Scales: Mermaids Are Real Page #3

It's the only name

I've ever had...

so it's not very curious to me.

Sounds normal, but that might

have been true...

no matter what they called me.

Well, he's inside, come around.

Thank you.

So, you're one of Adam's

friends.

How old are you?

11, almost 12.

Hm, wow, happy almost birthday

to you.

Thank you.

Siren?

Sorry, you scared me.

I thought maybe since you

dropped by on me, I might...

Drop by also.

Yeah, but I didn't mean

to almost break...

your dad's things, though.

Don't worry about those ships.

He's got tons of junk here.

I like this one.

Ah, the wailing stick,

it's used to kill large fish.

They say the ball

at the other end...

is used to call them to shore.

Its tip can pierce

through tough skin.

Some fish, the kind that you

might read about.

Well, some fish, they are quite

difficult to catch.

I didn't really read a lot

of books about fish.

No?

Your mom doesn't tell you

any stories?

Are you guys hunters?

Depends on what's being hunted.

That's a tranquilizer gun,

it's not for kids.

Anyway, uh, Siren, what did

you need?

Nothing really...

want to go on a walk?

Dad?

Sure, take a walk.

After all, you have two legs,

don't you?

It was nice of you to stop by.

Yeah?

Unexpected, but nice.

Yeah, well, I needed someone

to talk to.

What about?

I'm gonna sound like a crazy

person.

You can trust me, Siren,

I won't freak out.

People say things like,

"I won't freak out."

But then once you realize

I really do sound crazy...

you might feel differently.

I won't, I promise. Go crazy.

I'm a mermaid.

Wait.

Are you being serious right now?

Okay, I'm starting to get

the crazy bit.

You know, you were just on two

feet and not in the water, so...

You're not going into the water,

right?

I'm not a mermaid yet.

Okay, I'm actually having a hard

time telling if you're joking.

I'm not joking.

I'm kind of freaking out,

actually.

Just tell me I'm crazy.

I'd prefer if I were crazy.

At least that I can understand.

So you're a mermaid?

Wait, so you're really

a mermaid?

You know, my dad tells me

these stories.

Do you have gills?

Gross! No, I don't have gills.

Okay, relax. I was just asking.

How else do you breathe

underwater?

Want to go for a swim?

What kind of stories

did your dad tell you?

They're a bit dark.

You really know how

to cheer a girl up.

Hey, I'm trying.

If it makes you feel any better,

my dad's a bit of a nut.

Are you okay?

Just checking for scales.

Anyway, I want to show you

something, come on.

What is this place?

Why are we here?

My dad got this storage

when we moved here.

As if our house didn't already

have enough junk in it.

At least he trusts you

with the combo.

My mom holds as much information

from me as possible.

It's actually set to my

birthday...

so I kind of just figured

it out.

My dad would kill me if he found

out I was taking you here.

Wow, what exactly does your dad

do again?

You're kind of looking at it.

He collects stuff.

Nautical stuff.

You know, ocean items to

folklore-type things.

Really?

A lot of things about mermaids

actually.

Is that the reason you

moved here?

To be close to my kind?

I guess.

It's not like we had a long

conversation about it.

Here, check this out.

Mermaids and other Sea...

Creatures?

That's the Wailing Stick.

It's the one from the drawing.

He's got a replica in here

somewhere.

Can I see it?

If I can find it.

It's lighter than I would've

thought.

My dad said the core

is balsa wood...

and the outside is something

called snake wood.

It's supposed to be rare.

It's beautiful.

So are you.

I'm sorry. You're really pretty.

That's what I meant.

New shirt?

New shirt?

Come on, we should go.

The crystal ball on the end.

According to the story, if

a mermaid sticks that side...

in the water, it'll call the

other mermaids to her side.

It acts sort of like a distress

signal.

One side kills, and one side

calls for help?

That sounds dangerous.

It is. That's what makes

it a good story.

It's just a replica, Siren.

Don't worry about it,

it's not real.

Great.

Mom?

Mom, you scared me!

You had me worried sick.

I've also been worried sick...

but about having to live

in the ocean.

You should have told me earlier,

given me time to prepare.

I know. I know that.

I wish you could be

out there with me.

You know what somebody

told me once about parenting?

They said that it's a series

of moments...

where you have to let go.

I just didn't think I had

to let go all at once.

I thought I could just

sort of loosen my grip.

Will Crystal be out there

with me at some point?

In a few months, you're on

different clocks, so to speak.

I wish I could change my clock

to be in sync with hers.

It doesn't really work

like that.

Here, there's something I should

have given you a long time ago.

What is it?

It's an aerator.

It's gonna help you

transition from land to sea.

You need to keep this on you

until you're in the water, okay?

What do I do with it?

When your gills start to come

in, you're going to need to...

Ew. Yuck!

When they come in, you need

to put this on both sides...

of your neck like this, okay?

To cover them, so that

you can breathe.

The transition to mermaid the

first time, it's slow and...

Ugly?

Yeah, sure, I was looking for a

nicer word, but...

There's no nice word for ugly.

I'm gonna miss you.

I'm going to miss you, too.

Have you heard

of the Wailing Stick?

Where did you hear that?

Boy at my school, he had all

these old books...

and his dad had a replica of it

in his storage locker.

What boy?

Just this new kid, Adam Wiltz.

When did he move here?

I don't know.

How many people did he move

here with?

Why can't we just have

a nice moment?

We had a nice moment.

Now I'm asking you some very

important questions.

I don't know, I met his dad...

but he might have an army living

in his basement.

How did you meet his dad?

Don't talk to him ever again!

Fine.

Is that a real fine

or a pretend fine?

Oh my god, okay.

We're gonna talk about this

more in the morning, okay?

Okay.

No more secrets.

No more secrets.

I don't know,

that's all she said...

a new boy and his father.

There's got to me more, right?

They are hunters. You know what

they want her for?

I know, that's why I called you.

I have no useful information,

I thought maybe you would.

Apparently I know less than you.

Maybe we should notify

the others.

I'll take care of it.

I mean, if they're here because

they think someone...

is gonna change, they can't

know who, right?

Who won't know who?

Good morning, did we wake

you up?

Hey there, fishy.

Cori, ssh!

Too soon?

What are you talking about, Mom?

Huh?

No more secrets.

No more secrets.

If these people, these new

people are bad people...

you know, well, bad people do

bad things.

I know what's going on and that

was too vague even for me.

The Wailing Stick.

Only two sets of people

know about it.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes