"Oh!" Jacinth's face lit up with delight, her dark eyes sparkling. "That's a wonderful idea!"
The enthusiasm in Jacinth's voice made Mandy's heart lift unexpectedly. She'd never voiced this particular dream aloud before, had barely allowed herself to even think about it. But Jacinth's immediate, positive response made it feel less like an impossible dream and more like... well, like something that could actually happen.
Mandy beamed, her whole face lighting up with excitement. "Right? I could be a grandma mermaid!" Her mind raced with possibilities. "Though I'd need to come up with a special mermaid name. Something that fits the character."
"Grandmère!" Jacinth's musical voice chimed in immediately. "It's French for grandmother, and it already has 'mer' right there in it!"
Mandy clapped her hands together, the pendant bouncing against her chest with the movement. "That's perfect! Oh my goodness, that's absolutely perfect!" She could already picture it - the sparkly tail, the flowing hair, the children's delighted faces.
"And you know," she continued, practically vibrating with enthusiasm, "I already volunteer for story hour at the libraryand one of the local bookstores. I sit and read to the younger children. I've got this whole list of ocean-themed books that would be perfect for poolside reading."
She gestured, painting the scene with her hands. "The children could take turns sitting on Grandmère's lap while I read to them." She smiled, remembering all the bright young faces from her regular story hours. "It would be like story time, but with extra magic."
Jacinth's dark eyes sparkled with delight. "Oh, the children would love that! For that matter, I would love it too!"
Mandy couldn't help but laugh at Jacinth's enthusiasm. "You're a little big to sit on my lap for storytime."
A sound suspiciously like a snort came from Kieran's direction. He'd remained quiet during their discussion, but Mandy had noticed his silvery-blue eyes hadn't left the phone screen, studying the videos of the live mermaids with that intense focus he brought to everything.
"You are going to enjoy doing this." His deep voice carried absolute certainty. "I know this." He gestured toward the phone with one elegant hand. "When you decide to move forward with it, do not waste money on pre-made costumes. Move directly to having one custom-made, once you have settled on the look you want."
Mandy stared at him, caught off guard by both his certainty and his practical advice. The fact that he spoke of it as a 'when' rather than an 'if' made her heart skip a beat. Their enthusiasm had sparked something in her - a desire to share the full scope of her dream, not just the surface details.
"I... actually have this whole vision planned out," she admitted, heat creeping up her neck. "In my head, I mean. My dream aquarium. Not just for performances, but the perfect setup." The words tumbled out in a rush, like water breakingthrough a dam. "I can see it so clearly - the pool wouldn't need to be huge, just about the size of a regular backyard pool."
She gestured with her hands, trying to capture the image that lived so vividly in her imagination. "There would be these beautiful boulders along one end, arranged just right for sitting and posing as a mermaid." Her eyes grew distant as she described her vision. "Natural-looking rocks, not those fake pool decorations. Real stone, some with flat surfaces to perch on comfortably."
She caught herself up, knowing she was getting carried away. A wry smile tugged at her lips as reality intruded on her dream. "Of course, that's assuming I could figure out how to haul both myself and a thirty-pound silicone tail up onto those rocks." She patted her knee meaningfully. "Gracefully, mind you. Can't exactly have Grandmère the mermaid flopping around like a beached whale."
Jacinth's delicate nose wrinkled as she considered this logistical challenge. "That last part could be tricky," she agreed, her musical voice carrying a note of concern.
Mandy laughed, nodding in agreement. "Actually, there was a whole test about that exact thing in the documentary series. All the live mermaids had to demonstrate getting up onto the pool edge and into a sitting position - gracefully, mind you. It was fascinating to watch. Not everyone passed that test, either. Some of them really struggled just to get up out of the water, even though they were young and fit."
"I've been practicing that move too, actually," she confessed. "In the pool, I mean. Obviously without thirty pounds of silicone tail weighing me down." She felt her cheeks color as she admitted to these secret practice sessions. "But you know what? It's all about upper body strength. That's one thing I do have going for me. See, I can't kick at all when I swim - my knees won't allow it. So for years now, I've been swimming purely withmy arms. As a result, my upper body strength is really great. It's kind of funny how adapting to one limitation ended up giving me an advantage in something else."
Jacinth's dark eyes filled with sympathy. "You are making lemonade with your lemons," she said, nodding.
Mandy grinned at the reference, pleased the Djinn understood. "It's a fact of life for me. But you know what? All that arm strength I've developed? It means I don't have much trouble getting myself up onto the edge of the pool."
Kieran's intent gaze fixed on her with that intense focus. "Tell me more about this dream pool of yours."
Mandy sat up straighter in her recliner, her whole face lighting up as excitement bubbled through her.
"Well, it would be built next to a gentle slope," she said, gazing into the distance, trying to find words to express the vision that lived so vividly in her mind. "There'd be these shallow stairs leading down on either side, and - this is the really cool part - an observation window below the water line. The children could watch from there while I'm swimming."
"Underneath, there'd be these shallow rocks and water plants, making it look more natural - more like a pond than a swimming pool. I'd surface near the rocks to talk with them for a bit, then dive back down to perform more underwater."
Mandy sighed wistfully, as reality intruded on her dream. "I can see it all so clearly in my mind. Every detail, every feature..." She shook her head, frustration creeping into her voice. "But it's impossible to actually show anyone, to explain exactly what I see. I'm no artist - I can't draw it out or make people understand how perfect it would be."
"I can see it." Kieran's words came abruptly, cutting through Mandy's musings.
She stared at him, caught off guard by the statement. He shrugged one elegant shoulder, but his expression had gonedistant and aloof, that same icy demeanor he'd shown that very first day in her living room.
"As clearly as you visualize it in your mind," he continued, his deep voice carrying that otherworldly resonance, "I am able to see it as you do."
Excitement bubbled up through her chest. "Wait - do you think... Could a wish translate that into actual blueprints and sketches? Real architectural drawings?"
Her mind raced with possibilities as the words tumbled out. "Because if I could get proper plans made up, I could start getting estimates for the concrete work, and the glass installation, and the construction costs..."
