Read Online Son of a Mermaid by Katie O'Sullivan - Free Book Online
Authors: Katie O'Sullivan
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mode. “Maybe we can figure out which house that other girl lives in, the one you met on the beach. Do you think it’s one of the big ones on the water? That would be cool to see inside one of those, to see if they’re as fancy inside as they look from outside. I mean, our new house is big, but my mom has her work cut out for her. And, of course, I wouldn’t mind a girl to hang out with. No offense, you know. But you are a boy and all.”
Shea was grinning from ear to ear, listening to Hailey’s running commentary as they walked through the kitchen door into the backyard. The screen door slammed shut behind him, stopping Shea in his tracks. “Oh, hang on a minute! I almost forgot.” He ran back inside and opened the door to the basement, to the laundry room where his grandmother had descended earlier. “Gramma,” he called down, “Mrs. McFadden said to remind you about bridge today at the Community Center. It’s your turn to drive since her husband’s out at sea.”
“You must’ve misheard,” Martha called back. “Or maybe she’s confused again.”
“What do you mean?” Shea was sure he’d gotten the message right.
“Mr. McFadden died a few years ago. Mr. Guenther took his place at our bridge table. I think the two of them might have a little bit of a thing going on between them.”
Shea’s frowned at the thought of his grandmother hanging out with that creepy old man, or that he might be having a “thing” with anyone, even the dotty old lady with the orange cat. “Whatever,” he muttered under his breath as he hurried out the door to catch up with Hailey. He’d ask Martha the questions about his parents later on, maybe at dinner or something. He had plenty of time. After all, he was stuck here on the Cape for good. At least he finally had someone to hang out with.
Things on Cape Cod were finally looking up.
Chapter Eight
The warming ocean currents of late spring meant planting season in Nantucket Sound, and Kae enjoyed helping her mother work with the seedlings in the castle’s many gardens. Even if her mother thought of it as punishment for breaking the rules.
Kae enjoyed the slow pace of planting, gently coaxing the baby greens to grow alongside the algae-covered walls surrounding the underwater castle. She moved carefully down the rows of tender new growth, concentrating on slowing the flutter of her tailfins so as not to stir the sand and loam from the ocean’s bottom. She didn’t want to dislodge the seedlings before they had a chance to take root.
Using a clamshell trowel, she worked her way slowly down the row, lost in her concentration and her thoughts. She reflected on her younger years, when she would spend hours in muddy clouds stirred by her childish enthusiasm. Her mother always set aside a small patch on one end of the gardens, calling it Kae’s Corner. The rows were never as straight or neat in that area, and there would inevitably be a strange plant or two growing tall in the middle, a stray she’d brought home from one of the other fields. But over the years, having her own patch of greenery to tend taught Kae to appreciate the cycles of life in the summer months, and she learned new respect for her fellow farming Aequoreans.
In recent years, though, the war with the Adluos had pressed well into the waters of the Atlantic, making summertime travel more and more dangerous. Kae spent the last few summers stuck in the South Atlantic at the heavily fortified Winter Castle, tending the needs of the Princess, while the King and a smaller entourage traveled north for the traditional observance of the Solstice. Her parents had accompanied the King on these journeys, leaving her behind, wistful for the calm beauty of Nantucket Sound.
With the Oceans finally on the brink of peace, the King had decided to relax some of his wartime mandates, including lifting the ban on free travel within the regions of the Atlantic. In a few weeks, dignitaries from all the world’s
Shea was grinning from ear to ear, listening to Hailey’s running commentary as they walked through the kitchen door into the backyard. The screen door slammed shut behind him, stopping Shea in his tracks. “Oh, hang on a minute! I almost forgot.” He ran back inside and opened the door to the basement, to the laundry room where his grandmother had descended earlier. “Gramma,” he called down, “Mrs. McFadden said to remind you about bridge today at the Community Center. It’s your turn to drive since her husband’s out at sea.”
“You must’ve misheard,” Martha called back. “Or maybe she’s confused again.”
“What do you mean?” Shea was sure he’d gotten the message right.
“Mr. McFadden died a few years ago. Mr. Guenther took his place at our bridge table. I think the two of them might have a little bit of a thing going on between them.”
Shea’s frowned at the thought of his grandmother hanging out with that creepy old man, or that he might be having a “thing” with anyone, even the dotty old lady with the orange cat. “Whatever,” he muttered under his breath as he hurried out the door to catch up with Hailey. He’d ask Martha the questions about his parents later on, maybe at dinner or something. He had plenty of time. After all, he was stuck here on the Cape for good. At least he finally had someone to hang out with.
Things on Cape Cod were finally looking up.
Chapter Eight
The warming ocean currents of late spring meant planting season in Nantucket Sound, and Kae enjoyed helping her mother work with the seedlings in the castle’s many gardens. Even if her mother thought of it as punishment for breaking the rules.
Kae enjoyed the slow pace of planting, gently coaxing the baby greens to grow alongside the algae-covered walls surrounding the underwater castle. She moved carefully down the rows of tender new growth, concentrating on slowing the flutter of her tailfins so as not to stir the sand and loam from the ocean’s bottom. She didn’t want to dislodge the seedlings before they had a chance to take root.
Using a clamshell trowel, she worked her way slowly down the row, lost in her concentration and her thoughts. She reflected on her younger years, when she would spend hours in muddy clouds stirred by her childish enthusiasm. Her mother always set aside a small patch on one end of the gardens, calling it Kae’s Corner. The rows were never as straight or neat in that area, and there would inevitably be a strange plant or two growing tall in the middle, a stray she’d brought home from one of the other fields. But over the years, having her own patch of greenery to tend taught Kae to appreciate the cycles of life in the summer months, and she learned new respect for her fellow farming Aequoreans.
In recent years, though, the war with the Adluos had pressed well into the waters of the Atlantic, making summertime travel more and more dangerous. Kae spent the last few summers stuck in the South Atlantic at the heavily fortified Winter Castle, tending the needs of the Princess, while the King and a smaller entourage traveled north for the traditional observance of the Solstice. Her parents had accompanied the King on these journeys, leaving her behind, wistful for the calm beauty of Nantucket Sound.
With the Oceans finally on the brink of peace, the King had decided to relax some of his wartime mandates, including lifting the ban on free travel within the regions of the Atlantic. In a few weeks, dignitaries from all the world’s
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