Mer Tales 01 - Everblue

that’s kinda important, but next time, please come get me first. I can’t stand being there any longer than I have to.”
    “ Yeah, sure.”
    “ Today was exceptionally grueling.” She slowed her pace, lengthened her neck and stuck her nose in the air, wiggling her tail in small precise movements. “We learned how to swim proper, like a merlady,” she said, complete with an English accent.
    I laughed. “What?”
    “ It seems the only thing mermatrons care about is beauty—not education or any type of real accomplishment. Their only goal is to teach us how to be a pretty thing for the mermen to enjoy—oh—and to make merlings with. That’s it. And amazingly enough, the maids all seem cool with it, anxious to be paired to the one their parents have picked out for them.”
    “ Really.” At the mention of merbabies, I checked out. I wondered instead how Lily felt about beauty school and who her parents had planned to match her up with. “Are all the mermaids there?”
    “ I think so. But are you even listening to me? It’s primitive and wrong!”
    “ Yeah,” I said nonchalantly. All I wanted to do was deliver her safely home and get to Badger’s. I hoped Lily might stop by again.
    “ Oooh!” Tatch spun around and put her blue tinted face inches from mine. “The girls are slaves for you boys! To keep as trinkets and baby makers!”
    I backed away. “I know. But what can we do about it? No one seems to care the customs are ancient. I mean, once someone promises, they end up living happily ever after—pretty or not.”
    Tatch groaned and threw her hands upwards. “Boys! You all think the same!”
    She took off and disappeared over the ridge. I let her go since our house was just on the other side. Finally free, I darted the other way toward Badger’s house.
    :::
    Badger walked to the porthole and motioned for me to come inside.
    “ Aye, look who be washin’ himself up on me shore. Welcome, lad.” He clapped me on the back once I phased into legs and directed me toward the living room. “Have a seat.”
    My stomach pinched when I spotted Lily sitting on the couch, wearing a pink dress that accentuated the curves God gave her. I tried not to gawk.
    “ Hi, Fin,” she said.
    “ Hey.” My heart rate increased as I walked over to join her. “How’s it going?”
    She smiled, flashing her white teeth. “Great.”
    Badger relaxed back in his usual lounge chair and kicked up his feet. “We’s just be talkin’ about the weather on land. Lily here’s never seen snow before.”
    “ You haven’t?” I raised my eyebrows. It didn’t take long to get over the wonder of the messy stuff; being buried in drifts six months out of the year tended to make it more of a hassle than a phenomenon.
    “ No.” She looked down and played with the beads on her skirt. “There aren’t too many gates in snowy places, and yours is a little unique and unfortunately not open to the public.”
    “ Oh, right.” I paused. “Well, sometimes we get as much as fifteen feet in one dump. I’m sure you could visit next winter, when we’re back there. We could go ice skating.”
    Her face lightened. “Ice skating? I would love to try that. Is it hard to do?”
    “ Blarney!” Badger interrupted. “In my country, we don’t entertain such silly sports. Now Gaelic football, that’s the—”
    “ Badger,” Sandy called from the kitchen. “Would you come here for a moment?”
    He pressed his furry eyebrows together. “Ya need me, doll?” It appeared helping Sandy with chores didn’t rank high on his list when he had a captive audience listening to him yammer about the good ole days .
    “ Yes, please,” she replied.
    “ Hold that there thought, you two,” Badger said, hoisting himself from his chair. “Coming, love.”
    Once alone, Lily looked up at me through her eyelashes and my heart roared in my chest. The desire to grab her cheeks and bring her lips crashing to mine rocketed through my shaking limbs.
    To leave two single mers of the opposite sex alone was against Natatorian law. I used to think the temptation to kiss a mermaid was a total myth, never having the opportunity until this moment. But as if someone had just said, “don’t think of elephants” all I could think about was kissing her. I stood up and began to pace, suddenly interested in the trophies on the mantel piece.
    “ So, do you go to the school at the palace too?” I asked.
    “ Yes. All mermaids are required to attend school