Run Anais run
I said as I sat on the wooden bench in the sauna
Whatever for I am enjoying the heat
And it is so cold outside
The mythical monsters
The mythical monsters have invaded this sauna
It is snowing outside
Roll in the snow and cool down
You have become overheated
And leave you here with the mythical monsters
Go Peter go
Run Anais
Run Anais
Run Anais
We were driving through the cornfields near the coast
Although we could not see the sea
Its reflection danced in the clouds
The effect was soothing
Although Anais had been consumed by the mythical monsters of the sauna
She was still sitting next to me eating boiled sweets
Her skin was flawless
Mine was not
My pores were beginning to become blocked
Sores would appear
I would resemble a pizza
People would be cruel
Not if you go to the beach with me Peter
The sun and the sea will help your skin
And there are no mythical monsters
Just over an hour later we were on the beach at Kyrastadd
It was more crowded than usual owing to the warmth of the season
But was nonetheless relaxed
I greeted the mayor and his wife
And later his mistress
Our doctor and his daughter were also there
As well as my brother’s sister
We sat alone near the rocks at the end of the beach
Come in Peter the waters warm
That is unusual for this time of year
Fool it is always warm at this time of the year
I joined my sister in the clear waters that led to the Murnow Delta
A northerly mermaid appeared
What brings you this far north mermaid?
My name is Lola
But just call me Lola
Join me on the rocks in half a day and I shall tell you
As we returned to our home through the ripening cornfields
I pondered on what the mermaid had told me
Mermaids cannot take saunas
They are too dry and could corrode their scales
But mythical monsters no
If they did exist then would they not be in the sea
Because that is where life started and where it is likely to end
That evening I sat in the sauna with my other sister
I felt confident
So I invited all my sisters
The mermaid was correct
No mythical monsters appeared
There are no mythical monsters
I said gleefully to Nysee
There are but you cannot see them
She said to me
A few days later I was sunning myself on the rocks near the delta
When Lola appeared
Her back was bleeding
She explained that she had been attacked the previous evening
Whilst strolling along a beach
Do not worry the local toughies caught and lynched my attacker
I cleaned her wound and called for assistance from my sisters
Soon she was tucked safely in bed
In the hotel that my family owned
That evening I went to the beach and found the corpse of the attacker dangling from a tree
Fearing contamination I doused the corpse with petrol
And set the tree alight
I did not recognise the attacker
His origins were not local and I wondered what had caused him to attack a beautiful mermaid
As the fire consumed him he opened one eye and said
It was not me but the mythical monsters
But I gladly took the blame as I admire them so
I waited until the attacker and the tree were piles of charred ash
My sister appeared
You are such a good man Peter so caring
It was the least I could do
He was a human being and had once been loved by others
She kissed me on the cheek and then ran down to water’s edge
Are you going to swim?
I might
Then be careful of the mythical monsters
I watched as my sister swam for an hour
Later we sat next to each other
And she warmed herself by the small fire
Just before dusk Lola joined us
She had fully recovered
She stared at the ashes of her assailant
I would like you to smother me in his ashes
Why?
No reason I just wanted to be close to him as he took my virginity
I had hoped that you would but this misguided man bloodied me
Nely and I smothered the mermaid in her assailants ashes and carried her to the sea as her land legs had grown weary
I will be back quite soon
Thank you for your love
I will not forget you
A week later I was again in the sauna with five of my sisters
The other twenty-three were in the hotel laying tiles
In time for the winter season
Betti my eldest and largest sister was sitting opposite me
She had once been a mermaid
But had opted for work in the hotel
I watched as she rubbed the impurities from her skin using a rough cloth
This is one of the problems of being fat
Impurities become hidden between your folds of skin
But at least the mythical monsters will not attack you
There are no mythical monsters Peter
Then why has Lola not returned?
I saw her on the beach yesterday
She is heavy with child
Her attacker’s child?
Possibly
That evening I constructed a time machine in the sauna
And travelled back six years
I found Lola’s attacker quite easily in the backstreets of the main city
At the end of the railway
I had travelled with a mythical monster
Who on my command ripped the poor man apart in a parking lot
In my haste to return to the present
I left the mythical monster
At the scene of our crime
This haunted me
As I knew that the mythical monster would want revenge
The following day I met the mermaid on the beach and told her what I had done
She insisted that I returned to the hotel and wait for her
At four in the afternoon she entered my room
And we made love watched by eight of my sisters
But I did not impregnate her as she was barren
I knew the reason why but was scared to return to the parking lot
As I knew that the mythical monster would be waiting for me
So I did nothing and watched as Lola grew more and more beautiful
Mermaids do not age as we do but on the appointed day just fade
When they reach the height of their beauty
I had to act but was a coward
Run Anais run
I said as I sat on the wooden bench in the sauna
Whatever for I am enjoying the heat
And it is so cold outside
The mythical monsters
The mythical monsters have invaded this sauna
It is snowing outside
Roll in the snow and cool down
You have become overheated
And leave you here with the mythical monsters
Go Peter go
Run Anais
Run Anais
Run Anais
My smallest sister left the sauna and rolled in the snow
She knew what I was about to do
Within seconds I was in the parking lot
The remains of Lola’s attacker were scattered everywhere and were putrefying
The mythical monster stared at me
So you have returned
I had to as Lola does not have long left
You left me here scattered all over the parking lot
You attacked the mermaid and now she is barren
Do I care?
You should
Why?
Like my sisters mermaids are beautiful and should be cherished
Your sisters found me and strung me up
There are no toughies in your town
I know why do you think I burnt the corpse?
Take me back with you otherwise your mermaid will die
I cannot
You are terrified of me
I am aware of that
You cannot sit in a sauna or participate in any nature of recreation without thinking about me
I know
You are weak
And so are you
The mythical monster clawed my shoulder drawing blood
I retreated back into the time machine and began weeping
I was terrified and crouched behind the stove
Here take this
I was handed a crossbow
Run towards the mythical monster firing at will
I will be ripped to pieces
Not if you fire accurately and frequently
I ran forward towards the mythical monster firing bolts from the crossbow
At first nothing happened but slowly my enemy began to hollow
As my final bolt wrecked its eye I saw it fall
I lay in bed with four of my sisters
They were feeding me
I looked at my body
The scars had retreated
In a day we will return you to the beach and you will sit on the rocks with Lola
She is still barren but her beauty has stopped
Anais was sitting on a chair by the window
It was raining outside
The season was coming to an end
But what of the season
You roll in the snow as we all do
The season is of no consideration
The following day I waited for Lola on the rocks by the delta
She did not appear
I visited the same group of rocks each day for a year
But she never came back
Another mermaid told me she had died as she was unable to cope with the loss of her beauty and because she was barren
I knew this to be true as each of my sisters had grown scales
Small in number
In the area of their back
Near the pelvis
I frequently noticed this discoloration
When taking saunas with them