The Potion

Annabelle stared at Bernice. “You have a plan?”

Bernice nodded proudly. “Yep. I do. And it’s a good plan.”

Annabelle smiled. “What is it?”

“Well... That potion you said can turn anyone into a mermaid... It has enough to turn him into a mermaid!”

“Merman.” Annabelle corrected. “But... Bernice...” she continued. “I thought you wanted to be a mermaid? There is only one sip left in the bottle. There wont be enough for the both of you.”

Bernice knew this, and answered, “I know. But I got a Mom and a Dad, and if I lived down here for the rest of my life, I’d bet they’d miss me. Plus, my cat Leo, would probably get hungry, cause I feed him. So it’s best I stay human.”

Annabelle’s face lit up with happiness, and she embraced Bernice in a warm hug.

“Thank you so much, Bernice. That is so thoughtful of you. But you know, the swim is dangerous down in the trench.”

“That’s okay. I took swimming lessons last week! We can do it!”

They headed off strait away, exiting the gold and sparkling shipwreck and traveling farther beyond it, into darker, colder waters. They swam on for a few miles until Bernice saw a large, dark shadow not that far into the distance. 

“Is that the trench?” She asked Annabelle. 

She nodded, and continued forward.

As they got closer, the rock formation became clearer, and Bernice could see the trench was made from dark blue rock, which seemed to glisten even though there was barely any light. There was a slim gap between the two large rocks, and that’s where the potion was.

“Careful now, Bernice.” Annabelle said as they were feet from entering the trench. “It’s very narrow, and there is a lot of seaweed.”

“Oh, I’m not afraid of seaweed anymore.” Bernice replied.

“Oh, but this seaweed-” Annabelle whispered, and pointed to a patch of red seaweed down in the trench. “it’s different. It’s harder to untangle you from than the regular green kind. Just be careful, okay?”

Bernice promised, and they entered the trench. It wasn’t long until they both spotted what must be the potion. There was a glow of light on the floor, surrounding a small, round bottle with an orange liquid inside. 

“Oh, Bernice... I think I am far too big to go down there and get it without getting stuck in the red seaweed.”

“I’m not. I’m smaller than you are.”

“Are you sure? Is that asking too much?”

But Annabelle didn’t even need to ask. Bernice was already making her way down to the potion, trying to avoid the surrounding seaweed. Soon, her hand was grasping the bottle, which seemed to be emitting heat. Annabelle was right, there was only a few drops left.

She swam back up to Annabelle, and handed her the potion. 

“This means the world to me, Bernice. I really mean it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But I think I’ve been down here too long. My mom might start to worry.”

“Oh, of course.” Annabelle took Bernice’s hand and started to lead her out of the trench. “I’ll get you back up to the surface.”

They swam upwards, and the water slowly began to get brighter and warmer. Up and up they went, Bernice could now see the sky above the surface of the water. In seconds, her head was emerging into the crisp air, and she let go of Annabelle’s hand.