"You girls took your time, didn't you?", their buxom mother said when they reached the underwater enclave they called home.

"Sorry Mother," Aaantaarana apologized. "Lisha was too stubborn and careless. She lost everything and we had to start all over to pick for her."

"I wasn't stubborn and careless," Aaanlisha grumbled. "I was only trying to avoid a motorboat."

"If you hadn't stubbornly disregarded my advice and decided to swim too close to the surface, you wouldn't have had to av..."

"It's okay, girls," their mother broke in. "This is not the time to bicker. Our guests will soon be here. Get your sisters to help you, we need to finish the decorations quickly. I'll get food ready."

The girl-mermaids swam further into the enclave in search of their ten other sisters. Some were sleeping while others were playing, but Aaanmaalina, the intellectual of the family was busy peering at a paper in a bottle.

"Oh Rana, you're here. I can't make anything out of this. You're the one that always loves to go on the land. Come see if you know the language."

Aaantaarana swam towards her while Aaanlisha went to join the players.

"I get to go on the land because I'm much older than you are, so wait till you get to my age. Let me see that."

She took the transparent bottle from her sister and scrutinized the little paper that could clearly be seen inside.

"Hmm. I don't know this language. Must be Spanish or something like that."

"Doesn't your land boyfriend speak it?"

"Aaanmaalina!", she chided in a harsh whisper. "You would shout to the whole world that I have a land boyfriend, wouldn't you?"

"Oh I'm sorry. I..."

"No time to be sorry. We have work to do."

Moving over to the sleeping mermaids, she shouted to rouse them.

"Okay everyone, wake up! We have work to do! Come on, Lina help me wake these sleepy heads."

***

When the guests arrived, they met the enclave in a lovely condition. Rocks, plants, seaweed, algae and even anemones were placed strategically and decoratively around the entrance and doorway. It looked like an exotic aquarium. All the mermen nodded and smiled their approval with the exception of Aaalminusa who never smiled. The exterior was deserted, giving the men ample opportunity to admire the beautiful decorations.

"Hmm," Aaalmanis smiled and swam toward a beautiful purple-colored plant at the top of the enclave's doorway.

"See this, my boy," he called out to his son Aaalthansa. "The last time I saw this was in coral reefs around Australia. I didn't even know they could be found in this area. This is a fine place here. You see, this is how you know a good woman, my boy... from the way she takes care of her environment."

"Yes father," Aaalthansa replied, but his father was already swimming away to admire another fine plant specimen and didn't see him roll his eyes and swish his long tail.

"I last saw this when I was a boy," he smiled as he touched it lightly.

"These things might have been imported you know," Aaalminusa put in as he watched from a little distance away from the little group.

"That's just you, Minusa," Aaalmanis sighed. "Always offering a negative twist to every situation... a true natural kill-joy. Let's go in, everyone."

Aaalmanis led the way into the enclave and Aaalminusa followed right after him, but Manis soon turned his head to glare back at him. Minusa had deliberately bumped against his tail.

"What?", Minusa asked, looking innocent.

"It's not my fault. You were not moving fast enough. Come on, let's go, or you want to stay here and keep admiring my face like you did those stupid grasses and anemones outside?"

Manis simply shook his head and swam on. There were five of his family members in the entourage, but this cousin of his had always been a thorn in his side. There was no cheerful side to him at all. He was a constant troublemaker and fire-starter.