How about a little Forgive My Fins bonus story for your weekend?
This short story was originally (supposed to be) in a mermaid magazine. But, since the magazine seems to have never materialized, I’m going to share it with you here.
It’s a little teaser story about Lily’s best friend, Peri, and a chance meeting in the market…
Periwinkle Wentletrap sailed into the Thalassinian Marketplace with a smile on her face. Held once each month on the open sands of the old town square, the market boasted vendors of every kind hawking their wares. Farmers came from the rural regions, beyond the edges of the city, with barrels of sweet smelling sand strawberries, fresh kelp , and dried sea fans. Lobstermen put the fattest of their herd on display. Breathtaking bouquets, tasty delicacies, and even the odd salvage stall, selling human treasures that had been found on the ocean bottom. A mergirl could get lost in all the options.
But Peri knew exactly where she was going. She swam past the food and flower displays, over the organic sealife stalls, and around the tables of trinkets. She made straight for her favorite vendor. Paru’s Pearls.
Pearls are plentiful under the sea, and many girls consider them ordinary. Plain. Common. To Peri they would always be the most beautiful things in all the oceans. She loved the way that some gleamed and others sparkled. They came in all the colors of the rainbow, from bright white to soft pink to inky gray to the blackest black she had ever seen.
She couldn’t wait to browse the latest collection.
As she turned a corner, an older merwoman lost her grip on her shopping basket, sending a dozen live starfish tumbling across the aisle. Peri swerved out of the way as the woman dove after her lost bounty, then turned around to help. Most of the starfish remained within reach, and the woman quickly gathered them back. One made a gallant bid for freedom.
Peri retrieved the wayward starfish and returned it to the woman. “This one almost got away.”
“Such a sweet dear.” Her face crinkled into a bright smile. She reached up and pinched Peri’s cheek. “Thank you.”
Peri smiled back before turning and continuing toward her destination. The pearls called.
She approached the stall, swimming with such momentum that she stopped kicking and floated the rest of the way. If she hadn’t been so excited, she might have noticed the trio passing in front of the stall.
Of course she had to crash hardest into the meanest of the three.
“I’m so sorry,” Peri blurted, kicking herself out of the way, out of reach. “I wasn’t looking where I was—“
“Swim much?” Astria asked, sneering.
“Yeah,” Piper chirped. “Swim much?”
Venus snorted.
Peri stared wide-eyed at the terrible trio. Astria, Piper and Venus had been awful to her since guppihood. They took great delight in making her feel as small and worthless as possible. They tried to belittle Peri’s best friend too, but Lily was the princess. They couldn’t be as cruel with her or there might be repercussions. With Peri, though, they acted without restraint.
It didn’t help that they were gorgeous. Astria had beautiful red hair and perfect alabaster skin. Piper looked more like a California mermaid, with sunny blonde hair and a fake tan that almost matched her golden tailfin. Venus was the most exotic, with dark skin, waves of midnight curls, and rich mahogany scales.
Peri felt dim in their presence. With her boring brown hair and brown eyes, she practically faded into the shadows. Only her tailfin, a bright copper in a thousand shining shades, made her feel special.
Looking down and away, Peri muttered another, “I’m sorry,” and tried to swim past.
Astria never let her get away that easily.
“Shopping for pearls?” Her upper lip curled in a sneer. “Again?”
Peri just shook her head and darted into the stall. She heard them laughing and making fun as they swam off into the market. No matter how many times she told herself not to let them win, their barbs and mockery always stung.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep, cleansing breath.
“You’re better than those three put together,” a male voice said.
Startled, Peri spun around. Normally Paru worked her stall alone. Pearl harvesting is a time-intensive business and she couldn’t spare any of her workers to hawk beads to tourists and shoppers when they could be gathering more. The merboy floating in front of her was most definitely not Paru.
It was her son.
He looked like a pirate. His hair, long and black as squid ink, was held back by a red and black scarf. Where it flowed out the back, she could see tiny silvery shells woven into his locks. She had never seen such dark eyelashes, and they framed pale silver eyes that glowed as they watched her. But it was his mouth, quirked up to one side, that she couldn’t stop staring at.
“Wh-what?” she stammered.
He jerked his head after the terrible trio. “I’ve seen the likes of them plenty,” he explained. “Your sort is worth ten of them.” He winked. “At least.”
Peri beamed. She couldn’t help it, she grinned back. Lily always stood up for her, told her not to worry about petty mergirls. But Lily was her best friend. She was supposed to say that. This boy didn’t even know her.
“Thanks,” she said. Then, feeling more courage than usual, she held out her hand. “I’m Peri.”
When his hand closed around hers, she felt sparks bursting all over her body.
“Riatus.”
Riatus, she echoed in her mind.
He nodded over her shoulder as another shopper entered the stall. “Be right back,” he said, looking into her eyes. “You’ll wait?”
She nodded and he took off with a quick fin flick. Her hand felt cold without his warmth, but it wasn’t empty. She looked down and saw, in the center of her palm, a pearl the size of a kelpberry. And the exact coppery shade of her tailfin.
Oh yes, she’d wait. She had a feeling she’d wait forever.
What do you think? Would you want to read more of this story, to learn more about smexy cute Riatus–think Captain Jack Sparrow with a tailfin–and what happens between him and Peri?
Let me know and I might just turn this into a novella…
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