Haze

"My husband took me here too when we were dating," Calista continued before winking playfully at Marnthe.

"We got married six months later. Promise me, you'll let me prepare the food to your wedding. Let me brag to your grandpa about it when I see him."

"As long as you promise me that you won't see him anytime soon," Marnthe replied. "Besides, Geale and I aren't-"

"I would love that!" Geale interrupted. "So, Marnie's family has been here for a long time."

"Yes, Marnie's grandpa is a childhood friend of my husband's. His grandma isn't from here though. I forgot where she came from, but she's not from around here.

She was so beautiful, I was sure she was a princess from some faraway land."

Geale nodded. Marnthe's grandmother was likely the merfolk.

The fact that her beauty made such an impact on Calista despite how she couldn't quite recall the woman's facial features was a dead giveaway.

He had read about how merfolk who chose to stay with human spouses used mind haze to keep humans from noticing their physical body's slow aging process.

Unlike sirens whose bodies aged slowly from birth, merfolk bodies aged similar to humans until their eighteenth year of existence. Their bodies would then slowly age, changing slightly only after a full decade.

Humans who noticed their seemingly eternal youth on land accused them of witchcraft and demonic worship - every excuse they could give to warrant persecution, and ultimately death.

Some who realized they were merfolk butchered them for their flesh, intent on gaining the lasting youth and immortality they supposedly possessed.

To protect themselves, merfolk would cast an illusion on humans that they had to interact with on land. The illusion could blur details that could give away their identity such as their unchanging facial features, name, or identity.

But the illusion wouldn't be strong enough to completely erase their existence or change the impact that their existence had on the human.

If Geale's deduction was correct, Marnthe's part human, part merfolk lineage could be the reason why he claimed to be different from him.

There weren't enough literature about the fate of merfolk who bred with humans but if a half-human, half merfolk bred with a human to produce Marnthe, there was a good possibility that he had more human blood in his veins.

That meant he didn't possess most of the physical characteristics and abilities that merfolk were inherently born with. It could explain how Marnthe…

"I can't quite remember her face, but I knew she was beautiful. Their daughter was beautiful too. She looked just like her mother, though I don't remember exactly what she looked like," Calista said, frowning at her foggy memory.

"Didn't your sister look just like her?" she asked, turning to Marnthe.

"Yes, she did. She was a beautiful woman."

"Was?" Geale asked.

"Ah! I can't remember what she looked like either. She was such a sweet girl, ordered the same food like you. I'm sorry."

Geale frowned at that. She couldn't remember the female members of Marnthe's family? Was it still the mind haze?

Come to think of it, Marnthe's grandparents could be his real parents!

Was it possible though? Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to determine Marnthe's exact age if he was indeed half-merfolk.

And why did Calista talk about the woman in past tense?

"It's alright, Calista. You remember them by heart regardless."

Geale stared curiously at Marnthe. He had a soft smile on his face, and a pained look in his eyes. Did something happen to his family?

"Do you remember what Marnie's grandfather looked like?" he asked Calista.

"Oh yes, I do. When he was younger, he was thinner than most fishermen. He had innocent dark eyes and a kind smile. He was a good man.

A lot of women on the island secretly liked him because he was helpful and gentle. Brute fishermen his age bullied him a lot because of that.

Add to that his dream of finishing school. Education was a luxury to us at the time, you see, and parents thought continuing the trade was better than sending their children to the city.

Most of us learned how to read, count and do computations that ensured we weren't fooled when we sold fish at the market. Marnie's grandpa did his best to learn beyond that.

He read lots of books and told stories to little kids when he had time. He worked hard, even when his own father stood against his way.

It all paid off eventually. He built the beach house, married a wonderful woman, had a beautiful family, and a handsome grandchild named Marnie."

"He built the beach house?"

"Yes, he did! He built it up slowly, with money he saved selling fish that he caught. His wife helped him. It started as a small shack for the two of them.

They then built a small extension where they began to sell food to villagers. His wife sang there too. She became a popular singer here on the island.

It continued until the beach house became what you know it today."

So Marnthe's grandmother - or mother - was a singer on land. Was that why he performed on stage too?

"That's really impressive. Do you have a photo with them?" Geale asked, remembering a lesson about humans that said they used photos to capture images and memories on paper.

"I do! I'm sure I have a number of them but I…I can't remember where they are."

"It's okay, Calista. I'll probably find some in the beach house attic," Marnthe assured.

Geale frowned at him. He didn't seem surprised that Calista had a foggy or almost no recollection about it.

Was it still caused by the mind haze? Photos were the enemy of a mind haze. Any memory related to photos could not be affected by the spell.

Calista's foggy recollection of where she stored the photos shouldn't be impacted by the spell either...unless someone very powerful cast the mind haze.

Was it Marnthe? Was he the one casting the mind haze? Did his lineage make him more powerful than the average merfolk?

"Callie!" Calista corrected. "I'm Granny Callie from now on."

"Aww, you're so cute, Granny Callie!" Geale swooned, giving the old woman a hug.

"And you're so sweet, Gillie," Calista replied, returning the gesture. She then turned to Marnthe. "You too, Marnie!"

Marnthe smiled, rose from his seat, and hugged them both.