Flotsam and Fool Page 2

  Two hunters grabbed Nen's arms and started dragging him backwards.

  Nen's stomach clenched, and he heaved up a thin trail of bloody bile.

  The two merlings looked at him in disgust. One shook his head and clicked, then raised his fist and struck Nen.

  Nen felt pain explode in his skull then sank into welcome oblivion.

  He awoke half in and half out of the water. The waves pushed him to shore, rejecting him. He watched a blurry figure approach.

  Aradia's voice was unmistakable. "Boy, I was afraid you wouldn't come. It's the fourth day. "

  Nen groaned. He felt a flask press against his cracked lips.

  "It's the cure. Take it quick."

  Nen clamped his lips shut and buried his face in the sand.

  "So it's like that, is it? The ocean spit you out, boy. You don't belong there. Don't tell me you are planning to go back."

  Nen managed a hoarse whisper. "She is there." He wasn't sure whether it was the wind or Aradia's sigh he heard, but when he peeked up she was gone. He dropped his head back into the sand. A clicking noise encroached on his awareness. A gentle hand, a human hand, touched his shoulder.

  A girl gasped. "You!"

  Not a girl, a small woman, Nen amended as he wiped the sand from his eyes. He avoided her gaze. Why curse someone else with a merling's enchantment?

  "I've been looking for you for days. What happened to you?" The woman had an odd way of speaking, as if each word required great effort and precision.

  Surprised, Nen looked up and met her grey-eyed gaze. His gaze traveled up and down her perfectly formed, two-legged, definitely human shape. His words grated against a dry throat. "You were looking for me?"

  "I couldn't forget you. Your eyes filled my mind." She touched his face and smiled. "Those amazing eyes, dark as the ocean depths."

  Nen knew those eyes. Silver?

  She looked at him and frowned. Her fingers traced the claw marks on his face. "You're injured. What happened?"

  Nen clasped her hand in his and basked in her gaze. "I changed to be with you. But I got lost, and hungry, and then the other merlings attacked me."

  Her face darkened. "Who?"

  "I don't know his name. A tiger-striped merling and his gang."

  Her breath hissed through clenched teeth. "I know him. He's gone too far this time. But how did you end up here?"

  "They dragged me back. Then Aradia came and tried to make me take the cure, but I wouldn't, and now I'm stuck . . . Did you take a potion? Are you stuck in human form too?" The rapid beating of his heart shut out all other sounds.

  "Hush, hush." She repeated the hushing until she had his attention. "What do you mean stuck?"

  "Aradia said if I didn't take the cure, I'd never be able to be human again."

  "You mean you gave up everything for me?"

  Nen smiled sadly. "You did the same for me."

  Her eyes widened. "Such sweetness." She stroked his cheek. "Merlings can take human form. I can switch back and forth whenever I want."

  Nen stared while she dove into the ocean and disappeared under the waves. His heart skipped a beat when she didn't immediately resurface. A gentle touch tickled his tail.

  Silver surfaced, her scales gleaming. "Sometime soon, I'll teach you how to change back to human form, and you can show me your life here. But first things first. You need to heal; changing takes a lot of energy. And," she looked critically at his awkward tail movements, "you need to learn how to be a merling."

  "What about the others? The tiger-stripe and his gang?"

  She bared her teeth, the points glinted in the sun. "We will face them together. The tiger-striped merling, as you call him, doesn't rule the ocean. He thought my mother would look favorably on him after he 'rescued' me. But my mother knows he's a lying bully, and I remembered who really rescued me. You!" She beamed at Nen. "It's about time he learned he can't mistreat others with impunity. If you come with me, we can go to the Court of Law and get him punished."

  "You have a Court of Law?"

  She laughed. "Of course, we aren't savages. At least not all of us; don't judge us all by how those bullies treated you." She cupped his head in her hands and pulled his face to hers until their foreheads touched and they stared deep into each other's eyes. "Please, come with me."

  "Yes." Nen followed her to her home in the sea.

  THE END.

  If you enjoyed this story by Amber D. Sistla, please try other titles:

  Short Story Collections:

  "Going Somewhere Else and Other Stories" available online at Amazon|Barnes and Noble

  Novels:

  Obligations of a Cobalt Hue available August 13,2011 online at Amazon|Barnes and Noble

  Short Stories:

  "Homo Sylvanus" available online at Amazon|Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

  "Flotsam and Fool" available online at Amazon|Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

  "A Place to Call Home" available online at Amazon|Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

  "Just Play the Game" available online at Amazon|Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

  Thanks for reading!

  www.ambersistla.com