It
Bright orange, at least nine feet long, glistening with scales as it sprawled atop a pile of damp rocks beneath the misty spray of falling water. Daniel’s first assumption was some giant snake, thick but short and with vibrant decorations. Then he noticed the arms, thin and pinkish, now propping up its torso. The body, scales trailing up from the waist and through a very human looking navel, wrapping around it’s chest in a way that almost resembled clothing. Bright orange lumps wrapped up in scales that still left skin exposed at the sides and along the arms. It’s neck, it’s face, the very long flowing hair damped down with numerous splashes.
Daniel was forced to blink.
She was looking at a massive coy fish with a humanoid torso where its mouth should have been.
Very mature, very healthy looking, very feminine upper torso. The eyes were a dazzling blue, her face was rounded and soft as if trying to match the smooth curves and gentle slopes of its fishy tail. Along the lower body where legs should have been were jutting fins that spread wide like a Chinese fan. Coming together at the end, while from the knees to the hips it could somewhat resemble a decorated gown.
In total the creature, this orange and white mermaid with bright red hair, was twice as long as a human should normally be. The torso was correctly proportioned as far as a sphinxes sensibilities could tell, the rest of her was thick with muscle, wider around than her shoulders in places, and long enough one could reach from tail to hips and not touch the belly button.
“W-what are you?! Oh gosh how did a lion get here. Are those wings? H-hey, hello? Can you speak? Ohgoshohgosh this is weiiirrrd. Uh, hey?” Her voice was akin to listening to an opera singing in union. Every tone a reverberating melody, with a bass that forced this little bond to quake.
Daniel shakes her head and tries to focus.
“I, what? I’m a sphinx!” for a handful of seconds she sounded proud. “Waitwaitno, I’m a human. Ignore me! Totally human and this is just a temporary transformation.”
“You mean you’re one of those stone things from Egypt?” She slid herself off the rocks and submerged partway into the pool.
“No. I mean yes! I mean, I’m not made of stone alright, I’m a humn. What are you, a mermaid?” Daniel took a step closer as well, glancing left and right to make sure there was room. And discovering a limp in the effort.
“Pftha, you definitely aren’t a human, you look just like that giant lion woman statue thing. Only you have wings for some reason, and are a heck of a lot smaller.” Her lake seemed big enough for her, but only just. She could stretch out and not end up touching both sides, there simply wasn’t any space to build up speed and really swim. There also wasn’t too much space to dive down, if she went all the way to the bottom her entire form would still be clearly visible through the waters.
“Yeah, well you look like some rainbow clownfish or something. How long have you been in that lake, what has no one ever found you?” Daniel shot back, a bit in shock and a bit in annoyance.
“I’ve only been here a week!” She pops out with a splash, equally angered. “And I’m not a mermaid okay, I’m a human. Completely human as of last week, this is just some weird magic voodoo thing I haven’t figured out to dispel.”
Daniel raises an eyebrow.
“Likely story, but copying me as some sort of joke isn’t a real answer. What are you actually here for?” Daniel couldn’t believe this. What, someone else was claiming to have been human too? Impossible.
Then she paused. Daniel noticed the mermaid rolling her eyes. He saw her move past, as if she’s expected that answer. Strange …
“Fine. Whatever. I’m here running away from creepy guys in black suits that want to put me in a zoo. I think.” She settles back into the lake and all but slithers over to the closest shore, only a few feet away from the towering lion’s paw.
“Creepy guy’s in … so they were after you?” Daniel lowers herself into a flop. Wincing at the pain in her wings and belly.
“Looks like they got you instead, hah. Ohgosh did they hit you a lot.” Her eyes were filled with concern, and yet her voice alone was enough to sooth. Charming and melodious, it was as if bell chimes had learned to speak.
“Almost. They show up out of nowhere and start arresting everyone, pump me full of needles and then try to beat me with some stun baton or whatever.” The winged lioness huffs. Her breath at a forceful enough gale it knocks the mermaid’s hair back.
“That sounds a lot like how I ended up here, except those things are like, big. Really big.” She gazed deeply with those wide eyes. Unnerving to see this close.
“Pretty tiny from where I’m sitting.” Daniel huffs again. “Like getting jabbed with poison needles over and over, it really just stings.”
“What’s your name, miss not a sphinx?” She was biting back a smile. I could see it. Don’t you smile at me.
“I’m Daniel.” The lioness answered simply.
“My name is Lori, and I don’t care if you don’t believe me you are the first person to spot me in far too many days. You aren’t here to eat fish are you?”
“I just had my fill, don’t get caught on a fisherman’s hook and you’ll be fine.” The lioness sticks her tongue out. Another glance around the clearing, so many flowers crushed just by her flopping into a resting position. So many dandelion seeds kicked up into the air, only barely catching in that light breeze.
“Well okay then. How about I help you pull those needles out, and you tell me the actual truth of how you got here. I can see you don’t exactly have hands.” Lori grinned, holding up hers as if to taunt.
Written by Arbon on 20 April 2017