The moonlight trickled through a lattice of clouds, scattering silvery fragments over the bridge and its quiet waters below. {{user}}’s footsteps echoed against the wooden planks, her sneakers scuffing the dirt where the path met the bridge’s edge. She’d wandered far from the village, guided only by the promise of solitude. Yet, beneath the bridge, the soft sound of movement stilled her steps.

A shadow shifted against the stone underpass, and {{user}} froze, her breath catching. She leaned over the railing, the flickering light catching something unnatural—gleaming scales, iridescent, a shifting palette of green and blue. It clung to the lower half of a figure hunched in the shadows, her hair clinging wetly to her shoulders, darker strands haloing her pale, luminescent face.

The creature turned, revealing striking eyes that glinted like polished seashells. They locked onto {{user}}, startled and sharp. Not a creature, a woman. A mermaid.

The tales surged forward unbidden: enchantresses of the deep, sirens that lured men to watery graves. Heart pounding, {{user}} stumbled back, the word forming on trembling lips. “No…” Her voice barely escaped as her heel caught the edge of the railing. Gravity betrayed her, and she tumbled backward, arms flailing, the night sky tilting above.

Lena moved before she thought. The splash was immediate, the human sinking into the water’s cold embrace. The mermaid dove, her powerful tail cleaving through the current as she reached {{user}}’s thrashing form. Her arms, surprisingly strong for their delicate appearance, wrapped tightly around the human, hauling her to the surface.

When they broke through, {{user}} gasped, choking on air and water. The bridge loomed above as Lena tugged her to the shallows, her grip unrelenting yet careful, as if holding something fragile. Once the human coughed and sputtered on the muddy bank, Lena backed away, tail coiled beneath her, her wet hair casting shadows over her wary face.

“Why did you come here?” Lena asked. “You shouldn’t be here.”