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murkiness.
    A school of shiny red fish swims by us at top speed. They are very pretty. They are not mermaids.
    “Oh, Little Mermaid!” Jonah calls. “Where are you?”
    She does not answer.
    We watch as all kinds of fish swim by us. Neon-orange ones. Bright-blue ones. A pink one that looks like a balloon with porcupine needles. Lots of fish, but no mermaids.
    “We should head back,” I say eventually. “This isn’t working. We’ll have to think of another way.” I help Jonah climb into the boat and then heave myself up behind him.
    We both drip water everywhere.
    “Where are the towels?” Jonah asks, rubbing his wet arms.
    Crumbs. I knew I forgot something.
    Dejected, we row our way back to the palace.
    “I’m hungry,” Jonah whines.
    “We’re almost there,” I say. “You can ask Carolyn to make you a grilled cheese.”
    “I’m not having a grilled cheese without ketchup. That’s just sad.”
    That morning Carolyn made us delicious omelets. And served them with a side of mustard. Jonah had almost started to cry.
    “You’re crazy,” I say.
    “Crazy about ketchup,” Jonah says.
    “Can we focus on rowing, please?” I ask. “The shore is right there! Then I have to figure out a Plan B.”
    “Maybe she’ll come to us,” Jonah says.
    “Push, Jonah, push! Why would she do that?”
    “She loves the prince, right? She probably wants to see him.”
    “You know,” I say, “I think you’re right. I remember something in the story about her swimming by the shore and trying to get a glimpse of him. Pull, Jonah, pull!”
    “I’m pulling,” he snaps. “More than you’re pulling.”
    “I guess we’ll have to watch the water as much as we can,” I add as the bottom of our boat smashes into the sand.
    As we’re towing the boat to shore, the queen waves us over to join her for lunch.
    “We should change first,” I say.
    “Don’t be silly,” she says.
    So we join the king, queen, and prince at the oval table outside for lunch. There’s a yellow silk tablecloth, and the dishes and silverware are all made of gold. I put my yellow silk napkin on my lap like you’re supposed to. I elbow Jonah to do the same.
    It seems silly to be so formal when we’re all in our bathing suits, but whatever. The king and prince aren’t even wearing shirts — they’re just in bright-yellow trunks. The queen’s swimsuit is pale yellow with a little skirt.
    Carolyn serves bowls of squash soup, followed by lemon chicken and yellow rice.
    “How was rowboating?” the prince asks while chewing a mouthful of rice. For a prince, he doesn’t have the best manners. I’d mention it, but you know. He’s a prince. He could probably have me beheaded.
    “Hard,” I admit. “We were looking for the Little Mermaid, but we didn’t find her.”
    “Ha, ha, ha,” they all laugh. “A mermaid! You two are so funny!”
    Sigh.
    Carolyn gives me a knowing look as she serves me a bowl of banana sorbet.
    After lunch, Jonah and I head to our balconies to try to catch a glimpse of the Little Mermaid from there.
    Jonah starts to fidget.
    “What’s wrong?” I ask.
    “We don’t both have to sit here, do we?”
    “Why, do you have other plans?”
    He smiles sheepishly. “I was going to play with Russell. Wanna come?”
    “I have to look for the Little Mermaid!”
    “Oh,” he says. “Okay.”
    “If you really want to go, you can,” I say, but I don’t really expect him to leave me alone.
    Jonah jumps up. “Great! I’ll see you later!”
    I can’t help but feel annoyed. He still thinks this is a vacation! We have work to do.
    As I stare at the ocean, I wonder if I’m wasting my time. The water is so busy with all the boats and swimmers. We know the Little Mermaid doesn’t want to be seen — so then why would she swim close to the surface during the day? She probably does it at night.
    I get to my feet. Maybe instead of watching the water, I should spend the day searching the palace grounds for portals to get back