OUR WONDERFUL TEAM MEMBER, AUTHOR LORRAINE CAREY, MEETS HER FLASH FICTION CHALLENGE WITH 'AZURA'S CLAIM'

AZURA'S CLAIM

Azura waited in silence, her anticipation mingling with the ebb and flow of the currents. Today felt different; a new diver was bound to come. She swayed her tail gracefully, trailing behind a group of Angel Fish, heading towards the haunting remains of the Italian Luxury Liner, The Andrea Doria, which sunk in 1956. Her Mer family had feasted on the fifty-one bodies that tragic day before succumbing to the relentless grasp of the ocean. Mer People had to feed from a live human to gain maximum regeneration. Azura, still young and eager to prove herself, had not yet partaken in such a bounty, though her hunger gnawed at her in the depths.

It had been an age since the last diver had ventured here, most lost to the treacherous depths that dubbed the Andrea Doria the 'Everest of Wreck Diving'. Ignoring warnings to stay away from certain shorelines, she ventured closer to the Nantucket Marina, where fishermen and divers plotted their expeditions and were ready to board boats.

While navigating the familiar route to the marina, Azura's mind hummed with the ancient Mer Spell she had memorized as a child—a ritual that granted her fleeting legs upon land. Waves crashed against the pier's pylons as she hoped the morning would yield an unsuspecting catch.

Emerging onto land, her transformation was swift. Smoothing her long, red locks, she concealed her naked form under the shadows of a boat lift, haunted by memories of her cousin's mysterious disappearance. There were rumors of the young mermaid being caught and taken off to some secret government lab. She was not about to become their next victim. As she listened intently, the voices of two young divers preparing nearby filled her ears.

Their discussion revolved around the perilous dive to the Andrea Doria, one determined to conquer its depths for the challenge rather than the treasure. Azura smirked internally at their fragility, imagining the thrill of claiming their bodies to honor her family. The prospect of newfound energy fueled her anticipation as she slipped back into the water, eager to beat them to the wreck site.

Arriving amidst murky waters, Azura readied her hypnotic song, practiced meticulously over months. A shoal of cod passed by as she hid within the starboard side of the wreck, waiting for her moment. Bubbles rose as her siren song unfurled, weaving through the water like a spell.

Yet just as the divers drew near, a chilling hum cut through the ocean—a massive submarine materialized unexpectedly. Azura's song faltered, her throat constricted with disbelief as the divers, alerted to equipment malfunctions and ascended hastily.

Frustration gripped her as she pondered the submarine's interference, cursing her missed opportunity. With her throat parched from the failed attempt, she reluctantly turned towards home, pondering the mysterious sub that had disrupted her plans.

As Azura swam back to her kingdom, thoughts of tomorrow's potential prey danced in her mind, and she hoped for another chance to claim a new human.

The End

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COMING SOON: On Wednesday 30th April, we have wonderful guest author, Sarah McMahon who shares an excerpt from her second novel, 'The Sins of Atticus Hawkshaw'.