Bottled Letters

Chapter 2

I'm here, I made it. It feels exciting ,even though I have done nothing.  I walk around the circus a couple times  before making my way to the Mermaid Tent. 

" Hello, how much for a show."

"  It costs $15 to enter ,miss."

" Okay, here it is."

" You always wanted to see a mermaid?"

" Kinda."

I give him the 15 dollars  and walk into the tent. It was like nothing I had ever seen. There was a big glass box in the middle of the tent which I amused held the Ivy when she was "presented". I even the thought of that disgusted me . Oh well, all I have t do is wait.                                                                   Soon enough two men dressed in black came out carrying a black box so you couldn't see what was inside.

" And now, presenting, the first ever, MERMAID!" Yelled a short man who had just entered the room.

The two men in black turned the black box upside down over the clear container full of water. Something fell out of the box and into the container. Everyone scouted to the edge of there seats trying to see through the bubbles that had erupted. Slowly the bubbles dissolved, first a fin appeared, then the tail, and finally the face. She was pale throughout her body. She looked weak and sick. Her tail was dark blue with purple streaks through it, but it looked dull and rusted. Her hair was a beautiful dark brown, but you could tell it was fraying. The eyes were the scariest, they would have been beautiful if the were not bloodshot and wild. They scanned the crowd, I knew she was looking for me. And sure enough her gaze rested on me, taking in the clothes I was wearing, my hair, shoes, and, face. She smiled at me and I knew she had figured out who I was.              After awhile, the short man announced that you can now get out of your seat and touch the mermaid if you don't believe it is real. Of course I already believed that she was real, but I couldn't resist the temptation of touching a real live mermaid.  Apparently everyone else couldn't resist it either, almost everyone rushed forward to touch the mermaid. I saw the man smile to himself , probably thinking how much money he would earn from the crowd.                       " If you would like a private meeting with the mermaid talk to the man out front when you leave. Speaking of leave you all must leave now, the session is over. "                                                                                   I dawdled in the stands pretending to tie my shoe. When at last everyone made gone I stood up and walked towards the entryway.                                                                                                                "Hey you there."                                                                                                                                                                     "Are you talking to me?"                                                                                                                                                     " Yah, how would you like to work with the mermaid?"                                                                                       "I would love to! Why do you ask." If I worked with Ivy it would be way easier for her to escape.                                                                                                                                                                                                " Because we need someone to take care of her. See how she don't look good. We need someone to be her personal helper." I could tell by his accent and slang that he grew up in the southern region.                                                                                                                                                                            "I would love to take care of the mermaid. Do I start today? I don't mind working for free." On the outside I remained calm, but the truth, I was anything but.                                                                                " You start right now."