Mermaid Mate

"How long have you been hiding here, Azura?"

"I don't know! I have nowhere to go!"

"It's been 80 years, try to swim to a faraway place. Forget everything! It's all past, they must have forgotten about it!"

"No, Meria! They will never forget, they will always remember everything. I know that, they will never forget that disaster."

"So what? You can't stay hidden in this place. You're free now! His Majesty has allowed you to leave, so go!"

"I can't! I can't go anywhere! There's no place for me, there's no place for me anywhere!"

Meria shook her head slowly, she didn't expect that freedom for Azura didn't mean freedom for her soul that had been confined for so long. She had lost everything she had. She has no one but herself.

"I see, but Azura, you have the right to be happy too. Go and find your happiness somewhere. The ocean is very wide. Do you remember? There are so many places we haven't explored. Therefore, I beg you to find happiness even if it's your only life goal!"

Azura stared blankly, her desperate face making Meria grieve. In this dark cave, where sunlight cannot enter, she locks herself in even though her body is free. In prison for 80 years she forgot that freedom would come for her.

"Ethan, are you okay? Are you still waiting for me, Ethan? I miss you so much! Can we meet again? I just want to be with you, just be with you!"

Her thoughts and feelings were only for that figure. A figure that can never be erased from her memory. A gentle smile, her shining brown eyes. Everything about him will never be forgotten.

"Ethan, I just want to be with you even if I have to wait my whole life!"

September 12, 1943

Atlantic Ocean

"Huh? Impossible!"

"Hey, Ethan...! Time for lunch!" Robin waved his hand at a young man who was focused on guarding the main deck.

"Okay...!" The young man lowered the weapon he was carrying on his shoulder. He was still confused and could hardly believe what he was seeing. The woman with the fish tail, looks very real in his eyes.

It had been two hours since he had stood in the scorching midday sun, where only the blue sea was as far as the eye could see. Maybe just an illusion or a mirage in the middle of the ocean.

A red-haired youth approached him, taking his place on guard. This was a critical moment in which they had to immediately send weapons supplies to the port.

"Okay, now it's my turn! You can have lunch!"

"Hey Jim, would you believe me if I told you?"

"What's that?"

"I saw a fish swimming over there! Swim like dolphins, but they have heads and hair too!"

"Fuck! You're kidding, right?"

"I'm not kidding! I saw it! There seemed to be two, I didn't see it clearly. But one of them had brown hair!"

Jim frowned, he knew Ethan wasn't a man to lie. He always told the truth, but if he meant a half-fish man swimming in the middle of the ocean, it was hard to believe.

Jim took his binoculars and held it to his eyes, he tried to look closely, but saw nothing but water.

"Nothing! Maybe what you saw was a dolphin!"

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"How's that? But mermaids are a little hard to believe! You know what? I once read a book about a group of pirates exploring the Atlantic Ocean and they saw a beautiful woman with fish fins. They were mesmerized by her beauty and decided to catch her and you know what happened after that?"

"They failed to catch her?"

"No! They're all dead!"

"Dead? Why?"

"It is said that if the sailors meet the mermaids, it is a bad omen. The appearance of the mermaids is associated with a strange magic. It is said that they can do a trick by bringing up a big storm and making the ship roll in the waves and sink. They also really like to kill humans!"

"That makes no sense, Jim!"

"I don't know, it's just a fairy tale, come on!"

"But I'm sure I saw it, that mermaid you said! But I didn't see her face. Only her back and long hair!"

"No! Mermaids don't exist, they're just mythological creatures. They're not real!"

"How do you believe they're not real?"

"Because no one has actually been shown to have seen them. Just like unicorns, loch ness, no one has actually seen them!"

"I don't think that's true, Jim!"

"What do you mean?"

"This world is so vast, so vast that it's impossible for us to explore everything. Even far above the sky, there might be life. On other planets, who knows that other beings who are just like us and think only of them the only creatures that live in this huge universe. Just because we've never seen them, doesn't mean they don't exist. In a dense forest, there might be a fairy kingdom there, or a group of beasts that resemble humans. They live in their world and we never know because we are only small beings compared to the universe, we are nothing!"

Jim was stunned, only now was he starting to think that maybe things he used to think weren't real, actually exist. Funny, he never really thought about the universe.

"Yeah, maybe you're right! But right now, there is no time to think about those creatures. We never know when our ship will be attacked and when the enemy will throw bombs from the sky!"

"You're right, maybe we don't have a chance to think about it!"

"That's right, the Commander warned us to stay alert. Because we are not the only ones sailing this sea. If we run into enemy ships, we must be prepared!"

"Oi, Ethan...! If you don't eat soon, your food will be wasted!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Boom...

A bomb shot exploded the side of the ship's hull causing a tremendous shock. Ethan bounced and nearly fell into the ocean. He quickly caught the iron barrier before he fell. It was too sudden, they didn't know where the explosion had come from.

"Shit! Soldiers, prepare weapons! We're under attack...!" Commander Lucas gave the order. All the soldiers and crew of the ship prepared quickly to defend their ship which was attacked by foreign ships.

Captain Harry confirmed that it was a pirate ship that attacked them. They have guns, mines and bombs. They attacked without warning and indiscriminately because all they wanted was to loot this ship and steal weapons.

"They're pirates! I'm sure they've been stalking us, Commander!"

"Prepare ammunition, we attack them!"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Ethan...! Benedict, where's Ethan?"

"I didn't see him, Captain! He was still on deck with Jim Conor!"

"Jim Conor? All right, find them! Tell them to come face to face with me! Critical situation, we're under attack!"

"Ready, Captain!" Benedict walked quickly to the deck looking for the whereabouts of Ethan and Jim who had not been seen since their ship was attacked by pirates.

Meanwhile, Ethan was still hanging from the ship's shaking mast. Little did he know that the explosion could send them soaring that they almost fell into the sea.

"Jim...! Are you okay?" He shouted for Jim who was swaying beneath him. Jim's condition looked much worse, he was hanging from the anchor rope, bringing him too close to the propellers. It was very dangerous considering the strong waves of the water down there. If not careful, Jim could be dragged and hit by the propeller.

"Oh shit! Ethan, scream and call for help!" He said. He wasn't sure that he could climb up in this state.

"Someone help us...!"

Boom...

Another explosion sounded but from the opposite direction, it seemed that the soldiers were fighting back. His voice was not heard, instead the shaking was getting stronger.

"Damn, I'm not strong anymore!" Jim trembled, he felt fresh blood flowing from his legs. He knew something hurt his leg when he fell earlier.

"Jim...! Can you hear me? Hang on! I'll pull you out!"

"What do you mean? You could get hurt too! Never mind! You better climb upstairs, I'm fine! I can wait!"

"Blood? Are you hurt?"

"Yeah, looks like my foot got hit by a ship's propeller!"

"Oh God! All right, take my hand! I'll pull you up!"

"Forget about me! Looks like our ship is under attack, I won't survive!"

"Stupid, what are you saying? You promised to marry Diana when the war was over, didn't you? Hang in there! We'll be fine! I'm sure Commander, Captain and our comrades are currently fighting to defend the ship. That's why Don't give up Jim!"

"No one knows when the war will end and it looks like it will never end! If you make it home safe, please convey my apologies to Diana. Tell her I love her very much." Jim's condition was getting worse. He lost a lot of blood, he was sure the injury to his leg was so severe that he couldn't see it.

Jim staggered, his eyes darkening. The water submerged part of his body. He faintly heard Ethan's voice screaming his name and Ethan's face trying to reach him.

"Jim...!"

Ethan screamed, he saw Jim's body fall into the water and drown. A flash of memory flashed through his head. Memories of when they were still studying as navy soldiers and how they met for the first time.

"Jim? No way...!"

On the expanse of the blue sea

You see good memories

True love story...

The ocean is the most beautiful grave

A place where you can rest in peace

Forget your sadness and close your eyes

You will see the world ahead waiting for you in eternity...

Ethan heard the melodious singing that came with the air. The voice of a woman he couldn't see anywhere. He remembered Jim's words just before this disaster struck.

"If we see a mermaid, it's a bad omen!"

Ethan is trying to climb up, he must save himself and tell his comrades that Jim fell into the sea and they must find him before it's too late.

"Jim, not a single being is a bad omen. Everything that happens in this world is destiny and the problems we face are our fault. We are human, we are the ones who start wars, we are sinners. Jim, please, hold on...!"

Boom...

A huge explosion hit the ship, the shock so strong that Ethan let go of his grip and fell into the sea.

His eyes opened, he saw water, a lot of water. He couldn't move his body, he couldn't feel anything.

"Is this how it ends? I'm going to die and be buried here."

Despair came over him, he was sure that this was his end. He vaguely saw a woman's face right in front of his eyes. Her eyes were emerald green, round like gems.

"Very beautiful." He thought. He was sure that he was seeing an angel who had come to pick him up.

An angel without wings, but has fins. He took Ethan's hand and pulled him to the surface of the water, leading him to a place where new life begins.