Chapter One

The mermaid lifted his glistening tail above the water, the sunlight reflecting off his scales, making them shine like little jewels. He twirled a strand of his blue hair between his fingers, huffing loudly. His skin was fairly pale, and his eyes and tail matched the same shade of blue as his hair.

He flopped his tail back into the water, splashing loudly, straightening his back, and craning his head towards the sky.

‘Melody?’ He called out. ‘Melodeeeeeeeee!’

He paused, waiting for a reaction, and staring at the tip of the rocky slope.

Still nothing.

‘MELODAAAAAAAIE!’ He screeched.

‘Tuna!’ came a reply at last.

The mermaid looked up, seeing a female figure coming over the lip of the rocky slope.

She was petite in built, with bright eyes, and dark hair.

‘Ah’ he beamed, slapping his tail into the water. ‘You’re here. You’re late.’

‘I told you not to scream like that’ Melody told him. ‘Goodness me, you cry like a puppy.’

‘What’s a puppy?’

‘I’ll show you’ Melody said, placing upon the rock before him a little basket.

‘You got food?’

‘Of course.’

Melody knelt down, pulling off the white cloth that covered the basket.  

‘Ow…my throat hurts now’ Tuna mumbled, touching his neck delicately.

‘Well that’s what you get for screeching like a banshee.’

‘What’s a banshee?’

Melody supressed a groan. It was difficult sometimes talking to a mermaid. There was so much he didn’t know.

‘A banshee is a scary woman that screams.’

‘Why is she scary?’ Tuna asked, ‘and why does she scream?’

‘I’m not really sure’ Melody confessed. She glanced up to him. ‘What sandwich do you want?’

‘Do you have anything sweet in there?’ Tuna asked, lifting himself up the rock a little to see into the basket.

‘Too many sweet things aren’t good for you’ Melody frowned.

‘But that can’t be true’ Tuna argued. ‘You’re sweet, and you’re very good for me.’

Melody blushed then, dipping her head to hide her embarrassment. Tuna was always so blunt, and she liked that about him.

In fact, she had liked him the moment she had first laid eyes on him. From the very first day. And he in turn had liked her, declaring his undying love for her within the first few minutes of talking.

Melody of course rebuffed him, telling him that he could not love her so soon. Tuna had looked confused and dejected.

Before Melody left him on that day, she said that she would return, to this same place, at the same time the next day, if he was interested in seeing her again. And of course, he was.

And that is how their bond began to grow.

Melody had first found Tuna by chance, as he was resting on the rocks, basking in the warm sun. And since that day, she had been visiting that same spot, every day without fail. It had been several weeks now.

She loved him. She was in love with him, but had not admitted it yet. She was still young, and while had had love interests previously before, none of her boyfriends had ever been a mermaid.

And he in turn adored her, although, Melody wasn’t sure if he knew what love truly was. Romantically at least anyway.

Melody had asked him if there were others of his kind, and if he had parents. Tuna had claimed dramatically that he was in fact, the last of his kind, a national treasure, and perhaps one of the great wonders of the world.

Melody had said little else to this, but remained sceptical. If Tuna did not want to talk about something, she would respect that.

Melody touched a hand to her lips delicately, wondering what it would be like to kiss a mermaid.

‘I h-have a cake’ Melody told him.

‘A cake?’

‘A cupcake.’

Tuna’s eyes lit up, and he held his hand out eagerly to receive this gift.

Melody placed a cupcake upon his open palm. It was a vanilla cupcake, with cream and a strawberry on top.

Tuna began to eat hungrily.

‘It’s good’ he smiled.

‘I’m glad you like it.’

‘Your birthday is soon, isn’t it?’ Tuna said, through a mouthful of cake.

‘Don’t talk with your mouth full’ Melody scolded. ‘Yes it’s my birthday soon.’

‘You’ll be 17, right?’ Tuna grinned. ‘That’s cool, same age as me.’

‘Do mermaids even age the same as humans?’ Melody asked, turning around and rummaging in the small bag she carried at her side.

‘Um…I guess so…I mean…I don’t really know the science behind it.’

‘Look at me’ Melody said then.

‘Hm?’ Tuna turned to face her.

He stayed still as Melody wiped the cream from his mouth with a napkin.

‘Mmmm…thank you. So what’s this red thing on top?’

‘I told you before’ Melody told him meekly. ‘It’s a strawberry.’

‘Oooohh. I knew they had a weird name.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘It doesn’t even look like a straw’ Tuna frowned.

Melody only smiled to herself, gazing at him fondly.

‘I missed you today’ she sighed.

Tuna paused, glancing towards her.

He lowered the remainder of his cupcake, smiling at her widely.

‘I missed you too’ he said. ‘Tell me about your day.’