Several years ago I applied to stay at Mermaid Cottages on Tybee Island, Georgia, in exchange for a short story to be published in a print anthology that would feature Mermaid Cottages. I turned my story in, but never heard back. Emails went unanswered and as far as I know the short-story anthology was never published. I feel bad about that because I was able to stay in a beautiful place for several days — for free.  It took place so long ago that I don’t even remember who was behind the anth...