Through the haze of grease that formed a scum on the water, iridescent where the sun skimmed the surface, Sophie saw its body—unreal, but unmistakable. Breasts naked under the muck, hair swirling wet and weighty around her—and, yes, a tail, scaled like a fish. The mermaid had pale, stringy bits dangling from that great, muscular tail, and as she kicked beneath the waters Sophie could see the scales shift and the scabby tendrils drifting like the fringe of a jellyfish. The mermaid was graceful in her design but ragged in her condition, and as she tumbled below the waters, arcing above a shopping cart that had been left for decades to rust, her eyes searched the land above and her gaze met Sophie’s with a force that filled the girl with powerful anger and sadness. The shock woke her from her vision with a terrible jolt. All in all, Sophie had been passed out for forty-five seconds, but the dream state had the illusion of lasting much longer. Coming to on the stiff, dirty weeds that lined the bank of the creek, Sophie could feel her body humming.
