Hau the Merman

525 18 1
                                    

Female MC x Male Monster

The strange cries came from the shore after a horrible storm. I had thought it might have been the gulls celebrating a wonderful feast, but the more I listened, the stranger the sounds became. Despite the persistent rain, I traversed down the rocky path towards the strange sounds.

It was as cold as hell and my whole body seemed prepared to be dashed upon the rocks, what with the sea being as choppy as it was . I climbed down the narrow path, managing somehow to keep the lantern in my hand. I was used to being wet, but something about this weather had me worried.

I finally lowered myself down onto the beach which was covered in large chunks of coral and debris from the reef forest. The cries were closer than ever and, as I raised my lantern, I noticed a mass caught against the dock.

The old dock had seen better days, and lately all it had seen were storms upon storms and the planks were beginning to show signs of rot. Halfway down was where the cries came from, louder than sirens, and much more unearthly than the sound of harpies. I knelt over the dock, grasping hold of what looked like netting tangled with coral and massive amounts of seaweed. Once I had this bizarre package on the dock, I used my knife to open it up to the shrieking from within.

There were two, small wriggling shapes within. They thrashed and screamed in terror, unable to move much beyond that. My breath was taken away and, as rain pelted me and froze my body, I noticed neither. I reached out to one of the small things; it had hands and feet, and shimmered like the ocean waters on a sunny day. They screamed and hissed at my touch while the other began to calm, maybe even fall asleep.

They were babies.

I used the netting to create a sling so I could carry them upon my back. I somehow managed to climb the rocky slope back to the lighthouse with them in tow. Once inside I could inspect them properly and make sure they were taken care of.

I had heard tales of sea monsters that used the reef forest for protection against the many fishing vessels that permeated the waters these days. In all my time at the lighthouse I had never seen proof of those stories until now. The two tiny creatures that wriggled before me appeared amphibious, as they were able to breathe without water. They were also injured and bleeding, and possibly starving. I worked through the night to keep them alive. I managed to find something they would eat, which was mashed fish. And by dawn they had fallen into a peaceful slumber.

The best I could figure was that they were carried away by the storm. Judging from all the coral I saw washed up on shore, they never stood a chance. They were possibly ripped away from their family with no hope of survival. They were so small and looked like soft little jewels.

They looked very similar, but one was more blue while the other was tinged more purple. They had white-pink bellies, which went down the backs of their arms and legs to the soles of their feet and the palms of their hands which were also webbed. They had signs of fins emerging, but they must have been very young, possibly even newborns.

All I could do was watch them. I was in an overwhelmed state, and it was all I could do to keep from breaking down. I sat there, gazing, awe inspired by what the reef forest gave me. I had lost my children when they were young, and now these two souls washed upon the shore.

I had come to this lighthouse out of desperation in an attempt to escape my grief. I was far from home and placed in a world I didn't belong. I tended to the lighthouse to keep ships away from the dangerous reef forest where no soul outside the waters could survive.

One of the babies began to stir, fussing and grabbing at the bandage around their arm. I picked them up from the crib and they started squawking and thrashing their arms. I cooed to them, gently rocked them. As I sang to them, and the little one began to calm.

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