The Mermaid's Mirror

Chapter 21

Lena coughed and gasped, sucking in lungfuls of precious air.

As she dragged herself up onto the sand, she saw that the man with the beard was hurrying to her side. The other three surfers watched in the background.

"Are you okay?" he asked, leaning over her.

She nodded, unable to speak. All she could do was keep breathing—she would never take air for granted again.

"I thought we'd lost you!" said the man, his voice shaking. "I didn't think you were going to make it out of that hole."

Lena stared up at him, trying to catch her breath. She wanted to open her hand and look at what she was holding—what someone had shoved into her hand—but she didn't want this guy to see. She turned to look back at the ocean. The sun was setting, bleeding orange and pink and gray, and the waves were turning darker every minute.

"Who's out there?" she panted.

"No one. You were the only one out there."

She glanced up and saw a guy her age standing a little farther up the beach. Max's board had been pulled out of the water and was sitting on the sand. The other two surfers were leaving. The show was over.

Lena looked out at the ocean again and saw a dark head bob above the surface of the waves. She squinted into the setting sun.

It was the mermaid.

Lena splashed into the water.

"Hey!" the man yelled.

The dark head disappeared in the waves as suddenly as if it had never been there. Lena stared hard. "Don't go!" she cried.

"What are you doing?" the man called after Lena. "You can't go back out there, it's getting dark."

"Leave me alone!" yelled Lena, struggling through the surf, scanning the waves. It was the mermaid who pulled me out of the Cauldron.

"Listen," said the man. "Maybe you don't know—the sharks come into the shallows to feed at dusk."

They won't hurt me, she thought. Then the shock of that idea froze her in place. Why did I think that? She fell to her knees, exhausted and shivering, eyes straining to see the mermaid. Oh, God, please don't go. Tears mixed with the salt spray on her face.

"Erik!" called the man.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Call 911. There's something wrong with this girl."

"No!" moaned Lena. "There's nothing wrong with me. Why can't you just leave me alone?" The water lapped around her.

"Sorry, but you're shaking and crying, so something is wrong."

Eyes fixed on the waves, Lena clutched the hard metal object. There was no sign of a head now. She struggled to her feet, suddenly so weak she thought she might fall. The idea of just lying down in the waves and letting them take her was very tempting.

"Whoa," said the man. "Let me help." He tried to take her arm, but she pulled away from him. "We've got to get you warmed up," he continued. "Where's your stuff?"

She gestured numbly at her duffel bag, and walked in that direction.

"Do you have a ride home? Someone you can call?"

"Um," said Lena, teeth chattering. "Yes. I'll be fine. Thanks."

"Why are you on your own? You should never surf alone ... especially not Magic's. What if we hadn't been here?"

Shut up, shut up, thought Lena. Just go away. Turning her back to the bearded man, Lena opened her palm to see what she was holding.

It was a gold key.

Lena whirled to face the darkening sea. The sun was giving off its last fiery rays, and she had to shield her eyes against its brightness. Then she saw the silhouette of a head in the water and a glimpse of white face in the darkness.

Lena made a small sound in her throat. She's real.

Lena stared out at the face in the water. She was not imagining this. She was not crazy. A mermaid lived out there. She had saved Lena's life.

And she had given her a key.

Blinking against the setting sun, Lena lifted her hand.

A slim white arm rose out of the water in response, then there was a small splash as the mermaid disappeared, leaving behind the empty ocean.