Erika and the Mermaids

By Erika J. Wiese and Fritz H. Wiese

Erika, a young girl, walking along a deserted beach, finds an
injured and dying mermaid, carries her home, and nurses her
back to health. Once her body is whole again, Maari, the mermaid
is able to turn herself into a human girl. When she gets homesick,
Erika and her Dad take her home to the island of Tiki-roa.
Several years later Erika returns to Tiki-roa. They often play at
the girls secret lagoon, in a cave of the ancient Maoris, and on
Skull Mountain, where they encounter a huge flightless moa bird,
and find a cave with pirates treasure of pearls.
At the end of her stay Erika meets Maaris mother, the mermaid
Cyrena, and her father, Jupiter, mighty ruler of all the oceans. In
gratitude for saving their daughters life they bestow upon Erika
the power to turn herself into a mermaid.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456863654

Erika J. Wiese

I, Fritz H. Wiese was born and spent the first few years of my life in Nebraska. Before reaching school age, our family returned to Germany where I received all of my schooling, finishing with a degree in Business Administration. Shortly thereafter my fondness for the United States brought me back where I furthered my career. Upon my return to the States I took on employment in the Electronics Industry, and in the meantime furthered my education by achieving a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Eventually I established my own business manufacturing Computer Test Equipment and Computer Memories, which in less than ten years established its customer base all throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. Once retired I was able to pursue my passion for writing and hope to tap into the imaginations of adults and children everywhere.

Book preview

Erika and the Mermaids

Fritz H. Wiese and Erika J. Wiese

Copyright © 2011 by Fritz H. Wiese and Erika J. Wiese.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2011901778

ISBN: Hardcover    978-1-4568-6364-7

ISBN: Softcover      978-1-4568-6363-0

ISBN: Ebook           978-1-4568-6365-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

93903

Contents

Chapter 1: A Walk along the Beach

Chapter 2: Maari Meets Erika’s Parents

Chapter 3: Maari Enters Erika’s World

Chapter 4: Maari’s Transformation

Chapter 5: Maari at SeaWorld

Chapter 6: Maari Goes Home

Chapter 7: Erika Travels to Tiki-roa

Chapter 8: Boat Ride to Tiki-roa

Chapter 9: Reunited with Maari

Chapter 10: At the Girls’ Secret Lagoon

Chapter 11: Presenting the Girls Their Gifts

Chapter 12: Visiting Hypatia

Chapter 13: On Skull Mountain

Chapter 14: Pixie and Her Moa Birds

Chapter 15: Erika Meets Cyrena

Chapter 16: Saying Good-bye

93903_Scene%201.jpg

Chapter 1

A Walk along the Beach

Slowly the sun begins sinking into the ocean, its glow being reflected off the waves and painting the clouds a dazzling red. A slight breeze has sprung up, rustling the dried leaves of the palm trees growing on the hill sloping down toward the beach. Ahead, tumbling, frothing, and rumbling like thunder, the endlessly rolling waves beat wildly against the rocks jutting out into the ocean, sending sprays of water high up into the air. Seagulls are screaming overhead, on a constant lookout for small sea creatures being swept up onto the beach, offering an easy meal. After each receding wave, sand runners are quick to devour any unlucky sand crab too slow to evade its quick eye. Ahead, large piles of seaweed have been deposited on the beach during the last high tide.

There is a chill in the air. The beach is deserted now, and soon night will descend upon the land.

A small girl is walking along the beach, barefoot, her blue jeans rolled up to her knees, her long ponytail blowing in the wind. Today is the first day of summer vacation. She has walked all the way from her house to the beach to look for some shells and rocks for her new aquarium her dad has just bought for her. She is anxious to find as many shells as possible before nightfall. Her beach bucket is already half-full, so she hurries along, when she comes close to a large pile of kelp.

Seagulls are fluttering above, screaming and fighting, diving down into the closely lumped mass of birds, fighting over some food hidden from view, making a tremendous noise. She does not pay any attention to them, hurrying on by, intent on collecting her shells.

Abruptly she stops. She thinks that she has heard someone, a girl, call her name. She stops and looks around, puzzled, but there is no one to be seen. So she shakes her head and walks on. But as soon as she walks on, she hears that voice again, pleading and sobbing. She stops again, thinking that her mind is playing tricks on her. She stands there quietly, listening and looking around. But there is no one to be seen, only the seagulls fighting over some prize in that pile of kelp. She keeps listening for a while, but time is pressing, so she finally walks on again. Immediately she is stopped in her tracks. That little voice is sobbing now and pleading for help, Erika, Erika, please help me. It seems to come from that pile of kelp. So Erika rushes over there, sending the seagulls screaming into flight. In the dimming light of the evening, she can see what looks like the tail of a large fish. It is covered all over with bluish-green scales, shimmering in the last light of the setting sun. It does not move, but on its side there is a nasty large wound, blood oozing out of it. The seagulls have been feeding on it, ripping pieces of flesh out of it. Erika touches the fish to see if it is still alive. Its head is buried within the kelp pile. So she decides that it is dead and turns to walk away. The seagulls start to move in again. Now she hears a whimpering and sobbing coming from within the kelp pile. Hastily she tears away the top of it. What lies before her almost makes her heart stop. She stands transfixed, unable to move, staring in disbelief at her find. The upper part of the fish is not a fish at all; it is a small girl, a mermaid. She is all covered with sand, dirt, and seaweed, her face hidden from view by her long blond hair.

Erika thinks that she must be dreaming. But there is no mistaking it: it is a mermaid. She lies there, quiet, not moving, as if dead, her eyes closed. A million thoughts are racing through Erika’s mind. She does not know what to do or what to think. Is this just her imagination, or is it real? She kneels down next to this little creature, staring at it, trying to decide what to do. She strokes her and finds that she is cold, blood dripping from her wound. Erika’s mind is racing. If she is really dead, should she just leave her here and go home?

It is fast getting dark, the sun just disappearing below the waves. If she were to leave her here and tell anyone that she has found a mermaid at the beach, they would surely have a great laugh. They would tell her that she was just imagining things from fairy tales or that she has gone crazy. But then again, if she just left her here and she was still alive, she would surely die or be killed by some animals during the night. So she decides to take her home. But how? She seems to be just about as big as herself, and it is a long way home. The only way is to carry her, and hope that nobody would see them. It seems to be an impossible task, but at least she could try. Besides, it is almost dark now, and no one would be able to see them anyway.

She decides to carry her along the beach for as far as possible and then across the fields and over the hill to her house. So she picks her up in her arms and starts walking. She has to leave her bucket with shells and rocks behind, deciding to come back for them some other day, but they are no longer very important anyway. It seems like an incredibly long and hard way home. And as she walks on, her whole body begins to ache, and her arms feel numb, almost without feeling. Several times she stumbles and falls, but each time she gets up again and stubbornly walks on, carrying her precious cargo. Tears of desperation start running down her face, but she does not give up. She just keeps walking on and on along the beach, across the road, through a field, and up a hill toward her home.

She is completely exhausted by the time she reaches the backyard of her house. It is completely dark now. She carefully puts her cargo down on the grass and lies down herself. She is wet from perspiration and breathing heavily, thinking about what to do next. She hopes that her mom has not become worried and started looking for her, even though she has told her where she was going. But the car parked in the driveway means that she is at home.

After relaxing for a while and gathering her strength, she gets up and quietly opens the back door and goes inside, careful not to make any noise. She tiptoes into the kitchen, but nobody is there. She checks the living room, no one there either. Finally, she goes to the downstairs bedroom. The shower is running, and her mom is singing in the bathroom. Sticking her head into the doorway, she announces to her mom that she is home. Then she hurries back out to the yard for her little friend. She picks her up and hurries upstairs to her room, careful not to make too much noise. Once upstairs, she would not have to worry too much about her secret being discovered; her mom hardly ever comes up to her room because she always keeps it clean and in good order. Only Dad would come up once in a while, just to chat with her about all kinds of stuff that little girls are interested in.

She puts the mermaid down on the rug then goes to the bathroom and fills the tub with warm water. When it is full, she gently slides the mermaid into the tub. That poor thing looks just awful with that large wound and all that blood and dirt on her, and she hopes that that terrible wound has not killed her. She looks so small now, pale and still, almost as if without life. Erika wants so much for that little thing to be alive. She wants to talk to her and be her friend. She wants so much to know where she has come from and what it is like to live in a world so different from her own. It would be a dream come true.

She has to hurry now, so she quickly washes her face, changes into some shorts and a new shirt, brushes her hair, and rushes downstairs for dinner. Dad has just come home from the office and is sitting in the living room, going through the mail, and Mom is in the dining room, setting the table. She rushes over to Dad, throws her arms around him, and gives him a big kiss on the cheek. How was your day today? she asks. Oh, fine, sweetheart, he replies, but I am glad that this week is over. Here,—he hands her a box of chocolate candies, her favorite—and give this bottle of wine to Mom.

Mom is in the kitchen, singing as usual and getting dinner ready. Erika gives her a big hug and a kiss and the bottle of wine. Please, sweetheart, says Mom, get the wineglasses and light the candles. She then brings in the food and calls Dad to come to the table.

Today is a special day, and Mom has made a very special dinner, Erika’s favorite: beef roll, red cabbage, and mashed potatoes and gravy. Erika loves these special dinners by candlelight, and they always last for a very long time. Today she graduated from first grade, and her report card had all straight As, making Mom and Dad very happy. Dad even promised her a trip to Hawaii as a reward.

But tonight’s dinner is more of a torture for Erika. She loves these dinners with her parents, but tonight she is anxious about her little friend upstairs in the bathtub. She only hopes that her parents won’t notice her nervousness and absentmindedness. She is very worried but tries to participate in the conversation as much as possible. She could not hurt Mom’s and Dad’s feelings by leaving the table early, so she stays and talks, even though she is very anxious to get back to her room. But finally she says, Mom, Dad, please excuse me for leaving the table early, but I would like to finish fixing up my new aquarium, clean my room, and watch my favorite TV show.

That’s all right, replies Dad. Go ahead, sweetheart, but don’t stay up too late.

Before rushing upstairs, she stops at Mom’s bathroom to get some salves, bandages, and pain medicines from the medicine cabinet for her little patient. When she gets back upstairs, she locks her door and rushes to the bathroom. Her little friend is still lying there, seemingly lifeless, the way she has left her, half submerged in the bathtub. She has not moved at all, but the water around her wound has turned red with blood. Erika gets a washcloth and soap and turns on the shower. Warm water gently sprays the mermaid’s face and body, washing away some of the sand and dirt. With a washcloth and soap, she cleans the upper body. The lower body she gently scrubs with a soft brush, being careful not to touch her wound. The scales on her tail seem strange and hard to the touch, but as she keeps on cleaning them with soap, they become soft and pliable and start to shine in an iridescent sort of way. They reflect the light in a blue-green sheen, even red, and sometimes in all the colors of the rainbow.

It takes a long time until she has cleaned her whole body and removed all the sand and dirt from her. Several times she has to change the dirty water, but she keeps on working without stopping. Finally, when her friend is clean enough, she rubs the whole fish part with fine oil and her upper human body with perfumed body lotion. Then she dries and brushes her beautiful long blond hair. When she finally finishes, she is dead tired. So she goes to the bedroom, throws open the covers, picks up her friend, and puts her in bed, turning her attention now to that awful wound on her tail that has begun bleeding again. With some cotton balls and warm water, she cleans it, applies some cool medicated ointment, and bandages her whole tail. Then she covers her up and turns off the lights.

The only thing left to do now is to clean the mess in the bathroom. Once that is done, she takes a quick shower and puts on her pajamas. She decides to go downstairs and say good night to Mom and Dad, who are still in the living room, having some wine, and just talking, making plans for that trip to Hawaii as they have promised Erika for her good report card. Erika knows that it is a beautiful place and has been very anxious to see it. But right now, all that is not so important anymore. The only thing that counts now is her little friend upstairs in her bed. But she can’t tell her parents that yet; she has to keep that a secret for just a little while longer. So after talking to them for a few minutes, she gives both of them a hug and a kiss, tells them that she is very tired, and goes back upstairs.

Erika loves her parents very much and has to find a way of telling them about her big secret. But she does not have to do that right now. Tomorrow or some other day would be early enough. Once upstairs she locks her door and goes over to the bed. Her little friend still has not moved at all. Tucked under the covers, she looks just like any other little girl; but her face is very pale, almost lifeless. Erika thinks about how beautiful she looks and tries to think of what else she might be able to do to help her survive.

Suddenly a deep sadness overcomes her. What if she will never come back to life? Tears come to her eyes, and she starts to sob. She kneels beside the bed, cups that lovely small face in her hands, and kisses her forehead. She presses her cheek against hers while tears are running down her face. She whispers in desperation, Oh please, dear God, please let her live. She is so small, so lovely, and so beautiful. I want her to be my friend, and I will take good care of her and nurse her back to health. Then she pulls a comfortable chair over to the bed and sits down, looking at her patient. She begins stroking her beautiful long blond hair. She wonders who and where her parents might be, if they are crying for her right now, and if they would try to find her. She tries to imagine the