Loving Meridian

MERIDIAN

Meridian could not find a hairbrush in her water closet for the life of her. Her hair was in a tangle from being out at sea with her school of mermaid lady friends. They met weekly for high tea in a common area Oceanside. The conversation was always the same. How they wished a man was around to fix things. Cook for them. Mermaids as a rule were terrible cooks.

Meridian finally found her brush in her bag of sundries. She was terrible at keeping track of things too. All this clutter lying about. It was a wonder she could locate anything at all.

She sat before her mirror. The lighted globes alighting her face. It didn’t seem like she would ever be this far along in mermaid years. Too, the door to her hideaway hung crooked on its hinges, she could view this behind her. She gave this a nevermind and began working at the tangles in her auburn hair all the while looking deeply at herself in the mirror.

A few wrinkles about her eyes. And her scales, ghads! They were so flaky.

She set down the brush and patted at her scales. They had popped up unattractively here and there. She smoothed them down with her hands.

Meridian swam into the kitchenette and opened the cupboards to find something to eat. It certainly was slim picking. There was only a bit of seaweed, kelp, and a few minute crustaceans. And that was about the extent of things.

Still she began to whistle. That was until something startled her. What was that horrific noise? Suddenly her ears piqued. The sound seemed to be coming from outside the door. If only she could get it hung correctly on its hinges.

***

ADRIAN

Adrian paddled with his hands out into the waves as the instructor had prompted. He looked behind him suddenly realizing he could no longer see the shore. It was mid-tide thankfully, probably lower tide would have been better. But, hey, mid-tide was far better than high tide.

He pushed the water back with his hands. He was out this far—no turning back now. The waves out there were larger though and his board rippled to and fro with the oncoming. In his forward thinking he zipped his wet suit higher. He could do this. He could conquer. He did everything he set his mind to, of course. Business dealings and such, he could sway anyone to buy anything in insurance sales.

But catching a wave was more intangible. He couldn’t bottle it like numbers on a flow chart.

He looked out before him and spotted a large wave in the distance. This was the one. He propped his feet firm under him. Secured himself and slowly inched himself up to standing as the wave came forward and he positioned himself under it.

He was up. Arms prone at his sides. The roar of the wave crashing behind him.

He had conquered.

Still.

He could not see the shore.

The waves crashed down behind him and were moving ever so close. Down. Down. Down.

He could do this.

His charts, his graphs, they always balanced. He could sell the broken bridge. Surely he could conquer a simple Pacific Ocean wave.

So when the wave caught up to him capsizing him, swallowing him whole, he conquered.

Until he didn’t.

***

MERIDIAN

Meridian swam up into the secluded cove and popped her head above the water. In the distance she could see arms thrashing about.

What in this world had happened?

But she knew.

It was another human trying to do inhuman things.

She swam in the direction of the ruckus and when she came upon him—yes, it was a gentleman—she approached gingerly.

Men. They always needed to be left with their dignity.

Meridian swam in closer and it appeared the gentleman had short dark hair. He had a heck of a set of arms too by the looks of things.

She must be diplomatic. Help him to safety and still let it look like the whole rescue mission was his idea.

She swam in underneath his body and propped him up under her tail. She could see his surfboard in the distance. She swam with him alongside her body and was able to get the board close enough so he could grab ahold.

“Thank you,” he said gripping the board and pushing back his dark hair probably aiming to mark a semblance of control.

“You’re welcome.”

“Are you a mermaid?”

She tried to hide her tail. Keep things inconspicuous. But to no avail.

“Mm-hmm,” she said and she began to hum her sweet mermaid song as she was beginning to feel anxious.

His eyes were the color of the bluest skies she thought.

“I’m Adrian,” he said then and pushed out his hand.

“Meridian.” She fluttered her tail and propped herself above the water. She shook his hand ambitiously.

“How can I ever thank you?” he asked.

“Well,” she said. “There is something.”

***

ADRIAN

Adrian came prepared to the hideaway cove where he and Meridian planned to meet. He had all his underwater gear intact as she had instructed.

She asked him to come alone. She said she trusted him on blind faith; she did not want anyone else to know where she lived.

She arrived to the shore at exactly the time specified. He thought her so lovely. Her hair in auburn waves. And she did have the cutest shape. But a mermaid? He could not entertain the thought of a romantic relationship with such a creature. He was too busy selling insurance anyway. And lovely or not, they were clearly from two different worlds.

But she saved him.

And he promised.

Meridian made him close his eyes tight. “Hold my hand,” she continued. And he did as she instructed without asking any questions. He also had a surprise for her. When they returned to shore, he’d packed a dinner away in the back of his SUV.

She said she wished she could have something human to eat.

“This way,” she said and tugged at his hand.

He pinched his eyes closed tight. When they arrived she tugged at his hand again. “Okay, we’re here,” she said.

He viewed her quaint mermaid apartment.

“These hinges like I told you.” She had to shout. But he got the message.

To the best of his ability he repaired her door and a couple other cupboards that had come loose without any problem.

“Thank you,” she mouthed. And it was then that he noticed her emerald eyes. And her ruby red lips that looked quite kissable.

***

MERIDIAN

Meridian made Adrian close his eyes again until they were safely out to sea.

Soon they were back at their hideaway cove and he exited the water and walked up upon the sand.

His body was strong she noticed and she had the sudden urge to reach out and touch him.

But he quickly walked away upon the beach probably forgetting that she was a sea creature and could not follow quickly.

“Hold up,” she said.

He paused and turned back. “Oh, I am so sorry. I had forgotten.”

She wanted to cry right then. Her heart was opening and she felt feelings inside that had eluded her for so long.

How she longed to find love in her lifetime. But this seemed quite impossible.

Adrian waited while she made her way onto the beach. She settled in. “I’ll be right back,” he said and returned with a picnic basket and a guitar.

Oh, how she loved music.

He’d made the most delicious meal of human food as well. “Meatloaf and macaroni and cheese,” he explained. “These are my mother’s recipes.”

Meridian had been estranged from her family for as long as she could remember. They just did not understand her, how she so wished to become human.

After dinner Meridian could not help herself. She cozied up to Adrian on the beach. “Come closer,” he said. And she did. She placed a careful kiss to his cheek.

What he didn’t understand and what she wanted to tell him right then was she would dry out were she to be on land too long.

She was already mature.

Her scales already flaky.

***

ADRIAN

Adrian needed to thwart his heart from this sea creature. She was oh so lovely and she had so much love in her heart he could tell.

She was a woman-being like no other.

He’d brought his guitar along to lighten the mood in the case things became stifled or far too serious.

Below his thick exterior, he was an easy man. He loved his family, worked hard, was successful at his business.

He did not need anything complicating his already complicated world.

He pulled off the strap from his guitar. He buried his legs in the sand and set the guitar before him so Meridian could easily move in closer.

She smiled. “How I love music,” she said. “How it transports me. I am free from all my troubles when I sing,” she said.

And so he played her a melody. He placed his hands to the frets, strummed, and worked out a song he had been toying with. The song did not have any words yet.

He could see in Meridian’s face this pleased her and she began to hum along with his tune with no name.

Her fin was moving about gleefully. Yet he could not help but notice she was beginning to dry out and her scales were beginning to open.

“Oh, Meridian,” he wanted to sing. “How I love you so.” But he could not.

So he continued to strum to give her some happiness in her world when she appeared to be so troubled.

Alas, when the song ended she fussed a bit, patting her scales and appearing uncomfortable.

“I must return,” she said. When she moved he witnessed about her a ring of deadened exoskeleton.

***

ADRIAN

Meridian took him by the hand. “Thank you for making my afternoon special,” she said.

“It was you who rescued me, remember?”

With that she lowered her emerald eyes and nodded.

Adrian felt the tug of his heart. How he did not want her to go. He knew then what he must do. He must kiss her now even if he never had the chance again.

Adrian tilted her face up with his hands. He wiped a tear from her cheek. He leaned in and their lips touched oh so gently. They were as soft as he anticipated. He closed his eyes and made a wish and hoped to capture this moment in his minds-eye forever.

When their lips parted he gazed into her eyes, he brushed back a few strands of her hair.

She reached out to him and squeezed his hand.

And then she made her slow way back out to sea.

***

MERIDIAN

Back in her tiny apartment, Meridian shed several more tears.

She sat before her mirror and gazed at herself once more. Adrian’s love made her feel so lovely inside, but soon she had a tug in her lungs which made her cough.

When she peered down, her fin! In her amazement the scales began to disappear.

All at once she recalled her grandmother’s last words to her. “Should a human fall in love with you beyond reason, you shall become one of them.”

Before her mirror, Meridian watched her wrinkles smooth, her hair untangle, and below her waist two legs began to appear.

She smiled to her mirror.

And then she began to hum a song with no name.

🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️🧜🏼‍♀️

Laura Turner is a Pushcart Prize nominee and an honorary graduate of Nazareth University’s English Literature program. Her essays and short stories have been published most notably in Spillwords Press (feature and nomination for story of the month), Micromance Magazine, Eve Magazine, Conceit Magazine, and (editor’s choice) in the Friday Flash Fiction literary journal as well as many anthologies. She has also received nominations for BestMicrofiction 2025, the Edinburgh Literary Award, and was longlisted for The Cupid Prize, Excellence in Love Literature. She lives in Upstate New York. Learn more at: https://lauraturnerwrites.com.

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