The Mermaid's Mirror

Chapter 24

You will find it.

When Lena woke up, those words were clear in her mind. The mermaid had given her the key for a reason. She wouldn't give it to someone who had no hope of finding its lock.

Lena felt around her bed in the dark, a small wave of fear surging over her when her hands encountered only bedding. Had someone come in while she was sleeping and taken it? She sat up and pushed back her covers, relief flooding her when she found the key. It had slipped farther down in the bed.

Vowing not to lose it again, even for a moment, Lena climbed out of bed and fumbled her way in the dark to her desk. She felt in the top drawer for her flashlight. They often lost power during windstorms, so every room in the house contained a flashlight.

Shielding her eyes until they grew accustomed to the light, she shone the beam into her jewelry box. She moved things around until she found the gold chain she was looking for, and held it up to the light.

No, too delicate. She was afraid the chain might break and the key would be lost. She clutched the key convulsively at the thought.

She opened her bureau drawers one at a time, slowly, so they wouldn't make noise. When she got to the bottom drawer, she withdrew a blue scarf knitted in velvet yarn. Her mom had gone through a short-lived knitting phase when she was pregnant with Cole, creating booties and a blanket for the baby, and scarves for Lena and her dad.

Perfect. It hardly ever got cold enough to wear a scarf, anyway. Lena took a pair of scissors from her desk and snipped the end of the scarf. Unraveling the thick strands of yarn, she pulled free a single strand measuring about three feet in length. She snipped the other end and fed it through the open top of her key. Then she t riple-knotted the two ends of yarn together and slipped the homemade necklace around her neck, tucking it under her shirt. The softness of the yarn and the hardness of the metal felt exactly right against her skin.

She crawled back in bed, glancing at her clock radio. 3:39. She could sleep another three or four hours, thank goodness. Magic's had beaten her up, and she needed rest.

Lena's breathing grew regular and her limbs relaxed. Images of the mermaid drifted through her dreams. "Come to me," sang the creature. "Heed my call."

I'm coming.

Lena dreamed she was slipping out of bed and opening her door. Halfway down the stairs, a small sound broke through her dreams, and she paused. Cole was crying.

Lena woke up.

She felt the oak banister under her hand and grabbed it to keep from falling down the stairs. She might have stood there a long time, trembling and telling herself, "I'm okay, I'm okay. I'm safe in the house," but she heard another cry from Cole's room.

She hurried back upstairs and eased open the door to his room. He sat up in bed, mumbling, "...can't have it," then lay back down. Lena watched him for a minute, but he was asleep. She closed his door very gently. She crossed the hall to her own room and went inside, closing her own door very gently, too.

***

The mermaid came as close to shore as she dared, and she rocked in the waves until dawn, waiting for the girl to appear. When the sky began to lighten, she uttered one lonely moan and slid beneath the surface.