Nora and the Mermaid |ONC 2021|

Final Chapter (1st Draft)

Once Upon A Times, Happily Ever Afters And Everything Between

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Evening melted away to twilight, the sky caught between the rusted hues of sunset and the bruised tones of incoming night. Waves crashed against the shoreline as Nora dug her toes into the sand, relishing in the last of that day's warmth. Her sneakers swung from one hand, her other currently occupied with holding Marina's.

"It's quiet here," she said, gazing toward the city. Far enough away from the Brights, she could look at the sky free of floating adverts and zeppelins - all the modern conveniences cities lauded, despite those same conveniences inconveniencing nature.

Nora glimpsed the stars, mentally naming those few constellations she still remembered from astronomy summer camps. She hadn't star gazed, and enjoyed it, since the family trip to witness the Aurora Borealis.

The moon was out in full force tonight, glittering over the sea like a giant diamond. When Nora thought about how her mother would prefer such a diamond princess cut and affixed to her finger, it didn't cause her to wince. She smiled. While the pain of her relationship with her parents never left her, Nora's current situation - employed at Seraphim, dating Marina, the rekindled closeness of her relationship with Lore - acted like a salve, replacing her parents' frigidity with warmth.

Nora had people in her life who loved her, who accepted her and cherished her. Who found her good enough as she was and not for who she ought to be.

Marina squeezed Nora's hand, the tips of her fingers tickling Nora's knuckles. "It's late fall. Not exactly prime tourist time."

As if the universe was out to prove Marina's point, they strolled past a closed surf board shop and boardwalk bar, both stores drowned in tiki decor. Marina nudged Nora's shoulder, her seashell purse swinging at her hip, a pair of sandals clutched in her other hand. "But I like it this way."

"Talk to any fish?" Nora asked as they breezed past an umbrella cart. The beach blanket she had shoved under her armpit shifted.

Marina kicked up a cloud of sand on purpose. When it had settled, Nora's bare ankles were covered in a film of beige. "They keep mostly to the depths." She padded her thigh, the soft cotton of her dress pressed against her skin. Seraphim's innovative surgery and technology hybrid gave Marina her human legs. The process could be reversed, as long as the mermaid's tail was preserved correctly. Nora feared someday Marina would opt for the surgery again, having gotten bored with her and with living on land, and go back to the sea. Another world waited for Marina below the surface, and no matter how much she denied it, it would always be her home. "If I wanted to have a proper chat with them, I'd have to give these up." She wriggled her toes, watching as the tide washed over them.

The words stifled the relaxed air between them. Nora breathed in sharply. "You could go back, any time," she said, letting her hand slip free of Marina's. She took a few steps forward, dropped her sneakers into the sand, and opened the blanket. It hovered in the air before dropping to the ground, a wrinkled mess of daisy-patterned cotton.

Marina sidled up to Nora, wrapping her hands around the other's waist. "I don't want to give this up." She took to her tiptoes and turned Nora's head so their eyes connected. Under such an intense stare, Nora froze. "You're a reason why I'm choosing to stay beached, but you're not the only one. And if I choose to go back to the sea," her mouth twitched, "It won't be solely because of you, either, Nora Campbell."

Nora peeled Marina's hand off her cheek and kissed each of her fingers. "Thanks," she said.

Marina stepped away, and tilted her head, playing it coy. "For what?"