The Water Nymph

The Water Nymphs And The Humans

COPYRIGHT 2013

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

THE WATER NYMPHS AND THE HUMANS

The week rolled on with no events.  

My life seemed back to its normal, ordinary self.  

My lessons became even more unbearable, as I imagined Daffy sitting alone by the lake.  

What was she doing now? Was she thinking about me? 

I felt the colour rush to my cheeks as I thought of the prospect of a girl thinking about me.  

"Mark? What's the answer, Mark?" Asked my English teacher.  

"I don't know, Mr Brooks." Mr Brooks let out an exasperated sigh, and asked me; 

"Mark, will I always have to tell you that there is never a correct answer in English? Well?" 

"No, Sir." I squeaked. Nervously rubbing my hands together under the table.  

"Well, get your head out of the clouds, and do some work!" He snarled, narrowing his eyes at me.  

This was going to be another long day at school. Again.

------

Sunday finally came about, and I was almost bursting at the seams, trying to contain my excitement. Would I see Daffy again?  

I was ready long before everyone else, and as soon as we got to the lake, I left Libby and my parents, and hurtled straight for the trees.  

I slowed to a walking pace when I neared the fringe of trees. I stopped and stood still for a long time, listening for any sign of Lib.  

I couldn't hear anything, but that didn't mean she wasn't there. I decided I'd wait for Daffy to come to me, instead of calling out to her... Daffy'd surely know if someone had been following me.  

I crouched down by the edge of the water, and peered in. I wanted to see if I could see any of the small fish is seen last sunday, before I'd seen Daffy. I was so absorbed in my search, I didn't know that Libby had crept up behind me.  

"Boo!" She yelled, jumping on me. I shouted and wrestled with her, til I had successfully landed myself on her belly.  

"Ow, Mark that hurt!" She whined. 

"It serves you right for sneaking up on me like that!" I laughed, folding my arms over my chest.  

"Get off!"  

"No."  

And so she started yelling at me.  

"Your so stupid! Your lame! Why can't you just take a joke?! You always take it too far!" In the end, she wounded my pride so much, I crawled back to my original place by the water.

--------

"Hello?" I whispered, and with a sigh, I got up to go, very disappointed Daffy hadn't bothered to come. Disappointed that I had been so excited to see her, she didn't come to see me.  

"You don't give up that easily, do ya?" I heard a voice call. 

"Daffy! I know what you are." A smile breaking out on my face, as I saw that Daffy was by the tall reeds, smiling at me. 

"'What' I am? That's a bit hurtful that is." Daffy pouted comically, "so, the creature I am, is...?" 

"A Water Nymph!" 

"Well done. Lucky guess." I grinned at my scaled friend.  

"Anyway. Where were you?"  

"Your sister was here quite some time after your match, she knows your up to something..." She looked away from me, and dived under water. I watched her glide to me, until she was lying on her belly on the shore.  

"Would you ever tell her about me?" She asked pushing herself up, staring me in the eyes.  

It struck me then how beautiful they truly were.  

"What?" She asked, looking down self consciously.  

"Your eyes... Nothing, um-"  

"Awr, I'm doing it again, aren't I?" She whined. I must have looked confused.  

"I'm Enchanting you. Where I drag someone in with my beauty. Yeah, me and my people seem to Enchant Hunans." 

"So you've talked to others? Like me? Humans?" 

"Yeah, once upon a time we couldn't live without the humans." Daffy stared off into the distance, her eyes glassy. "But they polluted our seas constricting us to these lakes, rivers and the occasional summer in warm seas.  

"But it was because of your people, my people have suffered." She looked angrily at me for a second, but her face softened, and she smiled sadly, "but that's not your soul fault."