Half Free Half Captive

• Georgia Ivanovic, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2022

The water glistened in the sun and sparkled like crystals. A glittering fishtail swam at fast speed across the beautiful beach, seen vaguely by the naked eye. A girl with binoculars saw it. She ran onto the footpath and stopped at the metal railing on top of the cliff and plunged into the water.
Marina was half mermaid and half human. She had the swimming abilities of a mermaid but couldn’t transform into one. Today was the day she would possibly be given the shell to transfigure into a mermaid and turn back into a human. This was a very important event and had to be approved by werewolves.
Marina zoomed with Lily in the mysterious ocean. They were on their way to Wolf-Blood Island, where the ceremony would commence. When they entered the island they swam under the pitch-black cave and entered a sparkling lagoon. Marina was before the court and held captive for investigations.
When the decision was made, the werewolf guards held Marina's arms and took her to the path that led to Wolf-Blood Castle. The creepy footpath was covered with red leaves. The smell of smoke steamed from the fires wolves use to cook and communicate with. ‘Woo-hoo!’ An owl dived towards them. But what really gave her goosebumps was the sight of Wolf-Blood Castle.
Wolf-Blood Castle was just as Marina imagined. With gargoyle guards posted at the front. A spiked fence surrounded the castle like an edge of protection. Once inside the lab, the guards shoved her in a metal chair and chained her to it. Shortly after the guards left the room, Marina hatched a brilliant plan of freedom.
Marina took her fire torch from her pocket and melted the shackles. She squashed the slightly melted chain into a key to open the lab door. Once she stepped outside the lab door she felt shivers down her spine. Two steps down, two to go.
Marina looked around and tiptoed as quiet as a mouse to the nearby closet. She picked out a uniform, hoping to look like one of them. Marina walked out the closet casually with a broom in her hand, wiping the floor and continued implementing this down the hallways until the bell rang for the lunch break. When she tried to escape, a gargoyle stopped her and whispered, “Run to the mountain of excellence.”
Marina didn’t hesitate. She soon reached the mountain and found a lagoon and dived into it. The girl swam and swam and finally reached Main-Beach. Lilly happened to be at the beach and told her some news.
Just like how this story unfolded, Marina was told horrible news by werewolves. They thought it was risky to let someone like Marina have such a powerful object. Due to Marina’s experiences, a lionheart came into her soul and lionheart plus human heart equals the ability to change into a mermaid. When Lily told her this, Marina didn’t know if she wanted to use this gift after all.