The water around them felt too quiet. No movement. No singing. No other mermaids passing by.
Her eyes moved quickly in all directions as she hid behind a tall stone covered with green plants.
She waited.
Seconds passed. Then more seconds.
Everything became clear.
The mermaid’s face changed. She grabbed Latty’s hand tightly and pulled her forward. Latty almost cried out but stopped herself. Her heart began to race. She could feel fear again, stronger than before.
“What is happening?” Latty asked, her voice shaking. “Where are we going? Who are you? Please?”
The mermaid did not answer. She swam fast, faster than before, dragging Latty through the water.
Latty’s free hand stretched forward, touching nothing but cold water. Her mind was full of questions. She was blind, underwater, breathing as if it were normal, and following a stranger whose world she did not understand.
Strange shapes brushed past her skin. She heard soft sounds like distant bells.
Suddenly, the mermaid slowed down.
Latty felt something solid beneath her feet.
The mermaid pulled her again, and they passed through a hidden opening. The water felt warmer. The sounds changed.
They had entered the mermaid kingdom.
The mermaid did not stop until they reached her home. It was shaped like a small hut made of shining stones and shells. She pushed the door open quickly and pulled Latty inside. Then she slammed the door shut. The sound echoed softly through the water.
The mermaid raised one finger to her lips, her eyes wide, telling Latty to be quiet. But then she remembered — Latty could not see.
She moved closer and leaned toward her ear.
“Please keep your voice down,” she whispered.
Latty froze. Her hands moved forward slowly, touching the air as if searching for something familiar. Her whole body was shaking now.
“Please… who are you?” she asked in a small voice. “My father pushed me into the river. I fell. I was drowning.” She swallowed hard. “But now I am breathing. I am talking. I am still in the river.” Her voice cracked. “Am I still alive?”
Tears rolled down her face and floated away like tiny pearls.
The mermaid swam closer and placed a gentle hand on Latty’s shoulder. Her touch was warm and calm.
“You are very much alive,” she whispered softly. “With me, you can breathe and talk under the water. You are safe here. I will help you.”
Latty held tightly to the mermaid’s arm, like a child holding on to hope. She did not know where she was, but for the first time since the bridge, she felt protected.
Back in the village, the sun rose slowly the next morning. People whispered. The air felt heavy.
Eba hurried to Latty’s house as soon as he heard the news. His heart was beating fast. When he arrived, he saw Latty’s mother sitting on the ground, her wrapper loose, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Women sat around her trying to comfort her, but nothing helped.
“So it is true?” Eba asked quietly. His voice shook.
Latty’s mother looked up at him slowly and nodded. Tears rolled down her cheeks again.
“Please,” she begged, holding his leg. “Help me look for my daughter. I don’t know what happened to her.”
Eba felt pain pierce his chest. He looked around the compound, hoping, wishing to see Latty sitting somewhere, listening quietly.
But she was not there.
Meanwhile, inside his room, Latty’s father stood by the window, watching everything with a grin on his face.
“Good-for-nothing girl,” he whispered to himself.
He turned and walked outside calmly. He went straight to Eba and placed an arm around his shoulder, acting friendly.
“Come,” he said, pulling Eba away from the crying woman.
He led him behind the house.
