Hints of red in her hair dazzled in the sunlight filtering through the trees. I watched, too mesmerized, terrified, and amazed all at the same time to do anything… until.
Coqui! Coqui! Coqui!It was like my racing, amazed heart was setting off the ribbit-ing. The thrashing suddenly stopped. The mermaid looked around, alarmed, and then her eyes settled in my direction.
“Who’s there?” she asked, shivering. “I can hear you, and sense you. Where are you?” At that, she came closer to the tree I hid in.
Stop coqui-ing!I chastised myself, but the frog body had a mind of its own. It kept going in a panicked frenzy.
And that was when the mermaid saw me. Compared to my size, she was very large. I was only about the size of her eye, ifthat, yet the way she looked at me made me feel like… she would not hurt me.
“Are you alright there?” she asked through chattering teeth, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.
“Yes,” I squeaked, and she jumped, causing cold water to splash on me.
“You can talk?”
“Of course.” I frowned, and the concern on her face loosened, turning into a beautiful, gentle smile. I gaped. The freckles on her cheeks were visible, and so were the golden flecks in her big brown eyes. Her hair smelled like saltwater, and her skin was sun-kissed, like she spent hours on a beach. Unlike the tight curls of the foreigners or the loose waves of the islanders, her hair was a mess, with some strands close to becoming locs, others sticking straight, and still others as wavy as the sea.
Her hair reached past her waist, yet it was so out of order, some strands were longer than others. Her lips were the color of warm coral, and her eyelashes were so long, I couldn’t stop staring.
She’s a mermaid,I told myself again.
“I’m actually quite glad you can talk,” she said, then looked directly at me again. “Would you be so kind as to tell me where I am?”
“You’re in Kaiora Kingdom, in the Emerald forest.”
“Kaiora?” She pursed her lips, as if thinking. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“How did you get here?” I asked, and she shivered.
“I’m wondering the same thing, little…” She raised an eyebrow. “What are you, exactly? An enchanted talking frog?”
“Sort of… I’m a frog. A coqui frog.” I sighed. Would she believe me if I told her I was a prince? She seemed just as lost and in need of help as I did.
“I’m a mermaid,” she said, and I laughed, despite myself.
“I caught that.”
She laughed too, and just the sound of it seemed to make the entire pond lighten up, as if the ripples were listening, and the leaves leaned a little towards her. I was not ignorant… there was something about her that brought life here. I’d been here long enough to tell.
“Do you know whether these ponds connect to the sea?” she asked.
“There’s no ocean for miles.”
“Miles?” She gaped and looked around, bewildered. “This is bad,” she whispered and began pacing in the water, speaking to herself. “What happened?” she asked over and over again.
“Do you need to get to the ocean?” I asked.
She stopped and nodded. “Yes, I can’t survive in freshwater for long. I’m a mermaid. I need saltwater. I do have this potion that’ll turn me into a human, but I can’t take it right now because then I won’t be able to talk and if I can’t talk, how can I get help? And what about clothes?” She was speaking so fast, I could tell the mermaid was in a panic. The blue vial in her hand glowed.
“Whoa, slow down,” I said gently, and she let out a breath.
“My father is going tokillme.” She pulled herself on the rock and burst into tears. I gaped. This woman was overflowing with emotions.
“Hey, hey.” I said, climbing down and joining her on the rock. “It’s going to be alright. We’ll figure this out.”
She sniffed and held out her palm so I could step onto it. Redness rimmed her beautiful eyes, but she managed another soft smile. “You’re right. Something happened when I was running away from my father. I think… perhaps… magic? I rarely sense magic, but I felt it then. Maybe a portal or something opened, and I ended up here.”
“What kingdom are you from?”
