“Oh you BET I want to give it a try!” Julie proudly announced. “Should have guessed” Derrick remarked as the family were well aware of Julie’s love of mermaids, more so the human to mermaid types of stories. “You sure it’s safe?” John asked. “I have first-hand experience I’ll let you know” the receptionist assured while outside Jessica swam downward “Oh based on that direction I think we’re best continuing this at the moon pool I believed we all passed to get here”.
As it happened Jessica was right there waiting by leaning on the edge, having been pulling her wet hair away from her face in the meantime “Mum give you a rundown while I made my way here?” she asked. “Actually just about while you were outside Derrick’s room” Julie answered while leaning down to talk face-to-face. “So what’s this about her having experience?” Sharon asked. “Well how do I put this-” the receptionist started. “Not that hard mum. Just your monthly shift at reception” Jessica insisted “Staff actually rotate between merfolk and human roles here” then looks about the Anderson Family a bit “So who here is joining the pod for your stay”.
“Pod?” John asked. “What most here call a collective of merfolk” the receptionist assured. “Well I am for sure” Julie answered happily. “No thanks. I promised Monica I’d stay in touch as best I could” Derrick followed “And somehow I don’t think we’re allowed phones down in the sea”. “And...you’d be right” the receptionist admitted. “I’d...rather keep glass walls at least between me and seawater” Sharon confessed. “Our apologises. See Sharon has a fear of seawater following a mishap as a teen” John confessed “And while I would prefer parental supervision I feel I best stay by her side”. “Well as said we have staff members among the merfolk. Mostly to help look after non-adults partaking in the experience” the receptionist accepted and explained before everyone heard a yawn. “Sorry... still a bit tired from the flight” Julie apologised. “We’ll save the process for after you’ve rested then” the receptionist accepted.
The next morning once everyone was up, Julie wearing a bathrobe provided by the resort while her brother and parents wore standard daywear “Julie what are you doing?” Derrick asked. “I’m thinking Derrick that one needs to go through this process nude” John answered. “Indeed so” the receptionist agreed as she appeared and handed a table-like device to Sharon “These are linked to cameras setup around the clamshell area”. “Clamshell area?” Sharon questioned. “Giant artificial ones actually. Act as beds for merfolk” the receptionist answered. “I have actually heard of stories like that” Julie confessed. “Anyhow this way” the receptionist called as she escorted the Andersons to this oddball among the rooms’ doors around the moon pool.
The room itself was at both odd-looking yet plain. Really besides a few medical-style carts and tables all anyone could see were eight or so 8-foot tall 3 foot wide cylinders tilted back slightly attached to some odd machine. “Ah Caitlin. I see the current tester family has members who are partaking in the mermaiding” a cheerful male voice called to the receptionist as this man somewhat older then John and Sharon appeared and approached. “Just the daughter for now Liam” Caitlin assured. “Fair enough. Now then my dear we need to get you ready and transformed” Liam accepted. “Just need to get in one of the tubes then” Julie guessed. “After getting two injections” Liam insisted “And after you get your top half covered. That is if you don’t like streaking your upper body”. “She’s going covered I assure you!” John warned.
After de-robing and getting seated within her chosen tube “Huh? Feels more comfortable then they look” Julie noted over the seaweed-strapped Seashell bra she was now wearing. “Padded inside a bit for that” Caitlin admitted. “OK now lay back!” Liam instructed as he arrived with two injections, one he quickly used in Julie’s arm. “OK here we- I feel sleepy” Julie responded as she fell asleep again. “First is a special drug we use to put those transforming asleep and numb before the main one. Otherwise we often have issues of trauma both mental and physical” Liam explained to the Andersons as he injected Julie with the second needle before closing the tube and it quickly filling with water.
At first everyone could only watch as once filled the bubbles slowly stopped coming from Julie as she breathed but even as they did her chest continued moving as normal. Then slowly but surely sky-blue scales started popping up over everything below Julie’s waistline as he knees and ankles lost definition. Once the scales were nearly all formed the gap between her legs started fading as what limited remaining skin fused them together right before the last of the scales appeared. After that at first it for a few seconds looked like Julie only gained a useless appendage in exchange for her legs, only then her toes, all that remained but until then unnoticed shot-out and branched out with a membrane growing among them to finally create a tailfin that finished the process.
“OK all seems perfect. Process is finished and young Julie here should be waking up in about 5 minutes” Liam called once the tailfin was done “Now Mr and Mrs Anderson. From here I’ll need a little help and as your both retaining your legs for now”. This left the family confused until Liam did something that detached the tube Julie was in from the machine which revealed it had gurney-like wheels attached. “We need to get your daughter into the moon pool. Preferably before she wakes up” Liam continued “not lethal but dry merfolk tails are very unpleasant as it being locked with one of these tubes awake for a prolonged time”. “I see” John accepted as he and Derrick got to helping Liam to moving Julie out of the wired room and to the moon pool. From their Liam opened Julie’s tube up with John picking Julie up carefully and placing her in the water.
“*Yawn*... what happened?” Julie asked as she came around. “How do you like your tail Julie?” Liam returned. Julie looking down and seeing “Oh my GOD. IT WORK. I’M A MERMAID!” She happily called out. “Sure sound happy Julie” John kindly noted: