Starla was right, the transformation was intense; but soon, it finished, and I curled my tail forward, raising it out of the water. “My tail; I have a tail! It’s so beautiful!”
“I would never have doubted that,” Starla added, placing her hand on my shoulder, “especially since it’s a part of you.”
“Aww, thank you; you’re so sweet.” I said with a gentle smile before kissing Starla on the cheek.
“So, should I leave you with a little tub time?” Starla asked.
“Are you kidding?” I shouted. “I want to see what my new tail can really do. To the ocean.”
“Great, that way I can acquaint you with my pearl cultivation business.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I said as I climbed out of the tub and dabbed my tail with the towel. I witnessed my tail undergo the same metamorphosis as Starla’s did when she dried it off. Tail splitting, legs re-forming and fins shrinking back into feet.
After putting our bathing suits on, we grabbed a quick breakfast and Starla came down with beach towels and our scuba gear. “Seriously?” I said in a deadpan tone.
“We can’t have anyone see a pair of girls dive underwater for almost an hour without scuba gear, now can we?” Starla explained.
Now that I thought of it, she always took her scuba gear when she went out to her oyster farm before. Apparently it was enough to keep me in the dark. “Good point.” I answered.
We went out the back and down to the beach. As I followed Starla toward the rocky outcroppings to the right of the beach, my thoughts turned to the kiss on the cheek I gave her. I’ve given her many such kisses before, but they were strictly friendly. This one felt different than the others, better somehow. Was it simply my new mermaid bisexuality manifesting, or was it something more?
We climbed around the rocks where we came to a small, secluded patch of beach. Starla held out the palm of her hand to the ground and, to my surprise, a chest rose up from beneath the sand. “This is where my mother and I hid our scuba gear when we checked the oysters.” She took our scuba gear, as well as our bikini bottoms, and placed them into the chest, closed it and, with a gesture similar to before, the chest sank back into the sand.
“Was that… magic?” I nearly shouted.
“The chest is magic, but it responds to our own; even though mermaids can’t use magic while in human form. I’ll be happy to teach you whenever you wish.”
“I’d love that.” I said. “Now, I’m about ready to ditch these legs and start swimming.” We ran into the water and I quickly pressed my legs together. I felt my skin and muscles meld, my leg bones dissolve and form anew as my tail bones and my feet flare out into my fin.
“Follow me.” Starla said as she dove underwater. I exhaled as much air as I could before diving in, myself. I deeply inhaled the ocean water; the sensation was exhilarating, but nothing could prepare me for what happened when I saw Starla far ahead of me. A few simple, forceful undulations of my golden tail, and I had practically caught up to her.
“This is amazing!” I shouted. “I love being a mermaid!”
“I had no doubt you would.” Starla said. “We’re here.” There was a small hole, barely big enough to fit a mermaid into and way too big for anyone with scuba gear. I followed Starla into the hole and came into a huge farm of oysters. They were much larger than average and they all seemed healthy. “None of these are ready for harvesting pearls yet, but I figured I should show them to you. In case you’d want to assist me.”
“I’d be glad to help in any way I can.” I said, clasping Starla’s hands.
“Thank you.” Starla said as she caressed my cheek. “So, while we’re down here, is there anything else you’d like to do?”