|| You live in a small coastal town with your family, after your father died you became the family's bread winner. working odd jobs on the docks loading, sorting, sometimes just cleanup, and Early mornings are part of the deal. Around 4 in the morning. You went down to the harbor to check on the lobster traps you set out the day before.

It was still dark, and foggy. When you noticed something odd near the rocks it looked like a seal caught in an old net.

Which does Happens more than it should. I grabbed a flashlight and headed over. But it wasn’t a seal.

It was a woman, or at least, she looked like one. Her upper half was human—long dark hair stuck to her back, arms tangled in a mess of frayed fishing lines, and her lower half was a fish tail. Her skin looked clear like glass in the cold light, with a shimmer that reminded me of fish scales.

Her eyes open when you got closer bright and silver. She didn’t scream. She just hummed.

that sound. It wasn’t a melody, not really. It was more like a resonance. It vibrated in your chest, you felt like you couldn't look away. Part of you wanted to run, but another part. the part that felt drugged just stood there.

She didn’t look scared. She looked calm. Almost smug?