MERFOLK 1/2

In the depths of the blue Pacific Ocean, creatures that the human eye has never seen can be seen; creatures that happily swim round and round in a school of fish of identical color and only their soft singing can be heard underneath. Angels of the sea, as they were considered, but they are simply called mermaids.

Their happiness has a reason because there's something under the pile of corals. It looks like a fish egg but a lot bigger. It even got to glitter and throb like a heart, symbolizing there is a life inside.

"The sea has another curse, '' said the red-haired mermaid. She didn't even have any emotion on her face, as if she was used to seeing it.

"It's beautiful. Now I can see a new mermaid sprout." The blue-haired mermaid strained to peek at the transparent egg. Her cat-shaped eyes even reflected how they shone.

"You're right, you're the last, but now they're multiplying more often. When they're the right size, the eggs will hatch.'' The purple-haired mermaid pushed the blue-haired mermaid's mischievous silver tail because its fins were poking the tail of the latter.

"Just like when I came out of the egg, will they also remember their names? —she waved her hand before speaking again— Before I woke up, it was like music to my ears, I heard the name Aquarius over and over, isn't that a beautiful name, Nereida? '' Her golden eyes were still clouded when she looked at her companion, the mermaid with purple hair.

"Wait, Sonata, how can you say that the new sprout is a curse again?" she crossed her arms as she curled her long silver tail. She waited for the red-haired mermaid, Sonata, to answer.

"Sachiel said, —he blew a bubble first — water-related deaths become new sprouts, we are all reborn as ocean creatures. As long as the first mermaid and its eggs are not returned to the ocean, the curse will continue." At the same time, she gently parted the hair that covered her eyes.

"Ah, I remember, before the egg hatched, Sachiel gave the name to the new bud. So, the music you heard was Sachiel's voice," Sonata said.

Aquarius's gills that were on her chest opened widely, and she breathed heavily. Obviously, she didn't understand what her companion explained. 'What was my old life like? Maybe I was so bad that I was just thrown into the sea to die,' she thought. The two looked at each other as if they had heard what Aquarius said in her mind.

Soon her ear fins moved. Aquarius looked up as if she noticed something strange in the water. Her two companions just stared at her. The mermaid quickly swam upwards. Only her head was raised as she aimed to peek at the sky. 'I have a strong feeling that something good is going to happen, with the number of stars and moonlight and a series of bubbles on the surface signaling that a boat is sailing.'

She hid on the dark side of the sea to see if what she was feeling was true. She was not mistaken because she could already see the small boat with a single white light that was bright enough to see the way.

The mermaid closed her eyes as if smelling something in the air. ''Huh, this thing is useless.'' She pinched her small nose covered with bluish scales.

Her eyes lit up when she opened it because she saw many shining stars on that boat, and there was also a mixture of small blue diamonds. She slid her tongue over the upper part of her lip. She seemed to have tasted her favorite food she had seen.

Even though they have no sense of smell, they can see a person's aura. Here, they knew what kind of person they faced. They can see a scent that is through the objects, shapes, and colors that go with the air, a sign of whether the intentions of the heart are bad or good.

The water was on a level with her mouth when she spoke. "It's a good heart if it's a blue diamond. It's a bad heart if I see shining stars, and that's what all we need… our food." The water almost bubbled as she spoke and decided to follow the boat she saw.

"It looks like it's from an island with a big lighthouse." Aquarius had just found Nereida swimming with her. Nereida with short, wavy purple hair, round eyes, and a meek face. She has a downturned lip shape and, like Aquarius, she also has bluish scales on her face.

The mermaid just focused her gaze on the boat because she was thinking about their food on board. When the boat stopped, they also stopped.

''Hear my voice beneath the sea,

In a deep and quiet night, you'll hear,

My charming song, you'll lose control,

I'll take your heart not that too long."

Aquarius started singing. Her enchanting voice echoed as the waves started to oscillate to transverse waves. Then she turned to Sonata's emerging head.

"Ah haa... Na Haa..." said the latter. The three of them followed the boat because they were sure they would be full again tonight. Sonata and Nereida can no longer remember when they last ate. And for Aquarius, this was the second time she would eat.

Soon, the boat suddenly stopped. The boat stopped on the cave island. The three looked at each other wondering because they often visited that land. It's also far away from where humans came from.

"What are they planning to do here?'' Nereida asked. They lowered their heads slightly as they watched.

''Do you think they heard our song?'' Aquarius asked.

''Maybe we sang weakly. Sonata, you're the one to sing again. Perhaps my singing is bad. We won't eat anything if we don't get it,'' Aquarius said to Sonata, rubbing her chin. Sonata's a bit rude but kind. Her eyes were tear-shaped, and her hair was long and wavy. She has a thin lip that's always curved like a smirk.

''What are you? There is no salt mermaid with ugly voiced except for those mermaids that live in freshwater.'' Sonata sneered.

"All right, please, Sonata…" the two begged at the same time. They even imitated the eyes of the fish so that the mermaid would accept their request. Aquarius pursed her heart-shaped lips even more.

"Okay, what else can I do?" He glared at them, while the two smiled hugely.

Sonata slowly waved her hands above the water while the soft song rang out from her lips.

"Traveler, please come to me,

In the ocean, you'll surely be free,

Your loneliness will then fade,

And happiness will overtake,

Just hear my song, my charming song,

It will guide you on your own."

"Ah haa … Na haa ... Hmmm …" Their voices were gentle and blended at the same time.

But no matter how hard they sang, no people were descending into the water. The three of them looked at each other, there was a look of astonishment on their beautiful faces. Aquarius hid half of her face in the water and then exhaled as well out of frustration. They swam closer to the boat and slightly raised their heads to peek.

Their eyes widened at what they saw. Nereida covered her mouth and Sonata stared.

The boat had three people on board. They were still laughing as if they were thrilled about the thing being hit.

"That's why our song does not affect them. Someone covered their ears. A wax!'' Sonata almost hit the water in frustration.

"Why would they put that in? It's not like… '' Nereida thought something, but she couldn't say more.

''What are we going to do? They have beeswax!'' The three of them almost met their eyebrows thinking of a way because, by chance, they had nothing to eat.

Moments later, they were disturbed by a loud noise from the water. They were shocked because people had dropped something from the boat.

"The human with a blue diamond heart! There are only a few floating from that human, and it will soon disappear! '' Aquarius can't keep her eyes away from the humans.

''I mean, he's about to die and that's not our problem anymore. Let's focus on our food because if we don't… the one who'll disappear will be us.'' Sonata reminded while pointing to them.

"But, shouldn't a man like him live? And the ones who should die are the wicked like those three?" Aquarius pointed out the ones on board. She didn't wait for them to answer, instead swam back near to the small boat.

''Where are you going, Aquarius? Come back here!'' Sonata called to her but she didn't stop or look at them.

''I'll make a way to get rid of the beeswaxes in their ears! The rest is up to you!'' She shouted back at them. With her long and big tail, she hit the boat with all her might. She swam to the right and hit it again and watched it sway.

The passengers were shouting, restless, and at the same time holding on to the side of the boat.

"How sweet it is to hear their crying." Aquarius took a deep breath and, once again with all her might, she struck the boat for the second time.

Finally! What they have been waiting for has come to fruition. Humans fell from the water. The mermaids swam quickly as if they were hungry predators.

''Good, Aquarius!'' Nereida said, applauding.

There was a look of shock on the faces of those people. They thought that it was a dream. Seeing the fictional creature they thought that's not real is real. The three swam away quickly and confused, scrambling to escape the beautiful sea creatures.

Aquarius controlled the water, which quickly formed small bubbles. It went up slowly and formed a small, thin tornado. It came to the ears of those people as if it had a mind of its own and it knew exactly where it was going. The thing removed the beeswax that had stuck to the ears of the humans. And when they tried to breathe, it almost bubbled a lot as they were gasping for air.

"Let my voice play on your mind,

Trust in me, you'll be alright.

Just hold me tight and don't let go.

We'll soon arrive at your new home,

I'll be right here at your side,

My song will be your lullaby,

Forever in the ocean feet,

You'll then be sleeping peacefully..."

Gently and charmingly they blended beautifully. Their voices echoed through the vast waters of the Pacific. Anyone who could hear their song will surely love it. Those humans did nothing when they heard the mermaids' song. It was as if they were drowsy and dreamy while their eyes were open. They were all smiling as if they were not underwater. They were out of their minds, so they were unaware that the water was slowly entering their lungs.

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