The Girl and the Mermaid

Always [Epilogue]

"Once upon a time there was a girl who was friends with a mermaid prince." The boy's mother started the story, like she often did. "They met in captivity, where they were both prisoners of an evil man. But with the help of friends, they could run away. The prince returned to the sea and the girl missed her friend a lot. She was scared he would forget her."

"Did he?" the boy asked his mother, even though he knew the story well. His blue-green eyes looked curious at her.

"No, he didn't! They met at least once a week, swimming together or spending time together on a secret beach. They had promised to stay friends forever and so they did"

The kid smiled. He liked that story. His mother often told him about that girl and the prince and how they became friends. Every time she told him about them, she told him other details. One time, the story was about their escape, another time it was about the first time they met. Yesterday, she had told him about how they'd stayed friends forever.

"Maybe you will meet him one day. And if not, you will find good friends on your own."

The boy smiled and nodded.

He and his mom were visiting his grandparents. His aunt was there too. She was badass, because she had pink hair and spoke in sign language. She had taught him some so his mother didn't have to translate.

The boy then went into the kitchen, to drink some water. When he stood on his tiptoes to look out of the window, he saw his aunt leaving.

She walked down the street that led through the village to the beach.

The boy decided to follow her. Maybe she would go to that one cool bookstore in town to buy new books! He loved books almost more than she did.

He sneaked out of the door without his mother noticing.

Because his aunt couldn't hear him, he didn't have to be quiet. Instead, he had to be careful that she couldn't see him. His aunt often looked around, at the sky or the trees beside the road, and she had eyes like an eagle.

After they were walking for what felt like forever, they finally reached the beach, not the bookstore. But instead of going to the water, his aunt followed the beach a bit, until she disappeared behind a few dunes.

The boy climbed one of the small hills made of sand, watching as his aunt waded through the shallow water until she stood knee deep in the sea.

Then she waited.

The boy almost fell asleep, when he suddenly saw something moving. Was this a shark? He was ready to run to his aunt and help her, when a head appeared out of the water. It was a man with dark, long hair and beautiful patterns on his forehead.

The boy saw a fishtail that poked out of the water.

He sat back down, mouth open when he realized that the girl of his mother's stories was his aunt.

His aunt sat down in the water, letting the wet blue cover her shorts while the mermaid sat next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. Then she let her head sink on his shoulder. They looked peaceful.

The boy went back, walking home, leaving his aunt and her best friend alone.

It felt wrong to watch them.

They deserved their time together, without him being there too.