The morning breeze was a joy to feel on my skin. It was one of those days that made me feel alive and part of an incredible and astonishing universe. I felt energised, and I woke up with the precise intention to enjoy every single minute of the day.
Living in a small house just beside the beach had its advantages. For someone like me who’d always had a love affair with the sea, it was a dream come true.
The sand had already turned golden, and the sun was rising over the horizon, its warm rays already flooding the sky, contrasting the fresh air coming from the hills behind me.
I sat on the porch for a few minutes more, absorbing the beauty of the view in front of me, and then I moved to the shoreline.
The feeling of the warm sand below my feet was like a relaxing massage. It was something I’d never had enough of and something I didn’t want to get used to.
As I reached the water, it made me shiver, and I enjoyed that feeling for just a moment before immersing myself in the blue hug of the ocean.
I’d always loved the silence of the underwater world. Being completely surrounded by nature in an intimate and profound relationship.
The corals growing from the bottom of the ocean looked like a busy city. A million little fish and creatures were doing their things, ignoring my presence as if I was invisible or a part of their world.
Fascinated by how incredibly active those little beings were, I almost missed a quick movement on the right side of the barrier. It lasted less than a second, but I was sure I had seen a big shadow, much bigger than any other fish I had met before.
Intrigued, I decided to follow my instinct and swam in that direction, but as I turned the corner, I could only see the vastness of the ocean.
And then, when I turned back to make my way to the beach, I saw her.
At the beginning, I thought I was going crazy. What was diving in front of me could not exist. I tried to run after her, however, she was incredibly fast.
My heart was pounding, and I needed to catch my breath. I reached the surface and moved the mask away from my face. I turned my head in all directions, trying to see that beautiful creature. Of course, she was not showing out of the water.
“A mermaid…” I whispered. It was unbelievable. That seemed one of those fairy tales parents tell their kids before sleeping.
She was gone. I lingered a few more moments, hoping she would show herself again. Then, I went back home.
I was determined to see her again, so in the following days, I regularly came back to the same place. My senses were all on alert, and finally, she visited me again.
I remained still, floating in the water with my arms wide open. I wanted to tell her I was not a threat. She was there, in all her beauty, looking at me undecided on what to do.
She finally took the courage to come closer, and I let her swim around me to prove I was not going to hurt her. I slowly raised my hand, pointing to the sky, to tell her I needed to breathe. She nodded, and I reached for the air, hoping she would not run away again.
A few seconds after I emerged from the water, I saw her long brown hair coming up, followed by her beautiful face. She stood in front of me, looking straight into my eyes.
“Who are you?” I asked, as if she could understand me. “I mean, you should not exist. Mermaids are only living in tales”.
”My name is Lyraina” she replied, with a voice similar to an enchanting melody.
”Humans always deny the existence of anything they don’t understand” she added.
“Oh, how can you understand my language?” I was surprised. She was a creature of the deep ocean, I didn’t expect she could talk.
“We always hear you from the ocean. At night, when nobody can see us, we swim to the coast and look at you. And we slowly understood your language. It took years for my people to decipher your words and their meaning.”
“It’s incredible. Why haven’t you ever revealed yourselves?” I asked.
”Would you show yourself to creatures who deliberately kill inhabitants of your world?” she questioned in reply.
I’d never thought it this way. Living in the ocean, she surely happened to see humans destroying the barrier, fishing, and killing. How could I blame her for staying away from us?
“But I’m not like that” I promised.
”I know. That’s the reason I decided to meet you. I see you coming to our world. I feel the respect you have for the creatures of the ocean. And I was curious to have a closer look at a human.”
“I’m happy you did,” I said sincerely.
”But you have to promise you won’t tell anyone about me. My people are not happy I revealed myself to humans. And I don’t want your people to start searching for us”.
“I understand that,” I replied. And it was true. If mankind had ever gotten to know about this incredible world, it would have taken no time to completely destroy it. They would have immediately started hunting for the mermaids to study them and expose them as a trophy.
And this was not what I wanted.
As days turned into weeks, our friendship became more and more intense. We explored hidden caves and coral reefs, marvelling at the beauties that lay beneath the surface. And with each adventure, our bond grew stronger, transcending the barriers between our worlds.
For me, the ocean had always been a source of wonder and adventure. But now, it held something even more precious: a friend who has opened my eyes to a world beyond my most beautiful dreams.
And for Lyraina, who once feared what was above the surface, I’d become the living proof that not all humans are as they seem.
Take care and talk soon!