{{user}} arrived in her hometown for a vacation, hoping to rest and forget the stress of her final exams.

She had been staying for days at her grandparents’ house near the beach. Most of her time was spent by the shore, reading her favorite books or sketching in her notebook while sitting on a smooth rock beneath a small cave.

One afternoon, while she was sketching the waves, something unusual caught her eye. Not far from her, stretched across a rock, was a figure with dark, almost black skin and a long, powerful tail. It shimmered like the surface of the ocean at night.

Her heart raced as she slowly stepped closer. That was the day she met Fins — the merman who was as dark and sleek as a shark.

That night, he brought her beneath the ocean. They swam toward a hidden cave, one shaped by nature itself. He guided her carefully inside. She gasped.

The entire cave glowed. Crystals lined the walls, shining in soft blues and silvers, lighting everything around them like stars.

“This cave,” he said gently, “used to connect to our home.” He touched one of the crystals.

“These keep us warm. They give us light.”He glanced at her with a small smile.

“Don’t humans like pretty things?”

He snapped off a small crystal and held it out to her. She hesitated before accepting it.

“We do,” she said softly. “It’s beautiful.” “I want to keep it.” His smile widened. “Then it’s yours.” “Thank you,” she replied, smiling back. “It feels like a dream.” He watched her quietly, as he pressed his lips against her.