They say you shouldn’t ever meet your heroes. Maybe the same can be said for your dream job.
The prompt is:
DREAM JOB
Tammy followed the “Mermaids This Way” sign through the driftwood-paneled door. The Undersea Adventures theme park was a poor cousin to the mega-parks in town, but she and her family had been coming for the mermaid shows since she was a kid. When the first mermaid waved to her through the underwater window, she was hooked.
“Hi. I’m here for my interview.”
“Of course, Dear. I’m Mrs. Jones, the ‘den mother’ for our live mermaids.” She motioned to a chair in front of her desk. “Tell me why you want to be a mermaid.”
Sitting, Tammy said, “Well, ever since I was a little kid, seeing the mermaids swimming underwater for so long seems so…magical.”
Mrs. Jones beamed. “It is magical, indeed.”
Her smile gave Tammy more confidence. “I’m on the Synchronized Swim Team at college. I can hold my breath for almost two minutes during our routine.”
“That’s very good, Dear. You seem eminently qualified.”
She reached under her desk, and without any warning, the trapdoor below Tammy’s chair flipped open and she plunged into the cold, dark water. Before she could swim back up, it slammed shut.
Terrified, since she had only gulped a tiny bit of air, Tammy spun in the water, looking for a way to escape when she saw two shapes approaching from out of the gloom. They were mermaids, their tale flukes driving them quickly to her side. Linking arms with her, they pulled her through a tunnel into a large tank where other mermaids waited.
As Tammy’s vision was turning black from lack of oxygen, each of the others, in turn, filled her lungs with their life-giving magic. By the time her vision cleared and she could breathe the water, her transition was complete. Flipping her tail, she shot across her new home.
THE END
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