After going to the Travel Agency, a young man soon finds himself in way over his head. This story was originally written and posted in 2001

Part 1 of 2
By Morpheus

The sidewalk was covered with small puddles, each slowly getting larger as the rain continued to fall. I stopped, standing in a somewhat large puddle, scowling a little as I looked up at the office in front of me, then down at the business card in my hand.

Gold letters adorned the business card, standing out clearly from the white background. They read simply 'Travel Agency' with a phone number below it. The card had been given to me the day before by my friend Dave who'd told me that it was the most amazing vacation that he'd ever been on. However, he wouldn't tell me anymore, other than to check it out for myself. So there I was.

"The Travel Agency," I read from painted sign on the window.

I didn't hesitate a moment more before going inside, more eager to get out of the rain than to see what they had to offer. After all, I didn't have a lot of money available at the moment, but Dave had gotten my curiosity up.

The office was decorated with posters of exotic destinations, looking pretty much like I'd imagined a travel agency would look. And behind the counter, there was a girl who looked about the same age as me...19. She had short brunette hair, dark mascara and a gold stud through her nose. Though she didn't exactly look my type, she was still rather cute. Then I noticed her name tag which read 'Ms. G'.

"Hello," the girl, Ms. G said with a smile, "How may I help you? Is there anything specific that you're looking for Mr...?"

"Um..." I looked at the posters behind her, then quickly told her, "Taylor. Taylor Green. I'm just looking around." After she smiled patiently, I added, "A friend of mine told me to check this place out."

"Feel free to look," she responded, gesturing around. "We have a large variety of vacation packages available."

I took another look around and let out a sigh, deciding that I could definitely use a vacation. "I'm afraid that I don't have enough for any of these places," I told her, gesturing around with a frown, "I hate crowded airports and especially with the cost of airfare..."

Ms. G brightened up immediately, a slight gleam coming to her eyes. "I understand completely," she told me, "However, we do have a special package that doesn't require any airline travel...and is quite inexpensive."

"Oh..." I started, wondering what that could be.

"We can do a three day trip to a highly exotic location," she suggested, "for under $100." Then she smiled, her eyes seeming to draw me in, telling me how sincere she was. "I can guarantee that you would see sights that you've never imagined."

My interest was immediately sparked, though I was still somewhat skeptical. That was actually within my price range...though just barely. Then I had another thought which sent a chill down my spine. "Just no cruises. I..." I gulped, paling slightly, "I don't know how to swim." Of course that wasn't surprising considering that I was afraid of the water, though I didn't want to admit it to her.

"All right," she agreed with a smile, "When would you like to leave?"

I took one glance out the window and stared at the rain, thinking about my shitty job. "Immediately?" I asked rather hopefully, knowing of course that this was impossible.

Ms. G nodded, frowning just slightly. "That is rather short notice..." However, to my surprise, she told me, "Wait here for a moment and I'll go see if anyone is available."

"Anyone?" I asked in confusion.

She just chuckled faintly, "You would be changing places with someone interested in coming here."

I nodded at that, realizing that it had to be some sort of foreign exchange program or something like that, though I was still rather confused as to how they'd send me to an exotic location in that time without going by plane. Then it dawned on me. It had to be some sort of town nearby or big theme park type deal. Now things were making a little more sense.

Ms. G had gone into a door behind the counter and was gone for several minutes before she came back. "I have located a volunteer who's available." There was something in her tone though, almost as if she was hiding something.

"Really?" I asked, still a little surprised. "You mean I can actually start this thing today?"

"Of course," she responded. "I'm sure that you'll be fascinated by our...special destination. It is a land of magic that is filled with creatures from mythology."

I nodded at that, thinking that a fairy tale theme park might be interesting if nothing else. "Ok," I told her with another nod, "Sounds cool."

She brightened at that, letting out a slight sigh of relief. "You have no idea how rare it is for someone not to question that." But before I could ask what she meant, she quickly told me in an apologetic tone, "I have to tell you that there will be lots of water there." Just as I started to get nervous, she added, "But I can assure you that there is absolutely no chance of your drowning."

There was something about her that soothed my worries, letting me know that she was completely sincere. I felt a lot better, deciding that I could avoid the water rides if they were more than a couple feet deep. That wasn't going to be any problem.

"Very well then," Ms. G told me with a smile, putting a hand on the register to give me a hint. As soon as I'd written a check and handed it over, she gestured to the room in the back, telling me, "Come this way Taylor."

After I'd followed her into the other room, I paused and looked around, surprised to see what was basically a large supply room, with several filing cabinets and shelves full of printer paper, staplers and cleaning supplies. However, what really caught my attention was the fact that there was some sort of blue powder spread out onto the carpet in the shape of a circle.

"Just stand inside and I'll send you on your way," she instructed me, reaching for some sort of wooden staff that was against the wall. As I stood inside the circle, half humoring her and half wondering what the hell was going on, she smiled and told me, "I am working on a way to simplify the process, but for now..." And with that, she slammed the staff down at the edge of the circle of powder.

Suddenly there was a flash of blue light...and reality dropped away.

--------------------

When I regained my senses, I immediately realized that I was in water...floating on the surface and surrounded by it for nearly as far as I could see. At first I was shocked and confused, then my thoughts were suddenly filled with horror and panic.

"No..." I cried out, frantically splashing around, terrified that I was going to drown.

I scrambled helplessly, trying to stay on the surface, however I had no idea of what I was doing and quickly went under. As the water covered my head, I closed my eyes in absolute terror, knowing that I was going to die. The water was finally going to claim me...just as I always knew it would.

Memories flashed through my mind from when I was 6 years old and fell into a swimming pool, as I lost my breath and nearly drowned. I would have died that day if someone nearby hadn't pulled me out in time...if they didn't know CPR. Ever since then, I'd always been terrified of the water, knowing that some day it would finish the job...that water would kill me.

As I sunk, deeper into the water, I forced my eyes open, trying to frantically scrambled to the surface...somehow. However, I was shocked to find that not only didn't the water sting my eyes at all...but it felt fine. And I was even more shocked to see the long blue strands of hair around me.

In a panic, I gasped for breath, still going for the surface...then being completely confused by the realization that I could breath. I froze at that, taking several fearful breaths, suddenly realizing that I was already dead. I had to be. It had to be too late since I couldn't be breathing under water...and I was.

I didn't know how long I remained there in shock before I finally starting working towards the surface again, frustrated that my legs didn't seem to be working right for some reason. Still, I didn't let that stop me from my desperate attempt to get out of the horrible water.

A minute later, I was at the surface, scrambling madly to stay afloat and somehow managing to do so...though just barely. I was still in a near panic when I noticed something floating a short distance away...a large chunk of wood. Somehow, though I wasn't sure exactly how, I made my way to it and grabbed onto it for all I was worth.

"I'm gonna die," I cried, terrified of the water that was everywhere around me, "But I'm already dead..." I was confused and still in shock, trying to make some sort of sense out of what was going on but unable to.

I closed my eyes tightly and grasped the log for all I was worth, not sure how long I remained like that. All I could do was cringe deeply inside, too shocked too do anything else.

Suddenly I heard something from above me, though it took me a moment to realize that someone was calling my name. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked up, gasping as I saw the source of the sound.

There was something hovering in the air in front of me, looking a lot like a human girl...at least in shape, though she was only about 6 inches tall. Her hair was pure white, with a lock of black hanging down from in front. Her skin was a pale color, though there were a number of pure black zebra stripes on her...but not a scrap of clothes. However, as strange as all that was, there were also the facts that she was hovering in mid-air, supported by a pair of dragonfly like wings that were buzzing around on her back.

"Um...Taylor?" the tiny woman asked, looking rather worried.

I stared at her for a moment in confusion. "I'm dreaming," I whispered, my mind taken off of the water surrounding me for a moment. "What are you?"

"I'm a pixie," the tiny woman exclaimed, "My name is Aelaeryn and the Gray One...Ms. G sent me to help answer any questions." Then she quickly added, "There wasn't any time to get you a real guide."

"P...pixie," I whispered in quiet disbelief.

She just nodded her head, looking at me curiously. "Are you all right?"

That suddenly reminded me of my position and I clutched the log even tighter, whimpering, "Please help me. I don't wanna drown."

Aelaeryn just stared at me for a moment before blurting out, "You can't drown silly. You're a mermaid."

As confused as I was before, her comments only made her worse. However, they sent a faint chill down my spine as I had already noticed a number of things that were wrong. I'd just been too focused on escaping the water to put any thought into them.

Then I slowly looked at my arms for the first time, noticing that they weren't my arms. They were slender, hairless and smooth. Very feminine looking. And then I saw my fingers, gasping at the sight of the skin flaps between them. They were webbed.

"Oh God...," I squeaked out, slowly looking down at the rest of my body, still holding on tightly to the log.

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head at the sight of boobs hanging off of my chest. There was absolutely no doubt at all as to what they were. Round, firm and shapely breasts. Just like on a woman. Below that, I could see part of a woman's waist before the rest disappeared below the water. However, I did notice something bluish. And as I lifted my legs, or at least tried to, I saw the end of what looked like a fish tail rise from the water. It was blue, with shimmery blue scales, at least what little I could see. That was more than enough to shock me even further.

"I...I...I'm a fish...?" I gasped, letting my tail slip back into the water. "And a girl..." I wasn't sure which shocked me more.

The tiny pixie girl giggled, "No...you're a mermaid."

"This can't be happening," I blurted out, "Mermaids don't exist. How did I get here? Where am I?" I looked around frantically, panic beginning to return, "What did she try doing to me?"

Aelaeryn just stared at me for a moment with her mouth open, "You...you really don't know?" She shook her head, gasping, "I thought you were supposed to have been told..."

I gulped, "Told what?"

"That you're in another world...another dimension." Aelaeryn moved down closer to my face, "You traded bodies with a mermaid, not she's in your body...in your world, while you are here in hers. The Gra...Ms. G will make sure that she doesn't get into any trouble," Aelaeryn assured me.

However, that wasn't my greatest fear at the moment. I was surrounded by water and in the body of some fish. That made absolutely no sense to me, though I was trying to gain some kind of handle on it. Still, I was on the verge of freaking out.

"Just relax and try to enjoy the new experience," the pixie girl told me gently, "It's only for awhile and I'm sure that you'll have fun." Then she gestured down to my arm, adding, "Normally we'd give you something to let people know that you're a visitor...but we didn't get much notice."

"Um...OK," I squeaked out, still clutching the log tightly.

Aelaeryn quickly added," But don't worry. The only ones out here are other merfolk and I don't think that they'll do anything."

I nodded nervously, not sure that I liked the idea of fish people around...maybe coming up from underneath me. The theme music from Jaws ran through my mind as well, pushing me even closer to panic than I was, though I somehow managed to keep from crossing over.

A moment later, Aelaeryn looked around and apologized, "I have to be going. But I will come back when I can and try to answer any more questions that you have." And with that, she suddenly flew straight up into the air, quickly vanishing from my sight.

"Wait!" I called out, a little too late, "Please help me. Get me out the water!" I was nearly at tears, especially when there was no answer. And not having any options, I just clutched the log with renewed desperation.

I remained where I was, helplessly clutching at the log for a very long time, too terrified of the water around me to think clearly. And then there was the confusion as I tried to make sense of my predicament...realizing that my vacation wasn't going to be the theme park that I'd imagined. Eventually though, weariness overcame me and I drifted off to sleep.

Some time later, I slowly woke up, groggily realizing that I wasn't clutching the log. Then my eyes snapped wide open in horror when I saw that I was completely underwater, panic beginning to surface again. In a panic, I started to frantically look around, not even sure which way the surface was...at least until I saw ocean floor below me...getting closer.

Then suddenly it hit me, nearly shocking me as I realized that I was breathing under water again. I'd almost forgotten about doing it earlier, pushing away the middle of my panic. Then I took a slow breath, more than half afraid that I was still going to drown, but feeling incredibly relieved when I didn't. I felt perfectly fine.

Once it sank in that I wasn't going to drown, I started to calm down some, losing some of the panic and terror. However, once I slowly sank to the ocean floor, I remained where I was, looking around somewhat nervously, but no longer with the absolute certainly that I was going to die.

"I'm alive," I whispered, or at least tried to since it was hard speaking with water down my throat.

I waited a few more minutes until I'd calmed down more, then slowly looked down at myself, curiosity beginning to replace the fear. That pixie girl...Aelaeryn had said that I was a mermaid. And with a single look, I saw that she was correct.

All that I could do for several minutes was stare down at myself in amazement...at the...my breasts and the mermaid tail that began at my hips. It was all shimmery blue scales, looking oddly beautiful. But other than that, everything above my waist seemed to look like a human woman, at least as much as I could tell.

I slowly ran my hands over my breasts, amazed at how strange it was to have them on my chest. But of course that was nothing compared to the fish tail. I wiggled it experimentally, totally in awe at the strangeness. It was sort of like having both of my legs fused together, but different as well. The tail was a lot more flexible than that would have been.

After a few minutes, I had lost almost all of my fear, being too caught up in examining my body. I found that my hair was long...and blue. That much was noticeable when it waved in the water around me. Then I also noticed that not only were my fingers webbed, but I had slight fins on the back of my forearms...and a patch of blue scales on each shoulder.

"Weird," I thought to myself, finally turning my attention to my surroundings.

As I stared at the ocean bottom, another thought occurred to me. I was in the ocean...but not cold in the least. I felt perfectly comfortable...and I could see without any problems either. Both I knew should have been impossible were I still a normal human, which only served to emphasize that I wasn't. At least not at the moment.

Then I remembered what the pixie had said. That I'd just traded places with the mermaid until my vacation was up. It was a very calming thought, making me almost smile slightly in the relief that it was temporary. Everything might have been strange...hell, even impossible, but I wasn't one to question my own senses. And if I was dreaming or delusional, I figured that I might as well go along with it anyway.

I wasn't sure how long I remained sitting where I was, just staring at the fish that swam by in amazement. They were beautiful, with more types than I ever would have imagined possible. Who would have known what I had missed by avoiding water so much. I hadn't even been to an aquarium since before the accident, which I was beginning to regret.

Then, with growing curiosity, I decided that it was time to explore my surroundings a bit more. And with a nervous smile, I pushed myself off of the floor and started swimming, or at least trying to since I'd never done so before. It was especially difficult because I didn't have my legs and wasn't familiar with the new tail...but it didn't take me too long before I started to get the hang of it.

--------------------

It had been quite a few hours since I'd suddenly found myself thrust into the body of a mermaid, and I had already spent much of that time swimming around the bottom of the ocean, something that would have been completely unimaginable just a short time earlier. And in spite of my earlier terror, the ocean was fascinating. It was almost like looking around an alien landscape.

At the moment, I was swimming some distance above the ocean floor, feeling almost as though I was flying. It was a strange sensation, one which I'd missed since I'd always avoided water. Then again, I'd always had good reason. One which being able to breathe underwater had taken care of.

Suddenly I noticed something out of the corner of my eye, something big. I snapped around, horrified to see a huge shark, twice as long as I was, slowly moving in my direction, though fortunately not directly at me. Still, my heart nearly jumped into my throat as I remained frozen in terror, all of my fears about the water suddenly crashing back in on me.

And then, as if sensing my fears, the shark seemed to notice me and changed direction, just enough to be aiming straight at me. I remained frozen for another few seconds before my survival instincts finally kicked in and I started swimming away as fast as I possibly could.

I let out a scream, though it sounded nothing like a normal human scream. However, I didn't really think about it as I gave another burst of speed with everything that I had. A quick glance back only revealed that the shark was speeding up.

The ground came up quick and just as I passed over a huge rock formation, I noticed something on the ocean floor...a ship. A sunken ship. My eyes bulged in surprised, but I started towards the ship as fast as I could, hoping that I could hide inside.

Glancing back again, I was horrified to have the shark right on my tail...literally. I barely managed to roll out of the way in time, watching as the shark shot past me, then slowly started turning around for another pass. However, by this time, I was right at the edge of the ship, not sparing any time as I looked for a hole in the side...but to my horror, seeing none.

Another look up only showed that the shark was coming my way again. I gulped at that, looking around frantically for something that I could use. Then I noticed it, my eyes locking on something that was jammed straight into the ship’s deck. It was rusty...but it was unmistakably a sword.

"Gotcha," I growled, or at least tried to, grabbing the sword and yanking, pulling it out of the wood and waving it in front of me, having to use my tail to keep balance in the water as the weight tried to pull me down.

And when the shark finally came at me again, I was prepared. I stabbed at the shark with the sword, which went into its side. The creature immediately turned away and left, a stream of red coming from where the sword had gone in.

I just stared at the sword in amazement, then at the shark, realizing how lucky I really was. Jaws certainly wouldn't have turned tail and fled like that after such a small poke. Then I just guessed that the shark wasn't really all that hungry. Probably just looking for a snack rather than a meal. Either way, I was just glad that it was gone.

Then, I looked at the sunken ship, beginning to get curious about it. And with a faint smile, I decided to explore it a little more. It didn't take me long to find the stairs that led below deck, and I slowly made my way down there, feeling much more cautious than before because of my run in with the shark.

After I had finished looking through most of the ship, I was feeling somewhat disappointed. There was no sign of a sunken treasure like I'd half suspected, just garbage that had been destroyed by the ocean. And of course the small fish that darted around inside.

When I found what was obviously the captain’s cabin, I was somewhat disappointed there as well. It didn't look anywhere near as fancy as the old pirate movies had made out, and I doubted that it did even before the ship sank. And again, there was no sign of a treasure.

Eventually, I grew bored of the ship and started off exploring again, this time being a lot more careful about my surroundings. I kept shuddering at the thought of another shark coming after me, or something even worse.

I continued exploring the ocean floor for awhile, hoping that I could find something else like the sunken ship. However, I didn't have any luck in that, though I did see a number of strange fish swimming by.

Then the sun started going down, with the faint like coming from above getting weaker and weaker. I could still see without all of the light, but I still started getting nervous, wondering for the first time where I was going to spend the night. Of course the obvious answer dawned on me...the ship.

After returning to the sunken ship, I carefully looked around the captain’s cabin again to make sure that there wasn't anything else in there waiting for me, and once I'd done that, I used some of the debris to block all of the openings. I didn't know if it served any real purpose, but it certainly made me feel more secure.

Curling up on the floor, I glanced at the remnants of the bed, wishing that the mattress was still there, but that didn't do me any good at the moment. So with a yawn, I closed my eyes, falling asleep faster than I would have expected.

-------------------

The next morning, I spent some time just staring at myself in amazement, examining my body in even more detail than I had the day before. It was strange, especially since it took me several minutes to figure out how my current body went to the bathroom, among other things.

There was one small slit in my crotch, covered with a scaly flap that completely hid it. And inside, the slit was extremely sensitive, leaving little doubt that this was her...my vagina. The thought was strange, though not nearly as strange as I would have imagined after having a tail. And of course, there was a similar flap and hole on my back side, which served for...waste release.

However, at about the same time, my stomach started telling me that it was time for breakfast. But unfortunately, I wasn't really sure what mermaids ate, which left me with a bit of a problem. One which I decided to leave for the moment, hoping that I could get that pixie girl to help with.

With that, I left the safety of the ship, heading for the surface this time instead of the ocean floor. It was rather boring at the surface, at least at first. Not long after getting there, I found a number of dolphins swimming around, playing with each other. Somehow, I ended up playing with them, which was a rather unique experience.

After a couple hours, I left the dolphins and started back towards the ocean floor, smiling faintly at the irony of the situation. There I was, a lifelong aquaphobic, and now I was a mermaid swimming in the middle of the ocean without any land in sight. Life was definitely strange.

I was just about at the ocean floor again when I noticed something moving a short distance away. And as I slowly started towards it, drawn by curiosity, I was startled once I was finally able to make out exactly what it was that I saw. A mermaid.

My eyes widened and I gulped nervously, slowly starting towards her. As far as I could tell, she looked a lot like I did, with bluish scales and hair, though she was too far away to make out her face and I had yet to really see my own. The sight of a real mermaid...another mermaid was amazing. I just had to get a better look.

A minute later, I was almost at her, when she turned and stared straight at me. There was a look of curiosity on her face and she suddenly squealed something, sounding almost like some sort of song. It was beautiful. Then she came closer, almost face to face with me, singing to me again with a frustrated look on her face.

Suddenly there was another mermaid...and a merman. Two more quickly appeared as well until I was nearly surrounded. All of them were keeping their distance a little and singing, though I was beginning to realize that it wasn't just singing. They were talking. And though I still couldn't understand what they were saying, it was beginning to make a little more sense to me.

Then without warning, all of the merfolk turned and swam away from me extremely fast. I started to follow, but one of the mermen threw something at me, something that looked like a black ball...which suddenly exploded into a thick black cloud.

I couldn't see in the cloud and my eyes started stinging. There was a nasty taste in my mouth and an uncomfortable tightness in my lungs. With a grimace, I swam away from the nasty black cloud, rubbing at my eyes and cringing at the horrible taste.

By the time it faded a few minutes later, there was no sign of the merfolk. They'd all used that stuff to get away from me. Like an octopus’s ink, I realized, not to mention tear gas. Of course the stuff would be great to escape threats, though I certainly didn't consider myself in that category. But they obviously did.

With a number of silent curses, I started swimming away, wondering why they'd run from me. Wondering if there really were that many other mermaids and the like around that area. It was definitely something new to consider since there was so much about them that I didn't know, even if I was temporarily wearing one of their bodies.

About half an hour after my run in with the mermaids, I was floating on the surface, finally seeing what looked like land in the distance, though it was still a long distance away. I was still trying to make up my mind about whether to go and check it out or not.

Then I noticed her, still a short distance off but heading towards me. It took me another minute to be sure, but once I was, I called out, "Aelaeryn!"

A minute later, the tiny pixie woman was hovering in the air above me. "Hello Taylor." She bowed her head slightly, "You look as though you have been adapting rather well." Once I agreed that I had, she continued, "I fear that by the time we are able to supply you with a guide who can be of use under the water, your vacation will be up." The she let out a faint laugh.

"Look," I started, gesturing down, "I ran into a bunch of mermaids earlier and they started singing then ran away from me."

Aelaeryn quickly verified my guess that they were trying to talk to me, finishing with, "They realized that you were not one of them and left." She paused for a moment before adding, "Many merfolk are skittish and nervous around strangers."

"Too bad," I whispered, "I really would have liked to see more of them up close. To learn what they're really like."

She looked thoughtful, then slowly told me, "I am not positive, but I have been told that there is a mermaid city nearby." And as my eyes went wider with interest, she gestured to one side, "A short distance in that direction. I believe that this is where your host body comes from."

"Um...thanks," I finally responded, staring intently in the direction that Aelaeryn had pointed. I was about ready to explode with curiosity.

Aelaeryn nodded, "Should you need anything else, I will attempt to be here to answer your questions."

I nodded back, then dove under the water, swimming quickly in the direction that she had indicated. The idea of a mermaid city filled my head with fantasies about what it had to be like, making me think about the one in Disney's Little Mermaid. However, I had a strong feeling that it was going to be interesting of nothing else.

It didn't take me long before I started to notice things changing on the ocean bottom. Specifically, there were fields of some sort of kelp growing up, looking like it was part of some farmer's field instead of growing wild. There were numerous patches like that, as well as several more areas that seemed to have countless numbers of shellfish.

Suddenly I saw a school of fish swimming by a short distance away, followed by a merman who was armed with a spear...and a dolphin. It took me a few seconds to realize that he was some sort of shepard tending his flock, and the dolphin was like his sheep dog.

I just shook my head, then continued swimming towards the city, even more eager to see it than before. There was no doubt that I was getting closer, not with all of the signs around. There were even some literal ones, glowing symbols painted onto rocks on the surface, though I couldn't make any sense of them.

On the way, I encountered several more of the merfolk, though none of them really tried talking to me, probably assuming that I belonged there. Then again, they all went by on their own business, several of them talking to each other. I just listened in closely, their singing making even more sense than before, though I still couldn't quite understand what they were saying. It was like the meaning was just out of reach.

The Travel Agency: Another Tail
part 2 of 2
By Morpheus

Then I finally saw it. The mermaid city, if it could really be called a city since it was certainly smaller than any city that I'd ever seen before. Still, my first sight of it was amazing, seeing the rounded towers and buildings that comprised it. Many of them looked shiny, almost as if they were covered with mother of pearl, while at the same time, there were numerous patches of barnacles.

After staying back and staring for a few minutes, I slowly made my way into the city, gawking at the buildings, most of them rounded, looking as if they might have been a bubbles sunken into the ground or piled and melted on top of each other. There were numerous round entrances, making each bubble look almost like a cave.

There were patches of a glowing green algae along the bottoms of many of the bubble houses, along with symbols carved into some of them. I could even see some glowing from within many of the rounded buildings that I passed by, revealing that there was algae within as well.

Everywhere I looked, I could see merfolk swimming along, attending to various things. I noticed children playing tag, adults talking and arguing. There was one mermaid swimming past with red scales and hair, another with purple scales and blonde hair. I even saw one girl who had pale skin, with silvery white hair and scales. An albino. However, most of the merfolk that I saw were various shades of green and blue.

While I was swimming through the city, watching and listening to everything, I paid particular attention to the singing. It didn't take long before I was actually making sense of what was being said, hearing bits of gossip and other talk.

After I had looked around for awhile, I figured that there couldn't be much more than a hundred merfolk in the city at best. Closer to a small town in the real world, the one I'd come from. But here, I had nothing to reference it to. It could have been the biggest city in that whole world for all I knew.

I was so caught up in watching the city, that I hadn't noticed someone coming up behind me. Not until I felt a hand against my tail, causing me to gasp out in surprise, quickly swirling around in the water to get a better look.

Then I froze, staring at a mermaid whose human half looked to be no more than 16. She had a dark blue tail, even darker than my own, with raven black hair, all except for a dark blue streak that ran down the center.

"Greetings strange one," the mermaid sang to me.

I just stared at her for a moment, understanding what she said, even if it was in that singing language, but not sure exactly how to respond. Then I decided to at least try, and sang out, "Hello..." To my surprise...and relief, it was a lot easier than I had feared.

The mermaid stared at me oddly, her hair floating around in the water like a halo. "I am..." the she let out a strange musical bit which I guessed was her name, though it was rather difficult to translate. I just decided to refer to think of her as Streak because of the streak in her hair.

Feeling nervous, I sang back, "My name is Taylor," though I wasn't sure how well she could understand my name since it was so different from the melody that was hers.

"The Gray One's emissary...the insect woman has asked me to guide you through our city during your trip," Streak sang. She looked at me with obvious curiosity. "You do not look like an outsider...except for your confusion."

With a nervous smile, I responded, "I don't normally look like this." I gestured down at myself adding, "It's a borrowed body."

She nodded at that, her expression indicating that she already knew that much. "Come," Streak indicated, "I will show you where you may bed while you are here." Then she added, "Though I supposed that it will only be for one night."

I followed behind her, listening intently as she started gesturing at things and telling me what they were. Most of them broke down to the library, market and other shops. It was interesting, though there was one thing that was of more interest.

"Um...I'm getting pretty hunger," I started, "and..." When she turned and looked at me, I flushed in embarrassment, blurting out, "What do you...I mean we eat?"

Streak just laughed, shaking her head in obvious amusement at my complete ignorance of even the simplest things in her culture. "Come, strange one," she laughed, "I shall take you to eat."

Several minutes later, Streak had taken me into one of the largest of the bubble houses and handed me what appeared to be an oyster the size of a dinner plate, and a handful of seaweed. It was gross and disgusting, but as I watched, she broke open a similar oyster and gulped down the contents. I thought that I was going to be sick.

"Gross..." I whispered, staring at the 'food' that she'd given me, half suspecting that it was some sort of a trick. However, as I thought about it, I realized that it did make sense. It wasn't like her people could really use a fire to cook their food while underwater. And unfortunately, I couldn't just refuse to eat. I was far too hungry for that. "Well here goes nothing..."

After taking a deep breath, I copied Streak, eating both the oyster and the seaweed. It was strange since my mind was completely disgusted...while my body said that it was just food. Good food at that. I wasn't sure how to deal with the mixed messages, so decided not to think about it.

Streak seemed somewhat amused by my reactions, which actually relieved me since I'd been half afraid that she would have been offended instead. After eating, she continued leading the way to where I was supposed to sleep.

It didn't take long at all before Streak had brought me to one of the round bumps in the massive mound in the center, showing me inside. It was covered with the same mother of pearl as on the outside, along with some of the glowing algae. There were several clay pots and things lining the walls along the floor, and in the center of the floor there was a big indentation, filled with what looked like more seaweed.

"This is where the owner of that body sleeps," Streak told me, gesturing to the pile of seaweed.

I grimaced, "That doesn't look too comfortable."

"And where do your people sleep?" Streak asked me, this time sounding as if she was nearly offended.

"In beds," I answered, letting out a sigh, or as much as I could underwater. I remained where I was, absently flicking my tail back and forth.

After this, Streak and I remained just outside the cramped sleeping quarters and talked, though I could tell she was just a little reluctant. I did find out that she had been promised a trip into my world in exchange for being my guide. Either way, she at least seemed determined to do the job and watch over me for the rest of my time there. Even if it had already been half used up.

Streak told me something about her people and their society, which drew my complete interest. It turned out that they were free spirits who often left their cities for weeks or even months at a time to wander the oceans and travel. And they seemed to have little government, with most of their cities being operated something akin to communes, though she did indicate that there were other cities and other clans further off who did things differently.

For my part, I told Streak a little about my world, though she seemed somewhat skeptical with what I told her. In the end, I decided that she would probably be that way until she saw things for herself. I couldn't blame her either. After all, I knew that I would have been more than a little skeptical if anyone had told me about her world.

It was several hours after we'd eaten, and Streak had started showing me around the city again, this time in a little more detail. We had just left an armory building, which was filled with spears and shields made of some sort of shell. Suddenly I saw it, a bubble coming towards me...with something inside.

Once the air bubble was closer, I could finally recognize the tiny figure inside of it. "Aelaeryn!"

The tiny pixie was inside an air bubble, tightly clutching what looked like a glowing green marble. She looked at Streak, then me, frowning intently.

"Greetings Taylor," she started, her voice low and sounding pained. She looked down, staring at the marble in her hands and not me. "I come with grave news."

"Insect girl..." Streak greeted, sounding rather suspicious. "The Gray One has not denounced our bargain....?"

Aelaeryn nodded her head, finally looking up at me, though her eyes. "I have very grave news for you Taylor. Perhaps..." She took a deep breath, then rubbed at the marble, "I will let her tell you..."

Suddenly air bubble that Aelaeryn was inside of started to cloud over, then I could see another image, a ghost image along the surface. It was almost like a crystal ball with the image of Ms. G's face appearing in it, staring at me with a grim expression.

"As Aelaeryn has told you," Ms. G stated quietly, "I have grave news for you Mr. Green."

"Wh...what's this?" I gasped, staring at the image projected on the surface of Aelaeryn's air bubble. "What's wrong?" I was getting a VERY bad feeling with the way they were both acting. I glanced at Streak who just looked curious, though not too worried.

A moment later, Ms. G continued, "There has been an accident..." She paused again before blurting out, "The one who was borrowing your body ignored warnings and ran into the middle of a busy street."

My eyes bulged at the sound of that while a horrible sinking feeling started in my stomach. "W...what...?"

"I am afraid...," Ms. G looked down in great embarrassment, "Your body has died. She was hit by a car and died almost instantly, before I was able to intervene and save her." I just stared at Ms. G in shock while she sadly finished, "I am deeply sorry."

From beside me, I heard Streak gasp, "Oh dear..." However, I barely paid her any attention, too shocked to do anything but remain frozen.

Ms. G quickly went on, "We take great precautions against this sort of accident...but in no matter what precautions that are taken...some accidents are bound to occur." She stared at me from the bubble, quietly explaining, "This is the first time we have had this particular situation though."

"SITUATION!" I scream frantically, "I...I'm dead!"

"Only your body," Ms. G corrected, trying to soothe me down. "That broke the timed ending of the spell. I am afraid that you will have to remain in your current body until we find an available one in your own world."

Streak stared at me, sympathy clearly visible in her eyes. "At least you are in one of my people's bodies," she tried to console me, giving little doubt that she thought it was something of an upgrade. Almost as if I should be grateful. Then her eyes widened and she gasped, "But..." she let out a quick melodic tune that I recognized as a name, "is dead."

"A...a friend of yours...?" I asked shakily, staring down at myself with renewed horror. At the breasts pushing out from my chest and the blue scaled tail that was so clearly visible on my lower half.

"I did not know her well," Streak admitted, still sounding a little sad. Then she turned to Aelaeryn...or at least her bubble which held Ms. G's face. "What of our deal...?"

Ms. G blinked in surprise. "Of course I shall uphold my part," she assured Streak, "as long as you continue to uphold yours. Guide Taylor for as long as he is there."

Streak gasped, suddenly realizing that her task could very well take a LOT longer than she'd expected. She glared at me quickly, almost as if it was my fault, as if I was some sort of burden, though she quickly covered it up and nodded agreement.

"But...but..." I muttered in stunned confusion, "My home..."

"I will do everything that I can do return you to your world as soon as possible," Ms. G assured me gently, something in her voice calming me down. She sounded so sincere that I had no doubt that she would do as she said. "I apologize once again," she told me sadly, "It was beyond our control, though we are doing everything possible to rectify this as much as possible."

All I could do was nod my head slightly, a cold chill running up my spine as I realized that my whole life had suddenly changed beyond anything that I could have imagined. I was dead, or at least my body was. That was effectively the same thing since I certainly couldn't go back to my old life. I might not have had a great job, close family or even many friends...but it had been my life and I wanted it back.

With that, Ms. G stated, "Please take care...and so long for now." Then Aelaeryn's bubble suddenly cleared up.

Aelaeryn stared at me sympathetically, "I'm really sorry." She sighed and rubbed at her glowing green marble. "I do not like this environment," she confided, looking around nervously. "My kind are meant for the air...not the water."

"I...I understand completely," I answered slowly, wishing that I'd stayed on land where I belonged. I'd always known that the water would kill me...but I hadn't expected it to be anything like that.

"My air is fading as well," Aelaeryn apologized, "I must be going." Then she said, "Good bye Taylor," and quickly starting going straight up...towards the surface.

I remained where I was for several minutes, slowly realizing that there had been more than a few merfolk watching our exchange. However, most of them quickly hurried off again as soon as the pixie was gone, leaving just me and Streak, who wasn't very talkative at the moment. Then again, neither was I.

Then, I finally told Streak, "I don't feel like sight-seeing anymore." That was an understatement.

With a silent nod, my reluctant guide showed me back to my sleeping hole. Once within, I curled up in the seaweed, not even thinking about how gross that would have been normally. All I was able to do was think about what had suddenly happened and worry about what was yet to come.

--------------------

It was two days after Ms. G had given me the bad news, a day after I should have gone home. During that time, I had done little save hide in the tiny cave, wallowing in self-pity and thinking about my plight. Wondering in silent desperation what my future would hold.

Streak stuck her head inside the cramped room I was resting in, a stern expression on her face as she glared at me. "Time for mourning should be at an end," she stated. "You yet live, be thankful for that."

I sat up, blinking at the strands of blue hair that floated into view, coming from my own head. Then I stared at Streak, frowning at the look on her face. As much as I hated it, she did have a point. It was one that I'd reminded myself of already, but for some reason, it did seem to mean more coming from someone else.

"Morning," I stated, not feeling too much improved by Streak's 'pep talk'.

"While in the city," Streak told me gently, her expression softening, "It is our custom to give one day out of three to the city. Come...today we work."

I hesitated for a moment, then let out a sigh, deciding that maybe it would be a distraction. And with that, I followed Streak out, feeling curious as she let me out to the edge of the city and towards the farms I'd seen on the outside.

"We collect the shells," Streak told me, pointing to an oyster patch, "and bring them to the store room for common eating." Then she showed me some of the larger oysters...and how to tell when they were ripe for picking.

I spent most of the day working with Streak, collecting oysters and seaweed, then hauling them back to the city and one of the storage rooms. There were a few other merfolk doing likewise, though not many. However, I did see a few more tending the oysters and seaweed patches, encouraging them to grow.

As we worked, I paid close attention, asking questions about the other merfolk that I saw working at various tasks. Streak answered my questions, though I could tell that she was halfway amused by my ignorance, and halfway annoyed.

Some merfolk were traveling around with spears, just as I'd seen some around the city itself. They were the guards, ready just in case any sharks or other dangerous predators showed up. The shepards herded their fish while others worked performed upkeep on some of the round clustered buildings that composed the city. There were only maybe several dozen merfolk at work in total, but it seemed to be enough. It was a system that they'd obviously worked with for some time.

The work didn't distract me as much as I'd hoped since it was not difficult, but it did so enough. Enough to take the edge off of things at least and to let me relax some. It also let me learn quite a bit more about the merfolk and how they lived, which was very interesting.

And when the work was done, Streak and I returned to the city, watched some children with trained fish...and ate a large dinner. I was tired when I finally went to bed, but oddly enough, feeling a little better.

--------------------

I was wrapped in a world of silence, comforted by the warm blanket of sleep. Dreams filtered through my head, though none of them remained longer than a brief moment. Then something tickled the inside of my mind, a sweet and melodious sensation that brought my dreams to full excitement.

Suddenly I awoke from the middle of a wet dream...literally, blinking as the melody that had filled my head continued to fill my ears. It was calling to me, calling to me as it had in the dreams.

Though I was confused, I slowly slid out of my sleeping hole, looking around and listening to the music. The music that was calling to me, filling my body with... With what, I wasn't sure.

I followed the call into the sky...the water above the city, pausing for a moment as I stared at a sight unlike any that I'd ever seen...or even imagined. A sight that filled me with complete awe...as well as other emotions that seemed to overwhelm me.

There were merfolk...lots and lots of merfolk, all swimming around in circles, with more of them coming up from the city to join the...dance. Each of them was glowing, painted with decorations and what looked like war paint, with what seemed to be that glowing algae that was all over. And they were singing. The sound that had awoken me...had called for me, it was coming from them.

Without consciously thinking about it, I started moving up towards the dancing merfolk, unable to deny the calling that I felt...the urge to join them. I had no idea what was going on, or why I felt like I did. I just knew that there was this...irresistible need.

Suddenly there was another mermaid beside me, though I didn't know if she'd just got there or had been there for a little longer. It took me a moment to realize that it was Streak since she had glowing stripes painted along her face...and her breasts. She stared at me for just a second with a strange expression.

"What's going on...?" I asked in a daze, barely able to focus on her at all.

Without a word, Streak lifted her hand which was holding a blob of the algae. Then she silently reached out and smeared some along my face, catching me by surprise. However, I didn't resist as she smeared more on my face, then down on my breasts, forming some sort of decorative design. All of this was done in a matter of seconds.

As soon as she'd finished, Streak quickly shot off to join the others in whatever was going on. I only hesitated a moment more before the call grew too much to resist. A moment later, I was in the middle of the dance of merfolk...instinctively adding my own voice to the song.

I swirled around, caught in the activity that surrounded me...that filled me. Then, as I caught sight of some merfolk pairing off, I suddenly realized that it wasn't a dance that I was in the middle of...it was an orgy.

Though I was somewhat surprised at the realization, I was so caught up in it...in the song that filled my very being, at the overwhelming instinct to continue that I didn't...couldn't pull away. The emotions that burned through me were deep, powerful and primal. I could barely even bring myself to consider it.

Then, before I was even aware of it, there was a merman right up in my face. And there was little thought in my reaction, only instinct...and the song. I was pressed up against him, just as a flap in his groin area pushed out of the way and a penis emerged. A moment later, he was pressed firmly against me...and inside of me.

I had no idea how long we remained locked together, especially since time seemed to have lost all meaning. However, we eventually broke apart, almost as if on a single thought, then we both drifted away from each other, with me still being highly dazed.

Afterwards, I somehow made my way back into the sleeping hole, curled up into the seaweed and fell into a deep sleep almost at once.

--------------------

I was still in shock from what I'd done the night before, hardly able to believe that I could have been involved in something like that. Something so...primal that it had overwhelmed my conscious mind, almost forcing me to join the others.

Was that what being part of a riot was like? Being so overwhelmed by the primal emotions that you lose all control of yourself, existing only as part of the group? It was scary, very scary at how easily I'd been pulled in.

"What have I done?" I cried out quietly, doing so in the song that I'd already grown used to.

I closed my eyes, rubbing absently at my crotch, covered by the scaly flap. I'd...I'd actually had sex with a man...with a fish. That was something I'd never expected...nor imagined I could do. And worse yet, I wasn't nearly as horrified at it as I should have been.

There was no doubt that it was the song that had driven me to it. I wasn't responsible. It was the song. And of course there were the mermaid hormones and instincts that it had probably latched onto. I wasn't myself during the...dance, which made it much easier to accept.

Looking down at myself, I frowned, "What's one more freaky thing after all this?"

Just then, Streak showed up, staring at me intently for a moment before saying "I had not thought you would remain long enough for the calling."

I just nodded, at least having a name for that strange ritual from the night before. "It was...strange," I answered quietly.

She just remained silent for a few more seconds before finally announcing, "You are with child."

"What?" I gasped, staring at her in confusion and shock.

Before I could even ask her how she could know something like that, Streak told me, "Your eyes have changed color. That is a sure sign."

That was more than a little shocking and all I could do was stare at her in silence, not doubting that she was correct. It seemed impossible, but if anyone should know her people's strange biology, it would be her.

"Just one more freaky thing," I reminded myself.

I looked down at my stomach and frowned, then stared back at Streak, noticing for the first time that her eyes had changed color as well. It looked like I wasn't the only one who'd gotten knocked up the night before.

"When will it end?" I whispered. As weird as everything had been since I first met Ms. G, it had only gotten weirder and weirder. "When will it end?"

---------------------

It had been several days since the calling, as Streak had called it, and I was still feeling somewhat confused. Even with the song and hormones, I had yet to totally accept my actions...my complete lack of self-control. It was as if I had become an animal that night...a spawning fish.

I patted at my stomach for a moment, frowning as I did so. Streak said that I was pregnant, and I had no reason's to doubt her, as strange as that was. However, I didn't feel any different at all, which made it a little hard to take seriously. It just didn't feel real yet.

To my surprise, Streak had started acting a little more friendly towards me, no longer calling me the 'strange one'. Obviously it was because I'd undergone the calling, which I suspected made her think of me more as one of her own people. However, she was still obviously not pleased at having to remain my guide, for who knew how long.

That only changed the direction of my thoughts. I stared out across the merfolk city. It was certainly interesting, filled with strange creatures and customs. However, it wasn't home. It wasn't the world that I knew, filled with noisy cars and humans.

At that moment, I knew that I could never go home again, at least not back to the way it had been. I was dead. My body was gone, as were my job and family. That left me with little back in the real world, yet I still wanted to go back there. That was the place where I belonged. As fascinating as the underwater kingdom was...it wasn't home.

"There's no place like home," I muttered, glancing down at my blue scaly tail and realizing that even if I did have a pair of ruby slippers, I still didn't have anything to put them on.

I remained where I was, still watching the scenery, and the merfolk darting about their business. It only made me miss my own world even more. That might have been a great place to visit, but I didn't want to live there. They didn't even have TV, movies or good music.

Then, almost on cue, I noticed a bubble coming towards me, a bubble that I almost immediately recognized as holding Aelaeryn. She came within range, surrounded by the same air bubble as before, still clutching the glowing green marble and looking extremely uncomfortable.

"Greetings Taylor," she said, stopping just in front of me.

"It's the insect girl," Streak's voice came from behind me. And before I could even turn around, Streak swam past, then circled around to the other side, staring at Aelaeryn for a moment.

Aelaeryn nodded faintly at Streak before turning her full attention to me. "We have news for you." Her voice sounded somewhat sad.

"News...?" I asked nervously, flickering my tail slightly. The last time that she'd brought news, it was that my body was dead. I just hoped that it was better this time.

"Just a moment," Aelaeryn told me with a faint smile. "I must contact the Gray One first."

A moment later, the surface of Aelaeryn's bubble had clouded over again, with the image of Ms. G appearing.

I gulped nervously. "Um...hi." I squeaked.

"Hello again," Ms. G started quietly. "As promised, I have found a way to return you to your own world."

That brightened me up and I gasped, "How?"

Ms. G's face nodded slightly. "Another visitor ignored warnings from the guide...and attempted to pet a griffin." Ms. G shuddered slightly. "It was quite...unpleasant."

My eyes went wide in horror, "Oh God. What the hell kind of business do you run? First me, then this other person..."

At that, Ms. G looked hurt, and I felt just a little bad about that...but not much. "Such accidents are exceptionally rare," she told me finally, "especially occurring so close to each other. However, both were caused by...carelessness on the parts of those wearing the bodies. There was little that we could do for either case."

I just nodded, still not feeling great about it, but at least relieved that I could go home. "All right," I whispered.

"You do understand that we can only return you to your own world," Ms. G asked gently, "not your old life?"

With a faint nod, I tried to keep the pain away. There was no point in crying about losing my life, I told myself, though I didn't really believe it. Still, at least I was still alive, which was something.

"How soon?" I asked quietly, glancing at Streak who was watching with fascination.

"Immediately if you are ready," Ms. G answered.

"And..." I looked down at myself with a frown, feeling incredibly embarrassed. "Um," I blushed, "Will being...pregnant effect this?"

Ms. G looked a little surprised but shook her head. "No...it will not." She sighed, "The other visitor is desperate to return to his home world. If becoming a pregnant mermaid is the only way...he will adapt."

I gulped, glancing over at Streak who was watching curiously, with a faint smile. I suspected that she was just glad to get rid of me...and her guide duties. Then she frowned suddenly, probably realizing that she'd get stuck playing guide to the new person in that body as well.

"I guess this is goodbye," I told Streak, holding out my hand. She just looked at it curiously, obviously not having heard the custom of shaking hands. With a sigh, I pulled my hand back, "Thank you for all of your help."

"It was...interesting," Streak responded, smiling at me. Then to my surprise, she threw her arms around me in a hug. Once she was done, she told me, "Now go...but do not forget me."

I looked back at the bubble, this time not at Ms. G, but Aelaeryn who was inside of it. "Thanks," I told the pixie. Then I looked back at Ms. G, "I'm ready."

A moment later, everything suddenly exploded into blue...then reality dropped away.

--------------------

I was suddenly standing in the middle of a room, one which I immediately recognized as the back room of the Travel Agency. Ms. G was even standing a short distance away, holding a wooden staff in her hands.

"Oh God..." I squeaked, speaking English again rather than the merfolk singing.

Then, I collapsed to the ground, my legs feeling rubbery, strange after having a tail instead for a week. I remained on the floor for a moment, wiggling my toes and amazed that I had toes again. It was wonderful.

A moment later, I got back to my feet, still feeling a little unbalanced on my legs, but quickly getting used to having them. And as I looked down to get a good look at myself, I gasped, seeing a pair of breasts pushing out from my chest.

"Not again...," I gasped, my eyes going wide in shock as I realized that Ms. G had put me in the body of a woman. A body that I was supposed to spend the rest of my life again. "You turned me into a girl," I glared at her.

Ms. G nodded, "It was the only body available."

I grimaced, glaring down at my body, not pleased but realizing that I'd better get used to it. Then again, at least I was human again, and back in my own world. I'd adapted to being a mermaid so it couldn't be nearly as difficult to adapt to being a girl. And after having a pair of tits for the past week, I barely noticed the weight from the smaller ones that I now possessed.

Looking back at Ms. G, I decided that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to complain too much either. She could have just left me where I was, and if she got mad, she might even turn me into a frog or something. At least I was back.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly looked around the storage room, noticing that the circle that I was still standing in wasn't the same one that I had gone through before. It was a circle of silvery powder, with intricate triangles and symbols all around it. There were even several symbols and smaller circles on the outside of it.

"Why's everything so different this time?" I asked Ms. G curiously, slowly stepping out of the circle.

Ms. G stared back, looking exhausted though it was the first time that I noticed it. Then I saw her eyes staring back at me. They seemed...old. Her body only looked like late teens or early twenties, but the eyes looked...much, much older.

"That is because I had to use a different spell than before," Ms. G finally answered, stifling a yawn as she set the staff against the wall.

I blinked, "Why was that?"

She was silent for a moment, looking thoughtful, as if trying to organize her thoughts. "The spell that I use for my vacationers is difficult and complex, but it only allows exchanges for no more than a month at the most before reversing." Ms. G paused for a second, then continued, "I could not use that on you and my other customer as you both would have returned to your previous bodies."

For a moment, I just stared at her, realizing that this wouldn't have been a good thing.

"So, due to your unique situations," Ms. G told me, "I had to create a completely new spell. It was very difficult to do so." She paused again, letting what she said soak in before continuing, "This one is highly complex and requires a great deal more energy to perform. I had to grab the shattered remnants of your original spells and cross them together, tricking the magics into thinking that I was returning you to your original bodies, making it permanent."

"Oh," I answered slowly, not completely sure of what Ms. G had just told me, though getting the basic idea.

Ms. G smiled weakly, "It was extremely difficult to perform...and exhausting."

I just nodded and looked around nervously before going into the main office with Ms. G. With a glance down at myself, I frowned, wondering who I was now. What I really looked like. All I could tell was that I was a slender white girl, probably around 5 foot 5 from my comparison with Ms. G.

Ms. G went behind the counter and told me, "Just a minute."

Several minutes later, she handed me a paper bag, stating, "This is a full refund...plus something extra for your difficulties. Once again, I apologize for these events."

I glanced inside the bag and my eyes went wide as I saw several stacks of bills, held together with rubber bands. And though I didn't take the time to count it, I couldn't help noticing that the tops of the stacks were hundreds. If all of those were hundreds, there was a hell of a lot of money in that bag. I later learned that it was half a million.

With a gulp, I looked back at Ms. G, who still looked apologetic...and tired. She handed me a business card...identical to the one that I'd originally been given. Without a word, accepted it, still trying to think of what to say about the money. It was probably just to keep me from suing them, but somehow, I doubted that a lawsuit would go very far against a company that could do what this one did.

"And don't forget your purse," she told me, gesturing to a black purse on the end of the counter.

After picking up the purse, I gulped, looking back at her. "Um...thank you."

With that, I quickly left the Travel Agency, nearly shaking as I did so. I barely glanced back, half afraid that the place would just vanish, though it was still there.

As I walked down the sidewalk, having no idea of where I was going, I finally stopped realizing that the answers to some of my questions were right in front of me. Or right on the side of me, I corrected, reaching into the purse and pulling out the wallet.

A moment later, I stared at the driver’s license, gasping, "I'm only 17?" I blinked at that in surprise, and then read off my name, "Carrie Louise Adams." I was 5 foot 5 and brunette, with only shoulder length hair. "At least it's not blue," I muttered, wiggling my toes again to verify that they were still there.

Then, I found the student ID card which said that Carrie...I was a senior at Redrock High School. The same school that I'd just graduated from two years earlier. I frowned at that, definitely not liking the idea of going back, but knowing that I'd need a diploma if I wanted to do anything afterwards. At least the school wouldn't be too tough since I already knew it and the teachers.

A moment later, I started towards the bus station, deciding that I really should get 'home', or at least to the address on my driver’s license. I knew that there were going to be quite a few things to learn and get used to, and that was the place I was going to have to start.

And as I started, I couldn't help thinking about Streak and the mermaid city. About all of the incredible things that I'd seen down there. It had been amazing and I knew that I would definitely miss it, though I was still glad to be back in my own world.

"Who would have thought it," I mused quietly, surprised to find myself missing the one thing that I'd been afraid of more than anything else. Water.

With a smile, I decided that I didn't have to lose the water for good. There was no reason at all that I couldn't learn to scuba dive. The thought didn't send shivers of panic up my spine as it would have before, but excitement instead. I guessed that I was finally over my aquaphobia.

"I wonder if there are any spots on the school swim team," I mused to myself, deciding to live in the present, not the past.

At that, I held up the business card that Ms. G had given me, realizing that they actually had done something good for me, even if it wasn't intentional. Still....I had absolutely no intention of trusting my life to them again. With that thought, I opened my fingers, letting the card fall to the ground while I continued walking away.

THE END