Note: This story takes place before "Erin The Gift."
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We had an unseasonably warm day, so Lindsay, and her cousins, Zack, David, and Kimberly decided to take Zack's boat out for one last day on the water.
Lindsay was looking out over the water, and Kimberly could tell that something was bothering her.
"What's the matter, Linds?" Kim asked.
"Oh, I was just thinking about my friend, Erin. Nobody has seen or heard from her in over three weeks." She replied.
"I'm sure she's alright. We have to have hope." Kimberly said.
"I know, but this just isn't like her." Lindsay replied. "I'm really worried about her."
Just then, they saw something swimming in the water.
"It looks like a large fish... wait... now it looks like a woman." Kimberly said.
"IT'S ERIN!!!" Lindsay said. "Stop the boat, Zack, and help me pull her in."
Zack stopped the boat, and he and David pulled me in. Lindsay came over and hugged me and wrapped a towel around me.
They were all shocked to see a fishtail where my legs should be.
"Erin, what happened to you, and where have you been?" Lindsay asked.
"I went to visit that new aquarium. It turns out the owner is also a magician and mad scientist. He wanted a mermaid for his new exhibit, so he used hypnotism to put me to sleep. He then sawed me in half, and replaced my lower half with that of a fish. He then put me in the aquarium as his new exhibit." I replied.
"Wait... so this isn't a costume?" Lindsay asked.
"I'm afraid not." I replied.
"That's awful." Kimberly said as she picked seaweed out of my hair.
"So where are your legs now?" Lindsay asked.
"I don't know. I assume they're still at the aquarium. He said he would give them back to me after a new girl came along to take my place, but instead he just dumped me out here." I replied
"We'll have to find a way to get in there so we can try to find them." Lindsay said.
"But how?" Kimberly asked.
"I think I know how." Zack said. "But we'll have to wait until after it gets dark."
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That night....
"Where's David?" Lindsay asked.
"He said that he had to take care of something before we went in." Zack replied (He was carrying me).
"Well, hopefully he doesn't take too long. We need to get Erin her legs back." She said.
Just then, the back door opened, and David stuck his head out, and said, "Come on, I've disabled the alarm system."
"Where did you learn to do that?" Kimberly asked.
"Uh... I'd rather not say." He replied.
They were looking around at the different tanks filled with rare and exotic fish when they heard knocking on the glass. It was another redheaded mermaid. She was frantically waving and trying to get our attention.
"WE'LL COME BACK TO GET YOU IN A FEW MINUTES." David yelled at her.
"Where to now, Erin?" Lindsay asked.
"We walked through that door over there." I replied, pointing at the door.
We walked through the door into a hallway.
"Now where to?" Lindsay asked.
"I don't know. This is where I was put to sleep. When I woke up, I was laying next to the top of the tank with this fishtail." I replied.
"Well, let's split up, and maybe we can find the room we're looking for quicker." Zack said
Each of them kept opening different doors. After a couple of minutes, Kimberly found the lab.
"Hey guys... I think I found it." She said after turning on the light switch.
When they walked inside, they saw a wall lined with saws, knives, and other tools, a long cabinet with several drawers, and a long metal surgical table. Zack set me down on the table.
"I think we've found the room we're looking for." Zack said.
"Come on, Zack, let's see if we can rescue that other girl." David said.
"While you guys do that, we'll try to put Erin back together." Lindsay said.
Zack and David walked out of the room.
"Can you please find Erin's legs while I saw her in half?" Lindsay asked.
"Saw her in half?" Kimberly replied.
"It's the only way we can restore her." Lindsay said.
"It's okay. This isn't the first time I've been sawn in half." I said.
Kimberly had a puzzled look on her face and said, "Okay... as long as you're sure about this."
Lindsay grabbed a saw off of the wall, placed it where my skin met the fishtail, and sawed me in half.
The disembodied fishtail flopped around on the table. Lindsay took it and placed it in a large sink filled with water.
Just then, Kimberly walked over with my legs.
"I found your legs, Erin. They were in one of the drawers in that large cabinet over there, along with your purse, and other belongings. Luckily, the drawer was labeled with your name on it." Kimberly said.
"That's good." I replied.
My lower half still had the pants and shoes on that I was wearing when I walked in here over three weeks ago.
Just then, Zack and David walked in with the other girl, who looked to be around 19 years old. They were shocked to see just my upper half on the table.
"What's your name?" Lindsay asked.
"Ariel." She replied.
"You're kidding." I said.
"That's really my name." She replied
"No wonder Sam was quick to get rid of me." I said.
"I just want my legs back. I never wanted to be a mermaid." Ariel said with tears in her eyes.
Kimberly handed my legs to Lindsay, walked over to Ariel, put her arm around her, and tried to console her.
"Don't worry, we'll get you fixed up right after she's done with Erin." Kimberly said.
Lindsay set my lower half on the table, and reattached it to my top half. I wiggled my feet to make sure they were still working.
"Thank you." I said as I sat up.
I got up off the table, but started to stumble as I tried to walk for the first time in more than three weeks. Zack caught me before I fell.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"Yeah, my legs are just a little bit wobbly." I replied.
"I'm not surprised, since you haven't used them in so long. They'll probably feel better after a few days." Zack said.
"Okay, set Ariel down on the table." Lindsay said.
David set Ariel down on the table.
"I'll go find her legs while you saw her in half." Kimberly said.
What do you mean saw me in half?" Ariel asked.
"It's the only way." Lindsay said.
"It will be okay, Ariel. As you saw when you entered the room, she sawed me in half right before you came in here, and I'm perfectly fine." I replied.
"Okay... I just hope you know what you're doing." Ariel said.
Lindsay grabbed the saw and sawed her in half. The now severed fishtail flopped around on the table. Lindsay took it and put it in the sink with the other one.
"That actually felt pretty good." Ariel said.
"The feeling of being sawn in half never gets old." I replied.
Just then, Kimberly came back with Ariel's legs.
"I found her legs." Kimberly said.
"Thank you, Kim." Lindsay said.
Lindsay took Ariel's lower half from Kimberly, and reattached it to Ariel's upper half.
Ariel gave Lindsay a hug, and with tears in eyes said, "Thank you. I thought I would be stuck being a mermaid forever."
"What are we going to do about these poor fish." I asked.
"Zack and David, can you two please pull those two fish out of the tank?" Lindsay asked.
They did as she asked, and Lindsay reattached them to their lower halves. Zack and David then put them back in the tank.
"Come on, let's get out of here before someone shows up." Zack said.
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The next day...
I was sitting on Lindsay's couch in my pajamas, and snuggled up in a nice warm blanket. The TV was on, and I was half asleep when Lindsay walked in the room carrying a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and a glass of hot cocoa.
"Aw... thank you, Lindsay." I said as she handed it to me.
"No problem. That's what friends are for." She replied.
"You know, I think my cousin, Zack has the hots for you." Lindsay said as I blushed.
"Well... uh..."
Just then, I was interrupted by a voice on the TV:
"This is a breaking news bulletin:
A local aquarium owner was arrested this morning for the illegal poaching of rare and exotic fish."
They showed Sam's mugshot.
"He is also suspected to be behind the disappearance of two missing women."
They showed mine and Ariel's pictures.
"The two women are reported to be safe at this time.
We will have more on this breaking news story on the 6:00 broadcast.
We now return to our regularly scheduled programming already in progress."
"At least we won't have to worry about him anymore." I said.
"So, what was it like being a mermaid?" Lindsay asked.
"It wasn't too bad at first. It was kind of neat being able to breathe underwater, but the best part was seeing the faces of the little kids light up when they saw me. I just don't know that I would want to be a mermaid permanently, and I definitely didn't like doing it against my will." I replied.
"That's understandable." She replied. "Maybe you should consider cosplay. You'd be a hit at children's birthday parties, and might even make a little extra money."
"Maybe, but I don't even want to think about that right now." I replied.
"Right... let's change the subject." She said. "Now about Zack... I think you two would make a cute couple...."
"Lindsay..." I said in exasperation.
THE END