Mermaids

Chapter 1: Gift

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT in the usually calm Southern California. The winds were howling, the clouds were covering the sky, including the moon.

Most people took refuge in their house, afraid of the cruel winds and harsh thunder.

All except for one bold jogger. He was a tall guy, looking around twenty, except for a few prematurely grey hairs.

He was casually walking down the shoreline, just as a single lighting bolt struck the beach with a loud #crack.

He leaned back for a second, as if the lighting bolt would strike the same spot, again.

After he was sure it wouldn't, he ran over and started digging the fulgurite out.

He was so busy digging that he almost didn't notice something big wash up onto the shore.

He looked, and them rubbed his eyes. This couldn't be true, it couldn't! He must have had too much to drink.

Wait. He sat up straighter, still staring at the thing that got washed up on the shore. He hadn't had anything to drink.

He slowly walked over to the thing and squatted down, poking it. Slowly it moved. Startled, he jumped back, yet he could see it clearly.

It seemed to be a beautiful women, about his age, in a costume, holding something wrapped in seaweed. Looking closer, he realized... that was no costume. She actually appeared to have a magnificent copper fish tail, right where her legs should've been.

His eyes widened, and he was about to take off running, until he noticed that she was breathing sharply, getting weaker and weaker.

"Miss?" He asked, his voice a rasp from shock. "Miss! It's okay! We can get help!" He cringed away, but gently tucked her wet fiery hair ou of her face.

"Don't..."-breath "bother...just...take"-"good care...of her..."

"Don't talk like that! You'll be fine! You just need CPR or something." he said, desperately trying to help her.

"Wont...help..."

She weakly shoved the package into his arms, then lifted a part of her shirt to expose a deep wound, almost right through her heart.

His stomach turned over when he realized that their was absolutely nothing he could do for her, especially since she was half fish.

He took hold of her soggy hand and squeezed it, looking into her eyes that were weak with death approaching.

"Don't... tell"-breath-" about...me."

With that, her hand went limp and her electric green eyes closed.

Although the whole ordeal happened around thirty seconds, he couldn't help but feel as if the strings in his heart were ripped out.

As much as he hated to do so, he gently rolled the body into the now quiet waves. He figured that scientists would dig the body up and dissect it.

He stared into the gloomy waves for a while, until he heard a small cry on the ground.

Right! The package! He had left it on the ground. He kneeled down in front of it, unwrapped the seaweed.