Charlie
Charlie waited.
The others were already asleep, but he was awake. He sat next to his snoring brother and stared at the water of the river. In the soft light of the glowing trees, he could see to the other shore. Exactly as the night before.
Then, finally, a small figure buzzed back at him and landed on his knees. The little light carried a thin branch with a few wonderful-looking berries and held this to Charlie.
"Hello." Charlie smiled at the will-o'-the-wisp, who excitedly told him something. He accepted the berries and thanked it, but the little person continued to talk, waving their arms wildly.
"I'm sorry, but I don't speak your language."
The will-o'-the-wisp hung its head and sighed. Then it buzzed close to his head and pulled his hair. "Hey!". complained Charlie.
Chirping, the little light pointed to the river bank.
"You want to go to the river?"
It nodded.
Joris turned around in his sleep. "Stay here... Who are you?", he murmured.
The willow-o-wisp looked at him skeptically.
"He met a nymph... At least we think it was a nymph", Charlie explained to the little creature. "It hit him badly. He has hardly stopped talking about this beauty."
The little light giggled, then pointed back to the riverbank. Shaking his head, he put the berries aside. Charlie followed the will-o'-the-wisp that pulled on his clothes. "You are very impatient, little friend. Are you a boy or a girl? You look like a little girl."
The will-o'-the-wisp rolled her eyes and continued to pull on him until he sat down laughing on the riverbank.
"Do you think we'll see the siren again?", he asked.
His little friend shrugged her shoulders and sat back on his knees.
"A few sirens tried to lure me and my friends into the water today. I've never heard such beautiful singing."
The will-o'-the-wisp snorted and pointed at herself.
"Yes. Your singing was also wonderful."
It nodded and said something again in the foreign language. Then it got up and began to sing. Again, he listened to the sweet melody with which it had wanted to lure him away. Charlie grinned. In this forest, you have to be careful with music. Will-o'-the-wisps, Sirens... Are there more beings who use music for devastating purposes?
The will-o'-the-wisp ended her song with a bow.
"Wonderful!" Charlie clapped his hands softly, causing the little light to buzz proudly through the air. Then they heard something splashing. The two looked curiously at the river. Someone was watching them. Someone with light hair and pale skin. Immediately, the person disappeared again underwater.
"Wait!" Charlie jumped up and wanted to run into the water, but the little light held him by the hair. With more strength than he would have expected from such a small person. "Ouch!"
It chirped a little angrily and pointed to the water. The person was back. Closer than before. Now Charlie could see that it was a boy who seemed to be about his age. The boy looked at him curiously out of ice-blue eyes. Between his white and gray curls, Charlie was also able to spot a few light blue strands. The boy was pretty. He wore jewelry made of pearls and seashells that sparkled in the strange light of the forest. Through the water, Charlie saw the outline of a dazzling tail fin.
"The will-o'-the-wisp..." The boy tilted his head. "It likes you."
Charlie's little friend stuck out her tongue at the siren.
"Why?" The boy kept his distance. "A why do you have dark skin?"
"What?" The question made him laugh. "Why do I have dark skin? Really?"
The siren blinked. "Sirens always have fair skin. I didn't know there were humans with dark skin..."
"Ah... Well, there are people with dark skin."
"Are there other colors? Green?", the boy asked.
The willow-o-wisp giggled in amusement and sat down on Charlie's shoulder. There, it continued to laugh.
"No. No green. No blue either... No... Just light or dark", Charlie explained. "My name is Charlie."
"Charlie... Hum... And what about the willow-o-wisp? We eat them..." He looked at it. "Why are you with a human being? Do humans eat will-o'-the-wisp? No, right? But they taste good."
Now said little person scolded loudly. Charlie grimaced. It screamed right in his ear.
"I think my little friend has something against that."
"Yes." The boy grinned. "She just threatened to pull out all my hair if I tried."
"You understand her?"
"Yes. Don't you?"
Charlie shook his head. "No fairies either. No."
"Oh. I didn't know that either. That's interesting. Good thing William didn't eat you. I hardly know anything about humans." The boy nodded and swam a little closer. "Even if you look delicious..."
"Thank you?" Nervously, Charlie moved a little away from the water. The whole situation seemed strange to him. Enchanted. The boy's tail fin shimmered under the water.
"Hm... Don't worry, I'm not hungry." The boy winked at him. "Not right now. Why are you here? In the green?"
In the green? "Because I couldn't stay at home. Why are you here?", asked Charlie.
The boy snorted. "I live here!"
"No. Why did you come here?"
"Ah... Out of curiosity. I have seen the willow-o-wisp with you... This is unusual. Well... I should go home now... It's late."
"Wait. What's your name?", Charlie asked quickly, before the siren disappeared deep into the river.
"Nanno!" That's all the siren said. The boy went deep into the water and was gone.
The will-o'-the-wisp said something. It sounded delighted.
"Were you hoping he would show up again?", asked Charlie.
The little person sat back on his knees so he could see her better and nodded.
"Were you curious too?"
She shook her head and pointed at Charlie.
"Yes. I was curious." He yawned. It was time for him to get some sleep.
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