Yesteryear Fiction

Kalalily's Magic Lily
By Lilly Era


Once upon a time in an old house in the woods there lived a little girl and her grandmother. The little girl's name was Kalalily, and as for her grandmother, her name was Merry-ann. But Kalalily just called her Granny Merry. Kalalily also had a nickname she was called, and that nickname was just Kaly. So one evening Kaly went out into the woods she loved so much, to her favorite pond. It always sparkled, even now in the in winter when it was cold and only getting colder. She was hoping to find a lily, and well in the spring there is a lily or a pad covering every inch of water, and every other time of the year, it still bares at least 10 flowers every season! And guess what? She found one! Directly in the middle of the freezing cold pond full of tadpoles, frogs and fish, and Kaly beileved there to be mermaids and sea serpents too, for the scales of mermaid tails and of sea serpents must be what make it sparkle!

Kaly's first thought was swim and get it! But then, she remembered-- she couldn't swim! And even if she could, what if the sea serpents ate her? What if mermaids are evil and want to push her to the bottom!? What if there are water snakes? What if there are poisonous frogs!? Oh, Kaly said in a very sad voice, oh I wish I could get a lily! Oh I wish, I wish a mermaid might carry me to that lily, oh please, oh please I wish! She started to cry, and she cried some more and some more. But suddenly she stopped. There was a flash of gold light and the lily turned all sorts of colors, then back to its original one which was yellow. Kaly did a double take as a mermaid swam up to a rock near were the girl was, at the edge of the pond. she sat down smiling. "The magic lily told us your wish," said the mermaid, who's voice was the most beautiful thing Kaly had ever heard.

"ma.....ma.....ma......MAGIC?!" Exclaimed Kalalily. The mermaid nodded.

"ma....ma....ma...ma....ma....MAGIC!?" Said Kaly again.

"Here, young Kalalily, I will tell you the prophesy of Kalalily's magic lily, my child."

"Wait," said Kaly, "three things. one: what is your name? two: how do you know my name? And three: prophesy!? I'm in no prophesy! I'm a normal girl who wishes for a lily, nothing more! I. . . cannot believe this, I. . . never thought I'd be in a prophesy of mermaids! I..........I thank you for telling me."

The mermaid giggled, then said: "My name is Meria, I'm the Mermaid Queen. I know your name because every time you come to this pond, eventually you have to come inside your home, I hear your grandmother's loving voice say the words Kalalily, and then you always go to the voice. Now, Shall I tell you the prophesy?"

"Yeah, umm, ye-ah I.... I guess," Kalalilly stammered.

"Ok," the mermaid said. "The prophesy says that on November 18th, 1991, a girl will come, and want the magic lily, but, a long time ago, this pond was cursed, so a mermaid living in it, or a mermaid that ever did live in it, could never have a child. and if that is the truth, mermaids will become extinct. we are the last mermaids on earth, if we dont make more mermaids and we die, thats it. That's all it! No more mermaids, ever again. Of course we live a very long time, 700,000 years at the very least. But we believe that the girl who wants the magic lily can help us. The magic lily is the only way to break the curse! I know you dont understand but, it says me, Meria will swim you over to it, won't pick it but, close your eyes and wish you were a mermaid while sniffing it. You will turn into one. go to the bottom of the pond to were the lily grows, and wish you were human. Inside the lily, you will shrink and be inside the magical realm of the other creatures, like mermaids, and fairies, and unicorns, find the only old hag there, and ask her where the dragons are, then go there. You will see a cave near by. Enter it, and find the water of magic, love, and memory. Drink it, then you will become a mermaid again and the spell will be broken, then just wish you were a human again. And know this, you may become whatever you want whenever you want with the magic lily."

"Wait," said Kalalily, "why don't you just do it? I mean your already a mermaid, there is one less wish you have to wish! plus, I don't even get the lily in the end! you know its all I came for, its all I want! And...what if the wish doesn't work and I drown?!? I CANT SWIM!"

"Oh, Kalalily, darling, I'm Sorry, but, I, I cant do it, I have tried, I really have, but it has to be done by you. would you really rather have the lily, and have it die when you could save the mermaid race and see the lily when ever you come to this pond, fresh and shining?"

"No," said Kaly, "I guess not. But what if the wish doesn't work and I drown?"

"You will not drown, the wish will work if you believe in mermaids, its all it takes." Meria said.

"But, but what if I don't believe enough? I mean, I do see you but..... what if some how its not strong enough?"

"It will be strong enough, now come with me." Kalalily was still thinking, what if it isn't strong enough? She wanted to ask if the mermaid would be there behind her if she was going to drown, but she took meria's hand and got on her back without asking anything. "Ok, ready?"

"Yup!" Said Kaly, trying not to sound nervous.

"Ok! Hold on tight!"

"Oh, I'm holding on as tight as I can!" said Kaly to herself. So they went, they swam, and the water made Kalalily happy, it made her forget everything and anything bad that ever happened to her, it made her forget why she came to this pond, but she didn’t care, all she thought about was right here right now riding on a mermaid in magic mystical waters. She felt love, peace, and magic. But when she got to the lily, it all came back to her, her mission, why she was here, and that she had to save the mermaid race. And she knew, oh she knew, it was not going to be easy. She did as the prophesy said and wished, and then she was a mermaid! It did work! She wished again to be human inside the lily, but it didn’t work. She tried again as hard as she could, but it didn’t work! She wished again to be human inside the lily, but, it didn’t work, she tried again as hard as she could, but it didn’t work! It, it wouldn’t work! Kalalily was both angry and crying.

"I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU SOME WISH WOULDN’T WORK! I WOULD HAVE RATHER DROWN THAN BE STUCK AS A MERMAID FOREVER! I WILL NEVER SEE GRANNY MERRY AGAIN BECAUSE OF YOU! I SAID I WAS THE WRONG PERSON, AND I AM!" She cried, and cried, and cried for at least an hour after that. Her grandmother was calling her, and that didn’t help. Though, she loved granny Merry very very much, she was about to give up hope on going home, I mean? What would she say if a mermaid flopped to her door and said "I'm Kalalily," I mean, I wouldn’t believe it if I were her! Kalalily thought.

"I know, Kalalily. But, it will be alright. Okay?" Said Meria, as if she could read Kalalilys mind.

"How. . . how did you know what I was thinking about?" The mermaid laughed.

"Guess." She said. That one word told Kalalily everything, even that Meria had a fix to the problem, and Kaly knew what it was. "Are you ready?" Asked Meria.

"More ready than I'll ever be."

So they swam up to the lily and wished together they were both human and inside the lily, it would be stronger that way, they thought it would work, and it did. Meria was very beautiful as a mermaid, but as a human she was gorgeous. With her long flowing blond hair with blue, green, and purple streaks and her lovely sparkling dress that looked just like her silver, green-blue, shining, pearly, most beautiful color blended tail. Except the dress didn’t have scales. They found the hag and she said follow that mystical feeling, so they did. They found the dragons who were actually very nice, and went on their way to find the water of magic, love and memory.

"Okay, so go to the cave near by, right?" Asked Kaly.

"Yes, Kalalily darling," said the mermaid. So they did.

"Good thing you came with me huh, Meria?"

"Yes, Kalalily darling," said the mermaid again. Kaly laughed, so did Meria, then Kalalily stopped as if she were a wind up toy that had just stopped, and would not move.

She smiled, then said: "I see it."

Meria knew just what she saw. She was looking at it too. The water of magic, love and memory. They slowly stepped forward as water glowed with rainbow colors and the light poured out like mist, color changing, magical mist. Meria closed her eyes and held out her hands. A cup appeared, that is, in her hands, a cup full of the water.

She handed it to Kalalily, who drank it. It tasted like warm, sweet, tea. It tasted like her favorite tea she always drank before bed. It tasted like home, and it tasted like her mother and father hugging her in their arms. She cried. She really did miss them. Last time she had seen them they went on vacation and left her with granny Merry. Kalalily didn't know what happened, but she cried happy tears, she loved them. Kalalily was a mermaid again, she wished to be human and was. And she ran home. hugging her grandmother she said, "I love you," and her grandmother sat on the couch and Kaly told granny Merry why she couldn't come when she called.

Granny Merry just smiled and said: "I was wondering when they would see that you're the girl."


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Lilly Era is nine years old. She wants to be an artist, a writer, a singer and a dancer when she grows up.