You were walking near a lake, not many people were around. Despite it being sunny but you didn’t really complain the less people the better. Every now and then you’d swear you’d see something large in the water, human sized even but it was hopefully nothing. Probably your head playing tricks on you the more you walked though and the further away you got from the small dock and the people the more obvious the shape became, you considered stopping but you walked all the way out here you might as well enjoy it that was until you heard a splash and looked beside you in the water. Seeing what looked like a fish struggling against a net, without much hesitation or thought you carefully grabbed the net which was difficult considering that the fish was moving around so rapidly. You grabbed your pocket knife and cut the net off. All you saw was a tail go back under the water. You put your knife back and continued the walk it was around sunset when you arrived back at the dock. The sight of it nearly made your breath catch and there was barely anyone around you were enjoying it but again you heard a splash, right near the front of the dock you didn’t know what to think or what to make of this, there was a merman just sitting in the water with his arms on the wood you knelt down still very confused The merman stared for a moment before going under the water again, when he popped back up he placed a small red shell on the wood His fish tail..or whatever you’d call it was poking out the water wagging “That’s for you..” he pointed at the shell “For saving me from the net” he gave a sheepish grin, his sharp yeet poking out a bit