Ocean Melody
Diego was heading home on his speedboat, having just succeeded in another mission, his accomplishment to free a whale played over in his head. The whale was stuck on the beach, and to get it back into the ocean, he had to keep the whale wet while his imaginary friends made the tide come in faster to free the whale. Diego sighed sadly, looking down at the bottom of the boat. Imaginary friends… animal friends… those are the only friends I have. I wish I had a friend like me… With that thought in mind, his gaze lifted upward, his eyes widening when he saw some rocks. "Uh oh, we're coming up on some rocks," he cried to no one in particular. "We have to steer the boat to safety." He looked out toward the sea, as if looking at someone, but there was no one there. He had begun using this tactic of talking to the air to help remind him of things he needed to do – his parents and Alicia were no help, they merely encouraged him to do it. He had mental issues, the doctors had told them once. "Put your hands out in front of you, and help me steer the boat between the rocks." He quickly jerked the boat to the left, and then to the right, so suddenly he nearly fell off. He smiled to his imaginary friends. "Great job, you helped me avoid the rocks! Thanks SO much for your help!"
"Well, aren't you extremely grateful?" Diego blinked, squinting. Where had that voice come from? He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, to find a girl in the water beside the boat in a white shirt. She had pretty-blue eyes, and long dark hair, pulled back in a ponytail. She smiled to him. "Hello, I'm Melody." With that, she leapt out of the water, her mermaid tail emerging for Diego to see, she did a flip and landed back in the water with a splash, getting Diego slightly wet. He stared down at the water in awe, wondering if she was going to come back up. He felt water splash on his back and he turned around to see the mermaid sitting on a rock. He did not remember seeing that rock, but it was there, nevertheless. "By your clothes I'm guessing you're a foreign adventurer." Diego nodded, wanting to stand up in the boat, but he knew that that would land him in the ocean.
"My name's Diego and I'm an Animal Rescuer. Are you a mermaid?" Melody giggled, bringing her tail out of the water.
"That would be a yes, and a no." Asher tail dried, it began to turn into human legs wearing white pants. Diego gasped with excitement.
"Wow, that is so cool," he exclaimed, looking at her as she rolled her eyes.
"Aw, it's nothing, really. It does that whenever I want it too." Diego did not know what to say now, so he remained silent, looking like he was thinking about something. Melody wrinkled her nose, slipping into the water and going over to the boat, crossing her arms on the side and resting her chin on them.
"So, who were you talking to you earlier," she asked him curiously, noticing his absent look. Diego smiled, turning to the bow of his boat and gestured.
"My friends," he answered. Melody squinted, but saw no one at the bow of the boat, so she turned back to him questioningly.
"There's no one there, Diego," she told him bluntly, watching his reaction. Diego nodded with a hint of 'yes, as a matter-of-fact, there is'.
"Only I can see them, though," he explained to her, but when she did not seem to buy it, he sighed. "I have a mental illness that makes me see things that aren't actually there – mainly people and animals." Melody nodded, looking sorry she had asked.
"Oh." She watched him as he looked at his provisions and the amount of gas he had left. Suddenly, a mischievous grin came upon her face. "Hey, why don't you come to my palace sometime, and we can do stuff." Diego looked at her, a hint of hope.
"Um, okay. What kind of stuff?" Melody rolled her eyes, shrugging, letting go of the boat and allowing herself to drift away from it.
"I'm sure we'll think of something. Come on, I'll take you there." Diego opened his mouth to protest, but she dove into the water and began swimming away, towards a mainland a mile or two in the distance. He didn't want an opportunity at having a true friend to be wasted, so he followed her toward the horizon.