In Southern California, it's so hot that summer doesn't really end until the day before Halloween, but for everyone else, summer is coming to an end. In honor of the coming end of summer, here is a free story.
Download the story for free from the "Free Reads"
Zola has wanted to visit her grandparents in the beautiful beach-side town of Kaprisa for years, but they always insist on coming inland to visit her instead. When she finally gets her chance to visit them, she can tell that there is something they aren't telling her. All they say is stay away from the water.
Zola soon learns that there is something in Kaprisa as temperamental as the waves, causing storms and disappearances every few generations.
She has the sinking feeling that a shadow is watching her when she stands by the sea, but she should be safe on land, right?
I originally wrote this story in the summer of 2015 when I was taking a creative writing class, but I was inspired to work on it again because of the '#Mermay' art challenges and ‘#Sharkweek.’
I posted the design for this character on my Instagram at the end of May. He went through a few name changes {Romanus, Rinus, Tirell}.
It was supposed to be a goofy story about a girl and a merman, but when I wrote it, the story took a life of its own and took a dramatic turn. It became a story of a shark-man that had been in love with the main character since she was a child. He was angry, years later, when she did not feel the same way. The story has become longer and more detailed, but now it is up to the reader to decide whether what he feels for her is love or a possessive fascination.
Inspirations:
Though most people think of 'The Little Mermaid' when they think of mer-people or sea-folk, that was not where I got my inspiration. I was inspired by the beaches of Southern California in summer and the summer's general association with mermaids and sharks.
During my search for revision inspiration, I found that my story had a similar idea to the story "Agnete and the Merman,"—which has several different versions, including one by Hans Christian Andersen (which is still different than 'The Little Mermaid'). I included a reference to the story during the editing process.
#Shortstory #Novella #Standalone #Fantasy #Fairytale #Magic #Folklore #POCfiction #Charactersofcolor #Blackprotagonist #Drama #Antiromance #Family #Merman #Mermaid #Shark #DomoniqueKendrix
Credits:
Audrey M Jackson on Unsplash for cover photo
Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash for cover photo
Bình luận