The mermaid lives beneath the sea
Where it's too cold for you and me,
Do not accept her in your dreams
For she is not quite what she seems....
Long black hair covers her body like a rich, silky gown, swirling around her tail and glistening like the wet surface of an orca's back.
Her eyes are dark green, appearing like a bottomless pool, and her tail splits into two long fins, which serve as feet when she walks upon the land.
The flesh of her face and arms, which is all that can be seen, has a kind of luminous glow that appears to change colour, according to the intensity of the light around her.
She sits atop a gigantic chunk of Arctic ice... shivering in anticipation... as she prepares to begin another spring journey.
It won't be much longer now... she can feel a slight change in the atmosphere already.
Hip-length hair billows around her as she moves her head slowly back and forth... glistening like the wet surface of an orca's back...
Her home is an intricately carved ice cave in the underwater portion of a huge iceberg... and she forms a new one every winter.
It is a tedious - but necessary - part of her life... for she chooses a chunk of ice that is destined to move when the temperatures start to rise.
She considers the leisurely drifting of the iceberg as a pleasant journey through the watery world in which she dwells.
But it is more than just a seasonal trip for her when the large bergs begin to drift southward in the spring.
It relieves the boredom of her existence... provides a change of scenery upon awakening each morning... and gives her a certain sense of freedom.
Additionally, it is something she feels entitled to... for she is one of a kind... there is no other like her... and, most importantly... it is necessary for her survival.
Alas, she is not an ordinary mermaid... she is something more... the last one of her kind... she is an Ice Maiden.
She is equipped with a strong, cold heart that pumps the icy blood through her veins
This journey is one that she looks forward to... and which she enjoys immensely... especially when she spots a potential victim.
When it has drifted far enough, she knows the iceberg will start to melt... very slowly... giving her plenty ot time to achieve her goals.
That's when she begins to watch... sitting on the above-water part of the iceberg... scanning the shorelines for... possibilities.
She is looking for those who wander onto thin ice... and those who are drawn too close to the iceberg by their human curiosity.
It is so easy to entice them when they get close... drawing them in with her beauty and charm... and the inherent magic of her very presence.
Oh, they show surprise at first... sometimes disbelief... but the desire to know more always draws them closer.
Then, after she has drawn the breath from their lungs... she leaves the lifeless forms to be found by others... written up as another victim of... drowning.
Only she knows the truth of their demise... and she will take as many as she finds... though it is not something she is proud of.
