I crawled back into the water, my legs flopping uselessly behind me. The skin of my elbows is raw and flakes into the sand. It would blend in almost seamlessly if not for the large puddles of blood.
My voice is hoarse from screaming. It is no longer the beautiful, melodious sound that was the envy of all my sisters. I still remember the songs we would sing about the sparkling sea and the aurora-colored coral reefs.
“The sailors may dance around the sea. But the ocean will always belong to me.”
The sea tonight does not match the songs of old. It was dark, calamitous. The waves crash over me, seeping my bones. I resemble a rotten piece of driftwood, weary and worn.
I wanted to be free, a choice I now regret. The world of men seemed heavenly from below. The castles floated in the sky, or at least appeared to. All men were princes, serenading us with hymns and praises. They waltzed around like the ocean below was a sheet of ice. They never realized I had been watching them from the other side.
Another wave splashed against the shore. I am almost there, just three steps away.
“One,” I count. I remember breathing in the fresh air for what felt like the first time. The sun burned my skin, and the sand gritted against my chest. But I did not care. I was finally free, away from the confines of the ocean.
“Two.” I stand, my fins transforming into legs. I limp towards the ship full of men. My arms are outstretched as if in a hug.
“Three.” I hear their laughs. I feel their hands grabbing at my newly formed legs. I scream, but nobody is around to hear.
I finally reach the ocean. The water fills my lungs. Yet, I do not struggle against the pull of the tide. I do not beg to return to my old life. Instead, I smile.
