"Secrets of the Deep: Part 2" by Keira J, Age 10, Year 6

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Secrets Of the Deep Part 2

Recap:
I had just swum out too far in the O.W.S.C.S (Open water Swimming Competitions) and a sea creature changed my legs into a tail!!!

Part 2:
The creature swam away. I was left floating there, totally speechless. I could not believe what had just happened. I felt my neck. There were two gills there.

Feeling very scared, I began to swim around, hoping to find someone or something that would help me to understand. When nothing came, I decided I might as well get used to this life, and began testing out my tail. I could swim 15 times faster than the average human, and there was no need to hold my breath any longer.

When I went down to the bottom of the sea, I saw an underwater cave. It was brightly decorated, with gold and jewels, and even one or two corals. I wondered why that was there. Was it part of an underwater display? Maybe divers had done something for charity.

However, when I went to investigate, I found… More merpeople!!!!! Mermen and women, merchildren, even one or two mercats!! It was unbelievable, I felt like I must have been in a dream. But sure enough, this was real.
“Hello, are you new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” smiled a beautiful mermaid with long, golden hair and big blue eyes.
“Yes, I was competing in a swimming competition. I swam too far out and this…. thing began merging my legs into a tail!” I explained.
“You must be confused. Don’t worry, I’ll explain everything. What’s your name?”
“Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam.”
“Samantha,” she repeated, “I’m Imogen.”
“Nice to meet you, Imogen.”
Imogen smiled, “thanks. So, I guess I’d better explain. There is a sea creature. The most beautiful and magical sea creature in the world. There are less than three of them in each ocean. It takes coincidence, destiny, and luck for one to find you. This creature is called the mermafish. It has the power to turn humans into merpeople, and merpeople back into humans. However, to turn back, you must be transformed by the same mermafish that turned you into a mermaid. So, not very many merpeople get changed back.”
“Were all mermaids humans once?” I asked.
“Most of them. The original mermaids died out ages ago, so this is the only way to become one.”
“Wow,” I whispered. So much had become clearer; I now realized how lucky I was to have swum out too far. From what Imogen had said, very few people were chosen by the mermafish.
“What I have told you are the secrets of the deep. You cannot tell anyone if you ever turn human. The merpeople that have changed back are sworn to secrecy, they have been ever since they were told. If anyone finds out about us, marine biologists would be dissecting us in labs.”
“I won’t. Besides, who would believe me anyway?”
But I have broken that promise. I have told you, but I know you will not tell anyone else.
But I must warn you. When you are swimming out in seas, avoid the mermafish. Although I am now a mermaid, and I quite like it, I miss all of my old friends, even Kimberley. So that is why I passed this story on to you. So that you can tell others, who will tell others, and eventually the mermaids will die out. There is, however, one problem........

Who would believe you??????

By Keira J
Age 10
Year 6
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