It was hard for Derek to hear Sonya. She was so far away from him now. And the further she moved away from the shore, the faster Sonya began to move, the deeper water making it easier to swim. Derek began to get a little concerned. Sonya was little more than a dot on the horizon from his point of view. Derek had never swum that far away from the shore.
Suddenly Sonya dived below the water.
"Sonya?" asked Derek nervously.
She was too far away to hear him. He began to slowly move deeper into the water. Derek felt a little uneasy when his rump could no longer touch the sandy ocean floor. His body easily floated on the surface, almost effortlessly, but he was uncomfortable not being able to stand. And his new condition without any feet made that impossible.
Derek began to panic.
Sonya had been under the water for a very long time but he couldn't bring himself to go any deeper. And he certainly couldn't get help. Even if someone stumbled upon the secluded location they had chosen, how would he explain the situation?
What had happened to Sonya? Had she been attacked by some sea creature? Caught in some underwater fishing trap?
Was she drowning?
Could mermaids drown?
In literature and television they seemed to be able to stay under indefinitely. But maybe they were really more like dolphins and could only stay submerged for a certain amount of time. And, of course, there was the fact that they weren't real mermaids, just humans using costumes to imitate mermaids. Maybe they couldn't breathe underwater at all!
Derek looked back and forth between the shore and the deep water, debating what to do next.
Sonya suddenly popped up behind Derek, scaring him half to death. Even with her wet hair plastered against her head, she was still beautiful. But that did little to calm Derek's anger.
"That was amazing! You have to try it!" said Sonya with excitement.
"Try what? What the hell were you doing, other than giving me a heart attack? " said Derek.
Sonya chuckled.
"Sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you. I just got so fired up I didn't want to wait, " said Sonya. Her speech was rapid and excited. "I was breathing underwater! Can you believe it? It was amazing! I mean, it was a little weird at first, but you get used to it pretty quickly. You have to try it!"
Derek shook his head nervously. It did sound like fun, but he wasn't anxious to drown.
"I don't know..."
"Come on, it's easy. I'll help you, " said Sonya as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out deeper into the water.
Sonya moved quickly, pulling him almost effortlessly. In just a few minutes the shore was just a thin line on the horizon. It almost looked like a mirage. Derek felt his fear rising. Everywhere he looked he saw nothing but water. He felt like a traveler lost in the desert.
"I know what you are thinking - but trust me, it is much more interesting below the surface. Are you ready?" asked Sonya.
"I'm still not sure....."
Sonya ignored him and dove underwater, holding tightly onto his hand and dragging Derek under with her. Derek was so startled he didn't resist. But as he moved deeper in the water he struggled to hold his breath. The ocean floor was so far below them and Sonya was moving so quickly Derek had the weird sensation he was falling. But as they neared the ocean floor Sonya slowed her pace, gliding to a stop and hovering just above the ocean floor several feet below the surface.
Derek was still holding his breath. He felt like he was going to pass out at any minute. He tried to swim up to the surface but Sonya held firmly onto both hands.
"Just relax .... and breathe," said Sonya.
Derek was surprised she could speak underwater, much less that he could understand her. But he had seen many amazing things today. Was this really any more surprising?
Derek was still desperate to get back to the surface. His meager air supply was rapidly diminishing. But Sonya refused to let him go.
"Trust me, everything is fine, " said Sonya. "Just let go and breathe. Watch me...."
Derek watched Sonya take a deep breath. He saw a slight movement in her neck, just below her chin. He watched in awe as small, almost invisible slits opened and closed on her neck, just like the gills on a fish. Derek was so surprised he didn't notice that he was no longer holding his breath. He choked a little as he felt water pass through his nose and mouth. But as he felt his own gills filter out the oxygen from the water that flowed past them, he began to relax and notice the world around him.
There was quite a bit of trash left behind by humans, but it was also beautiful - with brightly colored coral, a multitude of fish in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and rolling hills of sand and stone. He even saw a shipwreck in the distance, resting undisturbed on the ocean floor
"It's wonderful, isn't it?" asked Sonya.
Derek nodded silently.
"You can talk down here, silly, " said Sonya with a chuckle. She sighed. "There is so much to see and do down here. I feel like the first person to step on the moon or some explorer discovering a new world. Come on, let me show you!"
Sonya took Derek by the hand and led him into their strange new world.