Eileen

Chapter 1

//Mary's POV//

Her. I see her standing on the bridge, gazing out into a fall sunset. The sun dips into the horizon and makes the waves underneath look more like an ocean of curling flames than water. She is calmly singing a mystical song to herself. Her gaze seems as if she is drinking in the sunset and all it means. Her beautiful white blonde hair flows in the playful evening breeze. She looks like a goddess. I want to talk to her, I want to know her, but I'm afraid she will never notice me the way I notice her. I gather up the courage and drag my stupid self to the edge of the bridge.

"This sunset is truly magnificent, isn't it?" Her voice is clear and airy.

"Yeah, it's uh, very colorful." Great job Mary, smooth. We stand there in silence for an agonizingly long 10 minutes.

"Hey um, what's your name? I'm Eileen."

"Oh, I-I'm Mary, you have a very beautiful name."

Eileen and I chat until the sun begins to dip below the trees and earth, saying its last for the day. She likes being outside and she loves the ocean. It makes her feel like she belongs in this world. She says she loves to draw and paint, the feel of a brush gliding over paper is enough to entrance her into a meditative state. Eileen's hair glistens in the setting sun. Her eyes are a blue with a hint of hazel and little fleck of gold that I've never seen in anyone else's eyes. It feels as if I am falling into their beautiful depths. Her fair skin is smooth and freckled, and her lips are rosy in color. She is perfect and I think I am falling in love with her.

//Eileen's POV//

Why doesn't anyone ever notice me? My songs never seem to be working, I've only caught 15 people. Mom would be so disappointed in me. Dad says my calls are beautiful and I can lure any man, but that's the problem. I don't want men, I want a woman. I think girls are the most beautiful creatures on land and in the sea. I have to leave soon, the sun is setting and the air is getting colder. A girl walks up beside me and rests her arms on the railing. All right, now's my chance. I quietly start humming one of my best calls. It's a beautiful melody that reminds me of nature as the song twists off into the sky, echoing across the water. Nothing. She doesn't even flinch. What am I doing wrong? Maybe she's deaf and can't hear me.

"This sunset is truly magnificent, isn't it?" She turns and looks at me. Why doesn't she respond to the call?

"Yeah, it's uh, very colorful." She sounds nervous, what is going on? Does she like me? She is beautiful, but why would she act like this without connecting to me? I stand there silently for a while, contemplating what I did wrong. When she isn't looking at me I stare. Her hair is a dark maroon with some brown in it, it shines in the evening light. From what I can see, her eyes are hazel with a hint of green. She is the most beautiful girl I have ever set my eyes on. What? No. What am I talking about? My song didn't work and it's her fault, somehow it is. I can't let myself like her like this, it-it's immoral! Oh no if my dad finds out he is going to kill me, or her. Maybe both. I can't fall in love with a human.

//Mary's POV//

It's been a week since we first spoke and she's all I think about. The song she was singing was so mesmerizing. Sometimes I catch myself humming it. I need to find her again, I need to make sure she is real. I need to tell her how I feel about her. The only place I imagine she would be is the bridge. I have seen her there many times. Grabbing my coat I run out the door and slip it on. Fall is almost ending and I can tell. I hum her song as I stroll through the park, it calms me down. A nonstop chatter drones in my head. What if she isn't there? What if I imagined her and I'll never see her again? What if she doesn't like me? Stop. Stop Stop. Shut up. I wrap my hands around my ears to quiet it, it doesn't work. People around me stare. Why are they staring? I feel like I'm in a trance. I run off to the bridge, I don't want them near me. Suddenly a voice breaks my chain of thought.

"Mary? Is that you?"

Eileen is sitting on a bench on the bridge with a sketch pad. She's real and she remembers me.

"Mary, I didn't imagine seeing you here, how are you?"

"I'm fine, I think..."

"Wanna talk?" She gestures for me to sit down on the bench with her. What am I supposed to tell her? That she's all I've been thinking about? That I feel manipulated by her? Fuck, what do I do? 

"Eileen, I, well, I think you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen, and you are all that I think about." SHIT. Why did I say that, she's going to think I'm crazy.

"Hey, um, Mary? I feel the same." Suddenly we are gazing into each others eyes. We are getting closer, and closer, and then her soft lips touch mine.