The rhythmic wash of the tide soothed her as she watched the ferry sail endlessly by. Hanging out in this river had been no fun. The silt tickled her gills and the flashing lights of the city at night teased her with its neon promise.
She’d waited for so long, but finally, with the fading sun, she’d be able to breathe again. Her heart fluttered and her gills quivered with the realization of impending freedom.
It was hard as hell being a mermaid in this day and age. The sea gave up no sacrifices anymore. Her hair had lost its shine and worst of all, this infernal thousand year wait between visits.
When she was younger, there had been a lot more fun - teasing sailors with a flash of her face in the cresting waves, dancing at Dionysus’ festival to the merry sway of some young lad’s hips before having to return with dawn’s chorus to the sea’s embrace. There must be some way to extend the visit this time, some way to stay and play for longer.
She watched the sun dip toward the horizon.
He stumbled along the riverside, grabbing on to the rail to stop from pitching over the side and into the brown roiling water of the Mersey. The burn of tequila thrummed at the back of his throat as he fought to keep the contents of his stomach in its proper place.
This river had been a part of his life for so long. He loved this city.
Looking up at the stars, he let the universe know it.
“Ferry… cross the Mersey
cause you know
yous the one I love.”
He bellowed the song, muddling the lyrics and slurring each word as he swayed toward the statue at the end of the cobbled promenade.
“Walk on, walk on
wit hope in your heart
and you’ll never walk alone
you’ll never walk alone.”
He serenaded the statue of the Mersey Mermaid as a couple hurried past, grasping each other’s hands and staring sidelong at him.
He didn’t care.
His stomach rumbled and the world spun. He stared at the mermaid’s face as he staggered, grabbing her arm as he tumbled into her lap.
“Cheers love” he hiccupped and giggled.
Her arms seemed to reach down to embrace him as a filigree of bubbles enmeshed her head. The cold iron of the statue warmed under his hands and a salt tang enthused the night air. Emerald eyes flashed as a voice washed through his mind, sibilant like the gentle lap of waves against the granite riverbank.
“You’ll never walk alone.”
That infernal alarm clattered as the sun traced a line of fire across the back of his eyes.
Why didn’t I close the curtains last night? Why didn’t I stop at the second tequila?
He cast his mind back… it was all a blank. He must have reached the point of no return when the walls come down and the performance takes him over.
Right, time to get my warrior’s head on. There’s no time for hangovers.
With an audition at two o’clock, I can’t afford to fuck this one up.
He shook the fuzz and anxiety out of his head as he stared around the room. A stack of bills sat on the desk, piles of newspapers lurking in the corners and a pair of frilly knickers adorning the desktop lamp.
Oh well, something good must have happened last night.
He picked up the dog-eared script as the sound of the shower hummed to life and a fluid song built in waves like the ebb of the tide at the end of day.
The script was absolute pants, but what choice did he have? Rent was due.
The song invaded his thoughts, soothing all worries, washing it away like the birth of a spring in mountain dells. He could smell a hint of salt-kissed sand as the door opened, and she emerged naked and glistening from the shower.
“D’you want to put them eyes back in lad?” She half turned as if to hide her nakedness, quickly wrapping a towel around herself before laughing and letting it fall to the floor.
His eyes popped out of his head as he stared at tight skin pulled thin over a bulging belly. He looked up the flowing lines of her body to those shining green eyes, deep as crystal pools, flashing luminescent kelp green as she winked at him.
“It looks like I’ll be hanging around this time. You should have worn a condom Luv.”
The end.
The various digital art in this post was made using GIMP Photo Editing Suit + Adobe Pro... all from CC licence sources, links below:
https://pixabay.com/illustrations/fantasy-mermaid-woman-face-shells-6780505/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liver_Building,_Ferry_and_Cruise_Liner
https://pixabay.com/photos/water-monument-copenhagen-denmark-2394126/
https://pixabay.com/photos/sunset-sea-sun-wave-clouds-summer-1803510/
https://pixabay.com/photos/eyes-pair-of-eyes-green-make-up-4079944/
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