Kiss of Life

The last thing Frederick remembered was being overtaken by a wave after falling overboard from his ship. The press of lips against his brought him to full wakefulness, but the laws of gravity seemed to have been suspended. It took him a few groggy minutes to realize he was still underwater, mostly because that should have been impossible. There was air in his lungs. But swimming before him… a mermaid, a beautiful woman with a mother of pearl tail. Her red hair danced through the water like fire. And, unlike in the movies, she did not wear a clamshell bra.

Streams of sunlight danced around them. She kissed him again, a kiss of life which gave him the air he needed. The air filled him with energy to swim to the surface.

As he broke the water and breathed for himself, he found himself in paradise. Lush jungle surrounded the small lake. Petrichor still wafted through the air. Exotic birdcalls played musically. The water around him was brilliant blue, like a gem, and in the center… darkness. The lake must have lead down to an underground river of caves… which would explain how he got here.

The mermaid soon broke the surface and floated before him. Her smile was a perfect row of pearls. He swam up to her… and kissed her of his own accord, not for life, but for pleasure.

It was the best kiss of his life.

***

“And then what happened?” Willfred asked. He was literally at the edge of his seat, perched precariously over the stool at the bar in Frederick’s home.

It was a modest house overlooking the sea. Frederick had always believed himself to be a creature of the water, until he met the true masters of the ocean. He poured himself some more  orange juice and answered,  “Oh, I stayed on the island for a few weeks, but in the end it didn’t work out. When a rescue ship arrived, I got on board and didn’t look back.”

“But why? A mermaid…!”

“Oh don’t get me wrong, it was nice, but physically…” he made a face, “Eh…”

“I don’t follow. She sounded gorgeous!”

“She was a fish from the waist down. You know how fish mate, right?”

“Oh.” Willfred didn’t seem to think about it at first, but after a beat, his eyes grew wide. “Oh.”

“Yeah. She was pretty horrified when I explained how we… mate.”

“I can imagine.”

“Trust me, you can’t. It’s a wonder she still talked to me after that.”

They eagerly sought new topics of idly conversation, but after a while, Willfred made his goodbyes.

Alone at home, Frederick moved out to the patio, overlooking the ocean, green and grey. The ocean was a moody mistress, taking away… but also giving. He had no regrets.

Something broke the pristine horizon. Something brilliant red, and familiar. Frederick waved, and she waved back.