Yes, I entered the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge, again. Last year, I received 0 points on both entries. (Boo!) But, I enjoy that challenge. This time around, I was wary to get Romance as my first genre prompt. I mean, I write romance. My work has been accepted by 14 publishers, I teach classes in it. GULP. But, I charged forward.
Two secondary required elements were an Aquarium and a JalapeƱo. I've always had a desire to write a mermaid character (Blame growing up watching Splash). Plus, I live in Long Beach with one of the most gorgeous aquariums around! I could do this!
Here's what I came up with:
* ~ * ~ *~
A Wet Tail
By Louisa Bacio
The warm waters
caused by El Nino brought in a number of unusual sea creatures along the
Pacific Coast, but the most exotic was Jocelyn. She should have known better.
Swimming close to a rocky cliff, an undercurrent caught her tail and sucked her
in.
Her life
experiences didn’t prepare her for the consequences.
A huge wave
crashed, battering her into the rocky shoreline. Jagged edges tore at her flesh
and fins, and her life force bled out into the darkening ocean. Her head struck
against one sharp point, and another wave caught her limp body and threw her
onto the rough beach. At the last minute, she shifted into the shape of an
oarfish.
As a
mer-shifter, she wasn’t held to the traditional shape of a mermaid. She could
assume fish, human or the folklore mermaid form.
Soothing hands
caressed her body, running along the curves, mending the lacerations. All the
while, a deep male voice sang, crooning words of love and adventure. Jocelyn
fought for consciousness, a flash of bright light blinded her and she glimpsed a
fuzzy shape. The form of a man leaned over her.
“It’s going to
be all right. We’ll get you all fixed up,” the man soothed in a smooth voice.
“Isn’t she a beauty? We’ve never had one wash up alive.”
Trapped. She
battered against an invisible wall. The only thing she saw was her own
reflection. Small fish swam around her, and she appeared to be in her natural
habitat – the California coastal region – except that’s where the similarities
ended. She swam upward, reaching for the sky, only to find it blocked off with
a brown top.
A man stood near
the edge, peering down at Jocelyn and her mates. “She looks disturbed,” he
said. “I wonder what we could do to make her more comfortable.” He ran his
fingers through his dark hair, making it stand up at weird angles. The image
through the water distorted her view even more.
As time passed,
and the sounds around her slowed down, Jocelyn made the decision to shift form.
To escape the confinement, she’d need to walk out. Nude, the water felt much
colder. She swam to the edge of the tank, and climbed a ladder. The air
breathed a sharp contrast against her skin. Walking down a darkened corridor,
she left wet footprints on the cold floor. It had been a while since she’d
taken human shape, and her knees wobbled with each step.
Above, a giant
humpback whale hung suspended from the sky. Her heart ached at the stillness of
the magnificent sea creature. A door labeled “Belmont Aquarium – Employees
Only” beckoned her enter.
To the right
hung an assortment of white jackets, and she took one, slipping it over her
shivering form. Why must creatures in this form cover up in order to be warm,
when in all other shapes her body naturally regulated?
“Can I help you
with something?”
It was him.
* * *
Justin didn’t
plan on working so late on a Saturday night, especially after the Aquarium
closed its doors. As the lead marine biologist, though, he was fascinated with
the sea creature who’d washed up on shore. By all accounts, the strange
creature should not have lived, but she had and he was determined to let her
loose in the wild.
While pouring
through a research text, he munched on stuffed jalapenos, leftovers from dinner
at Mama’s house.
The sound of the
outer door shutting drew his attention. Soft footsteps padded down the hallway,
and when he turned there stood a woman with long streaming blond hair that
appeared almost green under the florescent lights. Her hazel eyes glowed amber
and a sense of knowing her, intimately, came over him.
“Are you lost?”
he asked.
Although she
wore a white lab coat, her legs were bare underneath. He’d never seen her in
the facility before. A rumbling from her stomach launched into the room, and
she focused on his food. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, and
shook her head, before turning around. Droplets of water glimmered on her pale
legs.
“Wait, Miss, are
you hungry?” He held out a pepper, wondering at his own lack of alarm, and she
turned toward him. “Come on. I have plenty to share.”
Stuffed with Spanish
rice, veggies and three types of cheese, Mama made the best dish, if one didn’t
mind a little spice.
With her eyes,
she followed the movement of his offering, until she drew close enough to take
a bite. She smelled like the ocean on a clear day after a spring rainstorm. Eyes
closed, she hummed appreciation, and he counted a silent one-two-three-four,
and her eyes and mouth popped open, and a tear streaked down her cheek.
* * *
As explosion of
flavor assaulted Jocelyn’s senses: A smooth, creamy substance, rich texture and
then a burst of heat that flared across her tongue. She opened her mouth,
panting. Oh, that was good.
Reaching out, he
brushed the wetness from her face, sending shivers through her body. “I should
have warned you. It can have quite the kick.”
The melody of
his voice lulled her, and she reached for the hand holding the substance. As
hers closed over his, warmth filled her body, creating a ball in her stomach.
“I like the
kick,” she said.
Laugh lines
crinkled around his eyes. “Good to know.” As he talked, she watched his lips.
What would they taste like? On tiptoe, she raised, pressing her body against
his, her cold lips against his warm ones. Slowly, she opened her mouth and
their tongues danced the language of the earth, of the sea and of the universe.
She knew this
man who had saved her, and somewhere within his soul, he recognized her. Now,
joined together in a way neither quite understood, they faced a new reality.
* ~ * ~*~
Scores came out last night, and I earned a 0 out of 15 points. *sniffle* Written feedback doesn't come out until next week, and I promise to share, because that's how we learn ... right?
Until next time,
Louisa Bacio
