 |
| art by Rebecca Fyfe |
A Seaside Christmas
by Rebecca Fyfe
by Rebecca Fyfe
Rose dragged her heavy suitcase from the car to the beach
house. Sadness pulled at her thoughts for a moment, but she brushed it
aside. This would be a wonderful
Christmas. So what if she was alone this year?
She’d rented this little house that sat on a beautiful beach
and she was determined to enjoy this small vacation. Jack had been all wrong
for her anyway. The fact that he’d broken things off with her in a text message
instead of facing her in person was proof that he wasn’t the type of man she
wanted in her life anyway.
Rose left her luggage just inside the door and stepped back
out onto the front porch. She took a deep breath, smelling the salty air. This
was just what she needed.
Her mom and her sister had pleaded with her to spend
Christmas with them, but she just couldn’t face them right now.
Jack and Rose had been together for two years. Two days
after sending her that final text, Rose had run into Jack Christmas shopping at
the local mall. He hadn’t been alone. Rose wondered how much the stunning
blonde woman he’d had his arm around had played in their break-up.
Shaking away the unpleasant memory, Rose went back inside to
unpack. She noticed right away that the landlady had put up a small Christmas
tree in the living room, with tiny sparkling pastel lights and silver and blue
ornaments. Now she understood why the landlady had asked her if she celebrated
Christmas. Rose smiled at the kind gesture. Despite her mood this year,
Christmas was still Rose’s favorite holiday.
Rose poured herself a glass of wine and went to sit on the
beach to watch the waves as the sun set. She stayed there until the moon
appeared over the horizon before deciding to call it a night.
The next morning was Christmas day, and, even though Rose
had chosen to come here and spend Christmas alone this year, she still awakened
wishing she’d gone to her mom’s for Christmas. Christmas wasn’t meant to be
spent alone.
A knock on her door
surprised her, but even more surprising was the ruggedly handsome man standing
on the other side of her door.
“Uh, hello? May I help you?” Rose tried not to stare too
hard at his bare chest. He was lean but well-muscled. His light brown hair
reached just above his shoulders, a little longer than she usually liked in a
man but somehow suiting this particular man. His attire consisted of nothing more
than a pair of swim trunks.
“Come with me.” He held a hand out for her.
Rose knew she should take a step back but instead she found
herself reaching for his outstretched hand. His voice was soothing.
He smiled. “I won’t bite.” He pulled on her hand, leading
her towards the sea. His rumbly voice
reminded her of the sound of the ocean. She could feel herself calming as he
spoke. He gently reached for her hand, his big hand dwarfing her small
one.
Rose felt herself nodding and started walking with him, her
hand still in his. As they neared the water, he spoke again.
“Do you believe in magic?”
Rose shook her head.
He reached his other hand out toward the waves that were
lapping at the beach. The water, right in front of her eyes, began to rise and
twist and shape itself into the shape of a foamy horse galloping along the
waves.
Gasping, Rose turned rounded
eyes on him. “How did you do that?”
“Do you believe?” he asked her again, a smile lighting his
face.
Rose nodded, unable to find any words.
He faced her again and trailed his hands up and down her
arms, sending a trail of tingles up and down them. “And what about destiny?” he
asked her, his face suddenly sober, his eyes serious. “What about soul mates? What about love?” And
then he kissed her.
Rose’s first instinct was to pull away, because she hardly
knew him and she wasn’t in the habit of kissing complete strangers. But
instead, she found herself melting into his kiss. His arms encircled her,
pulling her up against his body, and she felt as if her own body was igniting with
a slow, pleasurable burn.
He gently pulled back from the kiss, releasing her from his
arm, but he held her hand again.
“Come with me,” he repeated, gently pulling her towards the
water. His voice wrapped around her like a warm cloak, and she couldn’t pull
her gaze away from his. She didn’t want to look away, even if she could.
All that mattered was right now, his hand in hers and his
voice calling her to him.
She didn’t really even notice that they had entered the
water and were waist-deep in the ocean until he started to change. Scales
formed along his legs and traveled up almost to his waist. His legs melded
together and a long, shiny fin formed at the ends of his joined feet.
Right before her eyes and only taking an instant from start
to finish, he had transformed into a merman. His arms encircled her again,
pulling her close. He looked into her eyes.
“Tell me you choose love. Tell me you choose me.” There was
an urgency to his voice.
His hypnotic pull on her faded, and yet, even without it,
she felt drawn to him. Dream or not, Rose wanted to stay in his embrace. It
felt as though she belonged there in his arms.
She lifted her hands and cupped his face. “I choose you.”
He leaned in to kiss her, and, as their lips touched, she
felt a zap of electricity shoot through her body. When the kiss ended, she had
a tail and fins too.
Instead of feeling shocked by her new mermaid tail, Rose
felt a sense of rightness, as if she’d been meant for this all along. She knew
exactly how to move with her new body.
“Will I ever see my mom and sister again?” she asked him.
“We’ll visit at Christmas.” He reassured her with a tender
smile.
He lovingly took her hand in his once more, and, together,
they swam out to sea.
No comments:
Post a Comment