Take My Heart to the Depths

2. Merman

Elsen was filled with agitation as he watched Henrietta walk back to town. Her feet were unsteady and her gait was slow. If only he had legs, he could be there to help her walk. But all he had were fins, so he was stuck watching her struggle from afar.

Every few steps, she would turn back to look at him. He didn't understand why. Was she expecting him to follow her? That was impossible for him, as much as he wanted to. Was she trying to communicate something to him? What did she want to say? Did she just want to look at him some more? Why would she want that?

A plethora of possibilities and questions flooded Elsen's mind. But no matter how much he conjectured, he would never know her true thoughts.

Perhaps she does not wish to be watched, he finally concluded.

And so, once she made it to the borders of the town, Elsen slipped back into the sea.

It was no mere coincidence that Elsen found Henrietta when she was drowning. He frequently swam to the surface to see the lights above water.

In the deep dark sea, light was very scarce. Such rarity made them even more beautiful. However, any sign of light in the depths was never a good one-it was a common trap used by predators.

Meanwhile, the land above had many sources of light. Elsen once sought to witness the grandest light known to life-the sun, which illuminated the entire land. He swam up to the surface at noon, but much to his disappointment, the daylight was far too bright for his eyes.

As a creature that resided in the deep sea, Elsen found the scattered lights at night to be much more tolerable. The moon, the stars, and the flickering lights from the human town-to him, they were all so mesmerizing. Whenever the darkness shrouded the sky, he left his home to admire the wondrous sights.

It was during one of those nights when Elsen first saw Henrietta-tonight was only his first time speaking to her. He did not see her daily, but he saw her regularly enough to take notice of her.

He found Henrietta strange. Humans would often be seen in groups, just like his own kind. But this particular human was always alone. It piqued his curiosity.

Is she an outcast? Elsen had wondered. Just as I am?

When he sneaked closer to observe her, he became drawn to Henrietta's singing. It was nothing compared to the song of mermaids, but there was something special about the melody she sang. Her voice conveyed raw emotion which laid her heart bare to those who heard it. The mermaids who sang only to allure could not sing the same tune she did.

He was enchanted by her delicate voice and soft hums. The sorrow and loneliness she expressed captured his heart. It caused him to wonder why she sang with such melancholy.

Elsen longed to speak with her-to ask her why she held herself as if she would fall apart if she didn't, and ask her why she would look towards the distant sea as if she wished its waves would carry her somewhere far away.

Despite his urges, Elsen kept to himself. Encounters between merfolk and mankind were often unpleasant. Whenever the two races met, one of them usually ended up captured-or dead.

Though he knew of the danger, Elsen's interest in Henrietta was just too compelling. He remained in the shadows cast by the cliffs and meticulously avoided her line of sight. Even with this level of caution, Elsen knew there was still a chance of being discovered. But the pull of curiosity was too strong.

Whenever Elsen swam to the surface of the ocean, he would search for a small figure on the eastern cliffs. And if he found her, he would quietly listen to her voice and ponder about her.