Tammi wasn't the smartest of girls. It wasn't fair, really; she hadn't been blessed with smarts, but she hadn't been blessed with looks either. She wasn't ugly - she was plain. Her large eyes were slightly too far apart, dark brown, lips a little too large. She was short, too - only five foot three, and a little bit on the chubby side. The only thing she was proud of was her hair. Naturally dark brown with a hint of red, it grew almost to her waist in a shimmering curtain. Every day Tammi would carefully brush it, when she woke up, often twisting it into an elaborate style, then carefully brushed and plaited before she slept.
The only thing Tammi considered herself good at was swimming. It was more of a pleasure than a skill. She never placed in competitions, and couldn't afford to go often enough to make it anything special - so now, twenty five and heading home from work, she was proud that she had gone swimming every day this week. An independent adult, working hard, doing the things she liked. But tonight she was leaving out the swimming at the pool; it was a beautiful, shimmering summers day, and she was looking forward to getting a delivery.
The lorry was at her house as she approached so she ran the last dozen paces and caught up with the man with the large box. "Hey." she panted slightly and the bloke looked back grumpily. "This yours?" he asked and she nodded, signing the electronic pad and taking it gleefully. Running up to the steps, she let herself into her small but thankfully cool maisonette flat. Placing the box onto the table she didn't even bother getting changed before she carefully cut it open, pulling out the folds of shiny, shimmering material with a joyful look in her eyes. For a moment, she almost managed to look pretty.
It was a swimming aid she'd wanted since she was just a girl. In a dark blue edging into purple, it was an imitation mermaid tail with a dual-fin in the tip, so she could slide her feet into it and swim like a real mermaid. Spreading it delicately out over her sofa, she inspected it, with it's faint scale pattern and stunning colour - it was absolutely perfect. She could've skipped as she got changed into her casual clothes, folded it and packed it gently into her swim bag with a towel, and went to grab the bus down to the lakeside.
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It was a short walk but a nice day, so she headed comfortably in the evening light toward the recently cleaned up lake. Tammi hoped that, by now, the children and others would've gone and she could practice in the waters alone. It seemed that wish was to be fulfilled; as she approached the bank, there was no sign of any people around, and still plenty of light to swim by. Excited, she opened her bag, and, checking around quickly, slipped off her shirt and trousers. Already in her bikini swimming bra, she stripped off her lower half, folding it neatly, then took the fabric of the tail in her hands. Carefully, gently, she lifted her legs and slid them into the fabric, flopping ungracefully onto her front to slide it the last few inches and slot her feet into the fin at the base.