from a person. From Lana. She’s lying on the sand.
As I try to figure out what’s going on, she starts to flop from side to side. Her tail starts to quiver. And then as I watch, her tail splits right down the middle into two.
OH. MY. GOODNESS.
I have seen a lot of crazy things in fairy tale worlds. But I have never seen anything like this.
I step over the divider and pound on Jonah’s balcony door. “Wake up!” I yell. “We have to help her!”
When I turn back to Lana, the green in her legs is slowly fading to the same light color of her skin. Her hair is the same. Her upper body is the same. But now she has legs. LEGS!
And green bikini bottoms.
“What’s up?” Jonah asks, opening his balcony door.
“That’s what’s up!” I say, pointing to Lana. “She made the deal with the sea witch! Why would she do that when I told her not to?” I stomp my right foot. I am mad. So very mad.
“Oooohhhh!” Lana moans.
“We need to help her,” I say. “Get a towel.”
We hurry down to the beach and find her still twisting in pain on the sand.
“Does it hurt?” Jonah asks her.
“Obviously, it hurts!” I exclaim. “She wouldn’t be making those sad sounds if it didn’t hurt!”
Lana just nods.
I put my hands on my hips. “Did you go to the sea witch?”
She nods again.
“Why would you do that?” I wonder. “I told you not to!”
She opens her mouth to say something but then immediately closes it.
I gasp in horror. Since she has legs and went to the sea witch … the sea witch has her … has her … has her tongue. “Did you give her your …?” I can’t even say the word. It’s too gross.
Lana nods. But then she points to her legs.
My stomach churns. She really did it. Gave away her tongue for legs. Why would she do that? Why would anyone do that?
I take a deep breath. I take the towel from a very wide-eyed Jonah and wrap it around her wet shoulders. “Can you stand?” I ask.
She shrugs, which I take to mean I don’t know . Communicating with someone with no tongue is not going to be easy. She holds my hands, and I gently lift her up.
She’s shaky on her feet, but it seems to work. At the same time, she grimaces, so I guess it hurts. After a few seconds, she is able to walk on her own.
We take her back to the palace.
I want to yell at her. To tell her that she made a huge mistake.
But by the pained look on her face, I think she already knows it.
“Come sleep in my suite,” I tell her. “We’ll deal with this in the morning.”
She looks like she wants to say something, but then just nods. Without a word, she follows me to my room.
L ana is up before I am. She’s sitting on the floor of my room, examining her toes.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
She gives me a big smile and a thumbs-up.
She motions to her body. I have no idea what she’s trying to say.
She motions again.
“You’re cold?”
She shakes her head.
“Hot?”
She tugs on the yellow nightie I lent her last night. Maybe she’s saying thank you.
“You’re welcome,” I tell her.
She shakes her head again and then makes a waving motion with her hands.
“You want to go swimming?”
Her cheeks turn red and she stomps her foot. She pulls at the nightie again and grunts.
“Oh, you want to get dressed!”
She gives me a big nod. Then she makes a show of patting down her hair.
“You want to wash your hair and then get dressed and then see Prince Mortimer?”
She claps. I guess I got it.
The door bursts open. “Who are you?” Vivian looks at Lana and demands.
Lana’s eyes widen in fear. She opens her mouth to answer but then seems to remember she can’t say anything.
“She’s a mermaid!” I say. “Remember I told you I was looking for a half fish, half human?”
Vivian clucks her tongue. “She doesn’t look like she’s half fish. She has legs.”
Good point. “Well, she used to be half fish,” I say.
“I don’t approve of lying, Miss Abby,” Vivian says. “Does your
As I try to figure out what’s going on, she starts to flop from side to side. Her tail starts to quiver. And then as I watch, her tail splits right down the middle into two.
OH. MY. GOODNESS.
I have seen a lot of crazy things in fairy tale worlds. But I have never seen anything like this.
I step over the divider and pound on Jonah’s balcony door. “Wake up!” I yell. “We have to help her!”
When I turn back to Lana, the green in her legs is slowly fading to the same light color of her skin. Her hair is the same. Her upper body is the same. But now she has legs. LEGS!
And green bikini bottoms.
“What’s up?” Jonah asks, opening his balcony door.
“That’s what’s up!” I say, pointing to Lana. “She made the deal with the sea witch! Why would she do that when I told her not to?” I stomp my right foot. I am mad. So very mad.
“Oooohhhh!” Lana moans.
“We need to help her,” I say. “Get a towel.”
We hurry down to the beach and find her still twisting in pain on the sand.
“Does it hurt?” Jonah asks her.
“Obviously, it hurts!” I exclaim. “She wouldn’t be making those sad sounds if it didn’t hurt!”
Lana just nods.
I put my hands on my hips. “Did you go to the sea witch?”
She nods again.
“Why would you do that?” I wonder. “I told you not to!”
She opens her mouth to say something but then immediately closes it.
I gasp in horror. Since she has legs and went to the sea witch … the sea witch has her … has her … has her tongue. “Did you give her your …?” I can’t even say the word. It’s too gross.
Lana nods. But then she points to her legs.
My stomach churns. She really did it. Gave away her tongue for legs. Why would she do that? Why would anyone do that?
I take a deep breath. I take the towel from a very wide-eyed Jonah and wrap it around her wet shoulders. “Can you stand?” I ask.
She shrugs, which I take to mean I don’t know . Communicating with someone with no tongue is not going to be easy. She holds my hands, and I gently lift her up.
She’s shaky on her feet, but it seems to work. At the same time, she grimaces, so I guess it hurts. After a few seconds, she is able to walk on her own.
We take her back to the palace.
I want to yell at her. To tell her that she made a huge mistake.
But by the pained look on her face, I think she already knows it.
“Come sleep in my suite,” I tell her. “We’ll deal with this in the morning.”
She looks like she wants to say something, but then just nods. Without a word, she follows me to my room.
L ana is up before I am. She’s sitting on the floor of my room, examining her toes.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
She gives me a big smile and a thumbs-up.
She motions to her body. I have no idea what she’s trying to say.
She motions again.
“You’re cold?”
She shakes her head.
“Hot?”
She tugs on the yellow nightie I lent her last night. Maybe she’s saying thank you.
“You’re welcome,” I tell her.
She shakes her head again and then makes a waving motion with her hands.
“You want to go swimming?”
Her cheeks turn red and she stomps her foot. She pulls at the nightie again and grunts.
“Oh, you want to get dressed!”
She gives me a big nod. Then she makes a show of patting down her hair.
“You want to wash your hair and then get dressed and then see Prince Mortimer?”
She claps. I guess I got it.
The door bursts open. “Who are you?” Vivian looks at Lana and demands.
Lana’s eyes widen in fear. She opens her mouth to answer but then seems to remember she can’t say anything.
“She’s a mermaid!” I say. “Remember I told you I was looking for a half fish, half human?”
Vivian clucks her tongue. “She doesn’t look like she’s half fish. She has legs.”
Good point. “Well, she used to be half fish,” I say.
“I don’t approve of lying, Miss Abby,” Vivian says. “Does your
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