Stye

STYE 6

A little down the sea, small fingers kept fumbling with the stack of plastics and cords around her objective, attentive to not get hurt, patiently she finally untangled it from the rest.

Still kneeled she made a small stack with the other dirt to hid what she was doing not knowing if what Leony said earlier will still apply if he knew how much she found, the fact was that the money was more than what they ever found at once. There were no guaranty he wouldn't turned his back to her like her father did them.

All shaken by the memories she had pushed out of her mind, she finally removed the bottle out of the plastic. Her heart almost stopped while her eyes doubled in size at what she had uncovered.

"Holy God! No way!" mumbling shouting she said mouth agape a moment, shutting it almost immediately breathing slowly.

Her eyes almost popping out of her orbs, the contain of the item she held was unbelievable, completely out of sort. Where could that much money come from!? She had heard about stories of spirits of mermaids giving people money in exchange of things they would required from them like their soul.

"What if, No.No.No! Think positive, we already ate with that kind of money. No one is death!"

Admonishing herself she breathed in and out to be calm. Moving the idea out of her mind as soon as the idea was formed, she puffed knowing that it had been a while the Hattaway worked here with her finding money no spirit never came to them.

"It is only because it is this much that I am worry. Small don't hurt."

Scolding herself, she shook her head briskly  her head leaned over the sand to see clearly in the bottle she had succeeded in moving the lid, stash of money perfectly rolled rest inside totally drenched but not also soaked like it should have been if not covered properly.

From afar it looks like she was leaned on her knees looking at it attentively, worry she was in that position longer than necessary, Leony frowned holding up his index finger to Stew whose mouth was like a waterfall cascading with huge noise.

"Stye??? You okay?"

Startled at the sound of her name, she hastily  put the bottle back in the plastic it previously was in, her heart completely gone, beating faster in her ribcage, even with the still cold weather she felt sweaty all of a sudden rechecking her surrounding to make sure no one saw what she had found, thousands of questions going through her mind.

Turning her head towards the two brothers who still were sitting away she nodded, propelling her small but firm hand up, shaking her thumb in the air gesturing an okay, Leony accepted sceptically wondering if she was not already feeling defeated for not finding anything.

He had seen her once in that position, the second time she started helping them years ago, that was the day he decided to always count her in whatever they found. No nine years old should cried at the thought of going back home with nothing to feed family with. The smile on her face that day was priceless when he had told her they could go home to give her one of theirs reservation food.

Sighing at the painful flashback, he decided to give her some alone time before going cheering her up. His mind made he resumed his conversation with his brother who, oblivious of anything else started blabbing again.

Breathing out relieved that Leony had accepted her answer and was now talking again with his back to her, she swallowed her saliva with difficulty, pushed the banknote she first saw in the small bottle which was the height of some small beer they sell in town, with a small cap that could be push in and out letting thing passed in between like the one that had papers handkerchiefs in Mrs Barnes car.