Slowly I placed a hand upon the smooth, cool surface of the water. Ever since I can remember, I love the ocean and am at the same time afraid of it due to an accident. Its touch, its colour and its smell pull me like a magnet, but the fear holds me back by only touching the water with my hand or feet. Closest and best place to do it is here on the bridge looking out to sea.676Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2vi2b3W7b
Suddenly I felt something at my hand and a gentle push; lifting my hand. I looked down and saw only my reflection in the moving water. Soon I spotted a pair of dark olive-green eyes looking directly into my eyes. From the water surfaced a hand placed under mine and the young face of a man. As he stopped surfacing at about my eye level, I blinked in amazement and noticed my hand still resting against his. At his arms, I spotted fish-like fins at his lower arms and multiple spots with bluish-green fish scales spread up to his shoulders. His upper torso was bare and slightly tanned from the sun. Quickly he brushed his wet short dark hair out of his face. A warming grin curved his lips as I looked into his eyes.
“Hello.” He grinned at me.
I blinked. He’s a mere stranger, yet why do I have this feeling that he means no harm? Quickly I made the distance from him. His grin rapidly vanished as I stepped back, and he looked at his palm that was with mine before. Slowly he looked up with a grin and sunk into the water.
I was glued on the spot, on the ground of the bridge, pinched my arm to be sure I’m not dreaming what I just saw. Either way, it is noteworthy into my diary tonight.
Suddenly I heard soft splashes of water nearby and a gentle stroke through my elbow long golden-brown hair. I turned around with a silent gasp of fright. Dark olive-green eyes met mine. He’s still here! It was so sudden that I was petrified of fright I couldn’t move or rather too scared to move. He started to play with my hair had he had in his fingers. After a while, I managed to swallow a big part of my fear. My eyes began to wander from his arms to his shoulders, his tanned and trained upper torso like many athlete swimmers have but- at his hips, his skin changed into fish scale in the same bluish-green colour as at his arms and instead of legs I saw clearly a fishtail. “A merman?” Came out of me, baffled. Immediately I clasped a hand over my mouth and felt my cheeks and ears grow warm.
He gave a content soft laugh yet enchanted. “That’s it.”
“But-” I was at a loss of words as I kept staring at his fishtail. Quickly rubbed my eyes to be sure this is no dream.
“And you’re human, right?” He tilted his head.
“Huh? Er- yeah.”
Suddenly I felt a soft cool hand upon my cheek. “So warm.” His grin rapidly vanished. “Are you ok?”
I gently removed his hand from my cheek. “I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
Rapidly he laid down on his back and looked up to me with a teasing smirk while resting his arms beneath his head and waved at times his fishtail playfully in the air. “I’m Felix; what’s yours?”
I blinked. “Abigail.”
“You’re from around here? I see you often up here alone. I even heard you sing, and you sing wonderfully.”
I felt my cheeks growing warmer. It felt odd and good at the same time to receive such a compliment.
“Why are you getting redder? Was it something I said?” Wondered Felix concerned.676Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTOh5GvvMq
