Small Things Change Lives

Chapter One
         You know, as a kid you are always told, “The small things in life matter,” and I guess it’s true. One small thing changed my life forever. It all started when we decided for our family vacation that we would go to Rodrigo Beach.
         A day before we were supposed to fly to California, we started packing. As usual, my older sister, Katherine, found the biggest suitcase she could find to use. I used the medium sized one, (again). I knew that I should only pack it half full, because an hour or two later Katherine would come into my room complaining that she couldn’t get everything she positively needs into her bag. She claims that hers is too small. Then she asks if she can put one or two things in my bag for whatever reason. (If I refuse, she pouts to Mom who says I'm being ridiculous.) She fills the rest of my bag with makeup, pictures of her boyfriend, chocolate and a bunch of other useless stuff. When she wasn’t looking I took out the picture of her boyfriend. I “dislike” him to say the least. Then I put the chocolate in plastic bags.
         The next day we are ready the board a plane to California. To “be a dear” Katherine holds my bag and I am left with hers. My parents are too busy checking confirmation numbers to notice me collapsing on the floor. And when they do notice...
         “Alyssa, you should really pack less,” says my mom. Before I can explain that this is Katherine’s bag, she is talking to my dad. Whatever, it doesn’t matter that much.
         When we finally boarded the plane, I just sat there getting ready to read my book for the two-hour flight. It’s about a mermaid, named Dolphina, and she ends up in Poseidon's court. I can’t wait to find out the ending. Anyway, Katherine listened to her mp3 player. I could tell without looking at her because she likes to sing along with the music. She’s not even that good of a singer.

Chapter Two

         Last night we arrived in Rodrigo, California to start our week at the beach. We all woke up at about 7:30. We had breakfast and changed into our swimsuits. I finished my book. Apparently Dolphina was in Poseidon's favor, so he let her become Goddess of the Dolphins! How cool would that be?
         I was also glad I put Katherine’s chocolate in a bag, because otherwise I would have melted chocolate all over my clothes. I also shoved all of Katherine’s stuff into a different drawer than mine. Last time my drawer ended up swimming in shampoo, because somebody didn't cap the lid! Katherine wore a bikini, while I wore my one piece suit. We all put on sunscreen, except for Katherine, who put on “tanning oil” and immediately started working on her tan. I told her she was going to get skin cancer and die, but she wouldn't listen.
         I wondered how I could be related to Katherine. I mean, she is tall, skinny, has perfect blue eyes and light skin and hair. I am shorter, maybe a tad plump, with darker skin. One reason I don't suntan: if I do I will get burnt. I get a tan just naturally hanging out, no matter how much sunscreen I use.
         “Alyssa, do you want to go boogie boarding with me?” asked my dad.
         “Sure,” I said, as my mom went looking for shells.
         I loved boogie boarding. It just felt natural somehow, to be on top of the waves, riding into shore. It didn't feel as great as making sandcastles, but it was close. We rode a lot of small waves, but it was only around noon we got some big ones. This was a part of something that would change my life forever.
         My dad caught this awesome wave. It was huge, but it wiped him out. I started swimming to go help him up, but then all I could hear was a wall of water  from behind me. It pushed me up for two seconds: enough for me to do two things. One I could see that my dad was okay and was slowly being helped by my mom. I also had enough time to take a quick breath before it pushed me underwater.
         This was one of the weirdest things in my life. I seemed to have been pushed into a clear, plastic tunnel, but when I touched it, it expanded, so it was definitely not plastic. Was it air? Finally I needed to let out my breath, just to hope that was more air in there. There was.
         I was zooming, sputtering, and so confused. I was getting deeper and farther from the coast with each passing second. And I could see above me fast ships, but it was only a few seconds before I out-raced them. I was worried about my family, who without a doubt would be wondering where I was, and if I was okay. Sadly, I knew just about as much as them. I mean I could breathe, but I had no idea where I was, or where I was going. I had been in a giant air bubble for what seemed like hours, and all I had was a boogie board to sit on.
         It started to get dark. The sun was going down and the air tunnel I was in was quickly getting hard to see. I quickly expanded the bubble by touching it, and moved some seaweed around my legs for a blanket. I pushed the boogie board near my head for a pillow. I started drifting into sleep.

Chapter Three

         It was light out. I moved the seaweed off my legs. I didn't wake up once. I dreamed about Dolphina, the character in my book. Also, my surroundings had changed. It was dark everywhere, except in my bubble, which seemed to glow in the daytime. I had stopped going downward, and was slowing down. In front of my very eyes was a palace that looked familiar. Then I realized that it was Poseidon's palace, the very way it looked on the front of my book.  It was real.
         In a little while, my bubble popped as it entered an air tunnel. In the tunnel was a girl, slightly older than me. She had brown hair and a green tail, and was letting an inch of water push her without any problems. I pushed up to her.
         “Excuse me. I was wondering if you could tell me what is happening?” I asked, hoping my voice didn't say that I was worried, even though I was freaking out.
         “Is this your first time here?” was all she said.
         “Yes, and I am totally confused.”
         “Hi. I'm Annabel. And you are?”
         “Alyssa.”
         “Oh! Well, it’s to confusing to explain now. We will arrive in Poseidon's court in a few minutes. Poseidon's receptionist will explain everything you need to know. Oh! Look, it’s the Split. You will be going left, and I have to go right. Oh dear, got to be going now!” I could tell she liked the word oh.
         “Wait!” I called.
         “Oh, I can't. Must get going, but you'll be fine-” and before I could hear the rest of her sentence, she was gone.
         Soon, a boy a little younger than me appeared. He went left with me. He was sitting on a surf board, like how I was on a boogie board.
         “Do....do you...know... know what is going on here?” He stumbled.
         “No. I just caught in a rip current, and now I'm here.” I answered.
         “Same.”
         “What’s your name? I'm Alyssa.”
         “Andrew...Nice to meet you.”
         “It’s nice to meet you too. I met someone but she had to go right, where ever that goes. She said we'd be fine,” I added unconvinced.
         “Whoa,” Andrew exclaimed as he pointed. Behind us, the tunnel curved into a round room, and the little bit of water that was pushing us continued to push us into the edges of the room. There was a mermaid at the desk there.
         “Hello visitors to Poseidon's court! We are glad to have you. Your journey on the Riptide Express has ended. If this is your first time at Poseidon's court, please read these information packets! Today two lost descendants of mermaids are being re-introduced to their families’ old ways. Are there any questions?” The mermaid chirped.
         “Who are these lost descendants?” Andrew asked.
         “Oh! I believe it is Alyssa Sandbit and Andrew Whipwave. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go check on when they are due to arrive.”
         “Do you think it is a coincidence that these people's names are Andrew and Alyssa?”
         “No. Do you ever feel that you aren't related to someone in your family?”
         “Who hasn't? My sister is from another planet.”
         “That’s the same thing with my brother. I think we are meant to be here, but I am not sure I like the reason.”
         “Agreed,” I responded. I liked Andrew. His head was on right, and even though he was much younger than the boys in my class, he was way more mature. Before he answered, the secretary arrived again.
         “Wow. Sorry, I didn't noticed you two were Alyssa Sandbit and Andrew Whipwave. Please follow me.”
         “Wait! My name is Andrew Miller, not 'Whipwave!'” said Andrew. The secretary kept swimming.
         “Andrew,” I whispered, “I think we are about to be told differently.”
         We followed the secretary, (whose name I learned was Abigail) down a long series of hallways. It twisted and turned, and I was glad Abigail was guiding, until I saw a map. The floor plan looked just like a merman, holding a trident. Thanks to the “you are here” sticker, I learned we were in the tip of the trident. This was going to be a long swim. Poseidon's court looked like it was way down in the tip of the tail.
         However, we were saved from a long swim. There was a big moving current like the moving sidewalk I saw at Denver International Airport. Only it was faster, and in no time at all we were there, at the doors of Poseidon's court. Abigail began to speak.
         “Listen up you two. Poseidon is telling you the complete truth as far as he knows it. Do not speak without being spoken too, and please be polite. You'll be fine! Any questions?”
         “Yes. How do we-,” Andrew started asking.
         “Great! See you later!” And before he could even finish his sentence, she was halfway down the moving sidewalk, and the doors were opened. We walked into the room.
         We had walked into a giant, two story room. The top story had lots of chairs, and many mermaids were sitting in them. This seemed like a big event, because every chair I looked at had a mermaid in it. I was wondering where all the mermen were, but they were all seated to the right. On the bottom story, in the front of the room, was a throne. There sat Poseidon, the god of the sea. In his right hand he held a beautiful, golden trident. He began to speak.
         “Hello Andrew Whipwave and Alyssa Sandbit. Please sit down.” said Poseidon, motioning to the two chairs facing the throne.
         We walked forward. It was only then did I realize Andrew and I were breathing, underwater! The tunnel had had air, but there wasn't a bubble in sight in the court room. Something was up.
         “I am sure you are both very confused about this whole thing. Let me explain.” Poseidon said before continuing.
         “Many, many years ago, there was approximately fifty million merpeople in the oceans. The merpeople always had the use of legs when out of water, but they hardly used them. That changed when I created a new law. Merpeople could no longer only be in the oceans. Some had to move to land. This made me sad, but we were over populated at the time! Also, the pollution was getting terrible, so we sent people to go to try to stop it, and survive on top of the water. So, three families out of ten had to move to shore. The towns always had about 30 large families in them. That meant that about nine families from each town had to move to land, to try to discover a different way of life.”
         “Alyssa, you belong to the Sandbit family. They were the ones that would help me shape the coasts, help little children make sandcastles and all sorts of things. They had the power to control the sand. Your family moved because there is sand on land, as well as under the ocean.”
         “Andrew, you belonged to the Whipwave family. They made the most beautiful waves of all time. Surfers and boogie boarders alike loved it when your family was around. You yourself seem to be quite a surfer.” Poseidon pointed. We still had the boogie board and the surfboard, tucked under our arms.
         “No matter how the merpeople on land tried, the pollution just got worse. There were diseases throughout my kingdom, and many, many, people died. The towns, who had approximately twenty-one families after some left, went down to having only 5-19 families.”
         “Now for years and years, we have tried to contact the merpeople on land, trying to bring them home again. Now we are under populated! So every time a mermaid or merman came down to the ocean, the Riptide Express would transport them here. Just like you two. Any questions?”
         “Wait. So you're telling me that I am a mermaid, and I have powers over sand?” I asked.
         “Correct.”
         “And I am a merman and I have powers that can control the waves?”
         “Well, both of your powers are in moderation now, because powers have a way of being more powerful when you know about them, and about their extent.”
         “What extent?” I asked.
         “Alyssa, your family helped make this castle. It's like a giant sandcastle underwater! The McShells just decorated it all. That is close to the extent of your powers. Andrew, your family's waves could make human families move when it was unsafe for families to live there anymore, or when there was a shore change scheduled. That is the approximate extent. But telling you doesn't count. You have to do it to believe it.”
         “Do it?” I echoed.
         “There are opportunities to do just that, but you must decide. Do you want to live on land with your human families? Or underwater, with the families you would have had if your families had stayed? It's your choice.”
         “Excuse me?” asked Andrew.
         “Yes?”
         “Why aren't we merpeople now? Aren't our legs supposed to change into tails?”
         “If you choose to live underwater again, they will change. The color of your tail will tell us if you really were from the Sandbit and Whipwave families.”
         “Please decide in three days. Sorry about the short time limit, but more people come every day and there’s not enough room. During that time you may stay here, at the Castle's guest rooms. You will live somewhere else afterwards, depending on what you chose. Go now, with Annabel to the guest rooms. You will find books there about the separation. You have exactly three days from...now, to decide. Choose what your heart says, not your brain does. It will tell you right. Goodbye.” Then the doors opened. Everyone in the room bowed, so we did the same. Our audience with Poseidon was over. We were escorted out of the room.

Chapter Four

         We were quickly escorted to what would be our rooms for three days. They were in the center of the tail of the floor plan. The coolest part about them was that they were circles! All the furniture in the room had a curved back to match the curved wall. There was a whole bookcase on the population distribution problem that made those entire families move. There were changes of clothes and anything that I could think of that I might need was there. However, the bed was extraordinary.  It was in what would be the top right corner of the room if it weren't a circle. It had blankets made of seaweed (which is really comfortable underwater), a canopy made of seaweed and seashells, the framework of beautiful rock, and the cushions made of sea sponge. It looked awesome and was really comfortable. (And apparently seaweed has many uses.)
         It was already close to night, so I changed into the provided pajamas and fell asleep instantly in my soft new bed, my dreams swirling with possibilities.

Chapter Five

         When I got up the next morning, there was a weird food looking like stuff on the table. It tasted like sushi, kind of, but that was probably just the seaweed. I don't know what was in the rest, but I wasn't determined to find out. Soon Andrew came into my room, looking exhausted.
“Didn't sleep?” I guessed.
         “There are constant waves in my room. Apparently that’s how all Whipwaves sleep.”
         “Wow,”
         “I know. Do you want to get reading on merpeople?” he asked sleepily.
         “Sure. We got to start somewhere.” I replied as I dove into a book called “Lost Ancestry.” The next time I looked up, Andrew was asleep. I didn't want to wake him up, so I kept reading.
         “The Sandbit families are the sculptors of the kingdom. They help re-shape the coasts (once the Whipwaves have broken down the old ones,) and are usually great friends of the McShells. These three families work hard to make the beautiful beaches of the world. They are often more active around the Circle of Prosperity (or as humans call it, the Gulf of Mexico,) than any other part of the world.”
         That gave me some good information, but how did Poseidon figure out that I was supposed to be a mermaid? I took out a different book, “Population Count-Approximate,” and found a person with the name Sarah Sandbit, and Sarah was my middle name. And apparently (thanks the book “Mermaid Mania,”) the first name of the mother became the child’s middle name in mermaid tradition. (Same with the merman tradition.) Sarah Sandbit died October 24, 1995, a day after my first birthday. Her daughter (me) was given to another family who “found her at an orphanage.” The last part was in quotes because other merpeople on land faked me into the orphanage.
         Andrew woke up at around evening, and asked if he could sleep on the floor of my room tonight. I told him go ahead if that was comfortable, and he told me that anything was better than waves. That was the last thing he said before he fell asleep.
         The days go quicker in the bottom of the ocean, because only when the water is about directly above the water there is enough light to do anything. And, of course, there is not fire or electricity underwater to make light. Abigail had come with food, though I was so tired (there are also shorter nights, making about a total of 725 days in a mermaid year,) I don’t remember eating it. I remember going to bed, and in my head I realized I had only one day left to decide, and that day was a lot shorter down here.
Chapter Six

         I had dreamed of life on land. I wasn't myself though. I was like a ghost  just looking on. There were all the scenes of my life, right up to the vacation at Rodrigo Beach, and I was there, observing my life. I noticed that some of it was a lot worse than I remembered, but everything was accurate. That dream lasted half the night. I woke up at about mermaid midnight.
         I dreamed the rest of the night of life underwater, and of the people that, according to the dream, would be my family. All my “land” family would forget me as soon I decided to be a mermaid. In the dream, I told Poseidon that I was willing to become a mermaid.
         And when I woke up, I thought I already said yes in real life, and I was really happy. This says a lot because if I woke up regretting it, that would tell me to say no. This was important because today was decision day. Andrew appeared to have gone back to his room already.
         When breakfast came, on the tray there was a note saying, “Please be at the Court Room entrance as soon as possible, with all your belongings. More lost descendants need your rooms. You will be telling Poseidon your decision today. Good Luck! Sincerely, Annabel,” I ate the seaweed combination set before me, (and I liked the taste now that I was used to it,) and gathered my things. (That didn’t take long-all I had was a boogie board.) I knocked on Andrew’s door.
         “Come in,” he said and the door automatically opened, and I was confronted by the waves in his room. He was standing up and had his surf board under his arm.
         “Ready?” I asked him.
         “Ready as I'll ever be,” he replied. “What did you chose? You know...if you don't mind me asking.”
         “I chose to live in the water. This is the kind of thing most kids dream about! How could I give that up?” I responded.
         “Well, I just thought about that if I said no, I’d go back to the land, and I’d be all woulda, coulda, shoulda. I didn’t want that to happen. So it looks like we’re staying.”
         “Yeah,” I said, “I wonder how many other people choose to stay when they come here.”
         “Probably a lot,” he said softly. I realized that in four short days, I really liked Andrew and saw him as a friend.
         “Keep in touch, if possible,” I told him as we were nearing the court room entrance. He only had time to nod before the doors magically opened.
         We walked forward. There were two people exiting as we entered, and I guessed they were other lost descendants. I realized with a start how I must have looked when I learned I was a mermaid. Only this time Poseidon escorted us personally to a smaller room for more privacy. Poseidon began to speak.
         “Hello Andrew and Alyssa. It’s the big day,” he said warmly. “But do you have any questions before you decide?”
         “I have one,” said Andrew politely. “Where would we live? Would our land families forget us?”
         “You would live relatively close to Rodrigo Beach, where you started. However, if you ever decide you want to explore the oceans and move, you can. That’s up to you. And your land families will forget you,”
         “How do they forget us?”
         “They forget due to mermaid magic. It’s very complicated.”
         “Oh,” I thought aloud, but I couldn’t think of any more questions, and neither could Andrew. So, after a long silence, Poseidon began to speak again.
         “Andrew Whipwave, do you chose to become a merman and to live under the water, unless ordered to do otherwise, as a citizen of the great nation, the oceans?” Poseidon asked importantly.
         “I do,” said Andrew as Poseidon turned to me.
         “And do you, Alyssa Sandbit, choose to become a mermaid and to live under the water, unless ordered otherwise, as a citizen of the great nation, the oceans?”
         “I do,” I answered. Poseidon started mumbling and swishing his trident around. I looked in a mirror that was in front of us. My face looked very similar to what it always looked like, except my hair felt more natural in the water now. I was a little skinnier, but not much. The tail transformation came last.
         This was the part I was always a little suspicious of. I thought my feet would feel awkward being glued together, but it wasn’t. It happened as though someone put a brilliant sand colored curtain around my legs, and tailored it into a perfect fin at the end. Then it became tighter around my legs as my legs closed together. I was amazed at myself.
         “Swim around,” encouraged Poseidon. I was thankful that we were in a private room, because I scared to move. Then, out of the blue, Andrew swished around the room in a big, graceful circle with his new, green blue tail. I hesitantly moved my tail, and I moved fast through the water. I was still discouraged because Andrew was a lot faster.
         “Don’t worry Alyssa. The Whipwaves are usually much faster under water. However, you could probably beat him in a sand castle contest any day,” winked Poseidon.
         “Doesn’t that involve going above water?” I asked.
         “Not usually. Now that you’re a mermaid it’s a lot easier to make them not collapse under water. However, your tail transforms into legs again when you near land,” he replied. “Now, the next part of the induction ceremony requires Andrew, (he swam first with his tail,) to swim slowly,” he emphasized the word slowly to Andrew, “out of this room and into court room. Alyssa will follow a couple minutes afterwards. I’m not going to ruin the surprise of what happens next,” he winked again as the doors opened. Andrew swam out of the room, and I could hear lots of cheers.
“Go on now,” encouraged Poseidon.
         “Good-bye,” I told him.
         “You’ll see me again,” he stated as I swam out of the room.
        I swam into the big courtroom, I saw Andrew being surrounded by other merpeople with blue-green tails, the Whipwaves. Then there were lots of people around me, all with tails the color of sand. They greeted me, and told me their names, which I don’t remember. Then I noticed there was a single line of green blue scales, the color of the Whipwaves’ on the bottom of my tail. None of the other Sandbits’ had it that I could see. That was curious.
        However, even then, I knew that this was huge. This is the beginning of something totally different. This was the beginning of me, Alyssa Sandbit, being a mermaid.