A stranger came up to me today
With the most peculiar thing
He held a vial in one hand
And in the other, a ring.

He handed me the bottle,
with a smile on his face.
He gave me also the ring
in a gesture full of grace

“These are important for you,
You’ll need them sometime soon.
Drink the liquid and wear the ring,
Be ready for the moon.”

I took the gifts and message too
With questions in my head
But he only winked and turned away,
Leaving me full of dread.

I uncorked the bottle
and took a deep breath.
It was salty as the sea;
smelling just like death.

I hung the ring around my neck
it was a noose of lead.
I prayed that when the moon arrived,
I would not be left for dead.

A week had passed
since the stranger’s warning.
The air was frigid
And filled with mourning

The moon would come tonight, I knew.
It was time to face my fate.
Whatever Destiny had in store,
I wished she would be late.

But as the moon lit up the sky
I knew that it was time
I uncorked the vial of mermaid tears
And in the distance heard a chime

With shaking hands and beating heart,
Upon my finger I placed the ring
I closed my eyes and parted my lips
And with that, began to sing.

A beautiful song erupted
Vibrant, and full of life.
But then the melody quieted
And I could feel the strife.

Cold water drenched my body
And I knew that I was she
who had left the water for the land
who had become, well, me

I had cried these salty tears,
A long, long time ago
And where the ring would lead me now
I most certainly did not know.

But one thing I knew with certainty:
I needed to find the man
Who had given me the ring and vial
Who had lent a helping hand.

He had returned to me my identity
And for that I owed my thanks
There were so many lacking memories
From when I had left my ranks.

The memories flowed back to me,
the life under the ocean.
I remembered crying those mermaid tears
That were used to make this potion.

A tear slipped down my cheek just then
Salty as the sea
It had no magical properties,
because I was still me.

Did I wish for the waves?
The life I had back then?
That person was different from me;
Did I wish for her again?

The answers to these I did not know
I was quite sure of this.
But a little voice had told me:
“It’s alright to reminisce.”

I realized I did not miss my life
Down there under the waves
This life on land was good enough
For one, like me, who behaves

Although I had once been someone else
This was who I was, now
I was content with these memories
And with that, I made a vow

I would be happy with this life
Since I had chosen it
I would live each day completely
And I promised to never quit.

Something strange happened that day,
The most peculiar thing.
A stranger had given me a gift,
And I saw what life could bring.