Day 12: The Not-So-Little Mermaid [ Sisters / Mermaid ]

Eliot found the sight of large, thick clouds looming on the horizon like twisting towers behind the horizon at the end of the ocean with the clear blue sky on the other side of the beach quite jarring.
A strong wind was rolling in followed by a stronger wind, and Elliot found it prudent to go back home. Fortunately Elliot didn't live far from the beach, and could easily seek shelter from the incoming storm after a few steps.
The rain struck, first hard then really hard, then started moving sideways. It didn't seem to subside very soon, and after listening to three hours of a ten hour loop of Desu Desu Desu, he went to sleep.

When he woke up he took a bowl of musli with dry apricot, and headed to the beach where he ate it. Lots of debris and seaweed had ended up on the beach from the storm, including some seashells.
Most notably however was the 45 foot long mermaid stranded on the middle of the beach, apparently sleeping or ****, her black voluminous hair cascading her face, warping around the beach like a huge tarp. From her waist down a layer of grayish violet scales covered her body, forming into a sort of shell fitting on to her like a tight dress, but ending in a large fish tail.
Elliot found himself unable to decide if he should go closer or stay far away. His feet nonetheless moved him closer while he was eating from his cereals. He could feel the warm, regular bursts of wind that was the mermaid's breath as he got closer, constituting quite the breeze both to and away from him even though it would be quite gentle breath from such a giantess.

The mermaid opened her eyes, and Elliot dropped his bowl of cereals and jumped away startled.
"Was... was that a land dweller?" With trouble the mermaid trailed her arm along the sand, using it to push the screen of black hair away from her face, "Why hello there, little guy! Don't be scared, I won't hurt you."
"Uh, thanks... sorry..." Elliot said and walked back up to her.
"I'm Erteia, pleasure to meet you, Elliot." The giant mermaid coughed into her elbow, causing the very earth to tremble.
"Are... you doing all right?" Elliot asked.
"I... could be doing much better. People of this size really aren't supposed to be on land. Even breathing is hard, and I can hardly lift my limbs.”
"Are... are all mermaids big like this?"
Erteia chuckled, "What're you talking about? You're the one who is small... though I guess since you live on land there's a limit to how big you can grow."
"Yeah," Elliot said, "Looking at how you're doing I can totally believe that. Do you need any help?"
"Can you push me into the ocean?"
"I... don't think so?" Elliot said, being put on the spot. She must weigh tons. He also didn't know what was an appropriate place to... push.
"You won't know if you don't try." Erteia chuckled.
"If you've got trouble lifting your own body then I'm fairly sure I won't stand a chance." Elliot said, "But I'll call up some friends, and we'll manage to find out what we can do together."
"Go ahead little one. I'm not going anywhere." The mermaid playfully flapped her tail, tracing it along the sand.

After having to convince his friends that he wasn't joking, Elliot returned to his giant, marine friend who now laid motionlessly resting on the back of her hand.
"Erteia... Erteia! What's happening? You don't look good at all!"
Elliot's voice seemed to stir something in the mermaid, as she writhed around in the sand and moaned "...this sun though... damn, how do you withstand it? All day too... "
"You are on a beach after all..."
"Elliot... I don't feel so good... the entire beach is spinning"
Elliot sprinted away towards his house, but stopped in his tracks to turn to Erteia, "Just stay calm, keep yourself conscious. Just think... think about the ocean. We'll get you back there soon. All right? "
Erteia nodded dizzily as Elliot sighed. He didn't have a choice though, and headed back to his house.

He returned with a hose that was connected to other hoses reaching all the way to his house. He sprayed at Erteia with the hose, soaking her with water, thus rejuvenating her. A colourful arc of light appeared in the spray of the hosewater, and Erteia caught the beam of water in her mouth.
"Looks like this did the trick huh."
"Grglgrlgrl!" Erteia said. The water soaked into the exposed skin of her upper body as well as her scaley hip, giving it a slippery, glistening appearance.

Finally Elliot's friends arrive, the Pedrito Sister with their tractor and tow truck.
"Wow..." Anki Pedrito said, "You weren't kidding! Those are the biggest boobs I've ever did see!"
"Pffft!" Nina Pedrito waved her hand dismissively, "It doesn't count if she's also big! If I gained a hundred pounds my boobs would be that big too!"
"All right, you two. That's enough! You can obsess about boob-size later." Elliot said, "Right now I need to know if you sisters can move her back into the water."
Anki Pedrito lifted her trucker hat so she could scratch her head underneath, "Well...."
"Well," confirmed Nina, "The sand's gonna make it very hard to move something that size, but..."
"But..." Anki confirmed with a smile.
"But we've never backed off from a challenge before! Right, Anki?"
"That's right, Nina! Now let's get this beach moving!"
Elliot hugged the both of them, "Aww, you two are the best!" He looked towards Erteia, who looked longingly towards the ocean, "...you miss your home, right?"
Erteia sighed "It was lovely seeing you, and being with someone so small who isn't afraid of me... but all my friends and family are out there. I was simply not made for the world up here."
"I understand. Maybe you can come visit someday."
"Heh, yeah." Erteia said, "Maybe you could come visit me as well."
"I'd love that."
With lots of trial and error, and the appropriate amount of swearing, the Pedrito Sisters managed to tether the tail of the mermaid, and scoop her up into the maws of the tractor, carrying her to the cliff side and dropping her into the deep side of the ocean.

Elliot was there to wave her goodbye, and saw her jumping and frollicing in the ocean against the background of the setting sun. He smiled seeing her safe and sound, but nonetheless his happiness for her was lukewarm from the feeling of letting her go.
Nina rested her hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, Eli. There's plenty of fish in the sea."
Even to this day, Elliot spends his evenings looking out towards the ocean, seeing if he can't get a glimpse of the giant tail of the mermaid as she frolics in her home that is the sea.