Memoirs of a Lonely Writer: A Collection of One-Shots

The boys would be here soon, too soon, but I could still go for a swim, couldn’t I? My fins kicked through the snarling seaweed on the coast of California. Nothing could be better than a warm swim in the late afternoon sun!

Fish raced me through the kelp and underwater plants. I went faster and faster, letting out happy bubbles as I smiled in joy. I saw the scales on my tail reflect beams of sunlight to scatter beautiful reflections on the sandy bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Being a mermaid wasn’t all that bad. I mean, it’s nothing like Ariel in the movie, or one of the weird vicious predators that some people think they are. Well, those who believe in mermaids sometimes tend to think that we can be vicious.

I saw a fishing net and quickly voided that before rising to the surface. I broke through the crest of a wave in a stunning leap of pure joy. I let out a whoop of excitement before diving back in. As I dove under the pressures of the ocean, I breathed.

It was an art to breathe under pressure of any kind, but I had mastered it. Whether it was the sea, an intense situation, or anything else, all you have to do is....breathe.

The sun was starting its descent, so I decided to head back to the little secluded bay that I was supposed to be at. My friends and I were going to have a big beach party, and by big, I meant just five of us and me. I quickly sprinted back, avoiding a pod of dolphins that were patrolling just off the coast. Normally, I would stop and play but I was going to be late.

When I got to the alcove surrounded by tall cliffs, I quickly ducked behind an outcropping of rocks. I usually liked to lounge on the rocks, but today wasn’t the day for that. I spotted my bag hidden in some bushes. The boys were already starting their descent down a hill by the cliffs. The bus would be parked close by.

In lightning speed, I swam to the shore and switched back to my normal human form. When you shift between a mermaid and a human, it isn’t like, “Oh, I can just think I’m a human now!” No, it’s when you go to shore, you get this feeling that washes over you and you can succumb to it and let it shift you back to a human, or you can hold on to the form you’re in now. It’s just like when I’m a human and I walk into the water. A warm feeling washes over me and I just feel the pull of the ocean.

Now that I’m a human, I quickly throw a shirt and shorts over my bikini. The good part about being a mermaid? Not having to constantly shift and turn naked every time. Don’t ask me why my clothes don’t fall off when I shift, they just don’t. I don’t have an answer for that.

The boys were already starting to call my name as I appeared around the bushes. Chris Motionless, Ghost Sola, Ricky Horror, Angelo Parente, Josh Balz and Ryan Sitkowski were my five friends. Their band, Motionless in White, was a hit success around the country right now. Ghost came up and gave me a great big hug. He was always really happy to see me. Out of all the boys, he was the closest to me.

“Hey, Irina!” Devin “Ghost” Sola was probably one of the friendliest people I knew. I returned the smile and he set me down.

“Hey, Ghost. How’s the band going?” I asked him. Behind his back, Angelo and Ryan were arguing about how to set up the tent, and a very hungry Josh was firing up the grill.

“Great! We’ve got a tour signed on in a few months and it’s going to be pretty fun! I can’t wait to see all the fans again.” He smiled. I patted his hair and giggled. He smiled and took my hand to lead me to the rest of the band.

“Hey, Balz! Cook me up a hot dog!” Chris laughed. Balz threw some more hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill and started to eat.

The sun was getting lower and lower on the horizon as the night wore on. It was great to get back with my best friends again. Although I was surely sad that they would be leaving for tour in a few weeks, it’s not like they would be gone forever!

The thing that made this night so special, besides the fact that Ryan finally beat Balz at who could eat the most hot dogs contest, was that I had a secret I wanted to tell them. The boys had grown up with me, but I had kept this one thing hidden from them for years.

In the last evening hours, everyone was ready to swim a little. The warm water lapped at the surface of the sandy beach. We all waded into the warm water. I felt the strong pull of the ocean calling to me. It was as if the song of the waves were growing louder with each foamy crest that splashed against my legs.

“Hey, come on in.” Ghost yelled for me. I was caught with my mind wandering, again. As I bit my lip nervously, I contemplated doing what I always wanted to do. Ghost took my hand as I slowly waded in. Each inch deep was another string pulling me towards turning…

“Ghost, I have to show you something.” I told him nervously. Golden rays under the pink sky reflected his curiosity. He raised an eyebrow. By now, the entire band was starting to pay attention to our little conversation.

And so, I showed him what I truly was.

Three days later….

Ever since that night at the beach party when I showed everyone I was a mermaid, things had been a little…different. I remember everyone’s reactions clearly. Although the entire band was shocked, Chris just laughed and commented that this would explain why my arms were always so buff….because I had to haul myself everywhere I went with a tail on. Ange, Balz, and Ryan were just laughing and smiling and commenting on how “nothing was different”. But Ghost…

Devin Sola had grown further away. The day after the beach party, we were supposed to go see a movie. He cancelled on a weak excuse. I didn’t care because we saw each other the day after. We were at a coffee shop and he kept looking at me like I was a different species, an alien. It started to hurt after an hour of strange glances and curt words.

So today, I decided that I should swim to get my mind off of my best friend that had grown further apart.

I was speeding alongside a pod of dolphins, leaping through the waves with them. Although their chattering of clicks made me smile, I couldn’t help but think of those looks that Ghost gave me. They had their tour to prepare for, stuff to get ready. They would leave in a few days.

As the pod got distracted by a swarm of small fish, I made my way to a slower area of populated beach. As I made my way into a deeper section to avoid boats and swimmers, I found myself coming close to our secluded cliffs.

As I surfaced for a breath of refreshing morning air, I heard two familiar sounds.

“Ready for tour?” The first man asked. Stones skipped on the surface of the mirror like water. The day was calm, although my nerves were anything but.

“Maybe, Ange. I don’t know.”

“Come on, Ghost! Just leave her out of your mind.” Ange rolled his eyes, I could just tell. I frowned and saw closer. Hiding in an outcropping of rocks, I saw Ghost and Angelo skipping stones on the water. Hauling myself up just enough, I looked to them and listened to their conversation.

“I know, but it’s just so…weird.” Ghost spat in disgust.

“I didn’t know they were real, but you know what, maybe I didn’t want to know.” Ange shrugged and tossed another stone.

“It’s not that she’s ugly, she’s just different and this is really creeping me out. Irina is strange and weird and not…normal.” Ghost spat. I felt salty tears sting at my eyes. What happened to my old boy that was always so kind?

“Mermaids, just too weird. They shouldn’t exist.” Ange sighed. I bit on my lip. What did he just say!? Did he just say the I shouldn’t exist!?

“Agreed. I’ve heard they’re really vicious, not at all like the little mermaid. Maybe all those legends are true about them leading people to their death.” Ghost frowned deeply. I could tell that he was getting angry and riled up.

“I think those are sirens, but they’re the same, right?” Ange tossed another stone before sitting down.

“All this is just too weird. I can’t wait to get on tour and get away from her.” Ghosts finished. I barely heard those words through a strangled sob. They looked up from their skipping stones. I leaped back off the rocks, splashing loudly into the water.

And I knew, I just knew, that they had seen me. They knew I had heard all of that.

So I swam away to where my tears became one with the ocean.

Two years later….

It’s been two years since I’ve seen the boys. It’s been two years since I’ve seen Ghost. Have I missed him? No.

But then again, why was my heart aching this much?

I was swimming on a stormy day. Although it’s not the wisest choice, I needed to clear my mind. Exactly two years ago was when I swam out of Ghost’s life. I didn’t check up on how he’s doing or anything. Now a days, I spent most of my time in the sea. I rarely went on land. What was up there for me? Nothing.

And as I lay on the rocks, watching the dolphins splash in in the waves, I heard a strangled sob. So familiar, so bitter…

I looked up behind me. I was resting in my familiar alcove, the one with the huge cliffs around it. They rose straight out of the water, towering over the rock outcropping in the shallow water.

Dismissing the sound, I watched the torrent of the waves until the sound rose up again. This time, I searched the cliffs for the bird who was making this sound.

Instead, I found a very depressed man.

I saw him stand on the edge of the cliff, looking over the ocean. He looked as if he was about to jump. The thing was, no one was foolish enough to jump! It would kill the person on impact. The water had rocks jutting out of it. One leap and it would be the last one.

A person would be too foolish to leap, unless they wanted to die.

And this man looked like he wanted to.

I felt something tug at my heart. The way his hair whipped around his face, the way he held himself, so sad but so familiar. I jumped back into the water, poking my head out of the waves. I watched the man as he just stared into the water.

And then he fell.

He jumped off the side after a final strangle sob of, “Not her.”

And I watched him fall in his suicide attempted.

But I didn’t want him to die.

So I ducked under the waves, speeding towards his point of impact. It was a race to see who would reach the rocks first. As I got to the rocks, I used every ounce of effort to launch myself out of the waves.

And so the man kept falling….

And falling….

And falling…

And I caught him.

We smashed together, my arms wrapping around him, brown hair trailing like little tails of shooting stars. I twisted in midair and felt my back hit the water instead of him. We barely missed the rocks as I saw the man struggle. I let go of him and watched him bob to the surface.

I looked into his face and got the shock of my life.

It was a very bedraggled looking Ghost Sola, looking scared, shocked that he had lived, and still depressed.

He clawed at the rough waves, trying to stay afloat. I felt the fear radiating from him, so I latched onto his waist and pulled him to shore. He was too sore and tired to fight back.

Hauling him to shore, I flopped onto the beach beside him. He stood up on wobbly legs before falling back. I felt him stare at me in amazement as I coughed and sputtered a little.

“Irina!?” He gasped, shocked. I nodded and shifted back into my human form. I was still in my swimsuit from earlier this morning. Dragging myself to the normal place I kept in the secret alcove, I pulled on a pair of shorts and shirt over that. I turned around to find a sad looking Ghost trailing me like a lost puppy.

“I thought you said I was weird.” I shook my head, muttering this to myself. Before I knew it, he had his arms hooked around my waist, pulling me tighter to him.

“It was all my fault, all me…” He murmured, holding me as if he would never let me go.

“Ghost…choking…me…” I coughed. He let me go and cupped his hands around my face.

“Why?” I asked him, staring into his eyes. We both knew the question I was asking. Why was he on that cliff? Why was he crying? Why did he want to die?

“I did something foolish, so stupid and hurtful, and I lost the love of my life.” He stroked my cheeks, still not believing I was real. I looked down.

“You said I was a freak of nature, you were glad to get away from me.” I whispered, trying to pull away. He wouldn’t let me go so easily.

“No, wait. I was being stupid and an idiot. I didn’t understand, I didn’t want to. I wanted everything to be normal like before. I just couldn’t process it, so I was frustrated. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” He whispered to me. I couldn’t bear to forgive him after what he said, what he said about me.

But then again, I couldn’t bear to watch him leave again…

“I guess we’re all a little different…” I whispered finally. He took that as an I-forgive-you-so-let’s-be-friends-again statement because he finally smiled.

“Just promise me one things.” I told Ghost seriously. He nodded excitedly.

“Anything, anything, just tell me!” He promised. I leaned up and pressed my lips to his, forcefully making him promise me this. It took him off guard for a moment before he pressed back, eager for more. When I broke away from the heated moment, he whined for more. His hands pulled me closer to press against his chest. His nose rubbed against mine as I touched my forehead against his.

“Never leave me again.” I whispered and he reconnected our kiss, leaving us both breathless.

Notes

So this one shot is for Ghost Siren! I hope you enjoyed this and loved reading it :)

Remember that if you want a one shot, feel free to send me a message or to comment for it!