What the Tide Brings

Prologue - Bedtime Story

Waves crashed against the shore just twenty feet from the back porch. The choppy tide rose higher than normal. Dark clouds hung low in the sky making it look like liquid coal. A storm was fast approaching. It reminded James Culver of a day long ago. A day he would never forget. The corner of his mouth quirked into a half smile.

Behind him, a floorboard creaked. He turned to discover his five-year-old grandson, Liam. As a lightning bolt lit the room with a brilliant white flash, the little boy rushed to James.

Liam clung tight to James' arm when thunder boomed in the distance. The howling wind outside made the boy whimper.

James picked up Liam and sat in the leather chair by the fireplace. The warm, orange glow offered comfort on a night such as this. Liam hugged tighter. James's daughter and her husband were not yet back from their party, and Liam kept asking for them.

"What's wrong, little man? Are you afraid of the storm?" James asked, in a soft tone.

Liam bobbed his head. "Andy said the house is gonna sink and we're all gonna drown in the ocean."

James tilted Liam's tiny face up so he was looking into the boy's big expressive eyes—the same shade of brown as James' wife. Every emotion showed in them.

James wiped the tears from Liam's cheeks. "Don't you worry about that, kiddo. Andy is just trying to scare you." James leaned closer to Liam's face. "I'll let you in on a little secret: That's what big brothers do."

"But the water is so high, Grandfather." Liam pointed out the window, his bottom lip quivering.

James watched the swell. It was higher now, but the house was far enough from the water that they needn't worry. He told the boy as much.

"What if a big, huge wave sweeped us into the ocean?" Liam asked.

"Let me answer your question with a question of my own." James lowered his voice to sound more mysterious. "Do you believe in magic?"

"Yes." Liam drew out the word, a bit hesitant.

"What about mermaids?"

"Don't be silly, Grandfather. There's no such thing as mermaids." Liam giggled, forgetting his fear until a flash of lightning lit the room and thunder cracked in the sky, shaking the windows.

James sucked in a breath, his mouth hanging open wide. "That's news to me. Especially since a mermaid saved my life once."

Liam's eyes widened to three times their normal size. "For serious, Grandfather?"

"Absolutely." James said.

"When? What did it look like? Was it nice? How did..." he rambled, until James interrupted him.

"Well, it happened almost forty years ago." James said.

"Wow! That's a long time."

"I suppose it is." James let out a chuckle and ruffled Liam's messy brown hair. "When I was about twenty years old, I went out sailing one day. The wind was strong, and I was having a great time. But I didn't realize how far out I had gone. Before I knew it, an enormous storm rolled in, much like this one." He gestured toward the large window at the rolling black clouds, watching his grandson's amazement grow. "It came on all of a sudden. I tried bringing my boat about, but the waves tossed it too hard. The boat rocked so much I knew it would soon capsize."

"Were you scared?" Liam asked.

"I was." James said.

"What did you do?"

"Well, knowing it would flip I jumped off before it did. I didn't want to get trapped. And soon the boat was upside down. The water was so strong, I could barely keep my head above the waves. It just kept pulling me under." James studied his grandson. The little boy's eyes bulged in his head. "This story might be better for when you're older."

"No, Grandfather. What happened?" Liam tugged on James' sleeve, pouting. "Please, tell me."

James couldn't deny those sad, begging eyes. "Okay, well, a huge wave crashed over me sending me down deep into the dark water. I couldn't tell up from down, I had spun around so much. Everything around me was grayness. I swam in the direction I thought up was. But I was wrong. I was swimming towards the wreckage of my boat."

Liam gasped.

"The rigging caught me up, and I couldn't get free. I thought for sure I was a goner. I was just about to pass out. That's when she appeared."

"The mermaid?" Liam asked; his voice a whisper.

"Yep, the mermaid. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Her tail was pure silver and her fin like a sheet of gossamer silk. And her hair, it was a dozen different colors that shifted every time she moved: silver and blue, with bits of green and pink and even gold. She had beautiful crystal blue eyes and almost translucent—that means it's almost see-through—pale skin. I assumed I was seeing things. I had heard tales of fantastical creatures, but I never believed they could be true."

"But they were?"

"That's right." James smiled at how excited Liam was. "By this time, I'd run out of air and blacked out. Then, suddenly, I woke up. Under the water. I no longer struggled to breathe. When she touched my face, I heard her voice in my head, like a song, saying I would be alright.

"She smiled at me, and I realized that she had untangled my leg. She freed me. I wanted to thank her, but I didn't dare to open my mouth, afraid of breaking her spell that let me breathe the water like air. And then the water carried me along, away from the mermaid, back toward the shore."

"Did you ever see her again?" Liam asked, curiously.

"No, I never did. But since that day I've never again feared drowning. I know she's out there somewhere. Maybe saving some other poor soul. I'll always be grateful for what she did for me. Especially since that day is when I met your grandmother. She came running up when I crawled out of the surf, coughing and struggling to stand against the strong sea breeze. Shivering in my soaking wet clothes. She lived in this very house and saw me. She helped me and not too long after we fell in love and got married.

"So, if not for that mermaid I would never have known her, and your mother wouldn't have been born. Nor would you and your brother."

The storm had calmed during the story and Liam yawned. He fought to keep his eyes open.

"Let's get you to bed now." James said.

"I'm not tired." Liam said, with his eyes closed.

James carried his grandson upstairs. He pulled back the covers on the tiny bed and laid Liam down, tucking him in snugly. He snuck out of the room, avoiding the creaky parts of the floor. Not that it mattered, Liam was out cold.

Back downstairs, James stared out the large windows at the sea. The clouds had passed, and the water looked peaceful now that the storm no longer raged overhead. The waves glowed silver in the light from the full moon, almost the same color as the tail of the mermaid. He imagined her jumping through the waves, like a dolphin, looking for some other unfortunate sailor to save from a watery demise.