AS SHE DROVE to her work that dreary Thursday morning, nothing indicated that something extraordinary would happen to Stacey Silverton. Rain poured down from above in such torrents as to leave small rivers running along the curbs of the streets, and the wind made the rain come down almost horizontally. "Oregon weather," she mumbled to herself in disgust. "They said it was too dry last year, and now we have this. Just fantastic." Trying to take her attention from the weather, she turned on her car’s radio and tuned into her favorite station. Naturally, they were playing Dido's 'Thank You' for the third time that morning, but Stacey didn’t mind because she enjoyed her music. Anything to shift her focus off the abominable weather.
Stacey was nervously prepared to make her big presentation on the prospects for constructing an additional wing to a residential treatment center for troubled adolescents. The existing wings barely provided adequate accommodations for the forty-three girls and boys already living there, and she was determined to change that. All of the residents reached out to Stacey when they needed that special someone to support them on some difficult problem, and it touched her deeply. She wanted to show her own appreciation by giving them a better place to live.
When Stacey pulled in to the parking lot of the Pacific Behavioral Health Center, she noticed that she was quite early because very few of her co-workers had arrived. Despite the significant rainfall, the morning traffic hadn't been particularly slow. Fortunately for her, that would offer more time to mentally prepare for her presentation.
With an aura of confidence, Stacey climbed up the steps and into the old brick building that was her workplace. Walking inside, the receptionist Amber greeted her with a big smile. "Good morning, Stace! Are you ready and all?" Amber was probably Stacey’s closest friend at work, for the two of them shared a great many things in common. Even though Amber had worked there for about a year longer than Stacey, they both thoroughly liked their jobs.
"Oh... I hope so," Stacey replied with a sigh. "I spent a lot of last night worrying about it."
"Hmm... well, I know you'll do a great job!" Amber reassured.
Just then, their supervisor Scott barged in the front door, soaking wet from the downpour outside and shaking out his battered umbrella. "Damn this awful weather!" he said loudly. "Every time it ruins my frickin' umbrella!" In a fit of rage, he quickly walked right past Stacey and Amber, and into his office at the far end of the hallway and slammed the door shut. Silence filled the room.
"What a grouch!" both ladies said in unison.
*****
It was not unusual for that to happen. Although both Stacey and Amber were attractive young women in their late twenties, everyone thought that there was something weird about them. Both women stood about five and a half feet tall with stunning figures, flowing brunette hair. and crystal blue eyes. Their faces radiated an unparalleled beauty rarely seen except on the most famous supermodels. One would think that anybody around would be ecstatic to talk with such lovely ladies... but not Stacey and Amber. Everyone seemed to ignore them.
There was always something strange about the way they acted and the way they dressed, but no one could really put a finger on it. They always talked about taking trips to the ocean and how they enjoyed being near it and interacting with the aquatic life in the tide pools. It might seem normal enough, but Stacey and Amber talked about the ocean with such a passion that it seemed like an unhealthy obsession. But that was nothing compared to their tastes in fashion. No matter what was happening at the time, Stacey and Amber always wore skirts and dresses of just about any sort, and it seemed that they didn't even own anything else. Most women would shy away from wearing such clothes on a regular basis, but to Stacey and Amber it appeared to be second nature. Although their outfits always flattered their figures, it was definitely strange to see them behave in this way, especially since there was no specific dress code at work.
Stacey often wondered why she enjoyed the ocean so much, but the only realistic reason she could think of was that it was a relaxing place to be. The sound of the ocean waves crashing against the beach, the smell of the salty air, and the sight of the pristine coastline all filled her with pleasurable feelings. Whenever she was at the coast, she tended to have a thought in the back of her mind that the ocean was really home... but she brushed those feelings aside as silly because she knew she was born in the big city. Stacey also often wondered why she wore skirts and dresses all the time, even though she recognized that very few women do so voluntarily. She had tried to wear jeans and pants several times in the past, but for some inexplicable reason she felt extremely uncomfortable in them. Only when she wore a skirt or a dress did she feel at peace with the way she looked.
There was also a very bizarre bluish-green patch on her skin about three-quarters of an inch in diameter on her right hip that had been there for as long as Stacey could recall. Her parents had explained to her a number of times that it was her birthmark, but somehow Stacey was intrigued by it and was certain that it was more than just a birthmark. That patch of skin tingled whenever it was exposed to water, adding to its mystical appeal... Stacey was determined to discover what that patch was and how it got there.
One of Stacey's biggest personal problems was her persistent trouble in relationships with men. She had many caring boyfriends in the past, but no matter how hard she tried to remain faithful to them, all of them seemed to leave her for no apparent reason. Most of them were glib and didn't fully explain why they wanted to break up, but one man told her that it was because Stacey was just too strange for them to handle. She spent many lonely nights bemoaning her problems with men and hoped that one day she would meet the perfect man.
Little did Stacey know that Amber felt these very same things.
*****
About fifteen minutes after Scott had stormed into his office, he reemerged to tell Stacey that the big meeting about the expansion was about to begin. Amber gave her one final wish of good luck as Stacey walked down the hallway and into the conference room.
Inside the conference room, there were several prominent individuals from Pacific's board of directors seated around the long table. Everyone was eagerly awaiting Stacey's assessment of the adolescent program and the projected cost of adding the new wing to accommodate the facility's growing needs. Fortunately, all of the people there were dressed in smart business suits so Stacey did not feel too awkward in her own skirt suit. However, all eyes were on her as she approached the chair at the head of the table to begin her important presentation.
"Good morning everyone," Scott said formally. "This morning, we are gathered together to hear Miss Silverton's proposal of expanding the adolescent wing to provide better mental health services to our boys and girls."
"Thank you Scott," Stacey continued. "As most of you are undoubtedly aware, there are forty-three residents in our adolescent wing, and our resources are hardly adequate to provide the care these people deserve from a residential facility. If we update our existing wings and add a brand new one, we will be prepared to handle our residents' cases more effectively. When I visited the..."
At that moment, the lights in the conference room flickered, and eventually went out and left the room completely dark. Scott immediately stood up from the table and pounded his fist down hard. "What the hell is wrong with this frickin' weather? First it makes my morning commute miserable and now it interrupts my first meeting. We'll just wait here for a few minutes to see if the power comes back on."
Everyone shuffled in their seats uneasily in the dark conference room, uncertain of what to really say. Stacey was totally embarrassed with the situation, but she reasoned that this was caused by circumstances beyond her control. She felt very confident with the way the presentation had been going and now it had abruptly stopped. Hopefully it didn't mean that she would have to reschedule it for another day.
About ten minutes later, there was a soft knock on the door and Amber meekly stepped into the room. "The power company has informed me that one of the main power lines to this building has come down in the wind," she announced. "It sounds like it may take a few hours to repair the line."
Scott got up from the table once more and said, "Shit! Murphy's Law again... I always get the worst goddam luck. Well everyone, I'm sorry that this meeting will have to be postponed to another day." Everyone filed out of the room and wandered off to their shadowy offices in the dark hallway. Turning to Stacey and Amber, Scott told them that it was probably best if they headed home because there wasn't really any purpose to staying at work without any electricity.
It was raining harder than ever outside as Stacey and Amber walked out the door and headed to their cars to make the treacherous drive home. "Hey Amber!" Stacey called out to her. It seemed that her voice was being lost in the wind.
"What's up, Stace?"
"There's something important that I want to talk to you about... would you mind coming over to my apartment instead of going home right now?"
"Sure thing... I want to just get somewhere safe."
One after the other, Stacey and Amber cautiously left the Pacific parking lot and headed for Stacey's apartment.
*****
Stacey and Amber arrived at the apartment about an hour after leaving Pacific. There had been a number of inconvenient road closures due to downed power lines and flooded storm drains, but eventually they succeeded in navigating the roads and reached Stacey's home. She lived in a fairly large apartment complex of about twenty buildings with eight units each, but the grounds were very well maintained and the neighbors were generally amiable for the rent she paid each month. She lived in a single bedroom apartment that was just barely large enough for her, but nevertheless it served its purpose.
"Oh God it's great to get out of that rain!" Amber exclaimed as she plopped down on Stacey's living room sofa and sank into the cushions, draping her coat over the side of the sofa.
"No kidding!" Stacey replied as she dropped her purse on a chair near the entryway and hung her coat in the closet. Hearing her stomach growl slightly, she went straight for the kitchen and offered, "Hey Amber, since it's just about time for lunch, I was thinking about cooking up some tomato soup and grilling a cheese sandwich. Would you like something?"
"That sounds great, Stace."
While Stacey busied herself in the kitchen preparing lunch, Amber surveyed the apartment from her seat. The ceiling and walls were painted in an off-white color that appeared nearly new, and the carpet in the living area was a brilliant sapphire blue that reminded Amber of the ocean. Stacey had a small television, a DVD player, and a large stack of CDs tucked into one corner of the room. She noticed that Stacey had a copy of 'The Little Mermaid' among her many DVDs... that was certainly curious. There was also a wide assortment of magazines and catalogues strewn about on the coffee table, including the most recent issue of 'National Geographic.' It featured a story about sunken cities under the ocean and the prospects for exploring them. Amber was very intrigued by this since she had read the very same article herself and wanted to learn more about the efforts to explore those lost cities. Standing up from the sofa, she walked into the kitchen to ask Stacey about the article when she noticed Stacey was still wearing her skirt suit from that morning.
"Say Stace, don't you like to change clothes after work?" Amber asked.
Stacey hesitated for a moment and blushed."Well... to tell you the truth, I actually like wearing outfits like this. For some reason I feel happiest when I do, and I can't really think of any other way to explain it."
Amber looked confused for a brief moment, but she somehow knew where Stacey was coming from. "Don't be embarrassed, I feel that way a lot too."
Almost immediately, Stacey whirled around from the stove and squinted. "That's really interesting because it's yet another way that we're similar. People must really think that it's odd that we dress that way but I'm glad that you can understand it too." Stacey started to wonder to herself whether Amber was exactly like her in every way because they shared so many things in common. She knew that Amber loved the ocean and frequently talked about her short weekend trips there, and she knew that Amber also had trouble holding down a boyfriend. Maybe Amber was a long-lost relative that Stacey had never known about... but just then she remembered that mysterious bluish-green mark on her right hip. Perhaps Amber had one just like it, and if she did, Stacey might just be able to get to the bottom of that today.
The smell of the cheese sandwiches awakened Stacey from her reverie. "Anyway, lunch is just about ready so why don't you just sit down at the table." She served the soup and sandwiches and both women were delighted to eat after their rather hectic morning at work.
Over lunch, Stacey and Amber discussed that article in 'National Geographic,' and that that point Stacey decided that she had to tell Amber about that mark. Both she and Amber seemed incredibly fascinated with the underwater world that it was just too coincidental that she and Amber would be so similar without knowing one another before working at Pacific. Stacey stood up from the table with her dirty dishes and looked into Amber's eyes and said sincerely, "Look, Amber... the reason I wanted to invite you over here is that there is something sort of strange that I want to show you. If it makes you uncomfortable just let me know, but I really think you should see it."
Amber could tell that Stacey was serious in her intentions, because she had never known Stacey to be deceptive or manipulative in any way. "Okay... just a minute." She gathered her dishes and put them into the sink to be washed and followed Stacey into the small bedroom at the other end of the hallway.
*****
Inside the bedroom, Stacey had a great many things scattered about the floor, including clothes and even more magazines. There was a small keyboard in one corner where it appeared that Stacey was trying to learn a few piano pieces by Mozart and Beethoven. There was a queen size bed in the middle of the room, the sky blue sheets wrinkled in such a way that looked like it had been messily made that morning.
Once Amber had taken a seat on the bed, Stacey turned to face her, reached for the back zipper on her skirt, and said in a quiet voice, "All right, it's that there's this bluish spot on my..."
"Right hip!" Amber interrupted.
Stacey stopped suddenly. "Oh my God Amber, how in the world did you know that?"
"That's because I have the exact same thing on my hip. I've always wondered what it was and why it was there but never figured anything out."
Stacey joined Amber on edge of the bed to contemplate the situation. Neither of them expected the other to have the exact same mark. "What do you suppose that mark means?" Stacey asked in a shaky voice.
"I have no idea," Amber said. "I really wish I knew. My doctor has never really been puzzled by it as well."
Just then, a crazy idea entered Stacey's mind. She knew that it wouldn't seem rational at all, even to a mental health specialist, but all of the pieces seemed to fit. Was it possible that both she and Amber were mermaids living away from the ocean in the human world for the last thirty years? That would certainly explain why they both enjoyed being around the ocean so much, and gave credence to the theory that the bluish-green mark sometimes looked like a fish's scale. But why were they always wearing dresses and skirts? Perhaps it was because it always kept the legs together, almost like a mermaid's tail does. And what about all the trouble with men? Mermaids were traditionally lonely creatures living a solitary life in the vast ocean, and it was possible that this carried over into this world. Stacey knew that this possibility was just a longshot at best and probably meant nothing, but she guessed that there was no harm in suggesting it. "Amber, I've been doing a little thinking just now... and I wondered whether all of our unique personality traits existed because we are really mermaids at heart."
Amber turned pale. "Mermaids, Stacey? That's silly... I don't see how..." She stopped talking suddenly and started to consider all of those strange things that set her apart from the rest of the world. She looked up at Stacey, who was now standing at the side of the bed studying her mark, and said softly, "I can see your logic in saying that but I don't know how that would even be possible." At that point, Amber likewise decided to look closely at her own mark again and see if anything appeared different.
As soon as Amber had pulled her skirt down over her right hip, a strange bluish glow started to emanate from it. Amber stared at it in disbelief and quickly alerted Stacey to the change. Stacey noticed that her own mark had started to glow once Amber had exposed her own. "Oh Jesus... this is really freaky!" Stacey said anxiously as she turned her hip towards Amber. When the two marks finally faced each other, the blue light glowing from them became even brighter and a faint beam could be seen forming between them. From that beam of light, a small figure started to emerge from the light and take shape - it definitely appeared to be a mermaid! Slowly, the mermaid in the light grew to about two feet in height while Stacey and Amber watched it in complete amazement. Once the figure stopped growing, it started to speak to the two women in reassuring, feminine voice.
"Stacey, Amber... I am Lorelei, one of the great mermaid spirits of the ocean world. As you both have just discovered, you are both truly mermaids yourselves but have lived in the human world since you were babies. Because your mermaid parents were all killed in the great war that occurred in the ocean thirty years ago, I decided to entrust you both to human parents and let them raise you as a human girl. They did not know of your mermaid heritage, for obvious reasons, but that special bluish-green mark on your hip is your link to your true world. It was your destiny to meet each other somehow and make this profound discovery, which has just happened on this dreary Thursday afternoon. And now, it is time to return to your true home and live as mermaids under the ocean!" With those words, Lorelei vanished and the blue light began to dissipate and return to the marks from which it came. When it disappeared it left a warm and pleasant feeling inside both Stacey and Amber.
Stacey and Amber turned to each other and hugged tightly, exclaiming their happiness with learning the truth about themselves. It finally put all of their issues to rest and assured them of a long and fruitful life under the ocean, just as it should be. Amber said through tears of joy, "I can't believe it Stacey... we're really mermaids... great mythological creatures that inspire people throughout the world!"
Stacey smiled. "Yeah, it's really hard to believe. So does this mean we have to drive to the coast right now? I mean, when do we actually become mermaids?"
Suddenly, intense waves of pleasure started to wash over them and caused them both to stumble into the bed. They tried to speak, but their words were somehow caught and all that came out was just small gasps of air. As the waves started to follow a steady rhythm, both women realized that Lorelei had initiated their incredible transformations into mermaids immediately, before they had a chance to make any preparations to drive to the ocean! Instead, they lay in paralyzed ecstasy on the bed as the transformation overtook them.
With remarkable swiftness, their legs started to lose their rigidity and move together, bone lines vanishing under the surface of the skin. Their legs seemed to lengthen slightly as they changed, becoming wider at the hips and narrower near their feet. Just then, their feet started to expand and become impossibly thin inside their high heeled shoes, assuming the shape of a great tailfin. Soon, the shoes just feel off because there was nothing there resembling a human's foot... just two beautiful tailfins that were nearly three feet wide. By this time, their legs had completely merged together and started to deepen in color, eventually becoming that same bluish-green spot that had linked them to the mermaid's world. Tiny bumps quickly spread over the new tail from that spot, covering their tails with iridescent scales that scattered the bedroom light in every direction. From the waist down, both Stacey and Amber now sported real and flawless mermaid's tails.
Slowly, the waves of pleasure subsided from their bodies and they returned to conscious awareness, as though they were awakening from a deep sleep. As they sat up in the bed, they saw the perfect results of Lorelei's powerful magic... they now possessed classic mermaid's tails just as Ariel had in 'The Little Mermaid.' Amber was the first to speak, "Stacey, are you okay?"
Stacey was experimenting with her new tail, twisting and bending it into shapes that would have been impossible just ten minutes earlier. "I've never felt better, Amber! This is just too cool..." She flexed a muscle she never had before and her tailfin spread out in all of its beautiful splendor.
Amber also explored her new body, loving the warmth that her scales provided and the freedom of moving her tail in any direction she chose. "I really want to get to my true home and try swimming with this new tail!"
"But how can we walk with these tails!" As a test, Stacey tried to stand up from the bed but quickly fell to the floor when she discovered that her tail could no longer support her weight standing up.
She hoisted herself back into the bed, just then observing that she and Amber were still wearing their suits from work. They appeared to be untouched despite the phenomenal changes that had just occurred, but they clearly didn't match their bodies anymore. Stacey unbuttoned her suit jacket and make an astonishing discovery: the transformation had changed her bra into a pair of seashells that now supported her breasts perfectly. She then slid her skirt down her tail, the lining feeling strange against her scales as it fell to the floor. A similar thing had happened to her panties, which were now just a simple shell covering her down there. Obviously, mermaids dressed much more provocatively than anyone in the human world ever would. She turned to Amber, and saw that her underwear had changed just as her own.
Stacey came up with a plan. "Amber, I've got an idea. I think that my tail is strong enough to operate the gas and brake on my car. If we could only get back down to my car without being spotted, then we could get to the coast in just a couple hours."
The two mermaids slid to the floor and started to scoot towards the front door of the apartment, clad only in their seashells. Stacey's car was parked just down the stairs in the parking lot about ten feet away. She grabbed her keys and peered out the window to check for any passing people outside. Fortunately, the weather seemed to have cleared up and there were now sun breaks in the sky. No one seemed to be around, so Stacey timidly opened the door and checked again for anyone that might be watching them. Quickly, she and Amber slithered down the staircase and climbed into the car without being noticed by anybody except the neighbor's cat. Stacey started the car, and hoped that she had enough fuel to drive the entire eighty-mile distance to the coast. With incredible luck, she had just less than half a tank, more than sufficient for their one-way journey.
Even though her new tailfin made it considerably more difficult, Stacey managed to depress the pedals enough to operate the car. After a few abrupt starts and stops in the apartment parking lot, she felt confident that she could get them safely to the ocean. She was happy now that she decided to buy a car with an automatic transmission, especially now that she had a mermaid's tail. Imagine what the average person would say if they saw a mermaid driving a car wearing virtually nothing at all! Stacey and Amber talked excitedly the entire way about all the things that they would be able to see and do under the ocean as mermaids... swim with dolphins and seahorses, explore the lost cities and sunken ships, and be together forever.
*****
The ride to the coast was a bit less smooth than it would have been normally, but these were definitely not normal circumstances! By the time they had reached their usual beach, the weather had completely cleared up and there was bright sunshine illuminating the whole length of the beach. It truly looked even more beautiful today than it ever had in the past.
Stacey stopped the car and noticed that the beach appeared nearly abandoned despite the excellent weather. That would make it easier to slip into the ocean undetected. As they slid down the jagged rocks and onto the sand, Stacey and Amber took one last look at the car and the world they were about to leave behind. Surely, no one would miss them because they were always meant to be mermaids living in the sea's embrace. A wonderful new life awaited them in the ocean, and nothing in the human world could ever compare to it. Without another thought, Stacey tossed her keys up onto the rocks and rolled down the beach to join Amber in the surf.
They were now truly home.