Mermaids Blood

One

Chapter One
Aileen

     The tormenting winds fought against the window panes, creating a bone chilling, eerie vibe over the room as the older gentleman told the famous stories of mermen and mermaids to the surrounding children. His skin was soft and sagging from age, and his silver beard stood out against his dark skin. The children sat around him in a circle with criss-crossed legs. Their mouths hung open with amazement and occasionally terrified expressions as he told the story.

     The old man was a bit loose in the head if you asked me. He always told outrageous stories that no one ever believed. He was known all over Clorinda for his story telling for the tall tales about mermaids once living on this island. He always told the story the same way, as if he lived through it himself. As if he really saw these creatures with his own eyes. He was a mysterious old man. No one knows how long he has been on this island exactly, but since I've met him, he seems like he hasn't aged a day- and I've known him for years. Since I first opened my Clorinda Sea Side Cafe, he has been coming here. Well, he's old as it is, but doesn't seem to be getting any older. I always wonder if its just good genes or if he has a secret skin-care routine I don't know about. Whatever it is, I want in on his skin secrets. God knows I need that. 

 The mer people once lived on this island in peace for thousands of years. Once humans discovered the creation of boats and started voyaging across the seas, a crew of lost settlers stumbled across the white sandy shores of Clorinda. The humans began settling in, tearing down the trees to begin building and populating the island. Soon, the mer people and humans discovered each other. The mer people wanted to make peace, but the humans were so amazed by the mer people that they were convinced they would make a huge profit from their discoveries. Imagine telling the world that you were the first to discover mermaids. You would make millions.

     The humans began seeking and killing the mer people, trying to collect their bodies and samples of them dead or alive. The mer people fought back, but to no avail. Their coral weapons were no match to the humans' superior and more advanced weaponry. The mer people refused to use their powers against the humans to win, convinced that showing their abilities would give the humans more of an incentive of capturing them, and decided to retreat into the oceans, never to be seen again.

     The old man swears that the mer people still lurk in these very waters. Stalking and watching for the right moment to reclaim their home again.

     I listened to his story as I went around passing out food and drinks to my customers. The old man told other stories of personal encounters with the mer people and before we knew it, the kids were leaving to their homes for the night with their parents. It was an entertaining story. The way the old man told the story made it seem like it was real. It sparked up an old nostalgia of me once being obsessed with the idea of mermaids. It was like he actually saw these creatures, but everyone knows mermaids and mermen aren't real. They're just fairy tales. At one point in my life I believed in them too, but then I grew up and realized they were just stories.

   I began to clean up Clorinda Sea Side to prepare for closing. The interior had a nice light feel to it. The walls were white, and modern decorations adorned the shop. There were lots of light browns, gold, silver, and black mixed into the surroundings. A very nice, balanced feel to the area. The other co-workers assisted me in cleaning the shop. The old man slowly hobbled his way out, and turned to me right before the door.

    "How are you and the dearies?" He asked, his voice gruff with age. Oh, he was speaking of my two best friends Flora and Kira. They also own this business with me.

    "They're good. So am I, thanks for asking. We're applying to colleges so we've been pretty busy with that," I replied kindly. He nodded in return.