"Hurry!!!!" the captain roared to his crew.
"Pull the nets back!! We have to return!!" the captain shouted as he struggled against the slippery net.
"Captain!! It seems the net is stuck below," a member of the crew shouted amid the storm.
"Under no circumstances are you to dive into the water!!" the captain shouted, but his words were carried away by the wind and replaced with those of the rolling thunder.
The crew dived beneath the angry waves. Below the rushing tides, it was calmer, completely serene just like the calm after a storm. The man swam below the nets to see what prevented them from being pulled to the surface. To his surprise, there was nothing; the net was free to be pulled up to the surface, with no hindrance in sight.
The sea holds so many wonders, some known and unknown. Stories of the beauty of the sea have been spread far and near, the colorful stories it tells, the anger it showcases when it disagrees with the sky, and the caresses it gives the land. In all its beauty, we seem to forget she hides secrets, secrets that could be the end of humanity. On that fateful day, the man discovered a secret the sea held, one that changed his life for eternity.
First, it watches, it does nothing but watch from a distance. Then it sings, a song so beautiful it mesmerizes one into submission unbeknownst to them. The symphony flirts with your ears while you sink lower then the song disappears. Sinking its shark-like teeth into your tender flesh, it bites off a part of you, your blood dances away with the sea. The first bite makes you want to scream, but how can one do that if your voice box is the first to be gone so that all one can do is struggle, that is what the man did. After the brave fight, all that was left were bones; that was all his family received.
Just like that, the sea's secret was no longer a secret.
......
"Don't go close to the sea, love. Haven't I told you the stories?" my aunt asked me.
"Do you still believe in those?" I asked, laughing at her.
"They are just stories to scare little kids; there are no people in the sea with fishtails waiting to eat you. Plus, I'm not a kid anymore," I said walking closer to her, just to make her less upset with me.
"You are a grown adult, I understand, but when you get eaten by one of those men-fish, that's when you are gonna regret not listening to me," my aunt grumbled as we continued our walk down the sandy path.
"Why would you believe in mermaids though? They are just myths. Plus, no one has seen one in real life to think they are the cause of those fishermen's deaths. It could've just been a shark."
"They are not mermaids, they are sirens. More vicious than— why should I even try? If you like, go swim in it for all I care," my aunt said walking faster and away from the beach.
I laughed louder as I followed her retreating figure.
Ever since the fishing incident at Nakamaru, my aunt never let me go anywhere where there are bodies of water. The fear is kind of unreasonable, I mean think about it, mermaids or sirens who would believe in such nonsense. It's obviously a shark that attacked the fishing crew, and they were all probably drunk; there are a lot of fishes out there that could have a 7-foot tail. I mean make it make sense, men-fish? That's not even possible, maybe old age is catching up with my dear aunt.
We walked along the beach for a few more minutes. The conversation eventually drifted from sea creatures to where we might go for vacation. My aunt eventually suggested we go to the Kai Islands as one of her friends invited her over. The Islands were beautiful according to most tourists but to other tourists not so much.
Time passed, and eventually, it was time for our vacation. The trip was meant to last for two weeks; it involved my aunt, my best friend, my best friend's brother, and his girlfriend.
"I'm so exciteddddd," Julierra screamed excitedly as she rolled her hand luggage behind her.
"Julie, stop trying to scream our ears off," Zekien said glaring at his sister.
"Can't she be happy? So problematic," I said playfully rolling my eyes at him.
"Zienab, don't encourage her stupid behavior," he said smacking my head.
"Stop abusing girls!!" his girlfriend yelled at him and smacked him back for me.
Our banter continued as we boarded the plane. My aunty was beyond annoyed with us; she was ready to murder us.
......
The flight from the US to Indonesia took longer than expected, but I knew it would be worth it. We finally arrived, and the Kai Islands were gorgeous; I couldn't even describe it if I had to put it in words. My aunty's friend lived in Kai Besar, so we booked a hotel there.
As we walked into the hotel, it had a beautiful ambiance to it, warm and inviting. They had regular rooms, suites, and underwater rooms, which were all stunning. I chose an underwater room; Julierra decided on a suite above land with my aunt, while Zekien and Amelia roomed together, in a suite as well.
The underwater bedroom was breathtaking; a beige bed was at the center of the room facing a glass window that separated the room and the sea. A light brown closet on the left of the bed and a television right of the bed. It was so relaxing watching the moonlight shine through the sea; one could look at it all day.
I walked closer to the glass window and admired how calm it was, no fish in sight, just the moonlight shining through. I pressed my fingertips against the glass and just admired the sea.
A long grey index finger mirrored my own; my eyes followed the grey arm decorated by veins to a shoulder. A whimper left my lips as my eyes met heterochromatic ones and a wide array of sharp teeth on full display.107Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZE3q5NiiX7
