It was almost ten at night, and they had been sitting for hours, listening patiently as Erunestian recounted the story of his life. In fact, his grasp of the language was rather poor and it took him twice as long as it normally would. On top of that, Mateo and Helena kept interrupting him every so often.

Helena interrupted him one final time saying excitedly: "And then, this very morning, I found you sleeping near the rocks! Today is your fourth day here," she clapped. "Welcome!"

"Yes! I'm glad! Thank you," Erunestian agreed with a smile.

Mateo was silent, stunned. Meanwhile, Helena continued chattering, overflowing with joy: "This is incredible!" she exclaimed. "I thought mermaids were just fairy tales. But I've been deceived my whole life! Plus, you learned to speak and walk in three days! It's insane... You're a genius!"

"What?" Mateo said, coming back to his senses. "But do you realize what all this means? If what he just told us is all true, then... then... it changes everything!" He grabbed his cousin by the shoulders and shook her as he exclaimed: "We're not alone in this world! There's another intelligent species on our very planet! And here we are, searching for intelligent life in space..." He paused and with an ecstatic look on his face he said "Now it turns out magical beings are real too—mermaids aren't just legends... Oh my God! I think I'm going to lose my mind."

"Can you imagine what would happen if other humans found out?" Helena added.

"Well, I imagine a bit of chaos," Mateo replied. "It's a revelation of astronomical proportions! It's sure to cause an uproar and controversy. But then what? Will they divide the sea? Will they fight over it?"

"Now, I too want to say something..." Erunestian said, standing up.

Mateo and Helena looked at him in surprise.

"The people of the sea want not to appear themselves to humans, but if they appear... I am afraid of what they do."

"Would they do something bad?" Helena asked, somewhat frightened.

"That makes a lot of sense, actually" Mateo said. "Sadly, if they're anything like us humans, they'd probably resort to violence to secure their territories and survival." He paused. "Wow, Erunestian! You've come to destabilize your own government! Now you're an enemy of the state—enemies must be captured!" he joked.

"Ah! Capture me if you can, government!" He said with a huge smile on his face, then he asked "What is government?".

They laughed.

"It's the people who run a country and make laws," Helena replied.

"And what are laws?"

"Oof..."

"They're rules set by the government to make sure people behave properly and don't harm others," Mateo explained. "I'm sure you have laws and a government too, even if they're different."

"Each clan has chief who lead everyone, we also have soldier chief and religious chief. Laws we have for long, long time. Always had. Sometimes they make new laws, when all our chiefs are together." He paused. "Is your government like that?"

"Kind of," Mateo said. "It's just that we vote to choose the government and there's an assembly with hundreds of people who have to agree to pass a law."

"Hundreds of people?!" Erunestian looked worried. "One government is hundreds of people?"

"Well, no... I mean, yes... There's a president, but he can't make laws without the assembly's approval."

"Actually, it's more complicated than that," Helena chimed in. "Trust me, you don't want to know. It's really boring."

"I do want to know!" Erunestian exclaimed. "I need to speak to chief of the humans!"

Mateo and Helena looked at him, baffled."You mean the president? That's really difficult."

"Besides, this country isn't that important. They'll probably just ignore you. What were you planning to do, anyway?"

"Someone's coming!" Erunestian interrupted suddenly, turning toward the door.

Helena flinched. "What?"

"Aunt Isabel must be back from work!" She darted to the window, peeking through the curtains. Sure enough, her aunt's car was pulling into the driveway. "How did he know...?" she mumbled.

Mateo rushed after her, panic flickering in his eyes. "How do we explain this? If we tell her where he's from, she'll think he's a scammer or... or delusional!"

"There's no point in lying," Helena whispered, watching the car lights turning off. "We'll figure out a way to convince her to let him stay."

"Not worry! I protect you!" Erunestian declared with solemn confidence.

They both spun around—just in time to see him gripping his spear and pointing it at the door.

Helena burst out laughing.

Mateo blinked. "I thought I'd taken that from you...?"

"I find it," Erunestian said proudly.

"How?"

"Never lose your weapon."

Mateo opened his mouth, then closed it, rubbing his temples. "Okay, great. Whatever. Could you—maybe—not stab our aunt the second she walks in?" He reached out, carefully lowering the spear's tip. "Seriously, buddy, you're one sudden movement away from committing your first homicide."

Helena was still giggling, clutching her sides. "Aunt Isabel isn't going to attack us. She's our family."

Erunestian lowered his spear. "Then why are you scared?"

Mateo and Helena exchanged glances.

"Because we don't know how to explain why you're here," Helena admitted.

"We tell truth," Erunestian said simply.

Mateo snorted. "Oh yeah? How exactly do we pitch that? 'Hey, Auntie, don't mind this foreign guy—he's just a sea prince on a little vacation.'"

Helena smirked, grabbing Erunestian's arm and dragging him toward the kitchen. "'Nothing weird happened today, Auntie! We definitely did not rescue a fish boy who sold his eyes to the mermaids!'"

Erunestian corrected her, utterly serious. "I am not fish, I told you, marine mammal."

Helena wheezed. "Oh, well, in that case, everything makes perfect sense."

Mateo glared at both of them. "Shh! She's coming!" He waved his arms like a conductor trying to organize an orchestra of chaos. "Everyone act natural."

"Act natural," Helena muttered under her breath, still giggling. "Sure, Mateo. What's more natural than hiding a blind sea prince and his spear in the kitchen?"

Erunestian straightened and just repeated their words. "Act natural!"

"Just don't do anything weird," Mateo whispered to him.

"What is weird?." He whispered in response.

Both cousins stared at him.

Mateo sighed. "We're so dead."

The sound of a key turning in the lock echoed through the house. Mateo and Helena started pacing back and forth not knowing what to do. "Adults definitely don't have the capacity to understand these things," they thought. Then they started pushing at each other.

"You tell her."

"No, you tell her."

"Hello!" Aunt Isabel's voice echoed from the entrance. She sounded tired, and was still wearing her doctor's uniform. "Have they gone to bed already?" She wondered, hearing no response.

Helena sprang into action, rushing to the entrance with an exaggerated smile plastered on her face. She kissed her on the cheek and immediately launched into a frantic monologue.

"You're not going to believe what happened today, Aunt Isa! It was so weird—like, super weird. I was at the beach, and I was playing, and then suddenly I saw this boy sleeping on the sand—"

"Oh, really?" Isabel muttered, distracted, rummaging through her purse for her keys. "Is there any dinner left for me?"

Helena's heart skipped a beat when she saw her aunt heading for the kitchen. She sidestepped into her path, blocking her way with outstretched arms.

"Wait, wait! The thing is... the boy... uh... he's a foreigner! And he doesn't have anywhere to go... Sooo... can he stay with us tonight?"

Isabel blinked. "What?" She stared at Helena, trying to process what she just heard. "Are you telling me you want to bring a stranger into our house?"

"Come on, Aunt Isa, he's just a kid," Helena said, her smile faltering.

"A kid? A lost kid?" Isabel asked, suddenly more alert.

"No, no... Not lost exactly... And... he's about our age... Actually—"

"I'm confused."

Helena swallowed hard. "Oh God, I messed up," she thought, covering her face.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mateo was having his own crisis. He stood close to Erunestian, whispering as fast as he could.

"Okay, listen carefully. Helena's dad, my mom, and Aunt Isabel are siblings. We've been living with her for a few months now. She's nice, but she's gonna ask a million questions, so... just don't do anything weird."

"Anything weird," Erunestian repeated obediently, still holding his spear between his hands.

Mateo glanced at the weapon in alarm. "Starting with putting that down!"

He hid the spear just in time as his aunt appeared in the doorway. She just stood there taking in the scene with a look of half surprise. Before she could react, Erunestian spoke first.

"I am happy to meet you! My name is Erunestian. Please give me welcome." He bowed slightly, his tone graceful and polite.

Isabel blinked. That was... unexpected. For a brief moment, she felt like she was looking at a young nobleman. His delicate features, his composed demeanor—there was something almost otherworldly about him.

"She's there in entrance, right, Mateo?" Erunestian asked, confused by the silence.

"Oh! I—um, I wasn't expecting... guests," Isabel finally said, snapping out of her thoughts. She stepped forward and reached for his hand to give him a handshake. "I'm Isabel, Helena and Mateo's aunt. I work at the hospital, so I'm not home much. Helena mentioned you were here. If you need a place to stay, you're welcome to spend the night."

Helena and Mateo exchanged glances. Did he just... charm his way into staying?

Erunestian smiled. "You're very kind. I'm grateful."

"Don't mention it. Friends are always welcome here." Isabel pulled out a chair and sat at the table, glancing at Mateo. "Is there any food left for me?"

"Yeah, Auntie," Mateo said, already getting up to warm her plate.

She turned back to Erunestian. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Erunestian."

She hummed, tasting the unfamiliar name. "That's interesting... Oh, sit down, please. Tell me—where are you from? How did you end up here?"

"I... um..." He hesitated, fumbling for the edge of the chair before sitting down.

Mateo cut in, setting the plate in front of her. "It's a long, unbelievable story, Auntie."

Isabel studied Erunestian as she picked up her fork. His accent, his features... Northern Europe, maybe? She softened her tone. "You don't want to tell me now?"

Erunestian lowered his head, embarrassed. "I am sorry. Is difficult for me. I need long time to answer."

"That's all right," Isabel reassured him. "You can tell me tomorrow. No rush. I'll try to help however I can, okay?"

Erunestian hesitated. "What is 'okay'?"

They laughed. "It means 'all right' or 'everything's fine,'" Helena explained.

"Ah! Then okay! I tell you tomorrow. Thank you." He grinned.

"You speak our language very well," Isabel noted. "Luckily, I have tomorrow off, so we can figure things out. You're not in a hurry to get back anywhere, are you?"

"No hurry to go back anywhere," Erunestian said.

His words made her pause. If he's not in a hurry to return... maybe he ran away from home?

Before she could ask more, Erunestian suddenly opened his pale eyes and fixed his 'gaze' on her. The intensity of it sent a shiver down her spine.

"Not worry about me," he said, his voice calm. "I will go back home. Just... not now."

Then, just as suddenly, his eyes fluttered shut, and he yawned.

Isabel sat frozen, fork still hovering near her mouth. She turned to Mateo, who only shrugged.

"You seem very... insightful, Erunestian," she said carefully, masking her unease. "I'd love to talk more, but you look exhausted. There's an extra bed in Helena and Mateo's room. You can use it."

Helena took the hint and gently led Erunestian away.

Once they were gone, Isabel leaned toward Mateo, voice low. "Who is he?"

"You won't believe me," Mateo muttered. "All I can say is Helena found him sleeping on the beach, covered with nothing but a white cloth—which, by the way, I already put in the wash, because I'm very responsible. She brought him home, we fed him, and he spent the whole afternoon explaining where he's from."

"You think I won't believe you?" Isabel scoffed. "It's not like the boy is an alien!"

Mateo didn't laugh. He just shrugged and said. "He came from the sea."

Isabel stared at him, her teasing smile fading. "Wait. You're serious?"

Mateo nodded. "I promise I'm not joking."

She exhaled sharply and turned back to her meal. "Tomorrow, we'll take him to town and talk to the police. If he has family, we'll find them. If not... we'll figure something out."

"Yeah... I don't think that's gonna help much," Mateo muttered.

Isabel shot him a look. "We have to start somewhere, don't we?"

Mateo didn't argue. He simply said goodnight and left for his room.

Left alone, Isabel picked at her food, deep in thought. "I'll sort this out tomorrow..." She stood to clear the dishes but paused when something on the floor under the table caught her eye.

Frowning, she picked it up.

It was a crude spear—carved from bone, with a stingray barb tied to the tip using thick plant fibers.

She turned it in her hands, feeling its weight, its rough texture. "Is he a time traveler from the Stone Age?" She thought. "No, no don't be silly Isabel, what are you even thinking... He's a castaway, most likely."

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, the kids argued over sleeping arrangements.

The room had a double bed and a bunk bed. After some debate, they decided Erunestian should take the larger bed, just to avoid him smacking his head.

Helena, ever the gracious host, had given him a tour of the room, letting him touch and smell everything he came across with. He learned quickly. By the end of the night, he could move around with surprising ease.

The window was open, a thin insect screen letting in fresh air. Helena and Mateo, used to the coastal heat, had no problem with it—but Erunestian, accustomed to the cold waters, felt uncomfortably warm.

He turned toward the window, letting the breeze cool his face. The scent of salt filled his lungs. His gaze drifted to the distant ocean, its waves were now only a whispering voice calling him home.

He sighed.

"Lull me now, father sea... You who watched me be born long ago. I walk away from your waves, and now, from afar, I save you. Guard my brothers and their old souls, for I bring you glory upon my return."

Outside, the crickets chirped. The night wrapped around him like a quiet tide, pulling him gently into sleep.

In his dreams, he swam again in his blue seas.

And there, in the land of memory, the ocean welcomed him home—if only until dawn.