"Looking for Mermaids"

LOOKING FOR MERMAIDS 5010 words

Jessie skipped out of the Plaza, singing the mermaids song that had been playing while the credits rolled. Her eyes were set on a pirate ship becalmed on a purple horizon under a purple sky, sparkling with stars. Jessie lived with her Mum, Agnes and Mum's partner Leanne. Jessie's Dad Wes lived with his new partner and Jaden, Jessie's big bro'. They weren't coming tomorrow, when Jessie, Agnes and Leanne and two of their friends were going on holiday. It was sad not to have Jaden, BUT - there might be mermaids there.

There was a yelp and an angry yell. She looked down startled. Two pairs of brown eyes looked up at her. An angry faced man in a wheelchair and a dog, holding up it's paw, with a sad 'You trod on me!' face.

Jessie knelt down

'I'm sooorrry! Poor Doggie!' she stroked its curly head.

'Jessie! Dont touch the dog!' Agnes hurried up behind her.

' Dont touch nothin'. I dont want my 'ead stroking neither.' grumbled the man.

Agnes grabbed her hand but gave the man a 'big mouth no eyes' smile. Jessie, hauled along, looked back over her shoulder. A boy ran out of the cinema and the man turned his chair towards the station. They went off together, the dog stopping behind to sniff at the cherry tree on the corner.

The next day was the first day of the holidays. Doris the camper was loaded up, Leanne, Mum's partner, had finished topping up levels under the bonnet, whatever that meant, and had the tyre pump out now, it was shuddering and groaning loudly.

Alf, who lived next door, stopped to inspect her work, his two Staffies' on their chain flopped down, blocking the pavement as they lolled and panted in the hot sun. Alf tweaked at a few things and tightened something, then he made a roll up and stood watching Leanne cleaning the windscreen. Her long curly hair blew in the warm breeze and she stopped to wipe her forehead. The sun made Alf's head shine like Doris's windows. Agnes loaded up the last of the bags.

Jaden came up on his new bike and held out his hand to Jessie.

'Come here, I got so'ing for your holidaaaay!'

It was a really cool wallet with layers of coloured leather, the name of their favourite band and a star made of silver studs. Inside was a ten pound note. Jaden gave his sister then their mum, one armed hugs and pulled up his hood.

'Have a good time yeah?'

He streaked off towards the river. Jaden, Dad and Stacie lived two streets away. Stacie, Dad's new girlfriend, was older than him and very generous to the kids. Agnes thought that the present had come from her in a vain attempt to win Jessie's friendship. Whatever.

The alternative was even worse.

She looked after Jaden, so thin and preoccupied. Tears came into her eyes.

'He's all right Mum, honest?'

But Agnes took no notice and turned away.

Alf took one final look at Doris and slapped her roof.

'She's ready!' then he waved and sauntered off.

Mum and Leanne's friend Carol, and her daughter Lara hurried up. They were coming too. Everyone settled in. Agnes lifted their dog Dizzee in beside Leanne and got into the driving seat. Jessie looked out of the window the whole way and when they got to the services for more diesel and a wee she didn't even want to go inside. Agnes shrugged and left her there to give Dizzee a walk.

It got windier and was overcast all the way to the campsite, near Southsea. When they got there in the evening Jessie and Lara ran down to the shingly shore and opened their arms to the salty, mist laden breeze off the sea. The sun came back out then, a bit late, Jessie thought, 'cos it was just about to be night time. She began to pick up slipper limpet shells, white, grey and pearly pink. Dizzee span round and round chasing his tail.

'C'mon kids, food!' called Agnes. They ran to the van where an awning was up to one side, the setting sun shining gold on Doris's now dusty windows.

'D'you think mermaids leave these shells on the beach?' asked Jessie but everyone laughed. There were beans and mash with a fried egg on top. Carol said,

'Tomorrow we'll pick cockles and whelks and limpets. Boil 'em up in the bucket!'

'What's cockles and that then?' Lara looked askance.

'Lovely shellfish fresh off the rocks. Bit of pepper and vinegar.'

'Uugh! I ain't eating them!'

'Ah, go on. Your Grandad used to do that when we was kids. Dee-licious!'

Leanne and Lara's mum had put up the tent. It was only £7.99 from Asda last year, but they hadn't gone anywhere then. Jessie wanted to get in her bunk in the funny stick up canvas bit in the roof. She couldn't wait to go to bed. Lara and Carol had the double bunk that went across the table, Leanne and Agnes were sleeping outside in the tent.

The wind made a funny noise around the roof and she could hear the sea slapping and rattling on stones. She sniffed the leathery smell of her new purse inside the sleeping bag and wondered why the sea stopped there and didn't just keep coming ...she thought she could hear a crying noise like a dog whining but Dizzee was fast asleep by the door, tired out. She wondered if there were shops near to spend her ten pounds. Just before she fell asleep she wondered whether the sea was purple in the dark and whether there there were stars on the horizon....

She was woken up by a noise outside and nearly bumped her head trying to sit up.

She slipped off the bunk, avoiding Lara and Carol below, still snoring. She scrambled over the front seat and opened the driver door. It was heavy and she struggled with it. The sun was just coming up to her left. Everything was pink and grey. She looked at the tent, Mum had left the front bit unzipped and she could see her and Leanne through the mesh, squashed up with their backs to each other, still asleep too.

Jessie skipped along the path at the edge of the grass. Now she could hear the whining better. Behind a low wall with criss cross fencing on top. She skipped over between the tents and campers where everyone was asleep, singing quietly to herself. The “What shall we do with the drunken sailor...” song from Mum's old tape player in Doris. She climbed on the wall where there was a gap and saw lots of runs and kennels full of dogs. A woman was there, with a mop and bucket and a shovel. Cleaning out the runs.

'Get down there, you!' she shouted.

'I only want to see the dogs,' Jessie said, but she put one foot back down.

'Bless you, I wasn't shouting at you, love. Come over and see the dogs if you like. Get down, Dino!'

The dogs all came out and began to bark as Jessie walked towards them, laughing as voices started complaining from the tents nearby.

'Shhh! Get back inside!' the woman roared and surprisingly the dogs did quieten down.

'Good job there's no neighbours,' she said.

'But there's people like us, we're neighbours?' said Jess looking back over the grass where tents and campers straggled at the edge of the shingle. She walked up and down the rows, admiring the dogs who looked expectantly out at her.

'Well, you're only temporary, like. Whoops, who'se this?'

A very small man was scowling at them through the fence.

'What's this bleedin' noise? I'm stuck on a noisy train for hours on end, then a rotten bus and now I'm here with the hound of the bleedin' Baskervilles howlin' all night!'

'Dad! It's only a boarding kennels, look!' A tall boy came up and pointed at a sign beyond the kennels where a bungalow stood.

Jessie began to smile. It was the man from the Cinema, he wasn't small at all, his chair had been hidden by the wall, and the boy wasn't that tall. She trotted back down the path.

'Hallo! D'you remember me yesterday[? I trod on your dog. Where is he?'

The man stared at her.

'Well that's a coincidence. A coincidence aint it Luke? Where you staying then?'

Jessie leaned over the fence and pointed back up the beach. The canvas roof stuck out above the rest of the campers. She could see Mum standing and stretching, doing her exercises. What an embarassment!

'Oh, er, up that way.'

'You're in the Bongo,' said the boy. 'That your Mum is it?' he looked as if a smile was trying to pull up the sides of his mouth.

'What? Oh, no. Dont know who that is. I gotta go! Thanks for letting me see the dogs!'

She climbed back over the wall, the man held her hand to help her and a friendly grin replaced the scowl.

“You come down and see us, we're in the orange tent down there, Sunny's there an' all. We don't shut our dog away in prison when we goes on our holidays!' Abruptly the smile disappeared and he glared through the fence at the dog woman.

'I'll try and keep 'em quiet.' She said, 'But it's the holidays now so we're full up!'

'All right my love! Not your fault! You come an' ave a cup of tea later an' all! And you, Princess, bring your Mum too!' Jessie looked at the boy who was looking as embarrassed as Jessie felt. He met her eyes and shrugged.

'Parents!' she thought.

She ran back up the path to Doris. It was starting to rain.

Mum and Leanne decided to go shopping, and Lara wanted to go. Carol and Jessie stayed in Doris watching them rustle away in their stiff black kagouls. The rain beat down loudly on the roof and dripped through the canvas bit. Carol tried to stop it, but ended up stuffing a towel into the seam.

Jessie felt miserable. Carol got out the scrap book and glue, and her bag of special make and do things. Jessie was soon absorbed in sticking the limpet shells down in a spiral pattern onto grey paper. They would look for a piece of board that would take the weight of the shells to mount it on later.

Then she began to make a sunset sky with the sea below, like in the pirate film. Carol drew the ship. It was called a Galleon. Jessie wanted a mermaid so she drew one sitting on a rock and then they got the sparkle glue and made stars in the sky and scales on the mermaids tail. Carol showed her how to make reflections wavering in the water. It kept on raining all day and into the night. Some drips came through the towel onto Jessie.

The next day was grey, but not raining. They got up very early and decided to drive over to the New Forest later. Mum was worried about leaving the tent so Jessie, forgetting to be embarrassed because she wanted to see New Forest ponies, ran along the site, looking for an orange tent. The boy, Luke, was there on his own.

'Where's your Dad?' She called

'Down the pier fishing. Been there all night!' he pointed along the beach where a pier was just visible. The path turned into a prom. later, he told her, and his dad could get about really easily here.

Jessie told him she'd hoped he could make sure their tent was OK while they went to the New Forest. He looked interested.

'I'd like to see that.' he said. Jessie felt awkward.

'I'll have to ask everyone.'

'No, dont bother.'

Lara came up, looking curiously at Luke. They introduced themselves, Lara said she would run back and ask if he could come with them. Luke said no, but they could tell he wanted to go. Then Luke's Dad came back, his strong arms seemingly effortlessly racing the wheelchair along the path.

'Get the stove on! I got loads!' he called. Sure enough, a bag of shining silver, black barred mackerel were tipped out on the grass. Luke ordered Sunny away and Jessie held his collar while they put them on a little camping table and started to prepare their breakfast,

'Had yer breakfast? No? Get yer family over here. There's enough to feed an army.'

Jessie pulled a face at the dark red guts spilling over the table, but when the fish were prepared and washed with seawater, Luke took the table down to the sea to clean it. His Dad let Jessie pour in some oil and lay one in the frying pan. She squealed at the slippery cold feel of them and said she would be sick, but within seconds the sizzling started, a delicious smell came up, not fishy at all, she thought, but just like the sea. A savoury sea smell. Luke's Dad showed her how to judge when they were ready to be turned, and how they went less shiny when they were cooked.

Luke went off after Lara to tell the others to bring forks and plates and soon, looking a bit worried, they all came over.

They hadn't known what to expect, Jessie supposed. Agnes gasped to see Jessie confidently flipping over a mackerel in the hot pan, and Leanne ran to the edge of the shingle where some wild fennel was growing, and put a few fronds in too.

Soon, they'd all introduced themselves and got talking. Luke's dad, Terry, knew Carol from long ago when they were teenagers, before Terry went in the army and got blown up as he put it. Leanne knew Luke because when she'd helped at Riverside School he'd been in her biology class. Everyone except Lara enjoyed their fish and Jess was bursting with pride. She looked at Agnes, but she was talking to Terry about whether sunflower oil was best... Who cared?

She wanted to text her brother to tell him about her cooking but there was no signal on the beach. Lara, Luke and Jessie went off along the path and climbed up over the road. A lot further down was an open gate to a walled garden and Jessie ran in curiously. It was full of roses nearly all in flower, scrambling up pillars and walls. She raced round the great oval path stopping to sniff each one as she went. She thought, everyone's quite happy. If only Jaden was here, but he's gone boring now, seems to like being with that Stacie and Dad all the time, and he hasn't answered my text.

That evening the three of them sat on the shore and watched the night fall. The Forest had been good, but Luke was disapointed that it hadn't just been trees. Terry explained that a forest meant a hunting ground, not a place just for for trees. They'd gone to a big wide open space, covered in heather all purple and full of bees. Agnes remembered a place called Hundred Acre Wood nearer to Portsmouth where you could walk round trees all day if you wanted. So it was decided they'd all squash into Doris and head off there the next day. A nice couple in the tent next to Terry had promised to look after all their stuff.

Jessie looked out across the water where twinkling lights were coming on. The Isle of Wight. It seemed to be floating in the sea. She sat there until the stars came out, scanning every wave and dip in the water and the other two wandered off. She nearly fell asleep and her Mum and Leanne had to carry her back between them. 'I was looking for a mermaid,' she mumbled.

She discovered that she'd lost her new purse and woke right up. The whole area had to be searched and 'Doris' turned upside down. Jessie cried and cried, because it was a present from Jaden. Agnes bit her lip. She could not afford to replace the purse, let alone ten pounds.

The next day things got worse. When they got back from the woods followed by a fruit picking expedition at a place called Titchfield, another tent was pitched up next to Doris. It was large and looked brand new. The car by it was Dad's old beamer.

Oh no, thought Jessie.

'Is this some sort of sick joke?' Agnes screamed, her face red as her hair. She leaped out of Doris, leaving the engine chugging hotly after another long drive. Wes, Jessie's dad, came hurrying out of the tent. He didn't even have to bend down it was so big.

'Hello, hello Aggy. Stacie thought we'd come and surprise you for a day or two. Got the tent off Ebay! Never been used. Some people eh? Give the kids a chance for some quality time you know.'

'They dont have quality time when we live round the corner so why have you driven 80 miles for nothing?'

Stacie stepped out behind Wes, putting her long streaked blonde hair behind her ears then folding her arms awquardly. A nearly empty wine bottle dangled from her fingers.

'This is the point.' She said, rocking slightly in her spike heels.

'We're all so busy at home and I do want us to be friends.'

'Why's Jaden sat in the car?' Agnes ignored Stacie.

Jessie knew why without asking. Jaden was drumming his long, light brown fingers on the outside of the door. His cap was pulled down over his eyes and his hood pulled up and forward. He was listening to his mp3 so loudly she could hear it even through his In ear pods. He hadn't wanted to come, for sure.

She went up to the car and got in. They sat in silence. Jessie watched Luke and Lara wander off up the beach and Terry deftly drop his chair out of the van and transfer into it, curtly declining Wes's offer of help. Carol looked around and must have been thinking it best to avoid what was coming. She walked after Terry and they made off towards the orange tent.

A full scale row developed. Jaden silently handed Jessie the left side of his headphones and she plugged in thankfully, though she could still hear most of what they were saying through her other ear.

Stacie had drunk a lot, Jessie could tell immediately, and Dad was kind of helpless and apologising to Mum and Leanne, who stood there uncomfortably after switching Doris's noisy engine off. Then Dad apologised to Stacie too! More shouting.

Other people were looking over with disapproving expressions. Jessie shut her eyes and waited for it all to stop. Then, Leanne opened the door and asked Jaden to take Jessie over to Terry's for a while. Terry got them all fish fingers and bread and butter and they sat silently in the dusk. Then Terry said,

'Bugger this for a game of soldiers! Let's go down the pier and play on the machines.'

Carol wrote a note and left it just inside the tent and they set off down the path, the prom, Jessie remembered,a long walk, past the rose garden and the castle. The pier was lit up and people milled about. Jaden walked ahead, too old for the three kids. They followed him feeling happier, and watched all the activity on the pier as Terry made off towards the slot machines. Carol, who never went out much according to Lara, was almost skipping with excitement by his side.

Jessie watched a big ferry glide by, covered with yellow lights.

'What sort of ship is that?'

'Well. It aint no pirate ship going to the Carribean if that's what you're hoping!' Luke laughed.

'It only goes to the Island there and back.'

They were aware of excitement, shouting and cheering and turned round to see Carol waving to them and holding one of the doors open. Terry bowled out grinning and punching the air.

'I won the jackpot! Hundred quid! We'll 'ave a great night tomorrow now, when your Mum and Dad have it made up, Jess... or come to some agreement I suppose, unless they wants to ruin the entire holiday, o' course.'

They all got chips and went slowly back to the campsite. Jaden and Jessie looked worried as they got near.

'Dont worry. That one 'll be asleep by now. Give her a chance. She's only trying to please everyone.' Terry said. Jessie made disbelieving humphing noises.

But there was more noise from their corner of the site. Music, giggling and laughing. Someone had rigged up a light and Wesley and Leanne were under it, cooking something on a driftwood fire. Agnes and Stacie were disco dancing round what looked like two old handbags and the beamer's stereo was blasting out. The disapproving people nearby were joining in, cans in hand and holding out plates. Wes slopped spoonfuls of something on and they all tasted and laughed more. Even the dog woman was there, trying to copy Agnes and Stacie's nifty dance steps.

'If you cant beat 'em join 'em!'

'It's cockles and mussels! Come on Carol!' called Leanne.

'Blimey, did you pick all those yourselves?'

'No, a man in a van came by!'

The others sauntered over and soon the story of the jackpot win was retold. Agnes was saying Terry mustn't spend it on them and Stacie, seeming quite sober, was saying Why not, and Terry was agreeing with her. Wes was smiling happily down on them all.

Jessie shrank back, confused. Were they all friends then? She looked over at the sea, a mist had come down with the darkness and she couldn't tell where the sky began. She went down to her favourite bit of beach where a sort of black fence called a groyne stuck up and sat under it. The tide was right out now and the moon was up, making shaky water paths over to the Island.

Jaden came out of the darkness further along the beach. He stood staring across the water. Jessie sat back against the wooden post and felt something stick in her back. She reached behind her and brought out the new wallet, wet with sea spray. The ten pounds was still inside! She pressed it to her face.

The Mermsids had found it for her and put it where she could find it!

'Oh My God.' she whispered slowly.

'Thank you, thank you!' she called softly

Jaden turned quickly.

'Didn't see you hidin' there!' he sat down next to her and nodded at the wallet.

'You O.K.?'

'Yeah, are you O.K? You're a bit far away now when I see you.'

'Lot on my mind.'

'Mum's worried you might be on drugs, and might like Stacie more than her.' Jessie said bluntly.

'Ridiculous.' He said. Then he turned to her ,

'I'm going in the Navy. Mum's dad, Our Grandad was in the Navy , did you know? It'll be after the summer if my G.C.S.E.'s are right. That's why I've been quiet. But dont tell them yet. Yeah?'

Jessie thought for a while.

'Mum thinks Stacie gave you the money for my wallet.'

'Well, you wouldn't have taken it from her would you. She aint that bad, Jess. And Mum wasn't happy with Dad. There aint so many rows now with her and Leanne are there? And you like Leanne dont you.'

'Oh yes, but I wish Dad was back.'

'Like wishing for the moon. Forget it, it aint gonna happen. But you could come and see Dad and Stacie and me.'

'I'm not going in that house! Mum says.'

'Well, she may think different now. Looks like they're all getting on alright.'

'They dont care what I think anyway.' Jessie felt tears coming and stretched her lips over to cover her teeth and shut her mouth very tight.

Jaden looked at her quickly and said nothing. Luke and Lara crunched over the stones and sat down.

They all sat there, waiting. Jessie fell asleep again and had to be carried to bed. She woke up in a panic on a narrow camp bed in a tent bedroom. She scrambled out and looked in the other bit. Dad and Stacie were asleep on a big airbed in there. She looked at them cuddled up together. There was a smell of booze. She looked around the whole tent. It was cool, with separate rooms and a kitchen with a washing bowl, plates and pots and food on racks. She got herself a drink of water from a clever little tap in the big water bottle and then crept outside.

As usual, everyone else was asleep, even though it was day and sunlight was creeping over from behind Doris. Jaden was asleep in the car. There was a mess from last night, she kicked a rolling beer can and walked off down the field to wait for Luke to wake up. She peeked in the orange tent. Terry was there lying next to Carol. God, adults! Why did they always have to swap about. Why couldn't they stay in their own beds? Luke must be sleeping in Doris then.

She sat by the sea and threw stones, then she had a thought. She took off her clothes except for her pants and teeshirt and waded into the water. It was quite calm away from the edge but cold, and you had to watch out for the shelf of slidey gravel near the edge. Once you got past that it was OK. She swam up to the next groyne, it was quite a way. The sea was rougher there and she lost her footing as she climbed out, a wave knocked her while she was off balance and she felt herself being sucked along the gravel. She opened her mouth to scream and swallowed the salt water. The wave broke over her head and she was in a glassy green, hissing world, gulping water and trying to hold her breath, for an instant not sure what was up and what was down. Then the sky appeared again and she crawled away from the water crying and retching as another wave smacked her coldly on the back. She felt herself sliding back down the shelf.

There was a rasping thump of footsteps and Stacie was there, pulling her away and making lots of noise. She produced a big soft towel and wrapped Jessie up. Jessie just accepted the hugs, the firm reassuring voice and overwhelming feeling of relief to be out of the sea. She allowed Stacie to carry her back to the tent and was soon warm, wrapped up in another huge purple towel drinking warmed milk and eating dark, juicy cherries. She explained to Stacie what had happened. Dad got up then and hugged her till she couldn't breathe and wanted to hear the story too. Then he went to get Agnes. Everyone was shocked and kept hugging Jessie, who began to enjoy herself and embellish the tale a bit. Jaden stood back and she heard him say to Mum,

'Shame she has to nearly drown to get some attention from you innit.'

Mum was upset at this and started to dab at Jessies cuts and grazes with creme from a mini first aid kit the resourceful Leanne had remembered. Jessie just looked at her. Then Mum got cross and told her off for swimming with no one else there and making everyone worry. Mum started to cry and Stacie of all people began to cry too. The two enemies hugged each other, rocking to and fro.

Jaden looked at Jessie, then they both started to laugh.

On the last day Jessie went to Portsmouth with Agnes, Leanne and Stacie. They went to a big shopping place called Gunwharf Quays where you could still see the sea when you came out of the shops. Then they went to see an old, old ship called the Mary Rose, which Agnes said had once looked a bit like a pirate ship. It was the wooden skeleton of the ship and Jessie stared at it entranced. She looked carefully at all the things they'd found in it and watched a film of it being raised out of the sea, the year Leanne was born, she said. There were things with a moon and star on too, mugs and things in the shop. The man told her it was the crest for Portsmouth, which was a Naval City, he said. The Sailors looked at stars to remind them of their way. Underneath the crest was written,

“Heaven's light Our Guide.”

Jessie asked to go back to the shops after that and they walked around with her as she looked in the windows.

'What are you looking for love?' asked Agnes.

Jessie didn't answer. She'd suddenly found what she was looking for, pinned onto purple velvet pads at an outside jewellery stall. They were two pounds fifty pounds each. So this was what her holiday money was meant for, definitely! She could get all four for £10.

Tiny brooches, in the shape of mermaids. And one in the shape of a star.

'Pink for Mum, green for Leanne, purple for Stacie, cos you're all like my Mums now and we all got together by the sea.' she explained, handing them out. They were speechless.

She ran ahead before they could all hug and kiss her. She didn't answer when they asked her who the star was for. She would keep it until Jaden needed it. When he went off to sea like their Grandad.

Something to remind him. A star to guide him back home to them all.

The end