A Friend from the Deep

A tired, sore body… is that what normally happened to those that went dimension travelling for the first time?

"Roxanna…"

Why did she have to leave? She didn’t even get to say goodbye to her friends. Everything seemed so confusing and scary. What was going on?

"Roxanna, dear…"

It all happened so quickly. Why did Mommy and Daddy seem so urgent about getting her to leave? Did she do something wrong? Did they not love her anymore?

"Sweetheart, please wake up. I know you must feel exhausted, but you must wake up."

She let out a groan, stretching her limbs under the cozy kelp blankets. With heavy eyes, little ten-year-old Roxanna finally looked up at the mysterious voice calling her name. Her childish curiosity took over as she examined the elderly face smiling down at her. His silver-blue eyes met with her own. “Ah, good morning, dearie. You must’ve had quite the journey, hm?” The aged man chuckled merrily, helping Roxanna sit up in the makeshift sponge bed as she draped her fins over the side.

“Wh...Who are you..?” The young girl asked in a meek voice; a stranger’s face was not the most comforting first thing to see when you first awake.

The elder keeled down on his bronze tail to Roxanna’s level, giving her a gentle grin. “Didn’t your parents tell you about me? I’m Mordecai, your new caretaker.”

Roxanna recalled her mother and father’s parting words before she left through the portal. They did mention a man named Mordecai would be waiting for her on the other side. “Oh yeah… Mommy and Daddy said I would be staying here with you.”

Mordecai took her by the hand and carefully guided her out of bed. “That’s right, dear. This will be your new home for… quite some time.” Looking at the distraught look on the mermaid’s face, he added, “I know this is quite a big change in such a small amount of time, but I assure you that you will one day be able to return to your own world. You know my brother, right? He was the royal adviser to your parents. About every thirty tides or so, I go visit him or send him messages through the portal. As time passes, I’m positive you’ll be able to make this world a home to you as well. I know I have.”

“I never wanted to leave,” Roxanna stated in a small voice, letting go of Mordecai and swimming around to find the portal entrance.

“Nobody wanted you to leave, Roxanna,” Mordecai said as he observed her, “but your family had no other choice but send you here for your safety.”

“Mommy and Daddy kept me safe!” She argued, crossing her arms. “I was fine there. Nobody ever hurt me.”

Mordecai sighed quietly; it was apparent to him that this child did not understand why she was here or the events that led up to it. “Dear… let me explain.” He sat down on her bed, stroking his short, gray beard in thought before folding his hands across his scaly lap. “Have your parents explained why they sent you here?”

“A little bit.” She replied. “They said that I had talents that others didn’t understand, and when I used those talents, merpeople took it the wrong way.”

“I see.” Mordecai looked down at his lap, once again in thought. “Do you you know what that means?” When Roxanna shook her head, the old merman felt a heavy burden placed onto his shoulders. She’s only a child… she’s not old enough to understand what kind of dangers were out there for her. How can I put this..?

“You know that picture you have on your side?” Mordecai pointed to Roxanna’s hip. A symbol of a large grayish-pink seashell with a treble clef centered in the middle of it was emblazoned on the side of her sea green tail, slightly covered by a short, skirt-like, translucent magenta fin circling around her waist.

Roxanna put on a grin as she ran her little hand across the symbol, suddenly feeling a little better at the mention of it. “Yes! It’s very pretty. It reminds me of music. I like music! I got it when I sang at my first recital.”

Mordecai couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at Roxanna’s youthful excitement. “Yes, that’s exactly what it seems to be, an expression of your love of music and singing. No other merperson seems to have what you have.”

Roxanna couldn’t help but smile proudly before Mordecai continued. “Ah, and your recital. I hear that was marvelous. Did anything… interesting happen during it?”

The girl let out a hum of thought before lightening up with a memory. “Oh yeah! There was this part in my song where I sang the wrong note, but the merpeople who were watching me didn’t seem to notice at all! Oh, and Mrs. Crago had to leave because her twin babies were crying like crazy! I think they were hungry.”

“That's interesting, dear, but did anything… unusual happen?”

“Oh, oh, oh!” She bounced excitedly. “At the end of my song, all of these pretty lights flew across the room! It was as pretty as a rainbow trout!”

“Magic, Roxanna.” Mordecai stated firmly. “What you did was magic.”

“But we don't have magic.” Roxanna replied nonchalantly. “Some merpeople say our ancestors had magic, though, but I'm not a siren, Mordecai! Sirens are bad!”

Centuries ago, before the merpeople were officially a species, sirens wandered through the oceans of Earth. They were known for using their enchanting voices to lure helpless sailors to rocky islands, crashing their ships and killing all aboard. It wasn't until sirens started forming lives outside of their deceiving ways that the merpeople were formed, and any traces of siren magic faded away as their powers were used less and less until they were completely gone.

“I know… but that's what’s causing so much trouble.” He gave Roxanna the gentlest look he could. “Honestly, Roxanna… the kingdom is afraid of you. No mermaid has ever had a symbol or magic such as yours. They fear having you as their princess because of what you could possible do with it one day.”

Roxanna stayed silent for a moment. “I'm… bad?”

“No, no, my dear!” He shook his head and hands, not wanting her to think such things. “Others are just… having a hard time comprehending your abilities. That's what your parents meant when they said they were taking your talents the wrong way. However, there are neighboring kingdoms who are very… very interested in your powers. That's why you had to come here. This is the only place they won't look for you.”

“Look for me? Why are they looking for me?”

Mordecai stayed silent for a moment, taking a deep breath. He placed his wrinkled hand on Roxanna’s shoulder. “The thing about multiple kingdoms is… they want to do their best to be the highest in power in all of the oceans. There isn't magic anywhere else, Roxanna. Other kingdoms think that if they could somehow take your magic, they'd have power over all of the waters. There are guards all over Aquatania, even invading the castle. They've come from Bubbleopolis, Crustacea, even Atlantis… we’re on the verge of war, my dear.”

“W-War?” The water around Roxanna felt cold. No wonder she hadn't had any of her friends over to play in a while. No wonder visitors acted awkward around her, no matter how hard she tried to act properly. Her happy demeanor vanished, reality of the situation finally settling in. One horrifying question popped into her mind. “Am I… a siren?”

The silence that followed felt more unsettling than any other moments of it that preceded. Mordecai didn’t know what to say quite yet. Magic was the main thing that separated sirens from mermaids. He took Roxanna’s chin in his hand, gently lifting her eyes to his. “There are some answers I’m afraid I can’t answer right away, Roxanna. Only Poseidon knows what lies ahead for you.”

Instead of continuing this path of conversation, Mordecai took Roxanna by the hand and swam her to the kitchen. “How about some dinner? I’ve got something delicious planned for tonight!”

Roxanna looked up at him. “Is there going to be tuna?”

“I’m afraid not.” Mordecai sat her down at the table, getting a plate ready for her. “Tuna don’t swim around here. We live in a lake, Saddle Lake to be precise. We have some prawns, though. You like prawns, don’t you?”

Roxanna nodded, a little disappointed that one of her favorite meals was not available here in this world. While waiting for her dinner, she began thinking about the life here in this world. “Mordecai, what’s the 'up world' here like?”

Mordecai nearly dropped Roxanna’s plate of food in surprise. Wide-eyed, he looked back at the girl who was staring back at him, waiting for an answer. “Roxanna, why would you ask about something as ridiculous as the surface?”

Roxanna shrugged, rolling her eyes. “I dunno… I’m just wondering.”

Mordecai gave Roxanna her dinner, sitting down across from her. He let out a small sigh. “The surface world here… well, I guess you’re better off knowing than being clueless your whole time here. Fine, I’ll tell you.” Roxanna, dismissing her dish of prawns and seaweed for the time being, scooted her chair closer to the table to listen. “Well… there are no humans there. Instead, there are these strange, colorful, four-legged creatures. I don’t know what they’re called, but what I do know is that they don’t like water, which means we don’t have to worry about fishermen, boats, fish hooks, nets, and such. However… they have… well, they have magic. All of them have magic in one form or another.”

“Like me?” Roxanna asked with immense curiosity.

“Yes… like you. And they also have strange symbols on their sides, just like you.” Mordecai ran his fingers through his gray hair, almost disturbed to state this fact to the little princess.

Roxanna grinned widely, her fins flapping excitedly under the table. “Does this mean you’ve been to the 'up world', Mordecai?”

“...Yes, I have. But only for research, mind you!” He gave Roxanna a serious look. “That is the whole reason I’m here, Roxanna. When I found the portal here, I came here to study the magical qualities that abide here. I trusted my brother to keep the discovery a secret. However, when I heard that you were in danger, I let him notify your family to send you here. While this may be a new world, the rules are still the same. The surface world is completely restricted and forbidden to you. Do you understand?”

“That’s not fair!” Roxanna pouted, crossing her arms. “You get to go up there! Why can’t I?”

“Because the creatures up there are dangerous, Roxanna, as well as all other land creatures. They won’t resist the opportunity when given to fight with us. It is my duty to keep you safe until you can return home, and I will not hand you over into the arms of danger.”

“...Can’t I go up there just one time, just for a minute?” She begged.

Mordecai shook his head firmly. “No, Roxanna. You are never to go there. It takes time to learn how to protect yourself up there, and you’re much too young to do such a thing. Besides, there’s nothing worth seeing up there. Even if you did end up at the surface, you’d want to come back down here where you’re safe and happy. Our underwater world is much more prettier and exquisite than any old land home anyways. Now do you understand?”

Letting out a defeated huff, Roxanna scooted her plate over, digging around with her fork. “Yeah, I understand.”

Mordecai nodded in approval. He swam around to her and patted her head. “Don’t worry, dear. You’ll find many exciting things to do here. With your magic, it’s best not to ignore it, hm? I have some special music I’d be happy to teach you tomorrow.”

“Special music?” Roxanna raised an eyebrow, gobbling up a rubbery prawn.

“Spells are a better way to put it.” Mordecai smiles. “They’re very simple spells. I thought that might interest you.”

Roxanna gasped excitedly, jumping out of her chair. “Really?! Wow! I’m gonna learn magic!” She let out a happy giggle, doing a flip in the water. She hugs Mordecai tightly, surprising the old man. “Thank you, Mordecai! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Mordecai chuckled, giving Roxanna a gentler hug in return. “You’re welcome. We’ll begin in the morning.”

As Roxanna returned to the table to finish her dinner, Mordecai went to fix up his own serving. He looked back at her and gave a small grin. "She'll be a handful... but a handful I will cherish."