𝓢𝓮𝓮 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓐𝓰𝓪𝓲𝓷, 𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓭𝓪𝔂

#1

It's a scorching summer day.
Children are playing outside.
One of the kids suggests, "Why don't we play at the beach?" Everyone agrees with the idea. But Lia hesitated. Lia knew her grandmother would never allow it. Every time Lia asked about the beach, her grandma went silent. She warned Lia to stay away from the beach.

Eight years later~
Lia had grown into a fine young woman. She had always been curious about the matter. She asked her grandma several times, but Grandma never replied. Lia wondered why. So, She had never visited the beach, even though it was not far from their house. Her curiosity only grew stronger with each passing day.

One day, as Lia was riding towards the beach, the bus diverted due to construction issues. That was the first time Lia laid eyes on a beach—so breathtakingly beautiful. The sea, the waves, everything looked enchanting. She wondered why her grandma forbade her from visiting such a magnificent place.

Lia pondered the whole night. She couldn't sleep after witnessing such beauty.
The next morning, Lia woke up early, before her grandma, and planned to sneak out. She took her bicycle and headed for the beach.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. The sunrise looked so magnificent she couldn't take her eyes off. She gazed at the beauty of nature. She felt the gentle breeze on her skin. For the first time, she thought, "Life is truly beautiful!"

But her reverie was interrupted when she heard a melodious tune in the distance. Someone was singing. She couldn't resist and walked towards the source. It was the most beautiful voice she had ever heard. When she arrived, she saw a young, elegant woman singing. When the woman noticed her, she panicked and fled, eventually jumping into the sea.

Worried and scared, Lia ran towards the woman to save her. But to her surprise, the woman vanished. Was Lia hallucinating? She couldn't understand what was happening. She pinched her cheeks, thinking it was a dream. She started to overthink, terrified by the idea that the woman might be a ghost.

Lia hurried back home, closed the door, and covered the windows. When her grandma woke up and saw Lia looking terrified, she asked what was wrong. Lia was about to tell her everything but hesitated. She lied to her grandma, claiming it was a cockroach. "Oh, silly child! You're scared of a cockroach!" Grandma laughed. Lia gave a nervous smile.

After breakfast, Lia left for school. Her friends noticed she was lost in thought. They asked her what was wrong. Lia hesitated and lied again. That day, it was Lia's turn to reshelve some books in the library. While doing so, she noticed a book titled "The Little Mermaid." She scoffed at the idea of such tales being true. But then, a thought crossed her mind. Could the woman she saw be a mermaid? No way. But there was no chance for her to disappear, she thought.

In the evening, Lia returned home. She remained silent about the incident and quietly had her dinner. Grandma noticed something unusual about her. She went to bed early, thinking, "Oh dear, maybe she's grown up now."

At 4 am the next morning, Lia woke up. She immediately got ready. Jonny, Lia's cat, accompanied her. Lia, with her bicycle, headed to the beach. There, she waited for the clock to strike 4:15...

🎶🎶 Once again, she heard the heartwarming music. She followed the sound and found the lady again. This time, Lia was prepared. She spoke gently to the lady, "Please don't be scared. I know who you are, and I won't harm you." The lady didn't flee this time. But Lia noticed something unusual; she had legs, just like a normal human. Lia was puzzled. She approached the lady and asked, "Where did you disappear yesterday? And how?" The lady remained silent for a while. Then, she replied, "Thank you. Yes, I... I... Aquia... you."

Listening to her, Lia realized the lady couldn't speak properly. But Lia gave her a warm smile. Suddenly, the lady rushed to the water and swiftly caught a fish. She brought it to Lia as a gift. Lia was delighted. Now She had made a new friend! But then, Jonny, Lia's cat, appeared. Seeing Jonny, the lady darted into the sea again. Lia understood she was afraid of cats. She reassured her, "Aquia... Jonny won't harm you. Don't be scared."
But Aquia didn't re-appear.

So Lia returned home with Jonny. She went to her room, opened her drawer, and took out a diary. She wrote:
"Today, I met Aquia. I don't know where she lives, but I always see her on the beach in the morning. She is afraid of cats. So this time, I won't take Jonny. Tomorrow, I'm going to visit the beach again."