"Hey, Clia. How do mermaids transform humans into merfolk?" Anna asked.
"That's a good question, although I can see why you would ask that," Clia replied. "Considering you're a new mermaid and all."
Anna looked at her tail. "Yup, I'm still a mermaid. How did it happen to Aaron in the first place?"
"Well, I presented Aaron with a choice using a starfish and a bright gold rock."
"Eric told me of what the starfish did. And I guess the rock is essentially the human option?" Anna asked.
Clia shrugged her shoulders. "Usually. Although it's not uncommon for the rock to come with a curse."
"How do mermaids… Even turn humans into merfolk with a starfish? I've been to aquariums before and touched starfish as a human, and I never got turned. You guys don't have a spell or something?"
"In all honesty, this whole 'turning human men into mermen' has only been a thing in the two centuries so. Since then, it has become such a tradition that I never asked about it. My sister and my mother probably know more about this since they were the ones that gave me the starfish and rock." Clia replied.
"Oh…" Anna said, slumping her shoulders. "I thought I'd get more information since I still don't know how I got turned in the first place."
"I could talk to Aaron about this. I met him on the rocks of a beach." Clia said, putting her hand on Anna's shoulder.
"I met Eric on a beach, too. It was connected to a park and -"
Clia raised an eyebrow. "A park? Don't they usually have gates, grass, and such?"
"Yeah. I found this strange grassy park and it had nobody it - Zip. It was a clear summer day, so it should've had somebody there. I slipped through the gates and went in." Anna said
"How did you go from a grassy park to a beach with a giant cliff and rocks?" Clia questioned.
"That's what I want to know, too! All I did was follow a path next to a "No Trespassing" sign and I was on a beach. I couldn't even find my path back!" Anna sighed as she flicked her tailfins. "Not that I hate being a mermaid and all. But I just want to know what happened. How I went from a human girl to a mermaid."
Clia sat beside Anna. "I once had a dream where Aaron was a merman and I was a human. I was charmed by him and swam in the water with him. Eventually, I sprouted a tail and-"
"That's exactly what happened to me with Eric!"
Anna pointed to her breasts and stomach. "I didn't always have this body. I was just an average looking girl, but after a few minutes with Eric - My body started to slim down and my hair became longer. And just as we were starting to make out, my legs were a tail. Never even felt it, it just happened."
Clia's eyes widened. "I need to tell Aaron and Thea about this. This isn't making sense."
"No kidding. Your kind never thought about this before?"
Clia shook her head. "Nope. We just took in new humans and assimilate them into the village and culture. As long as the turned mermen could fertilize our eggs, we assumed it was fine."
Anna gently caressed her eggs. As much as she loved being a mermaid and excited to be a mom, she still thought of her family above land. They were definitely going to try and find her sooner or later once her university calls them about her absence and her lack of filing a new FAFSA for her financial aid.
She couldn't imagine the 200 years' worth of families that lost a family member or two to that park - Most likely never knowing whatever happened to them.
"I hope my family doesn't find that park before I find a magical necklace."