Shimmer

Prologue

"Far out at sea, the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflowers, and as clear as the purest crystal. But it is very deep- so deep, indeed, that no rope can fathom it; and many church steeples need be piled one upon the other to reach from the bottom to the surface. It is there that the sea-folk dwell." -Hans Christian Andersen

The dream always starts the same way. A kaleidoscope of the most brilliant colors spin around me, bathing me in all its prismic glory. Then the swirling rainbow slows down, no longer blinding me with its brilliance and I take in the world around me. Vibrant plants swish side to side from where they are planted in the sand, and fish even more vibrant than the plants swim past me. They graze my arms and it tickles.

I look down to see I am topless, followed by a rush of embarrassment to which I cross my bare arms over my chest. On second glance I notice that I no longer have legs. In their place is a fluke and a fin. Iridescent scales wink up at me, and when I swivel my hips the sunny patches that are coming from above me make the scales shine in a way that reminds me of an opal.

I am baffled. It is beautiful and frightening. The tail feels unnatural and it twitches of its own accord to keep me afloat. I tighten my arms around my torso, feeling unsure of what is going on and why I am half naked with a tail.

It is then that I notice the pressure of the necklace on my chest.

Grams... She gave this to me. It was a precious family heirloom and she warned me to never take it off. The teardrop shaped opal, set in a frame of gold filigree, catches the light the same way that my tail does.

Suddenly there is a gentle tap on my shoulder. I spin around in alarm. This was no fish. The thing that touched me felt just like a human hand.

Before me is a large man. I assess him quickly, taking in every inch of him. He has tan skin that is defined with dense muscle and he has tattoos unlike any I have ever seen before. His hair is long and the color of dark sand. He too has a tail, his is much larger than mine and it is a jewel toned blue. More surprising than the tail are his eyes. They are electric, charged with determination and fear, and a shade of blue that is even more enchanting than his tail.

"Amora. Remember who you are." His voice is clear and crisp, despite us being under water, and is deep but not intimidatingly so. It's warm and reassuring and I want to hear him say more.

"Um okay, who are you, Mufasa?" I blurt out without thinking. Even in my dreams I can't keep my mouth shut.

His face scrunches in confusion, and I wave my hand dismissively, briefly forgetting that my torso is exposed. I quickly wrap my arms back around myself.

However, his eyes never once leave mine, not for a second. I have no reason to fear him looking at my bare chest.

"Amora, please. I need you. I need you to come home." His eyes widen with his plea and I feel a desperate urge to reach out and brush the concern from his face. For some reason there is a desire to hold him and promise to help him, if only to get rid of the underlying fear that I can sense radiating from him.

"This isn't my home. I don't belong here." I whisper, melancholy rushing over me. I feel like I am letting him down, as if there is something important I am supposed to be doing but cannot do it. I have no idea what this something is, but the niggling feeling is there. It resides in my heart, and in the back of my mind. It's just barely out of my reach to understand why I feel as if I need to help him but cannot do so.

He swims closer and grabs onto my arms, pulling me so close to him that I can see all his hope and worry and sadness in those endless blue eyes. I gasp, my breath hitching in my chest. His hands are big and warm and wrapped around my arms in a vice like grip, and the sensation is so vivid and real it takes me by surprise.

"This is our home. I need you. We all need you. Please come home to me. Please come home to us." His voice is quiet as he tilts forward and presses his forehead against mine.

I close my eyes for a split second and take in the sensation. It's like my whole body has been set on fire. Electric currents run through every part of me. I have never felt more alive than I do in this moment.

My eyes snap open and connect with his. I am lost in the depths of the ocean, and the depths of his eyes, as his voice drops even lower and his words shake me to my core.

"I will die without you. We all will."

A/N: Hello! This was super short, and not the best, but I am going to roll with it and be proud of myself for writing something for the first time in forever. I have been dealing with a lot of health issues, and busy with work and other things so I have had no time to write and I honestly just haven't felt inspired. Until now! This is something totally new for me. I have never attempted to write a mermaid story before, and this prologue is not edited at all, and I'm just winging it and hoping it isn't terrible. I'm pretty excited about this story though and I have a pretty good idea of where I want it to go, so fingers crossed that I don't lose the motivation I currently have for writing this story! Thank you for reading, and if you liked it please leave a comment, it means the world to me!