Metior_Ice's Merfolk Story Thread

The moment Mortimer Goth arrived at the beach house. He started checking his messages. His deadline for his next book was fast approaching, and he was struggling to figure out what he wanted to write about. He brought his son, Max, with him. Max grew up reading books about myths and legends and was intrigued by the myths of the ocean. Myths about sea monsters and legends about the merfolk often filled his mind.

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Mortimer started to get concerned that his son's fascination with fantasy, myths, and legends was going a bit too far. More than anything, he didn't want his son to know that there was truth to the legends he read about. He told Bella and the rest of his family that He was just going to clear his mind while on vacation. However, he had other plans for his visit to the islands. He was mostly worried about keeping Max away from his contact.

Mortimer sat down and started staring at his screen when his son walked in. Max sat down and started chatting with his dad.

"You don't suppose there are any sea monsters lurking in the deep out there."

"Max, I told you many times. There aren't any monsters in the sea. Those stories you keep reading are just stories, works of fiction."

"So, the stories about merfolk are fiction too. Many sailors have seen them out there, though."

"Please don't make me regret bringing you here. Your mind is already wandering. You need to focus on reality."

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Max frowned. "I was hoping to meet a merperson."

"It would be better if you let this fascination with the sea go."

"I can't help it. I'm just drawn to the ocean... Like I belong there."

"Well, you can't breathe underwater, so the ocean isn't a place you can call home. You worry me sometimes."

Before Max could reply, Mortimer stopped him. "I have somewhere I need to go. Do me a favor and stay out of trouble, and don't bother the locals about your ocean nonsense."

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Mortimer left his son. He knew he was being harsh, but he also knew that he was heading down a dangerous path. Besides, his own discovery of the truth was hard for him to grasp. He heard rumors about someone that could help him with his writing problems and almost didn't believe them himself. But, he later became convinced that following the rumors was worth the try. He remembered a chance meeting with a young man with rather sharp canines. The young man toldl him about someone that could help him for a price. It was the oddest conversation he had at a restaurant, but he was given proof of his claims he couldn't deny.

When Mortimer made it to the remote island, he followed the instructions he was given and approached an archway. He wasn't surprised that the archway was an entrance to a cave, but he was surprised to see that it was nearly completely flooded. He wish he worked on exercising more.

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As Mortimer swam through the briny water, he saw a merman sitting on the ledge of a small island in the center of the cavern. If he didn't drink a potion that made him grow fins and turn back into a human, he would have thought he was in a costume. Mortimer swam up to the merman and sat next to him.

"I'm told you can help me for a price."

"I can. But, the question is, are you willing to pay the price?" The merman pointed to the floating paper behind him. I prepared the terms of our agreement in advance. All you need to do is sign."

"Things are never that simple."

"Those are some wise words. The price for helping you is a bit steep, but I think the benefits outweigh the cost."

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Mortimer stood at full height, and shortly after, the merman changed form and took a human appearance.

"Some things are easier to do in a human form. I'm still not a big fan of humans so you know. But, my boyfirend assured me that you are worth the trouble."

"Well, thank you I guess."

"Now, let's get to business. Caleb tells me that you are struggling with inspiration, down on your luck as they would say. It seems to be costing you quite a bit."

"For the life of me, I just can't get past the first paragraph of my new book."

Blue lights started to circle around the small island.

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"The solution to your problem is very simple. All we need to do is give you a bit of Poseidon's Luck. With it, you'll find success with things you didn't even know you needed the luck for. Unfortunately, such a spell does require a substantial price for any human."

"I'm listening."

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Damian went behind the contract and presented it to Mortimer. "You see, Poseidon's Luck is a spell that normally can be granted to merfolk in exchange for their voice. But, for a human, I need something else to give you what you want."

"A soul!" Mortimer started to hesitate.

"Don't worry too much about that. It's not like I'm asking for your soul. Any soul will do."

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"And of course, you have three days to find a human soul. In the mean time, you'll enjoy all the benefits of Poseidon's Luck."

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"It seems that this will solve a lot of my problems and then some."

"I'm certain the benefits outweigh the price. Especially for a poor unfortunate human such as yourself."

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Mortimer decided that he was desperate enough for a way out of his struggles. He didn't know where he would find a soul. Maybe he could find one in an old haunted house. If merfolk and sea witches were real, than a haunted house must be real too.

The most unnerving part of this deal was when the merman started to laugh with a flourish.

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"And now... We have a deal!" The contract rolled up and the merman sent it into his cauldron.

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The Sea witch cast his spell on the human. As mortimer left, he heard a thought ring through his mind. 'Remember, you have three days to bring me a soul, or there will be consequences.'

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After Mortimer left, Damian stretched out his tail on a rock.

“This might actually be enjoyable.”

Damian's laughs echoed through the dark cave.

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This will not end well for Mortimer.

Also, Damian is probably the most evil ? merman ??‍♂️ I ever created. I’m sure he’s got his own motivations as he always does.

While Mortimer was away, Max went exploring the island. He ran into a strange local walking along the beach. He dressed very differently from other humans, and he didn't seem affected by the cold sea air blowing in from the ocean.

"I don't suppose you've seen any merfolk around?"

"No, I haven't seen any around here? Why are you asking?"

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"I've read a lot of stories about merfolk. The Sulani Islands are supposed to have a hidden cove that merfolk gather. I'd love to meet a mer."

"I've lived here a long time, but I can't think of a place like that..."

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"I'm sure there's a place where I can find merfolk. There have been so many sightings recorded in books, it's hard to imagine them not being real."

The young man was taken aback by the boys insistence. "I'm sure humans have very creative imaginations. The sea can often play tricks on them."

Max noticed how the young man said the word "Humans" and grew suspicious. However, the young man left without another word. Max went back to the beach house to think about his encounter.

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When he returned to his lodgings, his father already finished his newest book.

"Dad, I can't believe you already finished your book."

"This book isn't the one I plan to submit to the publisher. I wrote it with something else in mind."

"But you finished a new book so quickly. That's amazing."

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Mortimer sat down and continued to chat with his son.

"I met the strangest person walking along the beach. I think he isn't human."

Mortimer felt uncomfortable hearing about this discovery. "I'm sure he was human."

"He dressed so differently thought. He didn't have a shirt on and only had a grass skirt. Nothing he wore was man made. His necklace had a shark tooth on it too. The air has been cold all night and he seemed unphased by the temperature."

"We are visiting the Sulani Islands, I'm sure he went for a swim. How could he not be human?"

"He also said "Humans" as if he wasn't human himself. It was strange."

Mortimer felt even more uncomfortable. As far as he knew, the denizens of the sea weren't friendly to humans. In fact, the only mer he knew didn't even like humans.

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"Max, I told you not to bother the locals with your merfolk nonsense."

"But... I heard that Sulani has a Merfolk Cove hidden somewhere. I thought the locals would know where to find it."

"I want you to forget about that until we go home. Please, I'm just looking out for your well-being."

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"But, this might be my only chance to find a real mer. We never come to Sulani."

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"I just don't understand. You've never been this dismissive about this before. You even used to encourage my imagination. You said I could write epic books!"

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"Please, can you do this one thing for me?"

"Alright, alright. I'll stay out of trouble and let the merfolk stuff go while we are here."

"Thank you, son. It means a lot."

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'I don't want to give up that easily. Maybe, maybe I'll stumble across a mer if I just enjoy my stay here.' Max thought.

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That night, Max went to bed early, but Mortimer stayed up working on his newest book. He really did feel lucky. His son decided to finally let the merfolk go, and he had a flood of creativity flowing through his fingers as he typed. He didn't know he had it in him, but he also wrote a book that captured the story of his son's life. When he held that book, he truly felt that the book had a magic to it. He wrote biographies, but this book was different. He felt like this book might help his son in some unexpected way. The only thing he needed now was a human soul to pay for the magic he received. He didn't know where to start with that.

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The next morning, Max woke up early while his dad still slept. He went snorkeling in the lagoon. The reef was beautiful, and he wished he could spend the rest of his life surrounded by the ocean's beauty.

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He saw fish swirling around underwater and dolphins emerged from the depths. Max called out to them and two dolphins responded.

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"I don't suppose the two of you have seen a mer before?"

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The dolphins squeaked a reply. Max couldn't understand them. One of the dolphins tilted its head before they dove back under to chase fish.

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Nearby, Max saw a dark fish zip through the water. His eyes watched the water, worried about a shark until the fish jumped out of the water. It was no fish. It was a merman with a powerful black tail.

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Max swam as fast as he could to the merman.

"I can't believe it! Your... You're a real mer, a merman."

"What gave it away?"

"You know, I dreamt of meeting a mer. I read about merfolk that can temporarily make humans a mer. What would I give to be able to swim like you!"

'I love it when they say that.' the merman thought.

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"My dad told me to let it go, but now, I just can't."

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"You know, I'm a friend of your father's." The merman said. "He came to me looking for help with his writing, and I gave him a bit of luck with his endeavors, free of charge, of course."

"Do you think? Could you really?"

"I can. I have a potion that will make you a merman for a few days."

"And, it won't cost me anything?"

"Since your father is a friend of mine, I don't mind helping his son."

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"Let's go on land. I'm sure your legs are getting tired from swimming."

"Can you go on land? Your tail doesn't look like it will make things easy."

"Trust me, I'll be fine."

Max swam to the beach house ladder and climbed up. He noticed that the merman swam to the shore. Max figured that the ladder would give him a bit of trouble. Max went inside and let the merman in. He looked just like a human, but his wrap around his waist looked like a piece of a sail from a shipwreck. Max started to believe that the other young man he met was also a merman.

On the patio, the merman offered him a gift. "Now, the magic is very simple. All you need to do is wait until night and drink the potion. When you enter the water, you will experience the true wonders of the sea."

After saying goodbye, the merman jumped into the water and changed back into his true form. He swam off into the deep. Max was excited to drink the potion, but he knew that he needed to wait until night for the magic to work. He wanted the magic to work.

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As the sun began to set, he saw the man he met the other night with a woman. He swam across the lagoon, eager to confirm his suspicions. His dad saw him dive into the ocean when he woke up. He ran across the shore, keeping an eye on his son. When his son approached the man in the grass skirt, he felt disappointed.

'He told me that he would drop this nonsense.' Mortimer thought. 'What's gotten into that boy.'

When Mortimer caught up with his son, he was busy hassling the young man about being a merman.

"I know what you two are. You're merfolk!"

"Please forgive him, he doesn't know what he's saying." Mortimer apologized to the islanders. However, he did notice something about the women, an energy that seemed similar to the merman he met.

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"And here I thought I could swim in peace." The young man said.

'I feel like I've been walking on daggers all day.' The young man thought.

"I bet you have to keep it a secret. I can keep your secret too! I'll..."

"Max, that's enough! Go home, now. I'm very disappointed in you." Mortimer interrupted.

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Max was upset by his father's reaction. He was friends with a merman and never told him.

"Madam, can I speak to you in private?"

"I don't see why not?" the woman answered.

"Can I swim now?" The young man muttered. "These feet really hurt."

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After Mortimer made sure his son went home, he approached the young woman. "By any chance, are you a sea witch?"

"Yes, but how do you..." the young woman paused. "You didn't make a deal with him did you?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you about. Is there a way out of a contract with a sea witch?"

"No, the contracts are magically binding. No force of magic or man can break them. Not even the watcher can break a Sea Witch's Contract, especially after a Sea Witch uses their magic."

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"Then I want you to have this. I have a feeling that my son's life will depend on it. I can't explain why, but I feel like I need you to hold onto this for me."

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"But this, I can't..."

"Please, I'm getting a bad feeling, and I need you to hold onto this for me."

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Mortimer returned home and went to bed early. He didn't feel like writing.

"What does dad know?" Max thought. "I'm tired of him telling me to let this go. But, the moon is up, and it's time. One sip, and I can become a merman for a few days."

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Max took a sip of the potion. It had a briny taste, but he endured it.

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After he drank the potion, the wind howled over his head and dissipated. Something wasn't right, but he also felt drawn to the water. Max couldn't resist the call of the sea.

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Max jumped into the water and swam into the middle of the lagoon. To his surprise, he never changed form, but he felt as if a weight was pulling him underwater. It didn't take long for a familiar face to surface in front of him.

"What did you do to me?"

"What do you mean? I didn't do anything."

"The potion... I'm not turning into a merman... I feel... I feel like I'm getting pulled beneath the waves."

"Just as I said, you will soon be experiencing the true wonders of the sea. It's just that... the wonders of the sea are underwater after all."

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Suddenly, max lost the ability to swim and began to flail. His lungs were filling with water and his vision blurred.

"I hope you enjoy your stay in Davey Jone's Locker. And don't worry about your dad, after tonight, we'll be even."

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Max felt the sea surround him and grew cold underwater. 'Is this... is this how things end?'

Max felt a light reach him in the darkness, and as his soul left his body, he found himself somewhere else. In the presence of a familiar, friendly face.

"Don't worry. This isn't the end." A young woman said with a comforting voice. "Everything will be okay."

Max let the sea take him and faded into the deep.

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Max's body was transformed into an urn that contained his soul. The Grim Reaper left into a cloud of darkness and the merman Max trusted smiled. "Mortimer will have quite the surprise when he wakes up. But, that's just the price of doing business."

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The Sea Witch flicked his tail and swam for home. Now, the rest was up to Mortimer. He had a choice to make.

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Getting more interesting :p Indeed if it would not be Alex himself telling the story of "Max" , I would been sure he is gone :)