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Reversion

"You have to let me go," Selene said matter-of-factly. "I don't want to be here anymore."

Surprised, Caleb looked at his wife.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Caleb. You had to know this was coming."

He honestly had no idea. He thought they were happy together. He thought they were in love. He definitely didn't see this coming. Sensing her husband's confusion, Selene wrapped her arms around him in a secure hug.

"You know I love you," she reassured. "And I always will. I just can't stay here with you."

"If this is what you really want, Selene," Caleb said slowly. "You know I can't stop you, even if I wanted to."

"I'm sorry, my love. But this is what I want. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss my old life back home. And I know that's the one thing you can't give me."

Caleb was crushed. He had really tried this time. He thought he had given her everything that she needed... thought he had been everything she wanted. Now, faced with her sudden decision, he began to wonder what he had done wrong. Defeated, he acquiesced to his wife.

"I'll take you tonight."

"Thank you. I know how hard this is for you. You're a good man."

He nodded, the compliment of little consolation as Selene went to collect her things. She didn't have much, but she'd no doubt want to take her few personal belongings with her.

Caleb sat on the floor, thinking about the events that had led up to this point, wondering if things would have been different if he had done something differently.

Their meeting was the stuff fairy tales are made of. Selene was the daughter of a wealthy businessman, who provided his family with all the luxuries money could provide. One of said luxuries was an impressive yacht that the family used to troll around the Mediterranean when they needed to get away from their lives.

At twenty-two, Selene was the family's youngest daughter and, unlike her overachieving brothers and sisters, seemed content to whittle away the years enjoying life's simple pleasures, like cruising around in an expensive boat drinking rare wine and entertaining her friends. It was one of these excursions that lead to their meeting.

She had been drinking... far too much by many accounts... and suddenly had the impulse to see the nearby shore from atop the highest point on the ship. Moving away from the party at the stern and toward the communications tower on the bow, she climbed up top and was indeed treated to a spectacular view of the Mediterranean coastline at sunset. Unfortunately, in an attempt to both turn around and enjoy the last of her glass of wine at the same time, she slipped and fell, hitting her head on the side of the boat before plummeting overboard into the sea.

The loud music and raucous party disguised the splash, and before she knew it, the boat had left Selene alone and unconscious in the water. Fortunately, Caleb had been nearby and, having witnessed the event, quickly came to her rescue.

He swam over to her and, upon noting her unconscious condition and the rapidly widening distance between their position and the yacht, opted to bring her to the closest shore. It was there that she awoke, in the shallow shore waters, looking into the deep green eyes of the mysterious man who had apparently saved her.

From that point on, the rest, as they say, was history.

Caleb got up from the floor as Selene returned with her few belongings.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded and they headed for the surface. At the very least, no one could say the process of divorcing a merman was difficult. All his bride had to say was that she wanted to leave and he would be bound to release her.

As the traveled up from the ocean floor, Caleb led the way, but stole frequent glances back at his soon-to-be former wife, drinking in as much beauty as he could, for he knew he would soon lose her forever. He was sure they would promise to keep in touch, but he knew deep inside that the pain would be far too much to ever allow him to return to visit.

Once they reached the surface, Selene propped herself up on a rock, her tail dangling over the edge into the water.

Caleb took one last, long look at his mermaid.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, hoping against hope that the answer would be different.

"I am," she replied softly, unable to look him in the eye.

Caleb sighed and focused his power on his wife. She whimpered softly as she felt her body begin to change. Her tail fin became her feet and toes, her caudal peduncle slowly separated into two equal parts, the shimmering silver scales slowly disappearing into creamy white flesh. Soon she was completely human again, and she quickly put on the clothes she had brought back with her other belongings. At first she was unsteady on her feet, wobbling as she tried to get used to standing again.

Once she had the hang of it, she looked to the shore and a wide smile spread across her face. She turned to her husband, one last time.

"I'll never forget our time together, Caleb," she said, hoping to ease his pain.

"Nor will I," he replied softly. "Go. Your family will be happy to see you."

She nodded and jumped off the rock, splashing in the water as she floundered toward the shore.

Once she reached the shore, she turned to wave one last time.

Caleb, unable to bear the image of his former wife's slow departure as she headed up the beach, moved off toward the open sea. He had always loved the open waters of the surface, and figured that at least he would try to ease his pain with a swim on the surface.

As he moved further out to sea, he fought the tendency of his thoughts to drift toward Selene and the two years they spent together under the sea. He knew it would take a long time to get over her. Love like that doesn't just come along every day.

Then, in the distance, he spotted a capsized sailboat. Its mast had snapped off, probably from the impact with the water, and was floating near the overturned hull. Swimming over to investigate, he found the boat's sole operator stranded and floating in a life preserver, her wet black hair brushed to the side, framing her angelic, tanned face.

She was beautiful...

(1,115 words)

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