It was a good morning, unlike any other.  It felt odd: the air, the plants, and the movement of life.  I walked with my papa down the mountainside, trying very hard not to fall.  Hiking was harder for me because I didn't have the strong legs or the courage that my papa had -- I was only 10.  Along the way, I continuously slipped and fell; there were a few scratches and bruises here and there, but I wasn’t severely injured, so I had to it up.  The steep slopes gradually began leveling out until we had finally reached the base of the mountain.  I looked at my surroundings; before me was a giant river that stretched further than I could see.  I turned back toward my papa.  

  “Are you ready, son?” he asked.  

  “Of course, papa.” I eagerly replied.  He patted my back a little too hard and I almost fell over.  We walked closer to the river and stopped in front of a small fishing boat; I could feel my face light up.  Ever since I was a younger, my papa would tell me stories of his fishing trips, and once I finally understood what he was saying, I wanted to tag along.  Now that my wish was finally being granted, I could hardly contain my excitement. He turned around and looked at me.  

  “You first son. I don't want you falling in now.” he chuckled and motioned toward the boat.  I hurried to it, tightly grabbed the edge, and hopped in.  “That's how you do it, son. Good job.” he stepped in and picked up one of the oars.  “It's gonna be a little bumpy and wobbly but you'll get the hang of it.”  

  “It's fine, papa. I got this!”  I looked behind me to my papa, winked and showed him a thumbs up, and then leaned over the front of the boat.  I wanted to show him that I was old enough and strong enough to take care of myself; I wanted him to be proud of me.  He placed the oar against the ground and pushed, and we began to drift into the water.  As it moved, that boat created beautiful ripples in the once still waters.  Looking over the edge, I saw countless fish dance beneath the waves; some were even bold enough to skip along the surface.  After a couple of pushes, the boat eased into a stop and we became one with the water.  

  “Okay, son. It's time. Go ahead and get your fishing pole and bait ready.”  I looked at him and nodded.  I put everything together and watched him as he gracefully threw the bait into the water, careful not to disturb the calm vibe around us.  I looked back at my fishing pole and tried to mimic his actions; the bait successfully landed in the water and bobbed up and down. I turned to my papa and smiled.  “Wow! You're a natural baekhyun.”  My face lit up again; he seemed pleased with me, and I couldn't handle how happy I was.  Thirty minutes had passed and my father managed to pull out 3 fish, but I still had nothing.  I looked down in defeat; there was no way I would be able to get one.  I neared the edge of the boat and placed my head over the water; in the reflection was a disappointed and defeated face.  I shook the thought away and instead focused on the fish swimming past my hook when, all of a sudden, a large strange-looking fish swam right underneath me.  I jerked back, making the boat rock violently.  “Son, are you okay?” he grabbed my arm.  

  “Yeah, I just saw a large fish... I just got scared, that's all…”  

  “Well, be careful.” he sighed, “If you look to close they'll bite your little nose.” he pinched my nose and gave out a hearty laugh.  I felt a bit embarrassed but it didn't seem to phase him.  I looked back at the water and saw it again -- but this time, it swam towards my hook.  As the figure came closer, I noticed a face.  Curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to edge even closer to the water.  It took on a human appearance and my mind flew out of my head.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  The creature grabbed my hook and pulled it down, forcing me down with it.  Its face slowly emerged from the water with its eyes closed, but once I twitched, its eyes flew open.  It was a boy -- a beautiful boy with smooth and flawless skin.  Not one ripple.  It approached my face and stared at me with its big and bright brown eyes.  Its head slowly tilted from side to side as it studied my face.  My eyes were fixed on its beauty, but then I noticed a fin rise to the surface.  I pulled back and so did the creature.  

  “Uhm, papa?” my eyes were still set on the boy.  The creature lifted its hand silently out of the water and gestured me to be silent.

  “Hold on, son. I almost got one.”  I turned around and saw that he was struggling with something, so I spun back to the creature, but he was gone.  Then I started wondering... (What if my papa caught it?!  Oh My God!)  But before my thoughts could consume me, the boy emerged again -- but this time, he was carrying a small fish.  I stared at it, astonished.  

  “Is this for me?”  I whispered to the boy.  He nodded and placed the fish in my hand; his hand slightly brushed against mine in the process and I noticed his skin not smooth at all -- it was slimy and scaly.  “Thank you.” I smiled, but he just stared back at me.  “Do you have a name?”  As he slowly opened his mouth, my father nudged me from behind, forcing the boat to rock once again.  The boy quickly fled back into the bottomless water.  

  “Alright, what is it, son?” I looked down at the fish that was just given to me and lifted it to my father’s face. “Son, that's your first fish and it’s not too bad! It could be a bit bigger but... for you, this is great! I'm proud of you son. And don't worry there’s many more to come.”  He grinned and patted my back a bit too hard once again.  

  “Thanks dad.” I winced, but smiled back at him.  I threw the fish into the bucket and turned back to the water, but I didn't find him anywhere; he was gone and he probably would not come back.  Since night was quickly approaching, we decided to row back to where we came from. There, we fastened the rope to the stake, but my shoes were soaked. I sat down on the moist dirt and furiously tried to take off my shoes.  

  “Untie it first, son. You're only making it harder.”  

  “Oh, right.” I smiled sheepishly and untied my shoes, and they slipped right off. He chuckled and began heading back home.

  “Hurry up, son. We must be at the top before the sunset.”  

  “Sorry, I'll be right there.”  He went ahead as I took my drenched socks off.  As I stood up, my feet sank into the mud and made a squishing sound with every step I took.  As I got closer to the river the cool water nipped at my toes.  A somber aura hung in the air.  I longed to see that beautiful face once again, but I knew that I might never be able to.  I walked closer to the water, but stepped on a sharp rock that nearly cut the bottom of my foot.  I grabbed my foot, but lost my balance and fell down.  As I looked at my foot, I noticed the many rocks in the background.  I put my foot down and looked closely; they spelled out a name.  “Luhan?” 

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Sorry it's really short.  If enough poeple ask, I do have a second part to it that I will be willing to post.  Thanks for reading! ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________