The door to her house creaked as it opened. Lisa cringed at the sound.
"I'm home..." she whispered to no one in particular. She heard no response.
A night-light illuminated her path as she padded across the hallway. She soon reached her bedroom door. Right as she placed her hand on the doorknob, a voice behind her startled her.
"Oh Lisa! Thank goodness! Do you know how late it is?"
Lisa turned around slowly, mustering up the best smile she could.
"Ahaha… sorry I made you worry, mom. I lost track of time. It won't happen again! Promise!"
Her mom sighed. "As long as you understand... but I'm only letting you off because you're on school break! Where were you anyway?"
"At the beach. I um… fell asleep?"
Her mom smiled and shook her head. "I don't know how you can spend so much time there. Make sure to bathe, okay? You smell like it."
"I will!" Lisa said as her mom walked away. "Goodnight!"
Lisa entered her room with a sigh of relief. Her window faced directly across another window, that of her neighbor. Lisa saw the curtains open and a light on. Her gaze went to the digital clock on her nightstand. It was nearing midnight now.
Lisa approached her window and whispered. "Psst… Yukina? Yukinaaa…"
As she waited for a response, she peered hard into the limited view of the bedroom, looking for any trace of moment. None came. After a while, Lisa sighed and closed her window.
Several minutes later, she was soaking in her bath. She let her mind empty. The hot steam seemed to melt away all the day's happenings. The events at the beach especially felt almost like an illusion in her current mundane setting.
Then her phone vibrated next to her. Lisa picked it up and found a message from her mom.
"I left some food for you in the fridge."
Another message came as she read it.
"We had fish."
Lisa couldn't help but think of the mermaid again. What if she brought food for her tomorrow? What kind of food did she eat anyway? Would she eat their fish?
"Thanks mom~" she replied back, and set her phone down.
Not even the hot bath could pull her back from her thoughts now. The more Lisa thought about the mermaid, the more she regretted not asking more useful questions than she had.
"You… you can speak! You understand me!"
The mermaid nodded back at her. The very act of non-verbal communication sent a thrill up Lisa's spine. Then the mermaid spoke again.
"I apologize for remaining silent. I did not yet know if I could trust you."
Her voice was barely above a whisper. She spoke slowly, but perfectly. Almost too perfectly.
"Oh… well, I'm glad you did!"
"You saved my life, you cared for me, and you concealed me. You have my gratitude."
Lisa flushed. Never had she imagined that she would save a person's life. It was just too serious a matter.
"I-It's no biggie! It's what anyone would do."
"Not so. Your kind has not treated our people well throughout history."
At this point the mermaid broke into a coughing fit. Lisa hurriedly produced a bottle from her backpack.
"Here! Have some water!"
Lisa propped her mermaid's head up with one hand and tipped the contents of the bottle into her mouth.
After she was done drinking, Lisa retreated a couple paces back to her seat before. She wanted to give her plenty of space, just in case.
"This water is very pure," the mermaid said. Her voice was clear and strong now. It was silky and soothing to the ear. "You continue to care for me… In any case, regardless of the history between our kinds, I am greatly indebted to you."
"Eh…? No no, that's not necessary!" Lisa waved her hands in front of her.
"It is the custom of our people."
"But… I'm not one of your people, right?"
The mermaid stared at her silently. Her intense, questioning eyes made Lisa squirm.
She replied at last. "But even as you say, on my own integrity, I cannot let my debt go."
"You really don't have to…" Lisa murmured, but it seems like the mermaid wouldn't accept 'no' for an answer.
"Is there anything you desire? I will do all I can to provide it."
Lisa let out a small whine. She didn't know what to ask. It's not like she could ask for any physical item. How would the mermaid ever get her hands on it? Not to mention it'd be shallow of her.
She scribbled on the sand, feeling pressured to answer promptly.
"To be honest… just the chance to meet you and talk to you, even if it's for a short while, is enough for me."
Then an idea flickered through her mind, but Lisa hesitated. What if it was too selfish of her?
"If it's alright… I just want to talk to you… get to know you and stuff."
The mermaid's eyes widened in surprise, then squinted inquisitively.
"You are an unusual one, human. But I suppose such a request I can grant."
"Really!? Wow… thanks!" Lisa scooted closer. "I just… y'know, I have so many questions!"
"You may ask me anything. It is the least I can do to repay you."
Lisa laughed in excitement, but paused. It was as if every question she had vanished from her head. "Let's see... oh! So, you're a mermaid… right?"
"Our kind has been referred to by a number of names, but yes, you may call me that."
"You mention your people. How many of you are there?"
"Once we were many, but nowadays, our numbers are few. I have only seen other mermaids once in my life, besides my own family."
The mermaid closed her eyes. Perhaps she was remembering that moment.
"That sounds so lonely…" Lisa received no response. She decided to change the subject "So… how can you understand me?"
The mermaid opened her eyes again. Lisa saw a small gleam in them.
"Our kind possesses the gift of tongues. Call it magic, if you wish."
Mermaids… magic… it was all so surreal, and yet it was right in front of her. Lisa felt like she could barely breathe from it all.
Lisa smiled, feeling more confident about asking questions. But enough about mermaids in general, at least for now. She wanted to know about her specifically.
"How did you end up here? Was it the storm?"
The mermaid took a moment before responding. Her eyes wandered, as if searching for the right words.
"I was travelling. I was tired. I did not notice the storm until it was too late."
"What about your family… were you separated from them?"
"Yes… you could say that."
Lisa got a strange feeling that there was more to it, but she decided not to pry. Perhaps she would hear about it later.
"How old are you? Since mermaids look half human, I want to say you're around my age."
"From my perspective, humans look half mermaid. But yes, I should be about your age. Mermaids tend to live longer, but not by very much."
"Oh, well I'm 17 years old!"
The mermaid raised an eyebrow.
"I guess that might not mean much to you," Lisa laughed. "We become adults around, like, 20 years old."
"So you are in your late adolescence then. As am I."
Lisa smiled. Knowing for sure that the mermaid was around her age made her feel a lot more comfortable talking to her. It felt more like talking to a classmate now, rather than a mystical being.
Lisa checked the time on her phone. She sucked in a breath. It was really late then, and she had several unread messages from her mom.
"Any further questions?" The mermaid asked.
"Ah… I don't know? I feel like I have more but I can't think of any right now… but I just don't want to leave yet."
The mermaid hummed. "I suspect you must return home, am I right? If it sets you at ease, I will remain here until the next day."
"R-Really?"
"Yes. I do not believe I will be able to move so soon."
Lisa gave a small laugh. "I'm so happy."
The mermaid raised an eyebrow.
"N-Not that you can't move!" Lisa stammered. "I'm just glad that… I can talk to you more."
"I see."
"So uh… I guess I'll be leaving," Lisa said, half standing now. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"
The mermaid nodded, and Lisa smiled.
"I'll come in the morning! See ya!"
"Until then."
Lisa jumped straight to bed after her bath. She wasn't feeling too hungry, and it was already so late. Her body was tired, but as still as she lay her mind couldn't sleep. The mermaid occupied her thoughts. She still had so many more questions.
"Where does she normally live?"
"What does she eat?"
"What kind of things does she do for fun?"
"What is her family like?"
Lisa couldn't wait until morning.
Before she finally fell asleep, Lisa remembered one more question she should have already asked.
"What is her name?"