenaâs thoughtsdrifted homeward, Griet tipped her head back and continued sniffing the air as if sampling food from a banquet.
âI can smell the pines over there,â she said, pointing toward the cluster of deep green trees far back on the shore. âAnd the wood the people used for their homes. And the wood they burn, that dark smoke leaving their homes.â She closed her eyes and kept breathing. And that was why she didnât see the man approaching the shore, why she was so startled to find her sister with her narwhal horn drawn as if to strike.
Chapter 11
T he waters of the North Sea were cold and thick with salt. They seemed to take more effort to move through,
They were shocked to see how close the land was, and that among the scattered rocks and lush greenery there were tiny, colorful houses. Human houses. Fishing boats bobbed in the distance, their sails puckering in the light wind. Enchantment lit up Grietâs face. Sheâd never seen a human settlement, and she certainly hadnât expected it to be so like a mermaid village. The scale of the houses, the way they sat alongside each otherâit swelled her heart with longing for her own home. Without thinking, she began to swim toward the rocky shore.
âGriet!â Syrena gasped. âDonât!â
âJust a little closer. Look at the colors!â A mermaid village was beautiful in its own way, fashioned of the pale shells and bones of sea creatures, furred here and there with a neon burst of algae, but mostly it was a pale and fragile construction. These little houses were boldly colored, red as shark blood and yellow as the sun, blue as the sea! Colors that looked so different outside the waters that it was as if Griet had never seen them before.
Syrena followed her sister with darkness in her heart. It was true that the settlement was charming, but Syrena could not help but be wary of the humans that dwelled there. Humans had rarely shown mermaids kindness. Their once-friendly exchanges had happened so long ago they seemed to Syrena nothing more than fairy stories. It was because of the humans that the sisters were here, lost and alone, bobbing in a bay far from their home sea. Syrena unsheathed her tusk and kept it at the ready as she paddled through the shallow waters, joining Griet at the banks.
Griet clutched at the rocks with her hands, her pearly fingertips shining in the light. Her smile was so wide Syrena couldnât even see her fangs; they blended in with the rest of her teeth. The tip of her baleen poked out from under her lip.
âOh, donât you wish you could go there!â It wasnât a question, it was pure desire. Griet didnât even turn to her sister to see what Syrena thought; she tilted her head back to the mild sun, enjoying its rays on her bluish-white skin. Her nose flared as she inhaled the special smell of the placeâthe salt in the water as it dried upon the rocks, the sea plants lying stiff on the shore, kicked up by the tides. Griet reached as far as she could and plucked one from the land, brought it to her mouth with a crunch.
âAwwwwwwhhf!â She mumbled a loud, happy sound, her mouth full of seaweed. âTaste this!â she thrust it to her sister. âHave you ever tasted something like this before?â
Reluctantly, Syrena took the food. No, she hadnât ever tasted anything like it before. The heat of the sun and the dryness of the air had transformed the plant to something altogether different than it was underwater. The salt of the bay had crystallized upon it, and it crunched pleasingly between her teeth.
âWhen we get back to the village, Iâm going to make this!â Griet cried, inspired. âWe can find a rock and leave the plant in the sun! The others will love it!â
The mention of the village and the thought of feeding the others made both mermaids quiet with sadness. But as Syrenaâs thoughtsdrifted homeward, Griet tipped her head back and continued sniffing the air as if sampling food from a banquet.
âI can smell the pines over there,â she said, pointing toward the cluster of deep green trees far back on the shore. âAnd the wood the people used for their homes. And the wood they burn, that dark smoke leaving their homes.â She closed her eyes and kept breathing. And that was why she didnât see the man approaching the shore, why she was so startled to find her sister with her narwhal horn drawn as if to strike.
Chapter 11
T he waters of the North Sea were cold and thick with salt. They seemed to take more effort to move through,
Similar Books
