Latty drank.
The liquid was warm.
Suddenly, her head felt light. Her eyes burned slightly.
Then — light.
Bright light.
Latty gasped loudly.
“I can see!” she cried.
She looked at her hands. She looked at the walls. Then she looked at the mermaid and froze.
“You…” she whispered. “You are real.”
The mermaid smiled.
Latty looked around again, her mouth open in wonder.
“I’m in a mermaid kingdom?”
“Yes,” the mermaid replied proudly.
As Latty continued to look around, something strange began to happen. Her hair started growing, flowing down her back like dark silk. Her skin glowed softly. Her face changed gently, becoming even more beautiful.
The mermaid handed her a mirror.
Latty looked and screamed softly.
“Is this me?” she asked. She almost did not recognize herself.
“When you are ready to return to who you were,” the mermaid said, “come to the river and call my name three times.”
She paused.
“My name is Rona.”
Latty dropped the mirror and hugged her tightly, crying.
“Thank you,” she whispered again and again.
Back in the village, things were moving quickly. Latty’s father sat with Eba under a tree, speaking seriously. He talked and talked, trying to sound wise.
“Life must go on,” he said. “My other daughter is still here.”
Eba looked tired and confused, but slowly the pressure from elders and voices around him wore him down.
After much silence, he nodded.
“Fine,” he said quietly. “I will marry Toro.”
Latty’s father smiled widely.
The news spread fast. Drums were beaten. Women sang. Men laughed. The wedding was fixed for three days later.
On the morning of the wedding, the village came alive. Drums sounded everywhere. Big pots were placed on the fire. Smoke rose into the air. People danced and clapped.
Toro walked proudly, smiling and showing off.
Latty’s mother sat alone in a corner, her eyes empty. She had stopped crying. Her tears were gone, but her heart was still bleeding. Nobody noticed her pain. Nobody spoke Latty’s name anymore. The village had moved on.
Under the water, Rona held Latty’s hand tightly.
“It is time,” she said.
They swam together through glowing paths, passing quiet places and moving shadows. When they reached the village river, Rona stopped.
“Be careful,” she warned softly. “Remember everything.”
Latty nodded.
