It’s soft. It’s so soft. I’m warm. I’ve never known what warmth felt like except when I ventured too close to the lava. Why does it feel so warm? I turn to my side, and I notice how light I feel.  I feel heavy and light. I can move so freely, but I’m pressed to the ground. Why? As I turn to my side, I feel how bright it is. I can see the light through my closed eyes, and my lids are red. Why is it so bright? It’s never been this light since I’ve broken the surface. The air had been so warm, and it had been so dry. It feels like that day…that day I finally decided to see what was beyond my world.  I was always warned about the other side, but I just had to see it for myself. It was so warm that day. It was so bright.

When I broke through, I saw blue. It was such a lighter blue than what I have seen, and when I looked around, I saw…something. I don’t know what it’s called, but there were stories that my father told me when I was younger of a place called land. I think that’s what it was. It was beautiful. It was green and had so much sand, and it looked so peaceful. There was something white in the distance, but I couldn’t tell what it was, so I swam around as I got closer.

It was a palace. It was like my father’s, but it looked so elegant. Ours was colorful, but this one was white and a strange yellow color. It kind of looked darker, like the yellow that glowed from the magma. It looked so strange, yet so beautiful.

“Hahahaha.” I heard a laugh and I switched my gaze towards the left. I saw a mess of black hair and light brown skin. I dove under the water again and headed to some rock off the edge. I don’t know why, but I felt that I needed to hide. I peered around the large rocks that I was able to hide behind to see what I had hidden from.

He wasn’t a like us. He had no fins, no scales, no gills, and no tail. His lower half was split in two and moved around the sand so effortlessly. I didn’t know how he was moving so freely without any water, but it looked so fun. Something else was behind him, and he smiled at it. I don’t know what it is, but it’s so small. Its tongue flailed around as it followed the male as it tried to keep up. His laughter and the waves were the only thing I heard.

I came back often after that. He would always be moving so quickly across the sand, but sometimes, he would be lying atop the sand with a smile. When he just lay there, he would hum. It was a soft and pleasant song, but why did it always seem so sad? I heard him sing the words once, and after that, they were ingrained in my mind.

The next day, he wasn’t there. I know that I came at the same time, because the large brightness in the sky is at the same position, but he was not here. I sighed as I laid my back against the rock, and after a while, I sang.

“Hello. Hello. Don’t say those words to me.” Is it weird that I’m mimicking him, but I don’t even know this odd language of his?  “Hello. Hello. Words saying that you will leave me – please.” I close my eyes and press my back against the rock behind me. The sky was darker today, for there were strange white things in the sky. I think it is foam, but it’s too far away. They hide the brightness, and I close my eyes as the warmth is taken away. “Hello. Hello. Why do you only hurt me baby? No matter what anyone says, no matter what anyone says…I can’t forget you.” I sigh as the warmth slowly engulfs me again. The brightness feels nice on me.

“You have a nice voice.” I open my eyes to be met with two dark orbs staring down at me. I did shriek in surprise at finding him so close to me, and it made my heart stutter. He was so close, and I moved away. I guess I splashed him, but he just laughed again. His smile was so beautiful.

“Are you the one who’s been watching me for so long?” I didn’t know what he said. I don’t know his language, and I guess I made it apparent when I didn’t speak. “Do you speak?” He had made a gesture with his hand moving like a mouth, and I understood him. I nodded my head, and he just smiled. “I guess you just don’t speak Korean then.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but only a squeak came out. My heart stuttered again, and he just laughed. He reached over and my hair behind my ear as he hummed the song again. He looked at me with large eyes.

“When I walk down the street, tears endlessly fall. When I listen to music, I think of the past times,” he sang. He must want me to sing again, but it’s scary. He nods his head a little at me as he plays with my hair.

“Hello. Hello. Don’t say those words to me.” I started off softly, unsure if I was right about him wanting me to sing, but as the man smiled even wider, I sang louder.
“Hello. Hello. Words saying that you will leave me – please.” He starts to shift a little where he is bent over. What is he doing? “Hello. Hello. Why do you only hurt me baby?” He’s sitting on the rock, his odd limps poking at the water before me. His hands are back in my hair, and he pulls me towards him gently. I don’t know why, but I do as he wants. “No matter what anyone says, no matter what anyone says.” He laces his fingers softly in my hair, and I can’t help but wonder if he knows I am male. My hair is to the nape of my neck, so it isn’t long like the females’, but it may be different for those who are above the water. I rise from the water, only until my chest is revealed, but he just smiles. He sings the last line with me, and his voice is beautiful.

“I can’t forget you.”

Arf, arf

I pulled away at hearing such a strange sound. He tilted his head in what I assume to be confusion before he tuned his head. I don’t know why, but I dove back under the water and swam to a rock farther away. I don’t know. I was scared. I don’t know what he is, and I didn't know what made that sound, and I was confused. Why do I find him so attractive? Is it normal? I peak through a crevice amongst the boulders and see the small white thing in his arms. It’s making that noise, and I heave a sigh. I wonder if it’s dangerous.

“Will you come back?” I looked up to him as he yelled out. I didn’t know what he was saying, but his face is that of concern.  “I’ll wait for you,” he says. He turned and walked away with the white thing in his arms. My heart was still stuttering, but for some reason, I wanted to meet him again, so I came back.

It used to be often, but then it became daily. I always came at the same time, but at after a while, he started to wait for me. I never appeared before him, because, well, I felt like I had to hide my tail. He isn’t like me, and I felt like I had to hide myself from him. Is that wrong? I would always swim in from the side and appear from the corner. I would never appear from the same direction though. He would try talking to me, but I would never know what he was saying, so he just laughed. After our third encounter, he decided to try something different.

“Legs,” he said. He pointed down at his bottom limbs and repeated it again as he ran his hands up and down them. “Legs.” He then laid his hands on the part where they bent. “Knees.” He moved his hands down towards the ends and said, “Feet.” He grabbed my hand and placed it on him and motioned for me to say something.

“Feet?” I wasn’t sure, but I think he’s trying to teach me. He nodded before placing my hand on the joint. “Knee.” He smiled as he moved my hand up higher, but spoke before I could say anything.

“Thigh.” I was confused; I thought he said it was ‘leg’.

“Leg?” I tried to ask. He smiled before he grabbed both my hands and rubbed them down him.

“Legs,” he said before stopping at the top again. “Thigh.”  I was confused, but nodded anyway. He moved my hands higher towards his sides, right above his legs. “Hips.” I nodded. I saw that his skin was pink in his face. I didn’t know that they could change colors.

“Hips,” I said. He nodded before moving my hands higher towards the center.

“Stomach.” I could feel indents under my fingers. He must be pretty muscular. He moved my hands up further. “Chest.” He placed them besides him. “Shoulders.” And he let my hands go down him as he said, “Arms,” before holding my hands once more. “Hands.” I nodded before he let my hands go and brought his hands up to me. He laced his fingers through my hair and smiled.  “Hair,” he whispered.  He moved his hands down. “Face.” His thumbs rubbed over me and I closed my eyes. “Eyes,” he whispers as he continues to move, but I just kept my eyes closed. I don’t know why, but even though my heart is stuttering, I feel at peace. I just feel his fingers. “Nose, cheeks, lips.” His thumb lies against my lips, and when I open my eyes, he was staring at me again. His eyes were so pretty. They were so dark. They were so deep.

“Master Choi!” We were brought out of our trance with a loud below of what I presume was another man. He let go of me to turn around. I took the chance to dive back into the water because, I don’t know. I think I like being his secret. I went back to my hiding spot and watched as a man came up to him. They spoke, but I couldn’t understand them. The boy turned back towards the water and waved. Maybe he wants to keep me a secret too.

After that, he would teach me new words every day. He would bring me different things and teach their names. Once he brought a thing he called a comb and moved it through my hair. It felt nice. The next day he brought something else that looked similar, so I took it and tried to move it through my hair again. He started laughing, and I didn’t understand. He gently took the thing from my hand.

“That’s not a comb,” he said as he shook his head. He pulled out the comb from yesterday and held it up to the other thing. “Fork,” he said. He took something else from behind him, and it smelled nice. He took the thing he calls a fork and stabbed what was with him with it before taking it out and putting it near me. “Food,” he says. “Eat,” he said as he put it by my lips. He opened his mouth, so I did the same. He placed the thing in my mouth, and that’s when I understood him. I ate what he had given me, and it tasted really good. He stabbed the fork in the food again and took a bite himself before offering me more.

“Food?” I tilted my head and pointed at the dish, hoping he would understand me. He smiled as he got some more.

“I still haven’t taught you to ask questions, have I?” He laughed as he fed me more. “It’s beef.” I nodded, even though I don’t know what it is.

The next day, he brought more food, except this time he brought two sticks. I grabbed them and tied my hair up with them, like how my sisters would tie it up at times. He chuckled before he brought out two more pairs. One pair was plain like mine, and the other pair was red with small ornaments at the end. He made a motion for me to turn around, and I did so. He took mine out before putting the red ones in. What was the difference?

I turned back around, and was met with white stuff in my face. They were held by the two sticks he had before.  His mouth was open again, and I opened mine. It was simple, but it was good. He held the sticks up.

“Chopsticks.” He then put more of the white stuff before me. “Rice.” Ah, so I guess those are to eat.