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An hour later, she’d arrived at the Miners’ Pool tucked below the White Rocks hotel. Like others in the area, the pool had been a natural rock pool that had been blasted out by tin miners in the nineteenth century. Some had been created for aristocrats to bathe in or children to learn to swim; Zennor had probably been in all of them at some time or other.

It could only be accessed down a set of dodgy rock steps from the hotel grounds. The coastal path ran behind the hotel so only guests tended to use the small beach and very few ventured over the rocks to the pool. It was only accessible at low tide, giving people a short time to swim.

The hotel staff had accompanied her down the steps and across to the pool before leaving, giving her time to get into the tail before the children arrived.

The pool wasn’t much bigger than a large pond but it was about ten feet deep in places with a rocky bottom that was home to anemones, limpets, crabs and small fish. Zennor had no fear of marine life, but without goggles, seeing under the water was difficult and uncomfortable.

Nonetheless, she practised a few dives in the pool before hauling herself on to the rocks and combing her hair with her fingers. She already had cramp in her toes, grazes on her arm and a huge respect for Titania and any mermaid, professional or mythical.

Within seconds, shouts pierced the air.

‘A mermaid! A real mermaid!’ Children, squealing with excitement, were on the hotel terrace above, accompanied by their parents, Shilpa, Sybil and several of the hotel staff. All of Zennor’s aches and pains vanished when she saw their excitement.

She couldn’t make out most of what they were saying but she heard the shrieks of delight and saw them point their fingers.

At first, she feigned shock at being seen on the edge of the pool but then gave a shy wave.

The kids waved back, kept at a safe distance by their parents.

This could be a lot of fun. Zennor waved again, smiling for all she was worth and then she heard a buzzing sound like a swarm of angry wasps.

A drone swooped over her head.

‘Oh, shhhhh—’ Zennor murmured but then cut off the expletive. Mermaids did not swear. Mermaids were serene. And it was one thing playing the role from a distance but the drone would capture everything: her expression, her swimming skills … everything. She’d have to put on a good performance because the kids would be sure to watch it back.

Lifting her hair extravagantly, she shook water from her face and as gracefully as she could, she slid into the pool.

She did a duck dive under the water and surfaced with what she hoped was a blissful smile on her face, even though her eyes were stinging. The tail fin had also scraped the bottom of the pool. She hoped she hadn’t damaged it, even if it was an old one.

The drone swooped lower and whizzed a few metres away.

If only it would smash on the rocks. If only someone had warned her. This was meant to be a magical fleeting experience, not something to be shared on Instagram.

There was nothing she could do.

From behind, a small wave splashed over the rocky rim of the pool, indicating that the tide was possibly beginning to turn.

The children were shouting and jigging up and down, pointing at her.

Trying to ignore her buzzing tormentor, she focused on the job in hand: giving the children some respite from the worries in their lives.

Zennor now knew why the professional troupe loved their jobs so much. Mermaids were magical, elusive, rare … and it was a privilege to bring that joy into the kids’ lives.

Getting into the role, she did another dive and then balanced with her fin on the bottom of the pool and waved. It had been ages since she’d done anything like this. It reminded her of the times she’d volunteered at the children’s theatre. She ought to do more of it.

Another larger wave splashed into the pool, racing across it and splashing on the other side, spraying her with salty water. The tide had turned and Roo would be waiting in the cove to collect her.

It was time to make her exit.

The drone sped off into the sky, its buzzing fading away. But it might be going higher for a view of her swimming off into the next cove.

She hoped not. That was where the magic would end. She didn’t want to be filmed crawling over the rocks and, even worse, taking off her tail.

The exhilaration of entertaining the children was ebbing away, perhaps because she was growing tired and cold from pretending to be a mythical creature. She was anxious to be warm, back in her human clothes, and watching the videos and photos – safely out of the sight of the children, of course.

She hauled herself out of the pool again and lifted her tail over the rocky rim of the pool, ready to swim off out of sight round the headland. The water of the cove was about two metres deep and it was the most beautiful translucent green, the bottom sandy and clear.

The children had been ushered back into the hotel yet Zennor hesitated. The beauty of the scene transported her back to the late-summer evening she and Matt had had sex in the cove after swimming there together. The water had been much colder and they’d dared each other to swim without wetsuits. With skin pink from the cold, breathless and laughing, Matt had suggested they should warm up with a run round the beach.