Tale Of Tails

• Bonnie Peacocke, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2016

The piece of wood fell off its hinges as he opened it. His wife was on the floor sobbing, with a baby in her arms. “She’s g-g-got to be s-sent away or the w-w-water p-police will catch her. Remember the 16-year mark!”
(16 years later on the coast of Thailand)
Crash – bang went the waves while Natalie slept. She had always been a good swimmer. At age three she could swim through the waves. At age seven she was snorkelling on reefs and was familiar with what seemed to be all of the sea. At 12 she could swim through murky waters with currents and rips, and dodge logs. By now she had seen some of the most dangerous fish around. She had always felt at home in the water.
Beep, beep – the alarm went off. “Whaaat” groaned Natalie. She managed to press the button. “Wait” she exclaimed, “my birthday!” She got dressed and bounced out of her room to the kitchen where her Mum, Mimi, was standing. It was odd, because she looked nothing like her Mum, or Dad, for that matter.
Her Mum and Dad looked anxious but excited and had a steaming stack of fluffy pancakes on the table. Mimi said “Eat as many as you want.” Natalie gobbled up several, but then heard the waves crashing. That drew her in. “I need to go to the beach” she said. Her Mum yelled after her “No, don’t go; not to the beach.” But Natalie couldn’t resist, put on her swimmers and ran out the door.
The next thing she felt was her feet on the soft white sand, then the cool clear water splashing her toes. Then she felt her whole body wet and gliding through the water. Before she knew it she was in the deep. It was rough and grey. The waves looked like they were performing a rock concert. Although a little scared, she couldn’t resist diving down deep. It seemed as if she had been under the water for minutes already, but she wasn’t feeling out of breath. She felt worried, but her feet kept kicking, taking her deeper and deeper. Before she knew it, she was on the ocean floor and had discovered a shipwreck.
She stopped and stared at its boarded up doors and smashed deck. A pang in her mind told her she had been here before. She saw a small opening. She meant to just peep through the hole but next thing her whole body fell through and she saw an old but sparkly clean cabin. Then she saw two fish-like creatures with scaly but human-like figures and tails with webbed feet on the end. One was wearing an anxious but happy expression. The other looked nervous and worried. Then from one’s mouth came a soft womanly voice in a kind of musical song, but it was odd because no bubbles came from it. “You’ve been so brave.” Natalie stood fixed to the spot as the second fish said “We are your parents.”