Chapter Text
It was a quiet, breezy night in the little town of Sunset Bird. The sun had set a little while ago, with only the faintest hints of sunlight lining the horizon. The ocean seemed equally tranquil as the deep blue water gently lapped at the shoreline. The stars lined the sky in a brilliant display, the silvery full moon serving as the crowning jewel. In stark contrast to such serenity was a young boy with hair the color of seafoam and eyes the color of aquamarine. He walked along the beach, tears streaming down his tired face and causing his glasses to fog. He sniffled and wiped his eyes with his good arm as the other was covered by a bright pink cast.
Eventually, the young boy sat cross-legged on the ground, not caring if he got wet or covered in sand. His tears ceased as he finally stopped to take in his surroundings, the serenity of the ocean seeming to have a calming effect on his demeanor. He sat like that for a while, admiring the sea and listening to the waves fall against one another. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted what appeared to be two violet eyes staring right at him, just barely above the water’s surface. He made a startled noise as he jerked his head towards them, but who (or what) ever they belonged to quickly dove into the water. The boy immediately stood up and looked around wildly, trying to see if he could find them again.
“Who- who’s there?” He called out shakily, trying (and failing) to hide his fear. After a few moments, those strange eyes reappeared, moving a little closer as they cautiously rose above the surface. The boy stood stock-still, afraid to move. He squinted as his eyes tried to get a better look at whatever creature had just appeared before him. Those eyes didn’t seem to belong to a fish, dolphin, or anything else he could think of. They were a deep violet, and if he didn’t know better, he’d say they looked almost… human? The creature halted, not drifting any closer, yet it was just near enough for the boy to study its entire visage. Why… he was staring into the face of what appeared to be another child, so much like him, and yet so different. Their facial features were those of a human, but instead of ears, they possessed a pair of shiny blue-ish fins. They seemed to be able to breathe air okay, but there also appeared to be some sort of gills upon their neck.
They had long, wavy hair which extended beyond their (very humanoid) torso, drifting aimlessly in the water. Their hands, fidgeting as they nervously trod the water, were webbed (not unlike a duck’s or a frog’s feet, he reckoned) with their fingers tipped with sharp-looking claws. Taking all of this in, the boy suddenly realized what lay before him. This creature- no, person- was a mermaid (or, perhaps, a merman? Merfolk, at any rate)! A real-life merperson, just like the ones from his favorite stories! Any fear or apprehension the boy had immediately gave way to wonder and excitement; he’d been waiting his whole life to meet Merfolk! He slowly raised a hand and waved shyly, trying to offer a friendly smile and show he meant no harm. The merchild waved back, seeming just as relieved as he was that this was now a positive interaction.
Without a word, the merchild began to swim to the right along the coastline, motioning for the boy to follow. He did so, having to jog to keep up with their speed. Soon enough, the two came across a rockier area, and the merperson perched atop one of the larger stones. The boy, desperately hoping this was not a dream, carefully walked over and tentatively sat beside them on one of the smaller rocks. Immediately, the boy whispered, “Are… are you real?” The merchild giggled cheekily, their smile revealing a row of sharp-looking teeth. “Yep, I think so! Are you?” The boy nodded, finally cracking a smile for the first time tonight. This was amazing! He wanted to ask the merchild a million questions but was so tongue-tied that no more would come out. Luckily, he didn’t have to, as the merchild beat him to it.
“My name’s Iris, what’s yours?” “Um…” the boy fidgeted with his glasses for a moment before answering, “I’m Cove.” “Ooh, like the sea? I like it! Nice to meet you, Cove!” Before Cove could react, Iris grabbed his hand with one of their webbed ones and gave it a pretty exaggerated shake. Seeing his startled expression, they looked a little sheepish. “That’s how humans greet each other, right? Or did I do it wrong? Sorry…” Cove just laughed and said, “Oh, it’s okay. It’s just funny ‘cause that’s a grown-up thing; kids don’t really shake hands.” “Ooooh, right. I’ll remember that!”
Before he could think of something else to say, Iris pointed to his casted arm and asked, “Hey, what’s that on your arm?” “What? Oh…” Cove looked down at his arm and frowned. “It’s a cast… I broke my arm, so I gotta wear this till it gets better.” They nodded, wincing sympathetically. “I’m sorry. Is that why you were crying before?” He shook his head and looked down, his eyes filling with fresh tears at the reminder. “No…” “Oh. Then what’s wrong?” They asked quietly.
Cove’s little voice shook with barely held-back sobs as he spoke. “My parents… they don’t want to live together anymore! My mom made my dad leave, and he took me with him, so now we live there,” he pointed back towards the town uphill and continued. “And I just wanna go home!” He buried his face in his hands as he cried, his shoulders shaking with each sob. Iris just looked at him sorrowfully, not knowing how to comfort him. Finally, their voice could be heard once more, delicate and soft. “I’m sorry, Cove… that’s really awful. My mom isn’t around either… or my dad. I don’t really know where they went… I’ve just been waiting for them to come back for ages.” He looked up at his new companion, seeing their eyes were misty like his.
Cove sniffled and nodded, looking sorry for Iris too. Just then, they heard a shout in the distance; it was a grown man; it sounded like he had two women with him too. They were still a long way up the beach, though. Iris was terribly startled and immediately dove right back into the ocean. “Wait!” Cove called out wide-eyed as he tried to see where his new friend went. “Can I come see you again?” They popped their head back above the water and considered it. “Do you promise not to tell anyone, and I mean anyone?” He nodded vigorously, “I promise.” “Okay. Then come back tomorrow night, and I’ll be here, okay?” He nodded again, and Iris quickly swam away.
Cove watched the waves a few moments longer, half wondering if that entire encounter was only a dream, before clambering back onto the beach. His father (the man who had called out before) finally reached him and carefully took him by the shoulders. “Cove, thank god! Are you all right?” Cove pushed him away and nodded sullenly. “I’m fine, Dad.” By this point, the two women had reached them, both looking relieved at the sight. The one with long brown hair and glasses spoke, “Oh, thank goodness, you found him. Is he okay?” Cove’s father nodded affirmatively and thanked the two women (apparently their new neighbors) for their help.
Cove wasn’t paying attention anymore; his gaze was firmly on the sea. It was quiet now, not a trace of merfolk or any other sea creature. It was as if the strange encounter had never happened. Still, he remembered it, and tomorrow evening he’d be back to see if his new friend would return; he desperately hoped they would. Maybe Sunset Bird wasn’t so terrible after all?