“Mermaids are vile beings. For they seduce men, young and old, with their heavenly singing and lead them to their watery grave.”

The old man chewed on his pipe which lightly bounced up and down, wisps of smoke puffing out from the bowl. He scratched his scraggly gray beard that seemed like a silvery tangle of briar.

He looked down at the wide-eyed children with shining eyes, captivated with his story. “Beautiful to the eye but murderous to the heart. They feed on the bones of their captives and drink their blood for dessert.”

He leaned closer, giving each child a devilish look. They, in return, leaned forward, straining their ears to hear his whispers. “So beware the women with skin pale as the moonlight, lips luscious as the sea, and hair forever glowing and free, for they are those who feast on desires.”

The old man pulled back giving a loud sudden guffaw, giving the children a scare. He grinned at them. “And those are the old legends of the beautiful creatures of the sea.”

A little girl shot her hand up straight in the air. “So Old Man Teller, does that mean only boys should be scared? That girls are safe?”

The man gave the small girl with chestnut brown hair a mischievous grin. “Mermaids may only feed on men, but didn’t you know that vampires hunt for girls?”

Another little girl, this time with sandy blonde hair shouted, “There’s no such thing as vampires! My papa told me so.”

The old man frowned. “Then does mean that mermaids aren’t real? The world is a vast place, my dear children. Anything is possible.” He gave them a wink. “I’ve seen a mermaid myself.”

His audience watched him with expectant eyes, hoping that he would continue.

He chuckled as recalled his experience. “I was young man, just barely twenty years old, when I saw her. She was the most beautiful thing I encountered in my life. Her skin was almost glowing, her hair was long, silky, and flowing with brilliance, and her smile could send any man over the edge. And her singing. I’ve never heard anything more exquisite than it.”

“Did she have a fish tail instead of legs?” asked a boy.

The old man chuckled. “I didn’t get close enough to see. She was sitting on a seaside rock with her lower body in the water. But even back then, I knew about the legends of mermaids. I wasn’t about risk my life to see if she had legs or a fish tail.”

The children twittered with disappointment at the idea of the old man’s safety precaution had caused a good story to go to waste.

“Then how did you know it was a mermaid then?” asked a curious boy.

The man wagged his stubby finger at him. “Ah, my dear boy. That is because I simply knew. My heart ached to be her despite only seeing her, I longed to touch her without knowing why. Seduction at its best. So mark my words. Mermaids are indeed real.”

The children chattered amongst each other, speculating the idea of beings such as mermaids and vampires roaming the world.

A boy cried out, “Another story, another story!” which was followed along with agreement of his fellow peers.

The old man shook his head. “Not today, little ones. You have to get home.”

The children groaned in agreement, refusing to go, and shouting out their complaints.

“Old Man Teller is right,” piped up the young man from the back of the room where he was preparing a hot meal. “You guys have to go home before it gets dark.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless you want to be eaten by werewolves and such.”

A young boy with scraggly black hair stuck his tongue at the older male. “Werewolves won’t be here. There are no forests or mountains nearby except for those few trees. Just water, water, and more water!”

The young man shrugged nonchalantly. “You never know. Now, get!”

The children stood up, some grumbling and others discussing the story for today. As they filed out of the small cottage, they said their farewells and went home to their families.

The old man hobbled toward the young man, moving slowly with his cane in hand before settling on the chair. He watched at the boy set a hot meal of bread, chicken, and hand-picked vegetables on the table as well as utensils and a bowl of soup.

“Thank you for preparing this, Hoya,” the old man grinned. “You’re the only one who would ever help this old man out.”

The young man shook his head and smiled back. “It’s nothing. Anyways, I am the mayor’s son. My father always told me to help those in need.”

The old man chuckled before digging in his meal.

Old Man Teller was the resident storyteller in their small ocean village. Famous for his vibrant and captivating storytelling, his little cottage was a popular gathering for the small children to hear his stories about princesses, dragons, and heroes. Of fantastical beings such as unicorns, fairies, and gnomes.

The old man paused in his eating, observing the young man who was cleaning up. “Hoya, do you believe in them?”

Hoya stopped wiping the table with a rag to look up at the storyteller. “Mermaids, you mean?” He resumed cleaning with a short, “No.”

The old man frowned. “They’re real, you know. Living and warm-blooded as anybody you know, like you and me. Don’t underestimate them. They really are vile seductresses.”

“I’m sure they are,” Hoya hummed back.

The old man slammed his fist on the wooden table creating a loud bang that echoed in the cottage. With hard steely eyes, the man warned, “I’m not making this up, Hoya. As much as I said that they like men, old or young, they like young men the most. Young, strong, healthy men like yourself. I’m warning you for your own sake. Be careful, especially since we live in a village near the ocean.”

“Then you really saw one?” Hoya asked curiously but also not taking the man’s words seriously.

The older male nodded. “I’ve never been so frightened in my life, not when I saw her though. After I resisted her charm, I came to reality. Knowing that I almost gave myself up for her, not being in the right mind, it scared me.” He looked Hoya straight in the eyes. “Be careful, young man.”

Hoya sighed and nodded. “I’ll be going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The old man observed him carefully before nodding him off. “Alright. Get home safely.”

Hoya’s house, which was located in the heart of their small seaside village, was also the mayor’s house. His father, the grandson of the grandson of the founder of their town, was now the mayor. An able fisherman and boater, his father was a leader and also well-loved amongst the villagers. His loving wife and his two strong sons were also loved by the town.

His wife, once a renowned beauty from a neighboring town, was also a strong and adept woman, with skilled hands, able to weave steel-like nets, a secret technique that came from her village. But she had adapted her own method into the net-making, leading to better and wear-resistant nets which she then taught to the other villagers.

The oldest son, Hoya, was a handsome robust man. Athletic, strong, and brave, he was known to be the helper around town. Helping his father to Old Man Teller to the local fisherman, he was also a well-loved man, both by male and female. He was famed for swimming in the dead of a violent storm with high and strong currents to save two children who were caught on a small raft which had drifted to sea. Undeterred by the harsh conditions, he swam to them and brought the back to safety. It was widely assumed that he would be next in line to become mayor.

The youngest son, Hojun, was not as strong or brave as his brother, but just as charming and handsome, as well as his intelligent prowess being beyond anyone in town. Able to compute series of calculations quickly in his head, he managed most of the town’s finances and budget despite being so young. It was also speculated that the mayor was planning on sending his youngest son out of their village and into the capital city in order to pursue a better education.

All in all, the mayor’s family was pride and joy of the villagers, but not everything was in such harmony as one may believe.

“You must be joking,” he seethed, eyes dark with pent-up fury.

The older man shook his head. “I’m not, Hoya. This is for the good of our town.”

The younger man scoffed, turning his head in disbelief. “An arranged marriage? To a woman I never even knew existed? I’ll repeat myself, you must be ing joking.”

The mayor’s originally grim look turned angry at his eldest son’s words. “Don’t give me that attitude. You are of age now. If you are to become next in line, you will need to learn responsibility. And it is of tradition to marry a woman by the time you do become mayor.”

Hoya glared furiously at his father. “Who said that I even wanted to become mayor?” he hissed, rushing out of the house and slamming the door behind him.

“Hoya!” his father yelled at him, getting up from his seat to run after him. A hand softly held him back, bringing him back down to sit. The mayor looked up at his wife who gave him a small wistful smile.

“Leave him alone for a while. That boy needs time to sort out what you just threw on him. He got that hot temper from you, you know,” she chuckled with a grin.

The man sighed, putting two fingers to massage his head. “I just want what’s best for him. It’s not all that bad,” he confessed. “I mean I did marry you.”

“Ooh, what a flatterer,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I can tell you I wasn’t happy with our arranged marriage,” she grinned.

“But I managed to change your mind, didn’t I?” the man replied with a slight pout.

She laughed. “You did. And I’m glad I did.” However, she frowned the slightly. “But you have to understand, it’s a big responsibility you’re putting on him. You shouldn’t expect Hoya to accept it so willingly.”

The man sighed once again. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll talk to him again when he comes back.”

Hoya walked briskly, muttering angry curses and spiteful remarks. He was frustrated with the whole situation. It wasn’t like he didn’t expect his father to assume that he would be taking over his father’s position in the future. In fact, his father had been hinting at it for the longest time, asking him to do errands that he would originally have done.

But the thing was Hoya didn’t want to become mayor. He hated being stuffed in this small village. He wanted to leave and explore the world. Travel to places he only heard of stories. Places like the big cities where there was more people than buildings, of snow capped mountains, of green lush forests with wondrous beasts. He wanted to see those places with his own eyes, he wanted to meet people of different background and learn their stories, but most of all, he wanted to fall in love with someone he liked.

He knew his parents were in an arranged marriage, and luckily for them, they sincerely loved each other. He was happy for them, he truly was. But he didn’t want a love like that. He wanted something more exciting, more breathtaking, and more of his own feelings.

He sighed as he looked around, wondering where he was after storming off in a huff. The area was unfamiliar to him, which was odd, considering how well he knew the land of their village fairly well. Then it hit him, he was outside their village boundaries. Leaving the boundary was forbidden because of the uncharted territory beyond their village. It was dangerous and one could easily get lost due to the rocky terrain. Their village was surrounded by mountains and the ocean, and the nearest town was beyond the hills.

Hoya paused, hesitating to going further. He would have to turn back, for even he didn’t know what dangers lay here.

He shifted his weight and turned around, planning on heading back. He decided he would take a walk by the shore and watch the waves to calm his head down. He walked a few until he hit where a large rock cliff loomed over the water. He looked up at the rock formation where small caves were riddled in it. He remembered exploring it as a child even though it was beyond their boundary lines. It was close enough to their village that running back would take a few short minutes.

With the sun setting, Hoya knew he had to hurry back, but he stopped suddenly when something caught his eye.

A hand. A pale hand was visible under the cliff where sheer rocks were located. He skidded down the small gravel and stone to the rocks where strong waves crashed against them. He climbed a few tall ones until he reached the hand.

He looked over and what he saw took his breath away as he made an audible gasp.

The pale hand with elegant, long, and thin fingers belonged to a young beautiful lady who seemed to be unconscious. Her black long hair waved down in a wet mess, long lashes covered her eyes, and her pink lush lips barely opened to breathe. She adorned a cream summer dress with a red sash tied around the waist but was dirtied with gray smudges and one black shoe on her feet, the other missing. She was lying on her side as if she was merely sleeping as Hoya slowly reached over to feel her pulse. Her pulse was slow but steady as he breathed a sigh of relief.

He crouched down precariously as he picked her up and carried her down the rocks and on flat land.

Feeling her forehead and then taking her pulse, Hoya put his hands on her chest as he pumped down, hoping that if she did intake water that this would help her cough it out. She indeed coughed some out, but she remained unconscious after he administered his aid.

Hoya sat down next to her, staring out to the sea and wondered where she came from. She had to pass through their village if came from the next town over and there was no way she climbed over rocks in this attire, so Hoya assumed that she was shipwrecked. 

A small rustle came from behind him as he looked down at the girl. She winced as she opened her eyes at him. Dark blue eyes stared up at his brown ones as none of them spoke a word. Hoya jumped up, flustered by her intense stare.

“I found you on the rocks and I brought you here. I was waiting for you to wake up.” He looked down and the back up at her, putting his hand out. “I’m Hoya.”

The girl, who had sat up and turned to look at him, stared up at his hand with curiosity. She crawled over to him and tried to stand up but immediately fell down. She looked despairingly at herself.

Hoya crouched down, still offering his hand. The girl in return, stared at his hand and mimicked his gesture, but not moving to shake it.

Hoya looked at her in confusion as he reached over with his other hand to take her hand to shake it with his. “Did you hit your head when you crashed? Let me check.” He made a motion to look, but she became startled as she scrambled back in fear.

With his hands in the air, he told her, “I mean no harm.” He dropped his hands and pointed behind him. “I live in that town over there. I can take you there and get you some professional help.”

The girl shook her head violently, looking at him wide and frightened eyes.

Hoya walked closer to her and said in a soft voice, “Please. It’s better for you to go. There is food and shelter.”

The girl shook his head again as she looked at him before dashing away and back toward the sheer cliff.

“Wait!” Hoya cried out, making a run after her, but it was as if she had disappeared. Hoya looked around, but in the end, he couldn’t find her. Disappointed, he made his way home.

“Hoya, you’re late,” his father said gruffly.

Hoya shrugged, not caring in the least to be bothered by his father.

“You will answer when you are being spoken to, young man,” the older man commanded loudly.

Hoya sneered, “I’m going to sleep,” as he walked away to his room.

The man sighed and looked at his wife with a hopeless look.

The nest morning, as the sun was barely in the sky, Hoya left the house early with a small brown sack strung around his shoulder. He walked in the cold air of the morning to the sheer cliff and jagged rocks. He was going to try his luck and see if he could locate the girl from yesterday. However, his search came back with fruitless results.

He sighed and dropped down to sit on the pebbles near the water. He leaned back on his hands, gazing at the cliff. He frowned as he noticed a stream of smoke leaving from one of the caves. Struck with a sudden idea, he got up and rushed over to the cliff, preparing his climb up.

Almost an hour later, he reached the cave with the lingering smoke and peered inside. From the dim light, he could see a small lit fire burning down to its last ashes and the girl sleeping peacefully a little further inside.

He crept in closer, but with the noise he made, he woke the girl who saw him and immediately brandished a weapon. Hoya could see that in her hand, a stone had been sharpened and make-shifted into a weapon. He put his hands up and said softly, “I’m not here to hurt you. In fact, I brought you something.”

The girl looked at him suspiciously as Hoya slowly brought down the sack and opened it. He pulled out a flask of water, some bread, and some dried meat and fish. He put in on a cloth and pushed it towards her.

She sniffed it cautiously before taking the piece of bread and tearing a piece of it with . Feeling like that food was safe to eat, she ravenously gobbled up the food as if she hadn’t eaten in days.

Hoya, satisfied that the girl no longer felt too cautious towards him, pulled something else out of the sack.

The girl paused mid-way of drinking the water to stare at Hoya who had inched his way a little closer to her. He showed her the object in his hand: a pair of shoes. He set it down in front of her. “Here, for you. I noticed that one of your shoes is gone.”

The girl hesitantly brushed her fingertips over the tops of the shoes before bringing them closer to her and bowing her head in thanks.

Hoya watched her and cautiously asked her, “Do you know what happened to you?”

The girl bit her lip and shook her head.

Hoya pursed his lips. “Then do you know what your name is?”

The girl brightened up and shook her head, opening to speak. But no words came out and she looked confusedly at herself. She tried again, but still nothing came out. She looked as if she was going to cry but she shook her head in defiance and looked around. She found a stick and wrote out the word “Miri” in the dirt.

“Miri,” Hoya read and then looked at her. “That’s your name?”

She nodded excitedly.

“Then Miri, where are you from?” questioned Hoya.

She dejectedly shook her head and wrote, “I don’t remember anything except waking up next to you. And that I’m looking for something.”

“Looking for something. But you don’t know what?” he asked.

She nodded.

Hoya frowned but then his eyes lit up. “Why don’t you come back with me? Everyone in village is very nice. I’m sure they would help you find your way home.”

The girl shook her head, etching out, “I’m afraid.”

“Afraid? Afraid of what?”

“I also remember being chased. Someone was trying to kill me. I don’t trust anybody.” She looked at him and smiled softly. “But I trust you.”

Hoya looked down at her words and then back up at her smiling face. His heart beat a little faster, his blood rushed through his body a little quicker, and a blush crept to his cheeks. “I…I’ll keep you safe. I’ll bring you things, so you can stay here for a while.”

The girl smiled at him that made his heart flutter like nothing he ever felt before. He watched as she wrote out, “Thank you, Hoya.”

She had remembered his name.

He gave a lopsided grin and replied, “No problem.”

The next few weeks, Hoya alternated from going the cave to village and back. And soon enough he was beginning to spend his days mostly with Miri. He would take her out and show her the aquatic creatures which she somehow knew all the names of even when he didn’t. They swam in the ocean where Hoya found out that she was a capable swimmer and he thought she looked like a playful dolphin.

He had brought her food, clothing, and other necessities for her. His family became increasingly worried about him, always incessantly asking him where he was going. However, he would always brush them off, giving them a dark glare which in return they could nothing.

“Hoya, please. You are needed in the village. You don’t have time to be playing around,” his mother chided softly.

Hoya looked up from his breakfast and up at his mother. “I’m not playing around. I…I have something important to take care of.”

“You mean a ‘pet’?” his brother piped up from the side.

Hoya glared at his younger brother, knowing full well that his brother most likely knew what he was doing. Despite not telling him anything, his brother was smart enough to figure out why there was missing food and clothing.

His mother frowned at that explanation, but nonetheless ignored it. “Well, you still need to be home more often. Your father is expecting you to help him, you know.”

Hoya slammed his fist on the table. “Father is expecting me to marry someone I don’t even know. Father is planning on making me the next mayor. What about me? What about what I want?” he shouted.

He stood up and walked briskly to the door. With one look back, he told his mother, “You can tell Father that I don’t plan on becoming following his footsteps and that I’ve fallen in love with someone else.”

And with that, Hoya left the house with a slam.

He walked to the edge of the boundary, looking for Miri. He knew that he was expecting him later, but he wanted to see her. He needed to see her.

He found her sitting my jagged rocks where he first found her. He was kicking up the water in a playful manner while singing.

Singing.

Hoya had never heard her voice before, but her singing voice was beautiful. She wasn’t singing any words; however, it was a simple tune where she sang the notes. He paused in awe as he stared at her, captivated by her voice that sounded wondrous to his ears. He never heard anything like it before, and simply listening to it made all his worry and stress fly away.

He walked closer, causing Miri to flinch and abruptly stop singing. She looked at him in a frightened manner, but once she realized who it was, she smiled softly at him. She patted one of the only smooth rocks beside her, indicating that she wanted him to sit next to her.

He climbed over and sat down. “I thought you couldn’t speak?”

She smiled at took his hand, spelling out words with her fingers on his palm. She had taken this method of communication because she found it easier when there wasn’t anything to write on.

“I still can’t. But I found out that I can still sing. Without words, of course. Just notes.”

He chuckled. “It sounded beautiful.”

She blushed and hid behind her hair, unable to take his compliment.

Hoya grinned at her, feeling like he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life with her, and brightened up.

He brought out some apples from his pocket and unsheathed a small fruit knife. “I brought you some apples. You like sweet food, right?”

Miri looked amazedly at the apples.

“You never have seen apples before?”

 She shook her head, her eyes not leaving the fruit in his hands.

He laughed and began to cut the apples into slices. “Wait a moment while I cut them.” But as he cut through the apple, he accidently cut into his index finger. He winced as blood began to flow from the wound. He tsked and set the apple down on the cloth he brought as looked for something to wrap the wound.

Suddenly he hand was yanked and he looked in surprise at Miri who had brought his finger near . Her eyes were dark black and she the blood of his finger.

“Miri?” he asked softly and nervously.

His words brought her back to her senses and she dropped his hand in shock. She waved her hands in apology.

“Miri, Miri, it’s alright,” Hoya said, trying to calm her.

She looked regretfully at him, her now blue eyes glancing at his hand in worry.

Hoya slowly brought his hand and put it in hers. She bit her lip and wrote, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

He shook his head and smiled softly at her. “It’s fine. You were just worried about me, weren’t you?”

She nodded her head slowly.  

Without removing his hand from hers, he intertwined their two hands as they watched the sea.

But even Hoya felt like Miri was keeping something from him. Even though she explained that she was looking for something, she made no attempt to do so. She seemed insistent on spending the day happily with him. Despite feeling so in love with her with every single feature of her calling out to her, Hoya, for some odd reason, felt wary with her sometimes. He didn’t know why, but sometimes while he was watching her, he felt something in the back of his mind that was warning him to be careful. But whenever Mirir turned and looked at him with that sweet smile of hers, that warning washed away.

A month passed and Hoya was now spending nights with Miri, for she communicated to him that she was scared. She had an eerie feeling that whatever was chasing her was drawing closer. He also found it increasingly difficult to stay at home with his father now pressuring him even more.

“Miri,” he said one night as they lied side by side underneath the full moon. “You can’t just stay in here forever. You’ll have to leave sometime and find whatever you’re looking for.”

The girl picked up his head and began to spell out words. “I want to, Hoya. I really do. But I don’t know where to start.”

Hoya stayed silent and finally said, “I’ll go with you.”

He didn’t even need to look at her to see her surprised reaction. “I’m sick and tired of this town and with my family.” He sat up and took her hands into his and exclaimed, “Yes! Let’s do it! I’ll leave everything behind, and I’ll help you look. We’ll go traveling together, and I’ll protect you from anything bad. What you say, Miri?”

The girl looked hesitantly to the side before looking at Hoya and nodding.

“Great!” Hoya cried out, now infatuated with the idea of leaving. “Let’s go now! I’ll take some stuff from the house and we’ll leave now. Are you fine with that?”

The girl smiled and nodded. “If I’m with you, Hoya, I can do anything.”

Hoya left her and rushed home, silently making his way back inside. He quickly stuffed some clothing, food, and money before rushing back to Miri. He found her standing a little beyond the cliff, looking extremely nervous.

When she saw him, she ran towards him and into his arms, hugging him fiercely. “What’s wrong, Miri? Why are you so scared?”

Miri shivered in his arms as she looked around timidly. “I feel whatever’s chasing me draw closer. He’s near, Hoya. I’m so scared.”

Hoya hugged her and pushed her behind him where she grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “Stay behind me. I’ll make sure nothing hurts you.”

They stayed close to the edge of the water as they ventured deeper and away from the village. Luckily, the bright moon above them shined their path, but dark shadows still loomed before them.

They froze when they heard a clatter, a sound of small rocks being disturbed. Hoya motioned Miri to stay quiet as he inched closer to the sound. He drew out a dagger and peered behind a tree.

The sound of an arrow sped near his ear and he whipped around and screamed, “Miri!”

He saw her sprawled on the ground but looking unharmed. She had managed to avoid the arrow last minute.

Someone tsked and shot forward, grabbing Hoya by the collar of his jacket. They tumbled down and rolled to a stop with the perpetrator on top of Hoya. “Are you ing crazy?” the man hissed. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Hoya shouted back. “You’re the one who shot an arrow at us. I won’t allow you to hurt Miri!”

“Miri?” the man mumbled in confusion. His eyes shot up at the startled girl who was still sitting on the ground on shock. He jumped off of Hoya and pulled up his bow. “Oh, she got you too, huh? that. I’ll kill that .”

Hoya’s eyes widened as he lunged at the man. “I said I won’t let you hurt Miri!” he screamed, cutting deeply into the man’s arm.

The man shouted in pain, dropping his weapon and clenching his arm. His eyes darted from Hoya to Miri and then back to Hoya. “Wake up, you fool!” he growled. “That…that monster is not what you think! She’ll kill you! Just as she’s done for the past hundred years!”

“What?” Hoya mumbled in confusion, his hands still on the dagger. It didn’t seem like the man was angry but rather fearful in the eyes.

The man looked down at Hoya, pulling him up. “Run, run, you fool. Run before she kills you to– “ He was cut short as he looked down and touched his stomach to feel blood. He looked behind him to see Miri staring at him with cold eyes, hands on a knife of her own. He fell forward in a slump, coughing loudly. He weakly raised a hand to Hoya and garbled slowly, “Don’t…don’t trust her. She can talk. Don’t trust the mer–“ His hand limped down as he fell unconscious.

Hoya looked up from the fallen man to Miri who had her hand still on the knife. He recognized it as the fruit knife he had given her long ago to at least help her cut food or even protect herself.

She looked at him with frightened eyes and rushed towards him.

Hoya scrambled back, nearing closer to the water.

Miri looked sadly at him and picked up a stick to write, “Why are you sacred of me?”

Hoya shook his head. “I…I don’t know,” he whispered. “Why… why did he say that about you?”

Miri gave him an upset look. She wrote, “I wouldn’t hurt you, Hoya. That man was trying to kill you! I couldn’t just sit there and watch!”

 Hoya stared at her, trying to read her expression. His mind grew hazy the longer he stared at her. She was right. All she was trying to do was save him. The man dared to hurt his Miri, the most beautiful girl he ever laid his eyes on. She was a harmless and one of the nicest people he had ever met. How could he ever think of her differently.

But a sharp pain reverberated through his brain and he remembered the last words the man before had spoken to him. He looked up at her and breathlessly asked, “Can…you really speak? Can you… say something for me?”

She shook her head sadly.

“You can’t talk right? He was just speaking nonsense,” Hoya laboriously puffed.

Miri looked at him desolately, as she walked closer to Hoya who realized that he was in the water.

He twitched his head around, wondering when he stepped in the water, when he realized that the tide was erratically moving closer to shore.

Miri touched his cheek where Hoya involuntary flinched. She looked at him sadly before a smirk graced her lips.

“You stupid boy.”

Hoya automatically pressed his hands to his ears, wincing from the sound. He squinted from the pain as looked at Miri’s sudden change in character.

“I haven’t had a good-looking meal like you in ages. Tonight is going to be a feast.”

Hoya winced again, closing his eyes tightly, unable to stand the pain. Her voice was shrill and unpleasant, as if someone stuffed shards of glass in his ears.

“Miri, what are you…”

He stopped as she plunged the knife in his stomach. “There. That’ll keep you from talking. Your incessant chatter was starting to annoy me.”

She stood up and looked for the man she had struck before. She frowned when she realized that he had disappeared, most likely running away before she could get him.

She clicked her tongue in disappointment. “Well, he was a little too old for my tastes anyways.” She looked at Hoya. “But you, you are definitely something to look forward to.”

She walked to him and grabbed the back of his collar, dragging him deeper in the water.

Hoya struggled against her, but from the pain of his ears and the wound in his stomach, it was hopeless. He glanced at her when he realized that her skin was becoming more rubbery and greener. Her fingernails became longer and sharper. When she smiled, her razor teeth gave her a devious expression. And her feet were not longer human, but a murky green fish tail.

“Mermaid,” he gasped out.

“That’s right, little boy. I’ve waited too long for you to leave that bothersome village. Them and their frustrating wards. I can’t ever get in. Though you came out on your own will. Very nice for my own meal to come to me on its own.”

Hoya’s vision blurred as he felt himself get dragged deeper into the ocean. Water began to fill in lungs as he began to gasp for air, but her hold was relentless as she pulled him in deeper. Feeling his strength leave him, the last thing he saw was her pink lips curved in a devilish grin.

“Did you find him?” the man asked breathlessly.

The younger male shook his head. “It’s like he disappeared. But some of the villagers said they saw him go towards the jagged rocks past the village boundary before he went missing.”

The man frowned. “Hoya knows that those waters are treacherous. Why would he go there willingly?”

The younger male shrugged. “Brother had become increasingly strange over the last month. He would never be home, come back late, bring food outside, and never seem interested in anything.”

“Sir! Sir, please look at this!” an anguished shout came.

The two males turned to look as one of the local fishermen came running down the road. He stopped in front of the father and son pair and with labored pants showed them a black boot with laces tied in an intricate manner.

“Where did you find this?” the older male commanded.

The fisherman coughed, trying to catch his breath after he ran with all his might after finding the shoe floating in the water. “I was fishing a little beyond the village boundary where I found this floating. The way these laces are tied…” he murmured, eyes on the shoe.

The mayor nodded and took the object from his hands. “Thank you. We will take it from here.”

The fisherman glanced from the shoe to the mayor and his son and then tipped his hat in understanding. He left them as he walked back the shore.

The younger male glanced around, making sure that nobody was around, and brought his voice down to a whisper. “Father, I think Hoya ran away. He was seeing someone, that I was sure of. I think this person was a female.”

The mayor looked at his younger son in anger and shouted, “And you never thought to tell me such a thing?”

The young man flinched from his loud voice. “But it doesn’t make sense for Hoya’s shoe to be in the water. If he did really run away with the girl, then he would have left through the mountains. He knows better to run away by boat. And if he did leave by land, this is the only pair of shoes he would be comfortable with.”

“What are you saying?” the mayor said while frowning.

His son grimaced. “Unless Hoya likes wearing uncomfortable shoes while traveling, then I’m afraid Hoya might have gone outside.”

“You mean outside the boundary?”

Hojun nodded.

The mayor frowned deeply. “We have to send out search parties this instant. The longer we wait, the longer Hoya may be in trouble.”

“Sir!” another voice called out.

The mayor looked at the direction of the innkeeper of their town. He was supporting another man who looked extremely pale and was clutching a wound that was bandaged.

“Who’s this?” the mayor asked as the two men approached him and his son.

The innkeeper answered, “This man said he has something to tell you. And from his description, I think he knows what happened to your son…”

“Do you know why mermaids only sing and never talk?”

“Why?” they cried back in chorus.

Old Man Teller gazed out into the crowd of children and grinned. “Because God was afraid that they would be unstoppable with perfect features, he gave them horrible sounding voices. Even though their singing is more beautiful in the world, their regular voices are hideous sounding to the ear. Sheer pain is caused from their inhumane voices, a piercing and horrible sound that brings pain and shock to the heart.”

He looked at the children and nodded. “So if even have a shred of common sense when you’re captured, as a one last plea to escape, ask them if you can hear them talk. Of course if they do, you’re doomed, but if they refuse no matter what, take that chance and run, or else you’ll be dragged down into your watery grave.”

Little Mermaid with Hoya/ Lee Howon (Infinite)

A/N: Would this count as horror? I’m not really sure.

Another Infinite member and I chose Hoya. But his character didn’t end up so well in the end. Mmm, two for two for not-so-happy endings. Well, next story I’m planning a more light-hearted plot.

Honestly, I feel like this story was rushed at parts. It probably is, but I didn’t want to make it longer than it already was but there was some parts of the story that I wanted to add.

What did you think? I think I liked the first story better.

With ideas to spare, let’s see what I’ll cook up next.