#sympatry is when two different populations of the same species share a geographic location and encounter each other often

[authortango]

Sympatry of Mermaid Kind

Word Count: 773

Themes: mermaids, fantasy, urban fantasy

@flashfictionfridayofficial

Aegaea’s head bobbed on the surface of the water, watching a crowd of tourists and locals alike gather around their little town’s dock. Just like them, she watched in wonder and awe, transfixed by the woman in the water.

Aegaea had seen her perform once before, and had frequently visited the docks since that first sighting. The performance perplexed and excited her. This woman had a tail, like her own - but it wasn’t completely fused at her waist. This woman also wore the cloth covering of the human folk around her chest - a habit that Aegaea had never seen among her own people.

Aegaea longed to get closer to the woman, to ask her so many questions. How far away was her colony? How far did she have to swim to get here? Why did she perform for the humans? What did she gain from their attention?

Eventually, the crowd dispersed, a few people mingling or stopping by to take pictures with their flashing rectangles. Aegaea swam slowly closer, nervous to approach the other mermaid, as well as drawing attention from the human folk. But her desire to know more about this other species of mermaid caused her to inch forward.

However, before she could get closer to this strange creature, the other mermaid hoisted herself onto the dock, and began fiddling with one of those large cloth bags some of the humans carried around. As Aegaea paused to watch her, to her astonishment the mermaid pulled out one of those flashing rectangles the humans always had! How had she managed to get one? How did it still work if she carried it with her in the water? Even Aegaea knew that the rectangles didn’t work in the water.

Circling closer again, her curiosity too great to keep her away, Aegaea got close enough to the dock that she could see the other mermaid much clearer than before. Her face was round, and her fingers were flat - not pointy at the ends, no fins adorning the side of her face. No gill slits marked her neck - in fact her skin was unmarked completely, aside from the tiniest of dark spots that lay on her brown skin. Her hair was not collagen, but rather a large, dark mass, turned stringy from her time in the water. And her tail…

There was something odd about her tail. It was adequately shiny, this was true, but the scales seemed large - but perhaps this was the mark of her species. There were no extra fins to boost her speed in the water, and her tail fin was completely opaque. Aegaea imagined that she must have to be very strong to propel herself through turbulent waters.

The other mermaid hadn’t noticed her yet, and Aegaea wasn’t sure how to approach her without startling her. She circled the dock a few more times as the mermaid tapped on the rectangle. Her heart nearly leaping out of her chest, she mustered all her courage together and swam close enough to tap the mermaid on the fin.

As soon as she touched the other mermaid, both creatures jumped, startled by the presence of the other. Aegaea was horrified by the way the other mermaid’s tail felt - not nearly as firm as her own tail, and too soft to protect the other mermaid from predators. Who had taken her protective shell? Was she soft-shelled by nature?

Though Aegaea had tried not to startle her, the other mermaid jumped as well, her rectangle flying out of her hands and into the water with a deep plop. Both mermaids watched it sink for a moment before, mortified, Aegaea dove after it. The water around the docks was murky, the object almost completely disappearing from sight as it sank deeper into the muck. Aegaea swam faster, and desperately reached out her hand into the silt that floated around her, until her fingers grasped the cool, smooth surface of the device.

When she resurfaced again, the other mermaid just gaped at her, stunned. Aegaea timidly placed the rectangle on the dock before placing some distance between her and the other mermaid. Aegaea felt shame tingle in her scales - she was certain she had ruined her chance to establish contact with this other mermaid that fascinated her so.

The other mermaid said something garbled that Aegaea couldn’t understand, but caused her to look up. The mermaid on the dock was holding something out in her hand - a piece of dry food - and offering it to Aegaea. Aegea took the offering, her heart leaping with sudden joy. Maybe she hadn’t ruined her chance at cross-cultural friendship after all.