The salty wind brushed against her skin as she stood by the window, gazing out at the vast, silent sea. Their new home was quiet—too quiet. A small, weathered cottage by the coast, where the sound of waves became the lullaby of every evening.
Her family had moved here to start fresh. Away from noise, from the past, from the world.
But peace can be deceiving.
It was on the very first night that she heard it.
Not a cry. Not a whisper. A voice.
Soft. Haunting. Almost... singing.
She paused, confused. The wind outside was calm. The waves gentle. But the sound felt like it was floating through the air—gentle and eerie, like something calling from far away.
"Do you hear that?" her little brother asked, standing behind her in the dark hallway.
She turned to him. His eyes were wide, curious.
"It's probably just the ocean," she replied, not quite believing herself.
But the sound didn't stop.
Every night, around the same time, it returned.
Faint. Melodic. Unnatural.
And then one night, something changed.
She was finishing her homework when she noticed her brother wasn't in his room. At first, she thought he was with their parents. But the house was too quiet.
A strange chill crawled down her spine as she stepped outside.
The sea was glowing under the moonlight. Calm and endless.
And then she saw him.
Her brother.
Walking toward the water.
Slow. Silent. Like he was sleepwalking.
She shouted his name—but he didn't even flinch. Just kept going, drawn by that same sound.
Her heartbeat raced. She ran after him, stumbling over the rocks, trying to reach him.
He stopped near the edge—where the rocks met the waves.
And that's when she saw it.
A figure sitting on the rocks.
Long hair dripping wet. A glistening, silver-scaled tail curled beside her.
It was a woman. But not quite.
Her skin was bluish, almost grey. Her eyes—glowing like lanterns beneath the sea.
It was a mermaid. But nothing like the fairy tale stories.
This one was wrong.
As the girl stepped closer, the creature turned to her—and opened its mouth.
The scream that followed wasn't just loud—it was unbearable.
A shrieking, metallic screech that made her ears bleed and her head spin.
The world tilted. Her knees buckled.
And just before her vision went dark, she saw the creature grab her brother's arm and pull him beneath the waves.
No splash. No struggle.
Just silence.
When she woke up, she was lying on the beach.
Her parents were crying. People stood around her, confused and afraid.
And her brother... was gone.
She couldn't speak. Couldn't explain what she saw.
But deep in her heart, she knew—
That voice was real.
And it was still calling.
_______________ To be continued....