A Song Beyond the Sea

by imissmaeberry

Haruhi has always considered herself to be…practical. Reasonable. Open-minded with a healthy dose of skepticism. Especially when it came to the sailors' tales of the open ocean and they creatures that they faced. Mermaids, she thinks. Honestly. She sits on the coastline, the only sounds she hears being those of the waves meeting the shore, children's laughter on the boardwalk

1. Chapter 1

Deep within the ocean, far beyond human reach,

Beyond the coral gardens and the kelp forests

Shrouded in mystery and doubt and legend

Lies a well-guarded secret

Many have given their lives to protect

"You know, I think I saw a merman while I was out on the barge today, fellas!" A man with weathered skin and a beard as gray as the stormy sea nods slowly, remembering every possible detail of the encounter.

A flash of fin, a big splash, a shimmering in the water moving swiftly farther away, and for a moment, just a moment, the face of a beautiful young man

There is a chorus of groans and rolling eyes, hands waving the story off. Mutters of "What a crazy old man," and "The older ones in this town, man, I tell ya," can be heard throughout.

But the older generation of this town, they know. They know the secret past that connects their town to the sea, they remember being children when the sea water ran red.

To the younger ones, these stories are simply legends and fairy tales.