The Little Mer-Betty, Part 7

“Betty!” She hurried over to Maple, carrying her own shoes. Maple held her skirts as she made her way to her smaller friend. “What's goin' on? Have you found Scott yet? They're gonna be settin' up the next round of clams soon.”

“Maple,” Betty gasped. “is there any way we could borrow a boat from someone fast?”

Maple's mouth dropped open. “You talked.” She grinned her wide, toothy smile and threw her arms around her friend. “You're not scared anymore! Wait until I tell the others!”

Betty hugged her back, but she shook her head. “I am scared, Maple, but it's not about how I came here.” She pulled away. “Maple, Scott is in serious trouble. He may die if we don't get out there!”

Maple frowned. She'd never seen the girl look so serious. “Does this have to do with that lady who had herself draped all over Scott, the one who claimed to be his fiancee?”

“Yes.” Betty nodded at the beach. “She's a sea witch. She wants his soul, so she can be immortal.”

Maple's eyes widened. “She's what?”

“Maple, we need to get a boat as fast as we can....or that witch will kill Scott.”

Maple nodded at the docks. “We could borrow Scott's buddy Harry's skiff, the one we used to go fishin' last week.”

“We have to hurry! Scott's life – and his soul – are in danger!” Betty took Maple's hand and pulled her along the beach.

It was getting darker and cloudier as Betty and Maple took the skiff out to the beach. Harry hadn't minded them borrowing it, even if he had no idea why they wanted to do so at night. Betty directed them towards where she'd heard Ruth's grotto was.

“We're going awfully far out,” Maple fretted. “Are you sure about this?” She looked up at the oncoming clouds. “I think the weather's going to get nasty.”

“Yes, I'm sure.” Betty was already taking off her stockings and her shoes. Maple yelped when she pulled off her dress and petticoat.

“What are you doin'?”

Betty threw the dress on the floor of the skiff. “I'm going down there. Someone has to bring Scott up to the surface.” She turned to her friend. “We'll be up in ten minutes, I swear.”

“But...” Betty dove into the water before Maple could stop her. The red-headed woman looked up at the clouds. “Aw Betty, hurry!”

Betty swam as fast as her slender legs could carry her. She was glad she'd taken off her dress. It was a lot easier to move in the water in her combinations. She wasn't used to having to hold her breath underwater, though. She had to go up twice to take a breath before she found Ruth's grotto. She passed through the sparkling walls, trying to avoid the hands and the seaweed that tried to tangle her.

She finally pushed aside a curtain of crystal...and couldn't suppress a gasp. Scott was tangled in great masses of seaweed. He kicked weakly at it, but no matter how hard he struggled, it held fast to his legs, arms, and neck. His face was turning a horrible shade of blue as he tried to get to the surface.

Ruth only chuckled. She was a mermaid again, back in her fish-scale wrap. Precious stones were wound in her hair. “Silly boy. The harder you struggle, the more the seaweed will hold on.” She lifted his chin – his lips silently begged for air. “Open your mouth and give me your soul. When you're dead, you'll be dust on the floor of my grotto, and I'll be a real, breathing creature.”

Betty shook her head. She didn't care if she was having a hard time holding her breath herself. She swam as fast as she could over to Ruth and grabbed hold of her. “Don't hurt him!”

The two merwomen fought across the grotto, knocking over jars, bottles, and containers of jewelry and clothes. Betty was faster, but Ruth was older and a great deal stronger than she looked. Scott tried to free himself and help Betty, but the water was starting to overtake his lungs. He couldn't hold his breath much longer.

Ruth had just taken the poisoned knife from a table and was about to run Betty through when a large crystal pelted her in the head. “Ow! Who did that?”

Two more flew at her from outside the grotto. Betty grinned as her family swam in, including Hilary. C.J and Jeff were wheeling a strange object with two basins on either side. “I found this in one of the sunken ships,” C.J explained proudly. “I was going to use it to move rocks in our grotto so we could start building another room, but this is a lot more fun.”

Hilary hit Ruth with a beam of purple light that knocked her across the grotto. Doug and Mackie were already cutting Scott free. Jeff loaded rocks into one of the basins.

Betty took one of Scott's arms. He was fading fast. His eyes were closing. She was only doing a little better. If they didn't gett back to the surface soon, her lungs would burst! Enid took Scott's other arm, and they pulled him up above the water as quickly as possible.

Maple was still there when the trio arrived. They got Scott up first. He dropped to the bottom of the skiff the moment he came up, desperately gulping air. “What happened?” Maple asked in shock. “Scotty, are you ok? What did that lady do to you? Your face is the color of Eugenia's blueberry pie!” She raised an eyebrow at Enid. “Who's your friend?”

“My name is Enid, miss,” the young mermaid explained. “I'm Betty's youngest sibling. Your friend's physical faculties had been heavily depleated by a lack of oxygen. He required more assistance than just Betty to return him to the surface of the water.”

Maple just raised an eyebrow. “Ok. I'm going to guess you said you helped Scott up here, in which case I thank ya.” She turned to Scott, who was still trying to get his breath. “You ok? I'm glad the girls got ya up here when they did. Another minute, an' ya might have drowned.”

Scott shook his head and touched his throat. Maple looked concerned. “Scotty, you're awfully quiet. Just need to get your air back?” Scott shook his head and touched his throat again.

“Wait.” Betty's eyes widened, remembering what she saw at the cove. “She took his voice! The sea witch took his voice. She must still have it down in her grotto. That's why he can't talk.” Scott shrugged. He didn't really remember much about what had happened to him before Betty kissed him the first time.

Enid winced as a crack of thunder could be heard above them. “Oh Betty, we must get back under the water. I'm sure it'll become rough and difficult to maneuver in soon.” She grabbed her sister when a bolt of lighting streaked across the sky. “And the strong noises and bolts of light terrify me!”

She rubbed her scared sister's back. “We'll be ok, Enid.” She turned to Maple. “Do you think you two could wait a few more minutes?”

“I don't know, Betty.” Maple looked into the sky. Scott shook his head, his eyes clearly worried. “That storm is almost on us. We could end up in worse trouble if we don't get to the docks soon.”

“Just five minutes, Maple!” Betty dove under the water again before Maple could protest. Enid followed her.

Maple's eyes went right up when she saw Enid's tail. “Am I goin' crazy, or is Betty's kid sister a fish?” Scott only nodded. He wished he could tell Maple all the strange things he'd seen when Ruth had dragged him to her grotto, but his sore throat felt like it had been thrown into the fire pit with the clams.

Hilary was now fighting with Ruth when Betty arrived at the grotto. She and Grandmother Gertrude hung onto her arms. Betty and Enid went through her shelves. “Look for a green bottle!” she called to her sister as they pushed jars and jugs aside.

Mackie swam over to them, hugging them both. “Hi, my little angelfish. What are you two doing?”

“Ruth took Scott's voice,” Betty said quickly. “I have to get it back. He can't stay like that.”

“He's just a human.” Mackie shook his head. “Why do you care?”

Betty sighed. “Because I know what it's like to be without a voice, Father. I know how he feels right now. And he tells such wonderful stories...” She couldn't help blushing. “Well, I want to hear them again.”

“Is this it?” Mackie held out a green glass jar that was clearly labled “human voice” with squid ink.

Betty threw her arms around her father. “Thank you so much! You're the best!”

“Oh no, you don't.” Ruth took the jar out of Betty's hand. “If you want it, little half-human, you'll have to come for it.” She took off out of the roof of the grotto, past Doug and Jeff's angry arms.

“But I have to get to the surface!” Betty was already turning a shade of blue similar to what Scott was earlier.

“Get going!” Hilary swam over to her, giving her a small shove. “You take care of your human friends and get some air. We'll handle Ruth and retrieve your friend's voice.”

Betty could only nod. She kicked her legs, making her way back to the surface. It wasn't as easy as last time. The closer she got to the surface, the rougher the water became. It was almost as bad as the night Scott's boat had run aground. She didn't want to think what would happen to that tiny skiff in a storm this size.

Maple and Scott helped her onto the boat the moment her curly head broke the surface. “Ruth has his voice,” Betty groaned. “My sister-in-law Hilary went after her.”

Scott shook his head and pointed at the waves that were starting to crash against the small boat. “Scotty's right,” Maple yelled over the din. “We've gotta get back to shore. I don't know how anyone could take someone's voice, but we'll have to get it later, when the storm's gone.”

Betty screamed as a wave smacked into the side of the skiff, nearly overturning it. “How are we going to get back to shore? I can't see anything but the storm!” The rain was coming down in torrents now. Lightning occasionally illuminated the inky darkness.

Scott took one oar. Maple took the other. Betty took the rudder in the back of the skiff, hoping she remembered what Scott told her about working it the week before. They tried to make their way towards the outline of the beach, but it was too dark. “We ain't getting' anywhere!” Maple called out.

“No kidding,” Betty added. “I feel like we're going in circles!”

Scott tugged on Maple's sodden sleeve and pointed downwards. “You're right, Betty,” Maple yelled. “We ain't getting anywhere 'cause we're caught in a whirlpool!”

“Isn't there anything we can do?” Betty called back.

Maple pulled with all her might. “Just keep rowin'!” Scott pushed his oar back and forth furiously next to her.

Had the trio been able to follow the whirlpool to its end, they would have seen Ruth waving her hands in a circle, a small smirk on her soft, round face. “Oh dear,” she said pleasantly. “They seem to be caught in a little whirlpool. Dear me, how terrible. It'll just destroy that little boat of theirs. Well, they won't be using their souls when they're on the bottom of the ocean. I'll just take them...”

“And I'll take THAT.” Mackie reached out and took the potion from Ruth's hand. “Well, look what I have here. My daughter said this doesn't belong to you.”

Hilary nodded as Jeff, Doug, and C.J came up behind her, C.J holding his rock-flinging machine. “It doesn't,” Enid added. “It belongs to the masculine human Betty's infatuated with.”

“Well, well.” Gertrude smirked. “I'd call that stealing.” She grinned at Mackie. “Wouldn't you agree, son?”

“Yes, I would.” Mackie narrowed his eyes. “You never planned on helping my children. You just wanted that human's soul. You know we're not supposed to contact the humans.”

She sighed and arranged her fish-wrap scales. “All I wanted was a new audience. Is that so wrong? If I had a human soul, I would be able to sing for audiences forever.”

Hilary glared at her. “You almost killed a man twice and would have killed my sister-in-law, just so you could get to the land. No audience is worth someone's life.” She smirked and took C.J's rock-flinging machine from the surprised young merman's arms. “Why don't you join the whirl, dear?” She let the lever go before C.J could stop her. The rock wasn't large...but it was enough to knock Ruth into the whirlpool.

Ruth let out a scream. “No!” she wailed. “I hate enclosed spaces! They diminish my powers! Please, get me out!”

“Only if you promise not to try to make contact with the surface again,” Mackie insisted.

“I promise!” Ruth wailed. “Anything! I don't care anymore! Just let me out of this!”

“You're lucky I know this spell.” Hilary waved her arms. The whirlpool moved down into the grottos, finally depositing Ruth behind one very dark, barred cave.

“Let me out of here!” Ruth whimpered. “Please let me out! I'd do anything!”

The rest of the royal merfamily swam up to her. “You'll be let out in time for your trial.” Mackie made sure the bars were double-locked.