Mary Two Legs

By Cassandra Morphy

Mary isn't like the other mermaids in her pod. She grew up with certain disabilities. She can't hold her breath for as long as the others, so she has a rebreather to help her. Her tail was malformed, coming down in two parts instead of one, so she can't swim as fast as the others. But the thing that made Mary the most different was that she was adopted... after being found in a human vessel.

But when the humans come back looking for Mary, she is forced to make the biggest decision, go with them or risk her family and the secret that had kept her people safe for centuries. Safe from the monsters that lived on shore. Safe from her and the people that she was born to. It wasn’t that hard of a decision. What was hard was figuring out how to survive in that world and how to get back home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassandra Morphy
• Release date: May 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224604586

Cassandra Morphy

Cassandra Morphy is a Business Data Analyst, working with numbers by day, but words by night. She grew up escaping the world, into the other realities of books, TV shows, and movies, and now she writes about those same worlds. Her only hope in life is to reach one person with her work, the way so many others had reached her. As a TV addict and avid movie goer, her entire life is just one big research project, focused on generating innovative ideas for worlds that don’t exist anywhere other than in her sick, twisted mind.

Book preview

Chapter One

Swimming

Water flowed around me as I swam as fast as I could, trying to keep up with Undine and Maren. My hair whipped out behind me like a second tail, flowing with the current. As we came out from beneath the coral outcropping, the light from above just managed to reach us, even as deep as we were. I could see it playing across Maren's tail, sending off a colorful rainbow all around me, distracting me. She had the most beautiful tail in our pod, strong and colorful. My tail was the worst by far.

While I was distracted by that tail, Undine dove down, moving away from the surface and further underwater. Maren was quick to follow, but I couldn't make the turn fast enough. I lost ground in our race, drifting off to the side as I dropped down. But then, the race wasn't fair to begin with. I was easily the weakest swimmer in the pod, barely managing to keep up in the best of times. These weren't the best of times.

Once I made the turn, lining up with the other two girls as they dove further, I tried to put on a little extra speed, desperate to catch up with them. It was only Undine that knew where we were going, though she had insisted on making a race of it. Whenever it was her idea on where to go or what to do, she always wanted to turn it into a race. It wasn't just because I was the slowest in our pod, but that she was the fastest. My sister always insisted on showing off her speed at every opportunity.

The further that we got from the surface, the darker the water became. My eyes couldn't adjust to the darkness as easily as other mermaids' could, but I could still see the light reflecting off of both of their tails. I just focused on that as I struggled to catch up with them, not wanting to get left behind. As annoying as Undine was sometimes, she always found the best places to explore. I was eager to see what she had in mind.

But then, my lungs started to burn, begging me for fresh air. My first thought was to look up, back towards the surface, but even turning my head would change my path. I was too worried about losing the others to the darkness. We were far outside of our usual swimming areas, so I had no idea where the closest air pocket was. I already knew that there was no avoiding it. That I would need to grab my rebreather if I hoped to keep up with them.

With slow, well-practiced movements, I dropped one of my hands, pulling it down to the top of my head before sliding along my body. My tank top, keeping my breasts tight against my chest and out of the way of my swimming, felt worn, suggesting that I would need to replace it soon. That was another thing that made me different from my sister. Her breasts, much like the rest of women in the pod, were sleek and tucked in tight, even without her own tank top squashing them.

I could feel the added pull of the water on my right side the moment that my hand was out of alignment, causing me to turn a bit towards that direction. As I reached for my rebreather on my belt, I had to shift back towards my left, jerking my hips to the side, to stay lined up with the others. Once I managed to grab my rebreather, pulling it off of the loop on my belt, it was easy enough to get it into place. I just stuck it between my teeth, holding it there as I pulled in a deep breath of fresh air.

Once my lungs stopped complaining, I put my hand back up in front of me, using it to slice through the water. Undine and Maren were only getting further away, and I was losing sight of them in the growing darkness. I was starting to worry that I would need to give up. That I would need to head back up to the surface and miss out on whatever it was that Undine wanted to show us. But then, off in the distance, I could suddenly see something. It wasn't the girls, but it was just as promising. It was a patch of sand, showing that we had reached the ocean floor. That wherever we were going, it couldn't be much further.

As I raced towards that patch of sand, I started to look around me, moving my head slowly so that the movement didn't mess up my swimming. It took me a moment to spot them, just a flash of color thrown against the rocks off towards my left. When I saw that, I realized that I must have drifted more to my right than I had thought. That I hadn't adjusted enough to stay in line with them. Once I saw those colors, I turned, racing after them, desperate to catch up. Knowing that I would never catch up with them while they were swimming away from me.

The patch of sand was coming on too quickly, and I couldn't turn fast enough. My hands reached out, bracing myself against the impact. The moment that my hands broke away from above my head, the water hit me square in the face, stopping me almost instantly. Still, I tumbled forward, completely out of control as I slammed into the sand. There were hard rocks buried in that sand, and they scratched me along my tail, tearing at the kelp there. As I drifted back up, away from the sand and rocks, I put my hand on my hip where I had hit, rubbing away the injury. There was no sign of blood, nothing to draw in sharks that could have been in the area. We were close enough to shark territory that they might be out on a hunt. It was always something I worried about every time that Undine led us to some strange, far off location.

Once I recovered from the impact against the rocks, I looked around me again, searching for the girls. I was worried that they had gotten too far ahead of me, that I wouldn't be able to find them again. But when I looked over where I had last seen them, Undine was floating there in front of a rock wall with a broad smile on her face. That same smile she always had when the race was over, showing that she had won.

You alright? Undine asked, waving her hands around in the hand language of merfolk. Her hands waved around a little extra as she spoke, a light laugh, though she didn't properly laugh at me. Not yet, anyway.

I'm fine, I insisted, waving off her concern. I pushed myself away from the patch of sand, moving towards Undine. Where's Maren? I asked, as I closed the distance between us.

She's already inside, Undine said. Come on, slowpoke.

With the race over, I used my hands to swim along, heading over to Undine where she was floating. I looked around, searching for this inside that she was talking about. There was bound to be an air pocket in there, and I was going to need it if I was going to make it back home with them. When I got closer to her, I realized that the rock wall behind her wasn't as flat and solid as it appeared. There was a small crevice there, just big enough for us to swim through, leading deeper into the rock. Into a small cave, the inside that Undine had been talking about.

Come on, Undine said. She wrapped her hand around my arm, leading me through the small crevice. I didn't need the help, perfectly capable of swimming through there on my own. But the moment that we came inside the cave, the darkness swallowed me whole. While I didn't need her help swimming, I did need her to lead me forward into the darkness.

The moment that my head broke into the air pocket, I pulled the rebreather out of my mouth and took a deep breath in. The air wasn't as stale as I was expecting for an air pocket so deep beneath the surface. It smelled of flowers and fruit, reminding me of the garden room in the village. I didn't comment on that, though, not having the words for it. Not wanting to draw attention to the one thing that I seemed to be able to do better than anyone in the village. I could smell, but I still couldn't see. Undine and Maren probably could, even with it as dark in there as it was.

Undine's hand was suddenly gone from my arm and I worried that she had left me there alone. She didn't do that often, not since I turned eight, but I wouldn't have put it past her to do just that. Instead, a light suddenly popped on, revealing the cave as a whole all at once.

Wow, I said, looking around at the cave. There were night flowers everywhere, stretching across the surface of the rocks, high overhead. I had never seen them growing that deep before, though they were quite common closer to the village. Between the blossoms, though, I could see the rocks behind them. The rocks glistened themselves, reminding me of Maren's tail. But when I looked over at Maren, where she had pulled herself up onto a rock shelf, there was no real comparison between her and the stone.

I think its gold, Maren said, looking between that rock and me. Isn't it beautiful?

Yeah, I said, looking at Maren as she stared back at the wall. Beautiful.

I found the place when exploring yesterday, Undine said, drawing my attention back to her.

Undine was holding a human torch in her hands, shining it around at the walls. The village didn't have many of the human torches, or many human artifacts, but this one Dad often used for his work. Undine had a habit of borrowing it whenever she went exploring like that.

The look on Undine's face was just as familiar as her victory grin, though it meant the complete opposite. She was annoyed that we weren't paying enough attention to her. That we weren't thanking her for the sight.

It really is an amazing find, Undine, I said, giving her the accolades that she so clearly wanted.

I pulled myself up onto the rock shelf next to Maren. It was a tight squeeze up there, but she didn't seem to mind it. To mind me being so close to her. She glanced over at me for a moment, giving me a small smile, before turning back to the gold around us. Once I was up there, I started taking stock of my gear, worried that this little exploration trip of ours was going to cause me problems.

The gauge on my rebreather showed that the tank was down to just a quarter left on it. It was starting to slowly climb back up with the auto-charger that was on it, but that would take a while. I had already used my other two tanks that morning, draining them both. That meant that I only had about two minutes of air in reserve; not nearly enough to make it back to the surface.

Damn, I said, slapping the water with my tail.

You alright? Maren asked. She turned back to me, looking down at the tank in my hands. Uh oh. How bad is it?

It's fine, Undine said. Mary is just being Mary. She always exaggerates her disabilities.

No, it's not fine, I said, glaring over at Undine. I'll need at least a full tank to get back. Forget getting back home. I'm stuck here for at least ten minutes. I hope you two don't mind hanging around here for that long.

Uh, Undine said. She looked down at the water below, shining the light down there at the tunnel that we had come in through. Aren't we already late to get home? I figured that I would just show you guys this place.

That she would just show off a little, Maren said. She knew Undine as well as I did, and knew the real reason why she had brought us out there so late in the day.

We should really be getting back, Undine said. Mom and Dad will be worried about us if we're late.

They'll be worried about me if you go back alone, I said. You can't just leave me stranded here.

I'm not leaving you stranded. You know your way out. Just wait around for your tank to refill and come back out. Head straight to the surface. You'll be able to see home from there.

But Undine, I said. It was hard to whine in the hand language, but I managed it.

I looked over at Maren, hoping that she would stay with me at least. But her own eyes were turned to that tunnel. Her parents were just as strict as ours were, and they would no doubt already be looking for her. I knew that she couldn't stay there any more than Undine could, but I still wanted her to. Wanted to spend some quality alone time with her, even if it was stuck in that cave waiting for my tank to refill.

Sorry, Mary, Maren said, confirming what I already knew. We really should be going.

Well... At least leave me the human torch, I said, pointing towards it. I can't get through that tunnel in the dark without it.

It's already drained low, Undine said. You're just going to waste it anyway, watching the tank refill. Don't worry. It's really not that far along here. Just follow the wall and you'll find your way out.

I need the light to know when my tank is full, I said, desperately grasping for reasons for her to leave the human torch. For them to stay with me in there.

Sorry, Mary, Undine said, before turning off the human torch.

Immediately, I was blind once more, the cave having no light to speak of. Still, I could hear it when Undine ducked back beneath the water. When Maren jumped back in. And as the sounds of their departure slowly faded away, I knew that I was stuck there, alone in the dark.

Chapter Two

Trouble

The darkness settled around me the moment that they headed out of there. At first, the water continued to lap against the rock shelf, disturbed by their departure. But eventually, that sound left me as well. The only thing that I could hear was the sound of my own breathing, though I thought that I could hear my heartbeat as well.

Don't worry, Mary, I said to myself, waving my hands through the hand language even though I couldn't see it myself. You'll be fine. You've been trapped and alone like this before.

And I had. It wasn't always Undine that did it, that led me to some remote cave where I would need to wait for my tanks to refill. Maren did it once, too, though she apologized several times for it. Sycophantus did it a few times, pulling me deeper into the ocean. But he was a bully to everyone, not just me. I just happened to be his favorite target.

The longer the quiet lasted, the more calm I became. I tried to count the seconds, just sitting there. Counting the heartbeats that I could hear. Just ten more minutes and then I could head out of there. I could make it up to the surface. I could head home.

Just a few more minutes, I said to myself.

But then I heard something. A booming sound that radiated through the darkness. The gold vibrating in a weird way. The cave was too remote, out beyond where our pod was meant to swim. Outside of the protection of the hunters. Out where things like sharks and whales became a problem. Without the human torch, without being able to see in the darkness of the cave, each sound that came was a shark to me. If a shark managed to find the entrance to the cave, it could be on me before I knew that it was there.

I pulled my tail up out of the water, moving deeper into the small cave. No matter how much I stared at the water, or at least where I had last seen the water, I still couldn't make anything out of it. There was no bioluminescent algae, like there was in some of those caves. No lantern fish trying to draw in prey. Nothing beyond the darkness and the silence, as the sound that I heard tapered off.

But, then, suddenly there was another sound. A splashing sound as something jumped out of the water.

Ah, I screamed. My voice, barely used, echoed around the space of the cave, drowning out the splashing sound. But I knew whatever had come for me was still there. That my scream didn't scare it away. No matter what it was, I knew that it was there for me, because I was the only thing in there.

Then a light flicked on, and I was blinded. My hand went up, blocking the light, blocking the oncoming attack. There weren't lantern fish big enough to eat me, but I couldn't help thinking of that. Of a shark with a lantern fish buddy. A lantern fish the size of a shark. But as my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized that the thing that had come for me was so much worse.

That it was my dad.

There you are, he said, waving the human torch around as he flapped his hands at me. I was worried sick. When Undine came back without you, we thought the worst. Now, come. We need to get home.

Yes, Dad, I said. No matter what, no matter how much trouble I was in, I always followed my father's orders. Still, with the light's return to the cave, I looked down at the tank in my hands. The tank was already full, showing that I had lost track of time ages ago. But with him mentioning Undine's return, I should have already known that. There was no way that she would have been able to get home, and Dad come out to search for me, in less than those ten minutes.

Come on, Dad said, waving me towards the water. He held the human torch, pointing it down towards the water. Towards the tunnel that led outside.

Using that light as a guide, I started forward, dragging myself across the rock shelf and back into the water. Automatically, I drew in a deep breath as I dove in, making for the tunnel. It took me longer than it should have to find my way back out into the ocean, and I realized that the sun had already set above the surface. That the entire ocean was dark, and I wouldn't have been able to find my way home if I had come out alone.

Dad was quick to follow me through the tunnel, coming out next to me. The human torch waved back and forth in its place on his belt, the light hitting his tail. Instead of the rainbow like Maren and Undine, his tail was a bright orange color, practically lighting up the ocean. That color always felt like home.

Come on, Dad said again, waving me towards him, as he turned towards the village. Unlike Maren and Undine, Dad had a way of swimming that was easy for me to keep up with. We needed to make it back home quickly, as I still only had the one tank full, but I knew that he would get me there. That he knew how well I could hold my breath better than any in the family.

It helped that we were heading straight home, rather than through the reef. We had been out tending to the kelp garden with the farmers' guild when Undine had suggested the trip. I glanced in that direction as we passed by there, though I knew that I wouldn't be able to see it in the dark anyway. Besides, we had finished our chores before the race.

The village was mostly deserted as we swam through it, with the rest of the pod in their homes. There were a few lights here and there, other merfolk out in the night triggering the bioluminescent algae that was everywhere in the village. The place seemed more settled than usual. It felt like I had been stuck in that cave a lot longer than I had thought.

The reef swept up to either side of us as we came into our little section of the village. The mound on the right was where Maren and her fathers lived. I looked in that direction as I followed Dad home, wishing that I could see her in there. That I could get one last glimpse of her and her amazing tail. There was nothing coming from over there, no sign of anyone, though I knew they were inside.

Come along, Mary, Dad said, when he noticed me dawdling there. His hands flapped around with an urgency that told me he was mad at me. That his earlier worry had shifted, as it always did. Despite it not being my fault, I knew that I was going to be grounded. That I'd be tasked with extra chores and kept inside, away from Maren.

Dad led the way inside of our own mound. The inside had been carved out by my grandfather, who I had never met. He was killed by a great white before I was born, a fact that was brought up often in our family, whenever Undine or I was caught outside of the village after dark. We were both supposed to be home before then; not just back in the village.

The cave wasn't that big, but it was ours. Merfolk didn't move quickly out of the water, so we kept close to it whenever we could. Some would prefer to sleep in the ocean, just floating on the surface like dolphins. I imagine there were some villages set up like that out there somewhere, but I didn't know of them. I didn't know of any other merfolk villages, though I knew there were some.

Near the entrance were several night flowers, keeping the air inside of the house fresh. These flowers had the bioluminescent algae growing in them, a symbiotic relationship that both were grown for. There was a worn out kelp rug in the center of the space, protecting us from the harsh surface of the rock shelf. Three sleeping cubbies were carved into the walls, one in each of them, and a small tunnel leading deeper to our restroom.

Mom was already in her cubby. Dad slept in their too, but it was always considered hers even when she wasn't in it. She turned to us the moment that we came inside. I glanced around the room, looking for Undine, but she was hiding from me. From us. I imagined that she was in the restroom, but I doubted that she needed to be.

Finally, Mom said, waving her hands at me. Do you have any idea how worried I've been?

Sorry, Mom, I said, before climbing up onto the rock shelf. I slipped along it, over to my own cubby across from Mom's. On the wall next to it was an old tank charger that Dad had found ages ago. I reached up to it, slipping my two spent tanks into their slots. The third still had the auto-charger on it, so it would be able to refill again on its own while the other two pulled fresh air from the home. With the tanks stowed, I pulled myself up onto the cubby, turning around to look at my parents.

Bracing myself for my punishment.

Undine is already grounded for a week, Dad said, as he pulled himself over to Mom. I'm tempted to make your punishment two weeks.

But, Dad, I said, though I didn't have much else to say beyond that. I had no excuse. I knew that it had been getting late, that we weren't likely to get home on time if we headed out of the village. But I didn't want to feel left out. To be left behind by the others.

To be heading home alone while everyone else was out playing.

No buts, Dad said. I expect more from my daughters. From both of you. He looked over at Undine's cubby against the far wall, but there was still no sign of her returning to the room. Dad slapped his hand against the wall next to his cubby, sending out three chirps through the tunnel, calling Undine back to the room.

Undine was slow to respond, which was certain to make her punishment worse. She pulled herself out of the tunnel, her eyes on the floor in front of her. As she pulled herself into her own cubby, she refused to look at any of us. Dad clapped his hands three times, though, demanding her attention.

I expect more from my daughters, he said again. Especially you, Undine. You know about Mary's disabilities. That she's not as strong of a swimmer as we are.

Disabilities, ha, Undine said, keeping her hand movements small to hide them from us.

What was that? Dad said, clapping his hands several times as he went.

I said, 'disabilities, ha,' Undine said, brazenly. Are you really going to stick with that story?

Story? I asked, though no one was looking at me.

Undine, drop it, Dad said. This is not the time. You are in enough trouble already.

Fine, fine, Undine said. She slinked deeper into her cubby, pulling her tail in after her, all but disappearing from my sight.

Slowly, I looked between Undine and Dad, wondering what exactly they were talking about. What story that Undine was referring to. We all knew that I was disabled. That I couldn't hold my breath nearly as long as they could. That I couldn't see in the dark as well. That I couldn't swim as fast as the other mermaids, nor as gracefully, though that was because I was born with a deformed fin and that my hand webs didn't expand like the other mermaids. These all were well known among the pod, facts that no one could debate. But from the way that Undine was talking, it sounded like I wasn't disabled. That my deformities just didn't exist. That I was pretending or something.

What story? I asked, demanding the truth.

Milphio, Mom said. She reached over, putting a hand on Dad's shoulder. I wasn't sure if she was lending him courage or staying him. Encouraging him to tell me the truth or warning him off.

What story? I asked again, looking around at my family. They all seemed to know what Undine was talking about. But I had no idea what was going on. What I could have possibly missed in all my life.

Oh, come off it, Undine said, huffing at all of us. Mary, you must already know the truth. You just don't want to admit it. Maybe even to yourself.

Undine, stop, Dad said. Let's have none of that.

Mary, you're not a disabled mermaid. You're a damn human.

Chapter Three

History

A single bark of a laugh came out of me before I could think better of it. Undine wasn't one to play tricks on me. That was the work of Sycophantus and his brood. But this had to be a joke. There was no way that it could be true. That I could be a human.

That's not possible, I said. I would know if I were a human. How would that even work? Humans are monsters. Dangerous. Destroyers of worlds. I... I'm nothing like that. You-you know me. Undine, you know me.

Of course, I know you, Mary, Undine said. That's why I told you. That's why you--

Enough, Undine, Dad said.

No, Undine said. Enough, Dad. She deserves to know the truth. She deserves to know what she is.

I'm not a human, I insisted.

I looked down at my deformed tail, lying next to me in my cubby. The kelp weave that I used to hold it all together had been cut when I hit the patch of sand, and it was starting to fray. Starting to come apart, even without me stretching it out. I would need a new weave, though they weren't easy to make. It took a lot of kelp, more than was usually available out of harvest season. However, it didn't seem beyond repair, if I didn't use it in the meantime. I just wished that I had a spare one, that I wouldn't need to swim around with my deformed tail. It didn't allow me to swim nearly as fast as I could with the support. Fortunately, the prosthetic fins that I wore on the ends of my tail were unaffected, or I would be in real trouble. They didn't make those anymore.

Milphio, you need to tell her, Mom said, finally revealing her position on the subject.

Tell me what? I asked. Tell me what?

As I moved my hands, demanding an explanation, they slipped across my face. I felt water there, though I had been out of the ocean long enough that my face should have been dry. My hair was slicked back, and I could feel it dripping down my back and into my cubby. But it wasn't dripping onto my face. No, the source of that water was my other disability. One of the few things that I could do but none of the other mermaids did. Much like with smelling and scents, I didn't have words for it, and tried to pretend that it didn't happen just as much. Hid it when I could. Mom had always called them the blessings to make up for all my flaws. Still, I wiped away that water, trying to pretend that it wasn't there. That I wasn't as big of a freak as they were saying.

You were adopted, Undine said.

Undine, no, Dad said.

She needs to know this, Mom said. Tell her or we will.

Tell me what? I said again, but my hands could barely move through the words. I wiped at my face again, desperate to stop the water from flowing. To stop my face from melting on me.

You were adopted, Dad said, nodding his head, confirming what Undine was telling me. Confirming that my entire life was a lie. We... We found you, in a human vessel.

A human vessel? I asked. Was... They were experimenting on me? Did they cause my disabilities?

No, Undine said, scoffing at the thought. You were their child.

Or their pet, I said, trying to come up with all the possible explanations for what they were saying. Of course, the real response I wanted to say was that they were lying. That none of it was true. That I was a mermaid, just like I always knew. That Mom had a difficult pregnancy when she had me and I came out wrong.

We don't know what happened, Dad said, shaking his head. Why you were there, why they were there. The vessel sank, in shark territory. I'm not sure what happened to it, sharks or the hunters, but it hadn't been out there long before it sank. It might still be out there, for all we know.

Ha, right, I said. What were you doing in shark territory?

It made no sense. Not for the man that I knew. Not for my father. He was always calling for caution, demanding that we stayed safe. He wouldn't have been the type to head out like that, not just outside of the village but in the very place that none of us should have gone. Shark territory was strictly off limits to anyone outside of the hunters' guild, and even they didn't go in there lightly. No one was allowed to head in there, even to rescue anyone foolish enough to head inside, lest they get trapped themselves. That was recipe for everyone to be killed. Sharks fed enough without us feeding them our own.

It was a different time, Dad said. I was a different merman. And, well, Leonida dared me.

Sycophantus's father? I asked. Dad and Leonida weren't friends. Far from it. Leonida was a bigger bully than Sycophantus was. It seemed to belie Dad's story.

The two of them were being stupid, Mom said. Fighting over me. As if I would ever stray from your father like that.

There aren't many air pockets in shark territory, Dad said. That's part of why it's off limits. You go out too far, and even merfolk--

Real merfolk, Undine put in, another jab at me.

Even merfolk need to breathe, Dad continued. "I was too deep. It was stupid. But then, I saw the vessel. It had fallen into