Mermaids Tears.

[Sehson]

I wrote this a couple years back for a friend whom likes fairy tales.

Once many many years ago

There was a Tiny mermaid, she was smaller than any she knew, but for her small size she was one of the prettiest. She had short auburn hair and sea green eyes. This Mermaid was named Kimia; She lived in a far away sea, off a distant land. Kimia was fond of swimming close to the land and watching the humans, they had such beautiful clothes they wore and their boats had such beautiful things like paintings, which showed wondrous scenes of the human world.

Kimia was fascinated by the humans, but she stay away because she knew the humans were cruel and mean. But the stories of another Mermaid that become a human Made her come back to watch them.

Kimia collected many things over the years from sunken ships of the humans that were very beautiful, paintings, carvings and other beautiful things. But just like almost everything Human the sea with time would destroy it. Which also sent Kimia close to the humans to sea their wondrous things.

One day while Kimia was watching a boat full of humans in their brightly colored clothes go about their work. She became entranced as they moved about as in a dance flowing here and there with sure-footed ease on the rocking vessel. As she watched she did not notice the net baubles coming near as another boat was leaving. Soon the baubles were on her and the large fishing net they held afloat. Caught in the net along with many fish she was dragged onto the boat.

The fishermen were stunned to see a real mermaid, they had heard stories of these wondrous creatures, but believed the sea tales only. Kimia fought and struggled to reach the side and make it back into the sea, but to no avail the fishermen quickly grabbed her and bound her with rope, and stuffed her into a barrel of water. In the Barrel the fishermen took her into the market and showed her to the people. Kimia pleaded with them to let her go back to the sea, but since she spoke the language of the undersea and not the humans, no one could understand her please.

An Old Caravan merchant came to the market that day, and seeing Kimia, he knew she was a living treasure. He paid a craftsman to build a large caged bath for her, and paid the fisherman well for Kimia. The merchant knew of a man that would pay him many times over to have such a treasure.

The Merchant took Kimia away from the market, her pleas to let her go back to the sea quieted as she saw the buildings of the town, the wondrous creatures that roamed the land, Strange and beautiful birds that flew the skies above the land and not the sea. She again became entranced as they traveled into the forests with all the bright colors and rich smells, never in her wildest imaginings from the paintings could she believe such things existed.

The further they traveled from the sea; the air became warmer and drier. The plants became smaller, the landscape changed from lush to barren and rocky. Kimia began to grow afraid, she had not noticed before but the water in her tub was slowly disappearing. Being sucked into the dry air, She had seen fish that had gotten stranded on the rocks as the tide went out; she knew that this land could do the same to her. Though frightened as she was she could not help but look on the land with fascination, and wonder, as snakes slithered by the wagon, and strange long necked hideous bird circled above, with plants that had spines like the urchins in the sea.

[Sehson]

They traveled many days into the desert, until they reached a great stone city. Kimia was almost to weak to look about, the water in her tub was almost completely gone, and her drying skin was beginning to crack, bringing much pain. She could barely fight off the humans big ones and small ones that came to her tub and tried to touch her, she screamed in pain as the touched her small bits of dry scale coming off. The Merchant quickly got her to safety, as his buyer would not want something this rare damaged to badly.

The merchant took her to a huge Stone palace; the wagon wheeled her tub into the throne room. Soon many men carried chests full of gold and put them on the wagon, while another large man with a wet blanket wrapped it around her and took her elsewhere in the palace. Kimia was taken to a large round building with a large round pool in the center. She was placed in the cool clean water of the pool. The cool water soothing her dry skin, in a mirror near by she looked in horror as she saw her reflection her dry cracked skin looked old and worn. At this sight she for the first time cried, in dismay, she did not want to be ugly.

Her tears were cut short as the King of the land entered the chamber, as he came near she swam to the far side of the pool. The king went to the mirror and bent and picked up some small diamonds. The king chuckled tossed the stones into the air caught them and left. Kimia went back to the mirror and began crying again, when she stopped she was amazed to find a small pile of diamonds beneath her face, her tears had become diamonds.

The King would come in every day, never saying anything to Kimia; He would admire his treasures and leave quietly. Kimia grew angry at being alone and one day picked up a handful of her diamond tears and threw them. The diamonds struck a stoppered bottle that was sitting on a jade table, knocking it to the floor. The stopper rolled from the bottle and wisps of smoke bellowed forth. The smoke swirled and took shape. A female stood overlooking the pool. With hair like fire rubies and eyes blue like the sky. Kimia was surprised at this and dove under the waters.

After a while, Kimia returned to the surface and saw the strange woman still standing near the table where the bottle had fallen. The bottle was back on the table. Kimia asked the woman who she was, and was amazed when the woman answered.

“I am Carliss” the woman replied in the undersea language, “And who might you be my little mermaid?”

Kimia was dumb struck a human that could understand her, She muttered “Kimia”

“How is it you can understand me when no other human can?”

Carliss chuckled “I am no human, I am Djarn, a guardian of fire as your kind are guardian of the sea.” After a few seconds “Well a Djinn now” she added quietly.

[Sehson]

“How is it that a mermaid has found her way into desert?” Carliss asked of Kimia

Kimia told Carliss of her misfortune with the net and her journey here and now of her stay in the pool.

Carliss bent and picked up a couple of diamonds from the floor, “Ah we are a pair of treasures aren’t we” she sighed and sat on the floor quietly.

The silence between them was broken after a time as the King returned and surveyed his treasures, paying little attention to Kimia or Carliss.

Over time the Kings visits grew further and further apart as he aged, a friendship between Kimia and Carliss grew, they had little to talk about after they both had related their pasts. The days had grown into weeks and slowly years. Carliss had taught Kimia the languages of man, and even of the Djarn, to pass the time. Kimia shared the dreams she had as child. They invented various games to play. Carliss eventually began to teach Kimia lesser of Djinn magics, including how to take human form. Kimia was still limited by her mermaid nature and could not be out of the water for very long, before she began to dry and feel the pain of. But she still enjoyed walking around their shared Treasury. As the years passed neither Kimia or Carliss noticed that the king had long since stopped to view his treasures.

One day, loud thunderous booms clamored outside the treasury, and bright flashes flashed through the vents to outside. Carliss and Kimia both wondered aloud “A storm?” And for the first time either had been in the treasury they went to the door and opened it. Outside a fierce storm raged on, they watched as lightning flashed across the sky, and torrents of rain fell to the earth. Across a courtyard they could not see the palace. Kimia took a step out the door way and let the rain hit her face, and laughed. In the rain she could walk about freely. She pulled Carliss but as Carliss’s hand was touched by the rain smoke sizzled from her skin and she jerked back in pain. She sadly shook her head and told Kimia “You go ahead and explore, I cannot go into the water as you cannot go into flame.”

With that Kimia replied, “I will be back soon”, and she crossed the courtyard into the ruins of the palace. Kimia wondered from room to room with rain freely falling in from holes in the broken ceiling, much of the palaces beauty long faded by sun and sand. A desolate ruin devoid of life. As Kimia reached the far side of the ruins the storm broke to a gentle rain, and soon stopped all together. The dry desert winds quickly blew the remaining clouds from the sky. Kimia realizing the rain that allowed her to freely walk the palace had stopped hurried back to the safety of the treasury. The dry winds quickly picked up changing the air from torrents of rain to sand. Kimia reached the courtyard as the sands began to really blow drying her skin and causing great pain. Kimia called out to Carliss who seemed powerless to help her friend as the winds licked the moisture from Kimia. Kimia fell to the ground and crawled making it almost to the doorway to the treasury. As the pain became intolerable she felt a hand close on her wrist and pull her onto the stone floor of the treasury. She felt water being poured onto her skin and then being gently lowered into the pool

[Sehson]

Kimia refuse to speak to Carliss as she again recovered from the damages of the desert. Carliss sat in silence the entire time. Eventually Kimia asked of Carliss angrily “Why would you not help me? The hot dry winds should not harm you; I cannot enter the fire, as you cannot the water! Why did you almost let me die do you hate me so?”

Carliss merely hung her head in shame. And began to cry, steam flowing off of her cheeks in little puffs. Seeing Carliss cry Kimia climbed from the pool and went to her, holding her friend as her tears became puffs of steam and quietly pelted her with diamond tears of her own. After a while they looked at them selves and laughed as they set in a small pile of diamonds with a small rain of condensation from the steam tears from the ceiling. Carliss pushed Kimia to arms length and said, “I wanted to save you I did but I cannot leave this room”

Carliss then told the story of how a young Djarn girl became Djinn, a granter of wishes confined to a bottle forever. And how the kings first wish imprisoned her to this room. “ I wish for a treasury that will keep all my treasures safe for all time and you shall be its guardian” the king had said on his first wish, binding her to the vault. “I am trapped here by his wish as you are trapped here by the desert itself.” Carliss continued.
“The only way to for me to be free is for someone to wish it, and I can only grant wishes to those that release me from the bottle”

Kimia sat silently for a long time as they just held each other. Kimia after a while said slowly “You owe me a wish, I released you from the bottle when I knocked it from the table all that time ago.” Carliss looked at Kimia in horror as the words sunk in. And shakily replied, “What is your wish Master?”

Kimia said quietly as she held her friend to look at her beautiful face “First I am not your master, and secondly I shall miss you greatly” The horror on Carliss face grew with each word she was going to lose her only friend. As Kimia continued “ I wish for you to be free of this place, the bottle and the Djinn curse”

Surprise crept across Carliss’s Face as the Djinn magic left her, she could feel the bonds released. Her body began to smoke as she began to return to her true form; with a great push she shoved Kimia into the pool as she erupted into flames. As a whirlwind of flame swept out of the treasury, Carliss’s voice carried “I cannot stay for you cannot enter the fire, but on my word I shall promise you shall see the ocean again, my love,” and the whirlwind of fire was gone sucking the pile of diamonds that had been on the floor and spreading them to the heavens.

Again Kimia was alone, but she was happy her friend was free. When Carliss was freed the magics that held the treasury slowly began to fade. The dry air slowly began to dry the pool. Over time with careful conservation of the water Kimia lasted for years in the desert. In human form her tolerance for the dryness slowly grew but with it her weathered and aged appearance. Her eyes long since blinded from drying, and the last bits of the pools water saved in Carliss’s bottle, Kimia sat and waited for the desert to take her as it had with the lesser treasures of the vault.

[Sehson]

Kimia turned her head towards a sound coming from outside the vault. She calmly waited as whatever it was came nearer. After a time the sounds stopped and the treasury door opened with a loud cracking sound. Kimia sat in silence as she heard someone enter, and cough as the air through the door stirred up dust. Kimia waited till the person had entered the vault further, and spoke “the treasures are long since gone, who ever you are” Kimia spoke towards the person.

Kimia could here the person start, and back a bit. “Oh come now, surely a blind old woman is no threat to you” Kimia said.

“Who are you?” A voice replied

“My name is Kimia, and you are called young one?” Kimia asked standing

“I’m Stacia,” the voice answered “what are you doing here, and how did you get in the door was buried?”

“I am the last guardian of the vault,” Kimia answered, “Time has long ago stripped it of its treasures”

“Then why are you here?” Stacia asked.

“Because I have nowhere to go. The desert will surely bury me before I got a league away” Kimia replied

“Well then Old woman, if there is no treasure then I am off” Stacia retorted.

“Wait” Kimia called

“What old woman” Stacia replied

“If you take me to the ocean, I will give the last remaining treasure” Kimia said

“What’s to stop me from just taking it?” Stacia asked

“Nothing except you have no idea where or what the last treasure to remain is?” Kimia responded quietly

“Alright Old woman have it your way” Stacia said as she moved toward Kimia.

Taking Carliss’s bottle Kimia Left the Vault.

The dry desert wind licking around Kimia brought a smile to her face, as she spoke into the wind “You shall not take me as I was promised I shall see the ocean again”

[Sehson]

Stacia brought a horse forward and helped Kimia onto its back. Together they rode with the sun to their backs to the sea.

As they traveled Kimia asked Stacia to describe the landscape in great detail, and remember the sights from when she traveled to the desert palace. Stacia felt a growing fondness for this tough old woman of the desert that seemed to age even more each day as they traveled, going from Old to ancient before her eyes. When they finally reached the City that used to be a small fishing town, Stacia had to hold the frail ancient body before her just to keep her on the horse. The old woman no longer responded to Stacia’s voice as she described the city, as they headed towards the shore.

When they reached the shore Stacia lifted the now light hunched frail tiny woman from the horses back. Amazed that the woman was still alive with how quickly she aged.
Stacia carried Kimia to the shore and set her on the beach. After a few moments Kimia barest movement caught Stacia’s eye, She leaned down for Kimia to whisper to her to put her in the water. Stacia Picked up the near corpse and carried her into the sea.

As Stacia watched as the water lapped at the frail woman she seemed to fill out and gained weight and size. Returning to the old woman who calmly removed herself from Stacia’s arms to stand on her own feet, growing younger before Stacia’s eyes. Until finally she was returned to her youthful pretty self with her short auburn hair of ages past. Kimia leaned into Stacia and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you my child” she said in her now youthful voice. Seeing Stacia’s raven hair green eyes and lean frame for the first time.

“What are you?” Stacia asked dumbfounded by the sight before her.

Kimia giggled, “I am a creature of the sea finally returned as promised. And as I promised the last of the treasure of that vault…. What Kind of ship can weather the fiercest storm but can be sunk with a single word?”

“I don’t know” Stacia responded still in disbelief

“Friendship” Kimia said as she handed Carliss’s bottle to Stacia. Kimia the turned and dove into the water swimming out to sea her tail shimmering in the setting sun.

Stacia looked at the stoppered bottle in her hands, removing the stopper she and poured diamonds into her hand. Which she poured back into the bottle. Looking back towards where Kimia had swum, she saw the mermaid leap into the air and disappear into a shower of sea spray gently misting about her. On the wind Stacia could hear, Kimia’s voice, “As long as my tears remain in the bottle you shall know the protection of the sea and fire, Safe journey my young friend”

[Crazeyal]

Very VERY nice.

A little shaky at the start, could have used a smidgeon more setup, but nice characterization and story. Had a good old fable feel to it!

[Sehson]

Thanks

It's one of the few stories I've been able to get completely out of my head.

I have the problem of non-linear thought, so I don't see a story from start beginning and end. I see it as a jumble of scenes that I have to figure out how they go together and what ties them together.

I've got about 4 epics that are in pieces in my head.