The next morning, as you can imagine, Beth was exhausted. She was used to going to sleep at eight, but she had stayed up much too late to see the mermaid.

Kate was extremely worried about her daughter, because it wasn’t like Beth to be tired. Beth slept most of the morning, and got up at lunchtime. Kate felt her forehead for a moment, then apparently satisfied, she sat back down.

“You weren’t up late last night, were you?” Beth couldn’t tell her about the mermaid, so she lied.

“No, I was just tired.” She poured herself a bowl of potato soup. “Hey, Mom?”

“Yes?”

“What happened to Geoffrey Samuel? Did he ever get better?

“Why are you so interested in that boy?” What fun. More lies.


“Well he’s only three years older than me. I have to marry someone eventually.” Kate smiled.

“Well, he was admitted to the mental hospital in the city three days ago. I’ve heard he is not getting much better.” She looked at Beth. “Sorry to crush your hopes. He is very handsome.”

“Do you think I could go see him?” Kate had a concerned look.

“Oh, honey I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“And why not?”

“He was very… violent- I guess you would say. When they took him there that is.” Beth sighed.

Later that day, Beth went out to the shore where the rocks were, and brought the pouch. Nothing was there. She didn’t know what time she was supposed to return. She kept coming back there, to that exact spot, multiple times throughout the day. Finally around 4:00, there was a mermaid there.

This was a different mermaid than the night before. Yes, her hair was the same black, and her eyes the same blue, but her tail was a different color. She also had slightly different features.

The mermaid was staring at Beth, with no expression on her face. She looked almost annoyed.

“Well?” She asked. “Were you the one who was here last night?”

“Yes.” Beth said, boldly. “That was me.”

“Did you kill my sister?” So that was what all the noise was about.

“I did not.”

“You liar.” The mermaid didn’t yell, but said it with such emotion that it struck fear into Beth’s heart. She shivered. “What did you kill her for?”

“I told you I didn’t do anything to your sister. If anything at all, she hurt me! She was-“

“Why did you murder my sister?” Beth froze.

“I didn’t kill her. I will never confess to that, because I didn’t do it. But I will tell you that last night, she wanted this.” Beth pulled the pouch out of her pocket. It struck the mermaid’s curiosity.

“What is that?”

“I’m honestly not sure.”

“Then open it up and see what’s inside.”

“I don’t think I should-“

“Open it.” Beth quickly opened the pouch and pulled out a bracelet. The bracelet consisted of a gold chain, with a ruby set inside of it. Beth was awestruck.

“That is mine.”

“What?”

“My sister wanted it, you killed her, and now it is mine.”

“No, it isn’t.” The mermaid stared straight through Beth with her crystal blue eyes. Beth had a thought. “Is your name Jade?”

She let out a mermaid screech, which Beth was used to by now. Beth tightly held the bracelet and ran all the way home. She ran though the door and Rebecca stopped her.

“What are you doing?” she asked Beth. “What is that?” She gestured to Beth’s clasped hand.

“Uh, nothing.”

“Well obviously it’s something! Let me see it!” She reached out toward Beth’s hand, and Beth pulled back.

“I told you it’s nothing!”

“What’s your problem Beth?”

“I don’t have a problem!” Rebecca finally managed to pry the pouch out of Beth’s hand.

“What is this?”

“Something. It’s personal.” To Beth’s dismay, Rebecca opened the pouch and pulled out the bracelet.

“Beth, where did you get this?”

“Uh… Geoffrey Samuel gave it to me.” Rebecca looked at her with wide eyes.

“Really now? Geoffrey Samuel gave you this? This is a real ruby, Beth. Why would he give this to you when you barely know him?”

“He just did, okay?”

“No, Beth. It’s not okay. Something just isn’t right.” She went to the door and put on her coat.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see mom.” Rebecca walked out the door without a word. Beth didn’t know what to do. She could go see the mermaid, but what if the mermaid got even madder? She wasn’t feeling all that great in the first place. Beth just went to go take a nap.

The next thing she knew, Kate was feeling her forehead, and she was barely awake. Kate gave her a spoonful of medicine and some water. Beth fell back asleep. She woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon.

“Feeling better?” her mother asked.

“Yes, actually.”

“Good. We need to talk.” Beth sighed. “Where did you get that bracelet?”

“I told Rebecca, Geoffrey Samuel gave it to me.” Kate sighed.

“Beth, we both know that isn’t true.”

“Yes, it is.” Kate looked at her.

“Tell me where you really got that bracelet, Beth.”

“I already did.” Kate sighed once again.

“Go to your room. I don’t want you coming out until you’re ready to tell me where you got it.” Beth walked back to her room. Rebecca walked in a minute later.

“I believe you Beth.”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes, I do. I went to go see Geoffrey Samuel yesterday, Beth. He died. They said he died muttering something about you, and the mermaid. She’s real, isn’t she?” Beth didn’t answer.

“Beth, mom is leaving for work in a minute. When she does, I wouldn’t say anything to her if you wanted to go look through stuff in the storage room.”

“What stuff?”

“That old box full of Grandmother’s diaries. Check the recent ones.” Rebecca left.

As soon as Beth heard her mother leave for work, she went into the back storage room. There was a very distinctly labeled box on one of the shelves labeled,

‘Audrey’s Diaries’.

Beth pulled it off the shelf and opened it up. Her grandmother had died long before she was born. Beth’s middle name was named after her. Beth looked through the most recent diaries. She was shocked as she read it.



*

*

*
“Mama, where are you going?” Audrey Baker looked up.
“Oh, just to the shore.”
“Why do you go to the shore all the time Mama?”
“I just do, honey.”
“Can I come?”
“No, you need to go home to your father.” Audrey kissed her eight-year-old daughter, Kate, on the forehead and sent her home. Meanwhile, she herself moved to the edge of the rocky waters.
“I know you’re here. Come on out.” A mermaid pulled herself out of the water.
“Well? Do you have what I want?”
“No, because I’m not giving you the bracelet.”
“And why not?”

“Because you can’t just take whatever you want!” The mermaid let out a terrifying shriek.
“You can’t stop me from taking it!”
“You can throw rocks, drown me, do whatever you want, but you will never find it.” She shrieked again. A large wave of water came onto the shore and swept Audrey into the water. She was swept all over the sea, violently. She managed to make it back to shore. She was finally rescued, but barely alive.
The ruby bracelet went missing.




*

*

*

Beth checked the date on the diaries. It was shortly before her grandmother died. She’d died the same way Geoffrey Samuel had. The mermaid killed them.

Almost everything after that was just gibberish. Excepting for one word at the bottom:




‘Jasmine’

Beth had an idea. She didn’t bother to tell Rebecca, she just decided to do it. The only thing she had to wait for was for the mermaid to surface again.


That didn’t take long.

Just two nights later, around 7:00 in the evening, Beth heard singing. She ran out to the shore with the mermaid. Sure enough, she was there on a rock.

“Did you bring the bracelet?” the mermaid asked.

“No, as a matter of fact, I didn’t.”

“Then why did you come?”

“To ask you a question.” The mermaid’s mouth flattened. Her crystal blue eyes narrowed. She was getting angry.

“And what question would that be?” she said the word ‘question’ with a mocking little girl tone.

“Why do you kill people? Why do you steal the things you want?” The mermaid’s eyes widened. She began to stutter.

“B-b-because…”

“Is it because of the way people fear you? Because of your reputation?”

“Well, everyone has a reputation to keep up-“

“Because everyone only ever called you, ‘the mermaid’?” They both went silent. The mermaid was close to tears.

“Jasmine.”

“What did you say?”

“Your name is Jasmine. You killed many, many people, including my grandmother.” She paused. “Your sister did too. She killed Geoffrey Samuel Potter and his father. But I forgive you, just as God does.” The mermaid began to cry.


“No one ever called me Jasmine before.”

“Your sister’s name is Jade, isn’t it?”

“No one ever called her Jade either. I was angry when you called me Jade before, because you mistook me for my sister. You probably hate me, don’t you?”


“I don’t hate you.” Beth answered.

“Would you let me stay here? And watch over your village? I’m great with kids, I babysit nephews and nieces all the time! I-“ Beth stopped her with a simple hand gesture.

“You can stay, on one condition.”

“What is it?” Beth explained to Jasmine what she had in mind. Then Beth ran all the way to the hospital where her mother was.

“Beth? What are you doing here?”

“Mom, come with me.”

“Beth, you know I can’t leave-“

“Come with me.” Beth managed to drag her mother to the shore where Jasmine was. Her eyes grew wide.

“Beth? Is that-“

“Yes, mom. It is.” Jasmine looked at Kate with her crystal blue eyes. But this time the eyes were friendly, kind and gentle. They weren’t angry eyes like the ones that had stared at Beth.

“My name is Jasmine. I killed your mother, and I’m sorry.”


What happened beyond that? All I can say is that for thirty more years the children would go play in the shallow water with Jasmine the mermaid.

But sadly, Jasmine, as all creatures do, died eventually. The village held a widespread funeral. To this day, the day that Jasmine was killed is a day of mourning. Mermaid’s day.

Neither Jasmine, nor Beth ever discovered what actually killed Jade.

No other mermaids ever appeared anywhere near the village.

What happened to Beth? Well, since Beth was much younger she outlived the mermaid. She died at a ripe old age, and never left the village. She became a village elder, but a kinder one. And, each day, the children in the village would come to her and listen to her story.

The story of the Mermaid Sisters.