You weren’t exactly an expert on Merrows. You just knew that they were a bit different than the average mermaid and that they originated from the shores of Ireland. Living so far from home must have been difficult for them, you thought.

        You: I would love to hear you sing sometime

        You: Do you miss home?

        Mara: We miss it sorely, but we visit as often as we can

        Mara: And business is better out here

        Mara: We get more money for pearls and don’t have to compete with                       other Merrows

        You: There’s also a small community of mer-people here

        You: I hope they’ve been kind to you

        Mara: That they have ^^

        Mara: We’re mighty fond of our selkie cousins too

Despite your trepidations regarding your reserved nature, you two had quite a bit to talk about. You discussed your music preferences and shared with her links to songs from your own culture, which she seemed to thoroughly enjoy. You also revealed that you loved staring at the ocean but were always too fearful of swimming too far past the shallows. You hated not knowing what was beneath you— sharks, giant squid, less benevolent species of mer-people. You had read reports of factions that still ate humans.

        Mara: Lol small blame for that

        Mara: You were born and reared on land

        Mara: But the ocean is a right beautiful place

        Mara: No more dangerous than your forests or caves with the proper                     guide

        You: Perhaps you could show me

        Mara: Perhaps I could

Before you knew it, you had scheduled a meeting with her for the end of the week. And, although she seemed fairly easy-going and kind, you couldn’t help but run through scenarios in your head of possible things that could go wrong, especially since she’d invited you to join her in the water. You knew for an aquatic creature that was no small thing. It meant that they wanted to share their world with you. Not only did the show of trust humble you, but your childhood fears also reared their tentacled heads.

Finally, after days of mental gymnastics, and hours of pondering what swimsuit to wear, you finally left and made the drive to the docks. It took you a while to find the siblings’s store, Sea Gem Exchange. When you did, a selkie named Mackenzie pointed you to the footpath that led to the boat.

It was painted a striking emerald green. On board, nestled in between what you assumed were crab cages and fishing lines were buckets filled with oysters. You searched the languidly swaying waves for Mara.

“Ey, what’re ye doin’ here?”

The barked inquiry caused you to jump. A male Merrow stood glaring at you from the boat’s prow. His wild green hair, half-buried under a feathered red cap, ruffled in the light breeze, and you could see that his crooked nose was flushed in stark contrast to his scaled body. His eyes were large and dark, almost black in color, and when he spoke again you saw that his serrated teeth were long and a lighter shade of green than his scales.

“Ye gonna gawk all day, bodach? What are ye doin’ here?”

You swallowed thickly and adjusted the bag slung from your shoulder. “I, uh, wanted to see Mara. Are you Murtagh?”

He crossed his finned arms over his chest. “Oo wants t’know?”

You hesitantly padded closer to the docked vessel. “My name’s Y/N. I met Mara online. She invited me out to the bay today, said she wanted to show me something. I’m sorry if I’ve come at a bad time. If you want, I can—”

With a growl, he stalked towards the boat’s starboard side. “Mara! Cad faoi sa diabhal a bhfuil sé ag caint? Gabh anseo!” When he didn’t receive an immediate answer, he swung his legs over the railing and dived in.

You fidgeted in place for several moments. You didn’t want to cause a fuss, especially with her brother, but you had been looking forward to meeting her in person. Maybe she had forgotten today was the day? Or maybe you had gotten it wrong? You pulled out your phone, and you were about to check your calendar notifications before a series of splashes stole your attention.

Murtagh, still sputtering in his native tongue, had emerged along with a more delicate, yet just as stalwart, figure. The female Merrow’s face was heart-shaped and covered with delicate scales of light chartreuse, which glistened along with the water droplets that decorated her like jewels. Her hair, in contrast to her brother’s, was in an elaborate braid laced with bits of seashells, but her eyes were just as dark and her teeth just as sharp.

“Feck off wid ye!” she said. “Ye told me I could do what I pleased an’ ye wouldn’t bother me none.”

“Twas afore ye brought them.” He gestured to you, and you couldn’t help but wince. “Yer right thick in the head not ta have learned yer lesson. What’ll ye do? Wait till they have ye trapped, forced ta care fer hearth ‘n home widout a glimpse o’ the sea? The surface hasn’t nearly changed so much as ye think.”

“Deartháir, yer makin’ a holy show o’ yerself.”

“Obv’ously not enough.” He roughly exhaled. “We’ve been through this afore. I jus’ don’t want—”

Mara’s eyes narrowed. When she spoke, her dulcet tones, although cool, lashed with all the force of waves upon rock. “Not another word. Now, go ‘way from around us. We’ll talk later. I’ll not be havin’ ye scare ‘em off.”

Murtagh glanced at his sister, then at you, then his sister again. Finally, he waved his hands up in the air with a hiss. “If I be right, don’t come cryin’ ta me.”

You watched as he climbed back onto the boat, first by using his muscular arms and then his legs once they separated from a tail back into two limbs. Mara glared after him before glancing at you with a furrowed brow. You readjusted your bag’s strap as a means of distraction. You felt awful that you were the cause of so much trouble.  

“I’m mortified that ye had ta see tha’.”

You forced a smile in order to reassure her. “It’s all right. He just sounded concerned, and I know a lot of individuals like you are still trying to adjust to being out in the open like this.” You sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck. “I’ve also heard that humans and mer-creatures don’t exactly have the best history.”

“Yer right, but that doesn’t mean that both sides can’t work ta fix things.” She offered you a hesitant half-smile. “I understand if ye want ta leave. Murtagh can be a real arse… an’ I know how ye feel about the water.”

Your expression softened into one that was a bit more genuine. The hope in her eyes told you that she wanted this to work just as much as you did. “You said the ocean could be beautiful with the proper guide. I’d still love to have you show me, if you’re still offering.”

Her smile widened as she nodded. “That I am.”

You left your bag on the docks and gingerly slipped into the water. The briny waves were cold but, after the initial shock wore off, you found them to be a bit more comfortable than you expected. Mara beamed at you and offered her hand. Small claws decorated each lithe fingertip and between each finger was a thin, cream-colored webbing. You placed your hand within her own, noting how slick it was.

“Ye ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

You slid your diving mask into place. Giggling, Mara pulled you underneath the waves. The water enveloped both of your bodies like a silk cocoon, and what sunlight pierced through made her emerald tail and finned back shimmer.

She showed you forests of golden brown and sea green kelp, where fish of myriad sizes and shapes darted to and fro. She demonstrated where her favorite animals, red starfish, dwelled on barnacle-covered rocks and where the stingrays loved to burrow themselves in the silt. She showed you where she had grabbed that day’s catch of oysters and, after she warned you to take in a large breath of air, she wrapped an arm around your waist and led you through a hollowed rock, in which anemones waved as you both passed by.

You emerged for air, Mara by your side, and laughed lightly to yourself as you raked your hair out of your eyes. She had definitely won that bet. The ocean was beautiful with the proper guide, and you hadn’t thought about something charging from the depths and biting you the entire time she was with you.

“Savage, isn’t it?”

“It’s stunning. You see all of that every day?”

“I do.” She grinned, glancing downward. “But it’s better ta have someone ta share it with. Thanks a million fer stickin’ ‘round.”

“A sea tour with a beautiful woman. I can’t think of anything better.” You mustered up the courage to wrap your arms around her neck. “Thank you, Mara. I had a lot of fun today.”

You were relieved when you heard her tinkling laughter and felt her arms return the embrace. Her head nestled into the crook of your neck. “Maybe we can do this again?”

“I think that sounds wonderful.”

As you swam back towards the docked vessel, you asked Mara the question that had been on your mind ever since her altercation with her brother: Why had he seemed so upset upon seeing you? In response, Mara sighed. Her eyelids drooped, and her bottom lip quivered. You feared she was going to cry but, when she spoke, her voice was painfully level.

“I made a mistake a while ago, dated a man who wasn’t the full shilling.” Her fingertips toyed with strands of her hair. “He’d throw shapes if things weren’t jus’ right, if I didn’t act a certain way. An’ if bed was work, he’d sleep on the floor.” She chuckled bitterly. “He wanted me ta be his perfect little wife an’ wait on ‘im hand ’n foot. When I finally got wise wid me brother’s help, I told ‘im I was leavin’. He…” She trailed off, and her eyes clenched shut. Her fingertips trailed upward to rest against the brim of her red cap.

You frowned. “Mara, you don’t have to tell me. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that that happened to you.” If your sister had been in a relationship like that, you’d be a smidgen over-protective, too.

She was silent for several moments before continuing, “Do ye know how significant this hat is ta us?”

“I don’t know much about Merrows, but I can hazard a guess. Red signifies magic in many cultures. Does it have something to do with your shape-shifting?”

Mara nodded. “It’s a cohuleen druith. We’re like our cousins the selkies that way. If one were ta steal it from us, we could never return ta the sea. We’d be helpless.” Her lips pursed. “The man I was wid tried ta steal it from me. That’s why me brother’s so hostile. He’s scared… An’ small blame to ‘im. Here I am wid another human.”

“Mara,” you began quietly. You waited until she looked you in the eye before continuing, “What happened to you was terrible. You and your brother have every right to be angry, but why would I want to take you away from your home, especially after you’ve shown me how beautiful it is?” Her eyes welled with unshed tears when you placed a hand on her shoulder. “Real relationships are always based on equality. I want to be a part of your world, and I would never take you away from it. And if you’d like, I’d be happy to show you mine, but only on your terms. I want you to be happy, Mara.”

Sniffing, she released a shaky chuckle. “You’re so true blue it hurts me.”

“I meant every word,” you reassured. You briefly hesitated before adding, “And I just wanted to say, if you were ever interested in starting a relationship with me, we’ll go as slow as you’d like. I’m in no rush, and I certainly don’t expect you to meet any pre-determined standard. I just want to spend time with you.”

A smile bloomed on her features, hopeful and hesitant. “Ye promise?”

“Promise.”

When you returned to the boat, Murtagh was observing the two of you with a suspicious eye. You climbed back onto the dock, and Mara followed after grabbing a spare towel to cover herself.

You turned to face her brother. “Murtagh?”

“What?” He scowled.

“I think Mara’s very lucky to have a brother that cares as much as you do.” His glower fizzled out of existence, and he blinked, suspicious and confused. “When I come back, maybe we could all have dinner together? Mara told me you like crab, and I still have my mother’s recipe for crab cakes. I’d love for you to try some.”

He shared a brief glance with his sister before turning back to you with a curt nod. “So long as ye don’t burn ‘em. Ye have yerself a deal.” It was a start.

Before you walked back to your car, Mara granted you one last hug. “Ye’d better come back soon.”

“Hey, I made a promise, didn’t I?” You each parted with more than a little hesitation. “Until next time.”

“Until next time, a mhuirnín.”

Notes on Gaeilge Translations: 

bodach: clown 

Cad faoi sa diabhal a bhfuil sé ag caint? Gabh anseo: What the hell are they saying? Come here! 

deartháir: brother 

cohuleen druith: enchanted cap 

a mhuirnín: my darling