Behind the Glass (A Mermaid's Story)

Chapter Four

Now that the man is gone, I stare around me at the crowds of people. I've never been so close to a human, and fear begins to get the better of me. As I swim towards the wall, my back hits the rough plaster, and I gasp, swiveling my head to see everyone who is staring. I don't understand why they're looking at me, why their eyes are following me around, but I dart under the water and allow myself to sink to the bottom, where more crowds of people point. It is all too much: where I am, the people, the fact that I am trapped and away from my family, and I begin to breathe quickly, my breaths shallow and short. I back up behind the rock from earlier, curling up so that I am not visible by the humans. My tail has deep cuts across it's bottom from being dragged across the deck, and my nails are jagged from when I tried to hold on. Shouts from the hoards of spectators leaks through the glass into my ears. Surprisingly, they seem just as fascinated with me as I am afraid of them.
"Mommy, can I have a tail?"
"Where'd she come from?"
"Can I say hi?"
"Does she talk?"
My heart is pounding quicker than it ever has before, escape plans churning through my head, but most seeming impossible. After all, I have a tail, not legs.
When the noise becomes too unbearable, I lie on my side and close my eyes, hoping I can fall asleep, forget what has happened, wake up in my home again. But sleep is impossible, adrenaline still coursing through my veins, and I can feel a temper rising within me. How could they do this? Why'd they take me?! In a sudden burst of anger, I shoot out from behind the rock and swim towards the glass, my nose inches from it and my face screwed up tightly so as to make my emotions clear. Shouting as loudly as I can, I begin to scream. "Go! Leave! Go home! I don't know why I'm here, just GO!!"
The crowd simultaneously seems to take a step away from the glass, their faces showing sheer shock that I can move, talk, that I actually have emotions like them. The parents are shielding their children as if I'm some dangerous creature out to kill, as if they're afraid of me. I make a mental note to explain this to my father as soon as I get home-if I do.
Having worn myself out, I swim back towards the other rock and sit down behind it, waiting for them to leave. Surprisingly enough, they slowly trickle out, apparently having seen enough of the mermaid girl. But one person stays standing, and I swim forward to tell them they should just leave now, that I'll be sitting for the rest of my time here. Yet, when I reach the glass, they point upwards, motioning for me to swim to the surface. Surprising even myself, I do just that, shooting through the water to the surface above and crossing my arms on the rock that rests in the center. In a few moments, a boy who looks about my age is there, the one who motioned for me. When I finally work up the nerve, I open my mouth and allow the air to carry my voice so that I don't need to get any closer to him.
"Who are you? Why are you here? What is this place? Where am I?" The questions rush out in a blur, no pauses in between, and in the end I swim further behind the rock.
He takes a deep breath before answering my questions. "I'm Leo, you're here 'cause you're the first mermaid ever found, and this is an aquarium." His dark brown hair flops in front of his green eyes.
"That wasn't my question. Why are YOU here?"
He pauses, taking a moment. He had obviously planned his answer. "I'm here on account of my family. We started the 'Defenders of Sea Life' organization, and we're against aquariums who don't treat their sea life right. This aquarium has been a particular target for us."
"Why does that matter to me?"
"Because I have a plan..."
"A plan for what?!"
"A plan for how to get you out."