Trovare

The waves were always calling out to Avalon. She dreamed of being in the sea forever and being able to swim with the fish, discovering parts of the ocean nobody has yet to find. She believed that she got her love from her parents.

Avalon’s parents left her at a young age. They were scientists who believed in the existence of mermaids. They had promised the girl that they would come back for her; they never did. Avalon believed they were somewhere in the ocean and she was determined to reunite with them. 

There was a basement in Avalon’s house but it was locked. She had a plan to skip school someday and search for the key while her guardian was at work. When Avalon’s aunt left for work the next day, she began to look around for the key. It was nowhere to be found in any of the kitchen drawers and it wasn’t in her aunt’s room. Avalon was about to give up when she thought of the mermaid painting her mother gave her. She ran to her room and ripped open the canvas; the key laid inside. 

“Oh my God,” Avalon said to herself aloud and smiled.

She ran to the basement and unlocked the door. Avalon walked down the stairs and gasped when she looked around her. All types of paper hung on the walls and two desks were filled with files. She sat down and got to work.

*   *   *   *  *

  It has been five months since Avalon got inside the basement. She has spent every day down there, only leaving when it was time for school, or when her aunt was home. Avalon believes she knows what happens to her parents after doing plenty of research and she is ready to do the same as her parents but she has to confess everything to her aunt first.

  “Aunt Catherine, can I talk to you for a second?” Avalon asks when her aunt gets home from work. 

“Of course, sweetie,” Avalon’s aunt responds to her.

“You might want to sit down for this,” Avalon begins and she and her aunt settle onto the couch. “A couple of months ago, I found the key to the basement and I’ve been sneaking down there every day. I’ve been looking into mom and dad’s research and I think I found out where they are. I want to go to them.”

“Oh, darling, Are you sure?” Aunt Catherine says.

“I’m positive, but there’s a slight problem. I think they’re in the ocean. I think they’re  mermaids,” Avalon says and Aunt Catherine gasps in disbelief. “Don’t get me wrong, I know I sound insane, but I’ve been doing so much research and I looked at mom’s diary and she wrote about a necklace she made for herself and dad. It was her last entry and I found an extra necklace down there. I think mom wanted me to find it.”

“Somehow, I believe you,” Aunt Catherine says and laughs at her words.

“I love you. Thank you for caring for me so long and believing in me,” Avalon says.

“I love you so much, dear. Be safe,” her aunt says and hugs Avalon.

The next day, Avalon waves goodbye to her aunt and walks to the beach. She puts on the piece of jewelry and takes a deep breath.

“Please work,” the girl mutters to herself and jumps into the ocean. White waves creep up to Avalon and surround her. When Avalon looks down into the water, she gasps at the sight. Her legs are gone but in their place is a tail. She is a mermaid; the necklace works, meaning her parent’s theory is correct and they must be alive somewhere. Avalon remembers seeing a map in the basement with a location circled in the middle of the ocean somewhere. Her parents must be there waiting for her.

Avalon dives under the water and silently giggles at the feeling of swimming with a tail. Swimming is faster as a mermaid, which she discovers when she lays her arms out in front of her as her tail allows her to move more quickly. When Avalon arrives at where she believes her parents are, she puts her head above the water and notices it’s a cove. She goes back underwater and swims in between rocks before finding herself inside the cove. Avalon floats back up and gasps when she sees two familiar people with tails already inside.

“Mom, Dad?” Avalon speaks out and her parents turn around to face her.

“Oh my God, you found us! I knew you would,” her mother says and the two girls begin to cry happy tears.

“I can’t believe I found you guys. Wow,” she says as she looks around. “Is this where you’ve been the whole time?”

“Yes, we had to stay here so you could find us. We woke up every morning hoping you’d come. I’m so sorry we had to leave you, darling. It was an experiment our bosses forced us to do and they said we couldn’t bring you. We tried to leave you as many clues as possible for you to find us someday,” Avalon’s dad says and hugs his daughter.

Avalon is reunited with her family at last. She is able to feel whole for the first time since her parents left her.