It was becoming increasingly obvious that a pair of eyes were on you, almost like someone or something was watching from beyond the waves. It was unlikely that it was another person, as you were the only one crazy enough to go for a swim at 4 in the morning, but it was still unsettling to feel watched.

You tucked your legs under yourself, which almost made you slip and fall. You'd swam out to a patch of big rocks, he surface slick with unseen algae and saltwater. You loved swimming here to sit and watch the water, it was the best cure for that thin line between insomnia and getting up really early.

This was quite possibly the best part about living in a beach town. You had the ability to go in the water whenever you wanted to, and it was warm enough for a swim for three quarters of the year. That, and the fact that there was a second, more elusive population that called your town home.

Most folk would categorize mermaids and merfolk alike as mere fairytale, but the real truth was that they lived here in your town! The town you called home also had a large number of Merfolk living both above and below the water in same or blended families. You had even fallen in love with one such merman, the same merman that was trying and failing to sneak up on you from the side.

The same merman with the sleek black tail that shimmered blue in the light, the same merman who was reaching his wet arms up to try and grab you. A well-timed turn of the head made him freeze, and you laugh. He was such a character.. always trying and failing to scare you.