Feelings and Other Fishy Fiascoes

By Hannah Carter

“We have eyes on the fish. Repeat, we have eyes on the fish.” Haddie Underwood whispered into her wand. Her dark sunglasses tempered the fierce sun, and—mercy—she was sweating something awful underneath her black trench coat.

But today she was a spy and had to dress the part.

“Firstly, her name is Merida,” Zelda replied. “Secondly, I think you’re jealous that she’s going on a date with Percival, and you aren’t.”

Haddie scowled, although her sister couldn’t see it through the other side of the wand. “Shut up! I am not. All I’m saying is that this fish-girl—”

“She’s a mermaid.”

“Fish-girl suddenly shows up and wants to date Perce? I don’t buy it. She’s been his pen pal for months; she should know what a bore he is by now! And she even magicked herself legs. Who in all of Kingland would go to such trouble for Percival Holmes?”

“You go through lots of trouble all the time for Percival. Rescued him from the Underworld, traveled halfway around the world to reverse a curse…”

“That’s different—I caused all those problems for him.” Haddie cleared her throat. “Besides, he’s my best friend. It comes with the job description. I—Z, look! Fishy’s gone into a magic store. I bet she’s trying to poison Perce or enchant him or—who cares! Converge on this location! Stat!”

Haddie tucked her wand into her trench coat’s pocket and darted toward the shop. She stopped at the tinted glass window, adjusted her coat, and slipped in.

Fish-girl leaned against the counter while a man held out a dazzling necklace. Several navy scales adorned the chain.

Haddie crept behind a shelf of wares and peeked between “essence of ogre” and “pixie dust.”

Unfortunately, her snooping was worthless because the shopkeeper and Fish-girl jabbered in Finnish, the native mer tongue of Finland.

The man gestured to each of the scales and nodded.

Ugh—Haddie knew mermaid scales did something magical. What was it?

Wait.

Panic seized Haddie as a vague memory tickled the back of her mind. “No! You aren’t going to turn Perce into a fish-boy!”

She grabbed the essence of ogre and hurled it over the top of the shelf. It exploded in a burst of glass and green gas. It reeked, but who cared? Her best friend needed rescuing.

Haddie ran around the shelf and tackled Fish-girl.

Fish-girl shrieked, lashed out in a flash of claws, and caught Haddie’s shoulder.

Haddie yelped and thrashed Fish-girl. They wrestled, punched, and kicked each other until Haddie managed to snatch the jewelry from the mermaid’s grip.

She threw it to the ground and stomped on it until the scales cracked under her shoes. “Ha! I win! Sorry, but you aren’t turning Perce into a fish-person today.”

Fish-girl gathered up the remains and hissed, revealing a row of sharp teeth. “Do you have algae for brains?!”

Zelda entered and glanced from Haddie to Fish-girl. “What is going on here?”

The clerk’s face had turned a dark red. “I want to know as well! That was a priceless necklace made from my customer’s own scales. In Finland, to craft such a heartfelt gift is a profession of undying love. You’ve ruined this sweet girl’s confession!”

Haddie blinked. “Wait—what? No! Everyone knows mermaid scales will turn someone into a mer!”

Zelda slapped Haddie upside the head. “Only if you eat them, dunce! Really, when will you pay more attention in school?”

Haddie shuffled her feet. “Oh.”

“I’m so sorry to both of you.” Zelda pinched Haddie’s arm. “My sister is reckless with her schemes. Here.” Zelda pointed her wand at the ruined necklace and closed her eyes. “Mend.”

She guided her wand in an elaborate rune pattern. Within seconds, the cracked pieces sewed themselves together, and the severed scales reattached themselves to the chain.

Merida cradled the fixed present against her chest. “Thank you, Miss Witch. At least one of you isn’t a bottom feeder.” She nodded to Zelda, and then checked the clock on the wall. “Oh, I’m late for my date!”

Merida bustled past the sisters—though she did elbow Haddie on the way out.

Zelda offered a final apology to the clerk and dragged Haddie away.

Once they were outside and alone, Zelda said, “Your inability to face your feelings for Percival really got you into a conundrum this time.”

Haddie rolled her eyes and spied Merida entering a café across the street. Perce was inside, waiting. The two ran toward each other and hugged. Perce spun her around.

Haddie huffed and turned toward her sister. “Mercy, Zelda! I don’t have feelings for Percival.”

Zelda reached out and drew Haddie into an embrace. “Then why are you crying?”

Haddie sniffled.

A heartbeat passed.

She wiped at her eyes before she bleated, rather pathetically, “Because I love Perce.”

“Then tell him, Haddie.” Zelda swatted her sister’s bottom. “For goodness’ sake, tell the poor boy that you only torment him because you love him and are addlebrained when it comes to feelings.”

“You—you think?”

“Trust your big sister. She’s never wrong.” Zelda dropped a kiss onto Haddie’s hairline.

Haddie summoned a handkerchief and blew her nose. And that was all it took—a stroke of genius.

She grinned. “That’s it! I know—I’ll send Perce to a dragon’s cave on a fake mission. I’ll tell him the dragon is hibernating, but when he gets there, it’ll be awake and furious. Then I’ll swoop in and save him, and in the heat of the moment, we’ll both confess that we’re madly in love with each other and only the brink of imminent doom could ever wrest it from us! It’s brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!”

Haddie clasped her hands together and skipped away from her sister, ready to put the plan into action.

“Or you could just tell him like a normal person!” Zelda yelled.

“Silly Zelda—what fun would that be?” Haddie called over her shoulder.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah Carter is just a girl who loves to dream and write, and still wakes up every day hoping this will be the day she figures out she’s secretly a mermaid. She currently has two published novellas, Amir and the Moon and Seashells. She has had over a dozen devotionals published in various magazines. She also won a competition with her short story “Lara.”

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