Lindsey Henderson
The Aging Process of a Mermaid Ever since humans first discovered mermaids they have worshipped them for their beauty. They’re known for their long shiny hair, their flawless skin, and their strong powerful tails. Very few, however, know the legend of how these creatures obtain their beauty. If you’ve never seen a newborn mermaid, be grateful. It’s not a pretty sight. They kind of look like human newborns: bald with alien looking eyes. Except newborn mermaids are slimmer and covered in scales, with a tail instead of legs. Newborn mermaids are hideous and if you saw one you’d think: “How do these things grow into the beautiful creature we’re used to seeing?” The answer is their mother. Childbirth for a mermaid is painful enough, but it only gets worse as their child grows up. From the moment they’re born, a mermaid slowly begins to gain beauty. They do this by sucking it from the mother. It’s a magical connection between a mermaid and her daughter, and a natural process for them. The older the daughter gets the more beauty she sucks from her mother. As the daughter’s hair grows long, and her skin starts to glow, the mother loses her hair and gains wrinkles. The mermaid’s body begins to shrivel up until there’s almost nothing left. When a mermaid reaches the prime of their beauty which is on her twentieth birthday, the daughter will eat her mother and gain whatever resources are left. A ceremony is held, of course, so everyone can gather around and witness the mother’s last minutes alive. The last thing a mermaid sees as she looks into her daughter’s eyes is her daughter’s fangs growing and becoming visible, before a bloody feeding frenzy erupts and the water becomes red. It’s a cruel way to die, but it’s a mermaid’s natural way of life and the order of how things work. For Katalina her own expiration date was fast approaching, and she was terrified. In her youth Katalina had been gorgeous. She had long curly brown hair and eyes as blue as the ocean her people swam in. She was admired by everyone, and chased by multiple mermen. When she found a mate and became pregnant she knew what she was signing up for. Part of her wanted to fight him off to avoid it all, but it’s a mermaid’s instinct to reproduce, so Katalina gave into her natural desires and signed her death sentence. As soon as she gave birth and looked at her daughter, Katalina knew all she’d feel from now on was pain. Her daughter already possessed the deep blue eyes her mother had, and was already growing hair before she was one year old. Katalina named her daughter Luna and loved her with all her heart, even though she knew what was coming. Twenty years was still far away though; she had plenty of time to enjoy her life. Sadly her life would be filled with anything
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