Beyond Beauty [HOLD]

03: The First Encounter

          The sun slowly peeped out between the hills, letting its rays burn on Eve's skin. It was early in the morning, and no one else has populated the shore just yet. A large wave of water comes splashing against Eve, waking her up.

Her eyes widen as she leans on both of her hands, pulling herself up and gasping for immediate air. Eve's long, wavy, raven hair falls at the side of her face. She starts catching her breath and pauses for a moment, trying to find out if she's completely awake.

Eve stops and turns herself, sitting on the wet, warm sand under her. Her hands caress it like it's her first time. She glances down on her new-found pair of legs. Its skin-toned color and smooth texture made her think it was impossible, but she knew it wasn't a dream. It was real.

She starts caressing her legs, folding it near her chest and a worried smile appears on her lips. She's afraid, but at the same time excited to find out what's waiting for her. The adventure.

"I don't have much time," she says to herself and looks up at the sunrise, "I have to go."

With nothing that's covering her naked body, but her long hair dangling on her chest, she stands up but fails to be able to walk.

"Great," she speaks through her heavy breath and stands again, urging to walk and hopefully reach her destination.

All hope's still not lost, she says. She stands up after falling once again and supports herself by grasping onto the big rocks sitting beside her. She takes a step one by one until she felt like she's able to walk by her own for years.

Eve laughs like she just won a trophy for the mermaid hunt fare, "I did it!" she shouts and shakes her head. "I did it, I'm ready." she says.

     With courage and determination in her mind, she keeps walking until she felt her knees weaken. So much for her first time of walking, she thinks again. She puffs and lands on her knees on the warm sand. The cold breeze comes blowing against her skin making Eve shudder. She crosses her arms next to her chest and covers her arms. Wishing she felt warm, unlike underwater, she did not have to worry about feeling cold. The water always felt right around her.

But on land, it was different. Water made you wet and colder once you get on land. The cold air would touch your skin and make it feel worse. It was cold although the sun was up. And to Eve, it felt like hours.

An indistinct scream of children is heard from the other side of the shore. Eve looks up and crawls to cover herself behind the rock. She peeks slowly, begging to see who was around. Two boys are playing near the shore, only wearing shorts and the other one wearing something shorter. Eve observes them, wondering if they would be suspicious if she showed herself to them.

Before she could stand and show herself, she could see an old woman from a distance. She was walking towards them and she starts calling for them.

It must be their mother, she thinks to herself.

The two boys starts running away from the water. The taller young boy grabs his towel that laid on the sand, while the younger one runs towards his mother. The boy covers himself with the towel and runs to his mother.

"I'm so cold, Mom!" the taller boy says as his mother carries him,

His mother smiles and rubs his hair with the towel dangling that covered his body, "I told you not to come here at this time, it's too cold."

The smaller boy holds his mother's hand with nothing to cover around his body. His towel was left lying on the sand next to the shore. Eve stands away from the rock and walks towards the previous post where she found the young boys.