It was a sunny day, with a cool summer breeze ruffling the trees. Fairies fluttered all around the place, admiring their reflections on the still water of the naiad pond. The shrine had been rebuilt after the battle at Zzyzx, about twelve years ago, and it would take a very trained eye to notice the small things that were different from the original shrine.
On the grass, sitting on a large blanket, were Seth, Kendra, and Bracken, laughing at each other. A few meters away, a small girl danced, her dark brown hair twirling around her, her green eyes shining a similar color to her mother's.
Lena was only six years old, but she was already adored by the fairies. Some of them were now twirling around her, singing a song in fairy language, a lullaby Kendra would sing to her when she put her to sleep. What a loving mother she was! Lena couldn't have wished for a better one!
Then, from the corner of her eye, she saw the water of the pond ripple. Just a small movement, not big enough for the adults to have noticed, but enough to have caught Lena's eye. Slowly she crept towards the edge, ignoring the warnings from the fairies.
As she neared the water, she could make out the face of a young woman just below the surface. Her black hair flowed around her face, her green eyes staring into Lena's own. She was absolutely beautiful!
The woman tilted her head to one side, and carefully Lena stretched a hand towards the naiad. Was this what a mermaid looked like? Her mother had read stories to her about mermaids, and she had even seen the Little Mermaid on DVD - her uncle had bought it for her on her sixth birthday. In her mind, Lena was screaming in joy. Could this be one of Princess Ariel's sisters?
The naiad smiled, and Lena furrowed her brow. It wasn't a kind smile. It looked... mean. She was just about to pull her hand away when the "mermaid's" hand shot out of the water.
" Lena, no!" shouted her uncle, and suddenly she was pushed back by the young man's hand. She watched in horror, as the naiad's slimy hand grabbed Seth's wrist instead of hers, and with one tug, he was pulled into the water. More hands appeared, wrapping around his body, and Lena watched as they sunk deeper into the dark water. Bubbles rose to the surface of the pond as Seth fought against the naiads in vain. The little girl scrambled backward away from the edge.
" Seth!"
Her mother's terrified scream came from behind her, followed by her father's: "No!" Lena felt Kendra's arms around her pulling her away from the water, even though they were already a few meters away. Then, once she was sure her daughter was safe, Kendra rushed to the edge of the pond, as if going to jump in after her brother, but she was stopped by Bracken, who wrapped his arms around her body.
" No! Let me go! I need to help him! Bracken! Let. Me. Go!" she screamed but to no avail. Bracken's grip was like steel. He twisted her around, so that she was facing him, and made her look him in the eye.
" Kendra, you can't help him! He's gone!" Then with a softer voice, while pulling his wife into a hug, he whispered into her ear: " He's gone."
At the words, Kendra stopped struggling against the unicorn and broke down in tears instead. It had all happened so fast. By the time she had registered the danger her own daughter was in, Seth had already lept to his feet and pushed his niece out of harm's way, resulting to getting pulled into the water himself.
Lena ran to her mother, and Kendra wrapped her arms around the little girl. She was too young to understand death, but she did seem to realize that something wasn't right.
" Mommy? Where's Uncle Seth?" Sobs racked Kendra's body, as she pulled her daughter closer while sobbing into her husband's chest. The sky was darkening, clouds blocking out the sun. The wind was picking up, and the air was getting colder. Kendra thought this weather was much more appropriate, considering what had just happened. If it had continued to be a sunny day, it would have felt wrong.
She would never forget this day. It would be the day her brother died saving Lena. It would be the day she lost Seth. It would be the day, when everyone and everything, even the sun, would mourn the loss of an innocent life.
