Yes but she is not well (Trap)

You scan the shore line anxiously but see no one. So you conntinue to swim further down along the shore.

Perhaps you'd come to the wrong bay?

You go further out to sea and go around to the next bay which is smaller. This one is perhaps not as linked to the sea current as the last one because the beach is not as covered in detritus.

More stone boulders jut out from the sand and a forest of gnarled trees obscure the rest of the land beyond.

You spy another boulder that's jutting out of the sea which yo think you could get a good view of the beach if you managed to leap up on it. Taking some distance you speed up toward it jump out of the water landing more easily than you'd thought on the rock.

Pushing your torso up with your arms you scan the beach and catch sight of a mermaid like shape by one of the rocks ling on the sand.

You dive into the water immediately and rush over in that direction. Leaping out of the water and crawling the rest of the way towards the frail shape.

You must indeed have found granny maiden because you have never seen such a wizened looking mermaid before, however you are even more so concerned by her pallor and weak movements in response to your telepathic call.

You are by her side in short moments, fingers digging anxiously into the fine sand as you look down at her. She raises her head, face even more so gaunt than you had expected. A bony hand grasps your arm with surprising strength.

"You must leave." she rasps in human words. Her telepathic voice so weak you almost don't understand her.

You shake your head beginning to panic, not understanding the situation but sencing something is wrong. You grasp her by the torso and try to pull her towards the sea.

"Leave me." Granny croaks, urgency blaring over your shared mental link. She lifts her tail and you see that there is something which has tangled in her peduncle you are not sure what as it seems to be made of the same junk you'd seen on the other shore and is tangled with her tail fin and stained by sand.

You move to try to untangle her but she slaps you away.

"Go!" She whispered harshly, but it is the single word which she sends to your mind that suddenly makes you scared.

"Trap"

You look up and suddenly notice there are tall figures sneaking towards you on the beach.

Alarmed you throw yourself backwards to wards the sea, but suddenly hear a roaring and your eyes widen as you see two boats crashing over the she sea. Human shaped figures fill them, holding paddles and strange harpoon like shapes as well as nets.

You make another leap towards the water but the boats are much faster than you expected and you don't think you'll be able to make it to the water before they arrive.

Your land based pursuers have closed the distance between you, the closest one holding something that looks like a net and you lunge to the side as he tosses it at you. It almost snags your tail fin but you roll out of the way just in time.

Bracing your caudal fin against the sand you tense your tail and lunge forward landing hands first, dragging yourself forward and repeating the movement in a leapfrog fashion. It is a painful manoeuvre for you to execute but you are far past caring.

Another of your pursuers has caught up and makes a grab for you. Using strength you didn't know you had, your tail heaves and you manage to flop, almost summersault away. You make another leapfrog moment. Gasping for breath and your muscles burning.

You try again but your tail has no more strength in it and you use your arms to try to crawl away, even your pectoral fins push weakly for purchase on the wet sand.

You're covered at this point with the fine silt and you sob in disappear as you hear splashing behind you and more human voices shouting to each other. You also hear heavy stomping on the sand behind you, they sound unhurried now. Like they have won.

From behind your sand soiled hair you look up and see that you're only crawling further into land.

With a sob you collapse on the ground tears streaking down your face in defeat.