Ring! 

“Finally” I thought “school is over!” As I took my usual route home I saw the sewer rattling and glowing.

I lifted the lid and fell down the hole landing on the side of the sewers. But when I looked around I was shocked. I heard music, smelled delicious food and saw people laughing and partying.

At least I thought they were people but then I heard a splash and saw a tail go under. That’s when I almost fainted.

These “people” were mermaids!

Just then a very pretty mermaid with a crown swam over to me. “Um, who are you?” I asked.

She glared at me and said snarkily, “I’m the Queen of Oceania,” as if that were obvious. But my eyes were drawn to a young mermaid about my age staring at me.

“Well you can stay and relax until tomorrow when you become a mermaid like all the others,” said the queen.

“But I don’t want to be a mermaid!” I exclaimed.

At that everyone glared at me except the young mermaid. “Seize her!” The queen yelled. Two mermaids dressed in armor grabbed me by the arms and brought me to an underwater jail.

Luckily the jail filled with air as soon as they closed the door, since basically all of the mermaid world was underwater and I didn’t have gills like the mermaids.

The queen came later to “check on me” and gave me a snobby look as two guards gave me a plate of seaweed that looked a month old (I didn’t touch it).

In the jail I was freaking out! “Will I ever get out of here!?!” I thought.

Luckily later in the day a young mermaid swam in front of my cage. I recognized her as the young mermaid from earlier.

“Hi,” I said, “Um, do you think you could help me get out of here?”

“Of course!” she replied, “I’m Coral, but we have to be quick, the guards will be here soon.”

She opened the cage door and handed me a snorkel. I swam right behind her as fast as I could.

“Coral!!” I heard a loud booming voice from behind us but I couldn’t see who said it. We swam into a seaweed forest where we could no longer be seen.

“Oh, that was my mom,” Coral said. “She’s the queen of Oceania. You met her earlier, right?” I nodded. “And also,” I said, “my name’s Stacey.”

“Oh!! I like that name! But anyway, my mom’s probably looking for us. She knows you escaped,” Coral said.

We swam farther into the forest, and then up and down. Then I saw a platform above me and I knew it was time to go. Coral nodded at me and gave me a thumbs up. Right before I went up I took off my star necklace and gave it to her. She gave me a necklace that had a seashell with a star engraved into it. I gave her a hug cause I knew I’d never see her again, and then went on my way back home.