The Mermaid's Curse (California Mermaids Book 1) by Kristina Ludwig
Authors: Kristina Ludwig
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seat, and for a moment, all is silent.
Finally, I say, “What were you talking about earlier? What is this family secret that you’re guarding so carefully?”
Mother clears her throat. “Oceania, do you remember your Grandmer Genevieve?”
“Of course. She was not like all the other mermaids.”
This is true; Grandmer Genevieve had been different. First of all, she was the only mermaid I’d ever seen who had aged. While my father’s mother, Grandmer Lorelei, remains young and beautiful to this day, Grandmer Genevieve had shriveled up like an old piece of seaweed. Mother said that Genevieve once had shimmering white-blond hair, but by the time I was born, it was just plain white. Her skin was speckled with little brown spots, and her swimming had slowed. And then, one day she’d fallen asleep and never woken up.
The other thing that had been different was that Grandmer Genevieve didn’t have a husband. When I’d asked why I didn’t have a grandmerman on my mother’s side, my parents had refused to answer, remaining as closed-mouthed as oysters. So after a while, I’d just stopped asking questions.
Now, Mother says, “You’re right, my dear. And it’s about time that I tell you why.” She takes a deep breath and continues, “When she was only sixteen, your grandmer swam to the surface, and fell madly in love with a handsome fisherman, Lucas. Unfortunately, she was already betrothed to King Triteus’s son Kai, and Lucas was to marry a sailor’s daughter, so the two could never meet in the light of day. But she and Lucas saw each other every night under the moon, and one such night, they expressed their undying love to each other, in a mist of sea spray.”
Mother’s eyes shine a radiant blue, glazed-over and dreamy, and Father watches her, spellbound. Storytelling is her special gift, and although I’ve heard a lifetime of fantastic tales from her, she’s never told me one as interesting as this. My pulse races as I realize that, finally, I’m about to learn the secret of Grandmer Genevieve, the one that I’ve waited my entire life to uncover.
“Shortly thereafter, your grandmer discovered that she was to bear a mer-baby, and she surfaced to tell Lucas the joyous news. The two spent all night making plans for their future, and for the little mer-baby who would soon be born. They were so excited for their secret engagement and elopement that they didn’t even notice the sun coming up.”
Mother pauses for drama, looking straight into my eyes. “As the sun rose, Lucas’s father came down to the rocks to begin his day of fishing, and discovered the young lovers kissing. He yanked them apart, and shoved your pregnant grandmer into the ocean. From that time on, Lucas was absent from the late-night meetings, but when Genevieve peeked above the surface in the early morning, she could see him with his father, going through the motions of fishing with no real enthusiasm. One day, she even noticed a wedding ring on his finger, and her heart broke, since she knew that he’d been forced to go through with the marriage to the sailor’s daughter.”
“What happened then?” I ask, unable to take the suspense any longer. Grandmer Genevieve’s love affair with Lucas sounds eerily similar to my budding romance with Xavier, and I don’t want to end up like her.
“By this time, Genevieve’s pregnancy was becoming evident, and her parents demanded to know who the father was. Of course, Kai denied involvement, and Genevieve told her parents the entire story. When King Triteus found out about Genevieve’s unfaithfulness, he was furious. He wanted to have her sent away permanently, but her parents begged him for mercy. King Triteus finally took pity on Grandmer Genevieve and sent her to the sea witch Morwenna for punishment instead. Morwenna gave Genevieve a choice: she could either give up her right to travel to the surface world forever, or she could relinquish the mermaid’s greatest gift,
Finally, I say, “What were you talking about earlier? What is this family secret that you’re guarding so carefully?”
Mother clears her throat. “Oceania, do you remember your Grandmer Genevieve?”
“Of course. She was not like all the other mermaids.”
This is true; Grandmer Genevieve had been different. First of all, she was the only mermaid I’d ever seen who had aged. While my father’s mother, Grandmer Lorelei, remains young and beautiful to this day, Grandmer Genevieve had shriveled up like an old piece of seaweed. Mother said that Genevieve once had shimmering white-blond hair, but by the time I was born, it was just plain white. Her skin was speckled with little brown spots, and her swimming had slowed. And then, one day she’d fallen asleep and never woken up.
The other thing that had been different was that Grandmer Genevieve didn’t have a husband. When I’d asked why I didn’t have a grandmerman on my mother’s side, my parents had refused to answer, remaining as closed-mouthed as oysters. So after a while, I’d just stopped asking questions.
Now, Mother says, “You’re right, my dear. And it’s about time that I tell you why.” She takes a deep breath and continues, “When she was only sixteen, your grandmer swam to the surface, and fell madly in love with a handsome fisherman, Lucas. Unfortunately, she was already betrothed to King Triteus’s son Kai, and Lucas was to marry a sailor’s daughter, so the two could never meet in the light of day. But she and Lucas saw each other every night under the moon, and one such night, they expressed their undying love to each other, in a mist of sea spray.”
Mother’s eyes shine a radiant blue, glazed-over and dreamy, and Father watches her, spellbound. Storytelling is her special gift, and although I’ve heard a lifetime of fantastic tales from her, she’s never told me one as interesting as this. My pulse races as I realize that, finally, I’m about to learn the secret of Grandmer Genevieve, the one that I’ve waited my entire life to uncover.
“Shortly thereafter, your grandmer discovered that she was to bear a mer-baby, and she surfaced to tell Lucas the joyous news. The two spent all night making plans for their future, and for the little mer-baby who would soon be born. They were so excited for their secret engagement and elopement that they didn’t even notice the sun coming up.”
Mother pauses for drama, looking straight into my eyes. “As the sun rose, Lucas’s father came down to the rocks to begin his day of fishing, and discovered the young lovers kissing. He yanked them apart, and shoved your pregnant grandmer into the ocean. From that time on, Lucas was absent from the late-night meetings, but when Genevieve peeked above the surface in the early morning, she could see him with his father, going through the motions of fishing with no real enthusiasm. One day, she even noticed a wedding ring on his finger, and her heart broke, since she knew that he’d been forced to go through with the marriage to the sailor’s daughter.”
“What happened then?” I ask, unable to take the suspense any longer. Grandmer Genevieve’s love affair with Lucas sounds eerily similar to my budding romance with Xavier, and I don’t want to end up like her.
“By this time, Genevieve’s pregnancy was becoming evident, and her parents demanded to know who the father was. Of course, Kai denied involvement, and Genevieve told her parents the entire story. When King Triteus found out about Genevieve’s unfaithfulness, he was furious. He wanted to have her sent away permanently, but her parents begged him for mercy. King Triteus finally took pity on Grandmer Genevieve and sent her to the sea witch Morwenna for punishment instead. Morwenna gave Genevieve a choice: she could either give up her right to travel to the surface world forever, or she could relinquish the mermaid’s greatest gift,
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