A Silver Tail

*Present*

The girl blinked. Alina stood there, staring at the girl with large, curious eyes.

“Are you running away from my uncle as well?” Alina asked. The girl shook her head, confused.

“Well, I’m not really running away,” Alina went on. “I just wanna spook him a little. And also…”

She clenched her fists, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. “I also want to see my parents,” she added. "They are apparently at a place called 'grave'. I want to meet them and go home!"

The girl sensed a sadness in the child’s tone, unable to comprehend why the kid was sad. But the girl’s soft heart was aching upon seeing her pained eyes which were on the verge of tears.

Alina felt a warm hand on her forehead and she looked up to meet the girl’s amber eyes. The girl smiled at her reassuringly as if trying to tell her that everything would be fine.

“Stupid uncle!” Alina cursed. “Why does he hate me so much? What did I do?”

The girl frowned. It seemed like Alina was angry at someone.

“I was hoping that he would get the shock of his life when I would end up missing,” Alina stated bitterly. “But he didn’t even bother to find me! I’ve been out hiding here for hours! I don’t even know the location of this 'grave' place! If I had, I could have gone home with my parents! Now I’ll have to go back to the mansion! Stupid uncle!”

Suddenly, there was a loud shuffling of footsteps.

“I heard something in that alley!” one of the men yelled. The girl did not pause but grabbed Alina’s hand and ran.

“Where are we going?” Alina asked, running alongside the girl but the latter did not reply. She just wanted to get away from there as fast she could. 

“I know a place to hide!” Alina exclaimed. “It’s right behind my stupid uncle's mansion!”

When the girl did not stop running, Alina pulled her wrist with her might. The girl yelped and fell. But the eight year old kept on tugging her. Their pursuers were on their tail and would catch up fast.

“Come on!” Alina hissed and pulled the girl up. The girl was panting a little, tired by hunger and fatigue. She was unsure of whether to follow the child but the kid seemed to know the area better than her.

“This way!” Alina remarked, pulling her towards the north. She kept on glancing back to make sure the men were not following them. Their voices could be heard from far but the girls were out of sight. 

The girl followed Alina to a more secluded part of the area where there were no other people. She limped a little, her feet still full of cuts. Alina noticed her limp and looked down.

“You’re bare foot!” the little child noted. She looked up to the older woman and added, “You really didn’t think through when you ran away from home, did you?”

The mute girl pouted a little. Alina took a good look at her. 

She looked like she was in her mid twenties but there was a naive demeanor about her. The girl was looking at everything with a childlike curiosity. Her brown hair fell till her waist and she had soft amber eyes. She wore a thick jacket with shorts, her legs bare. 

What struck the most to Alina was the woman’s beauty. She had fair skin which was slightly glowing under the moonlight and her soft curls complemented her sharp oval shaped face. Even though Alina was taught not to talk to strangers, the woman in front of her felt really familiar. She could not pinpoint where she had seen her but an assuring warmth emitted from her which made Alina feel safe.

Alina sighed and took off the backpack from her shoulders. Scavenging through the contents, she took out a pair of slippers which she had taken with her when she ran away from her uncle’s mansion.

“Here,” she said. “Wear these.”

The girl stared at the slippers for a while before putting her feet slowly into them. They were a little too small for her but something was better than nothing.

“Those men won’t come this way,” Alina said. “My uncle apparently owns this part of the residential area and keeps out everyone else from here. There’s a gate ahead where his minions are stationed. If you go anywhere near there, they’ll put you in jail. So we’re gonna go around the wall and hide in the hole I made. Then in the morning, we can head for the bus station and go to the next town so that I can find the graves.”

The girl did not reply but quietly followed Alina to her hiding place. They dodged the guards and went around the wall until Alina came to a halt.

“This is the tunnel,” she muttered. “It leads straight to the garden’s pond.”

She had discovered the tunnel a week ago when she was roaming around in the mansion. Jason never kept an eye on her, so she was technically free to do whatever she wanted as long as she did not come in her uncle’s way.

“Follow me!” Alina ushered her. She hopped into the tunnel and disappeared into it. The girl widened her eyes in surprise. Where did the child go? Was she dead? 

Panicked thoughts were beginning to engulf her mind when she heard Alina’s sharp voice from the tunnel.

“Don’t just stand there! Come on!”

The girl let out a sigh of relief and jumped into the tunnel after the little kid. She landed in a dark pit and even though it was almost a blind darkness, the girl could see everything perfectly. Alina raised her hands to feel the wall to lead herself towards the pond but the girl grabbed her wrist and led her.

“You can see in the dark?” Alina asked in astonishment. “Woah!”

She was shocked how expertly the girl was leading the way. It was as if she had a magical sight.

After a few minutes, they reached the other end of the tunnel. There was a metal ladder attached to the wall which they used to climb up. The girl hoisted Alina on to the solid ground before climbing out of the hole. 

As soon as she came out, the girl was mesmerized by the view around her.

“This is my uncle’s garden!” Alina explained. “He keeps maintains it well and-”

But the girl was not listening. Her innocent eyes were busy exploring the heaven she had landed on. 

The archway was made of vines intertwined together into circular shapes. The leaves of different shapes and sizes, creating a canvas of shades which the girl had never seen before. As if in a trance, she walked through the arch, her wide eyes absorbing the sight. The sides of the walkway was made with broken marbles while the flowerbeds contained soft coral flowers which added a soothing touch to the aesthetic.

The girl giggled in excitement which worried Alina.

“Shhh!” she shushed. “Someone might hear you!”

But the girl was not listening and sprinted off, awed by the colorful sight. Her long hair flowed in the air as she ran around the vast garden.

“Don’t make any noise!” Alina begged her but the girl was too excited. She continued to run around the perfectly trimmed and well kept garden, having the time of her life. Alina’s short legs could not keep up with her speed and the little girl was panting when she reached the crazy woman.

“Stop it!” Alina scolded her. “You’re going to wake up the entire house!”

But the girl was now distracted by something else. In the middle of the garden, was a large pond.

Before Alina could speak, the girl stopped smiling and stepped towards the pond. Her smile was gone and was replaced with a strange look akin to reminiscing something. Alina frowned as the girl kept on walking ahead, without stopping. The water was calling to her and she had to go to it.

“What are you doing?” Alina asked in a panked tone. “Hey-”

But it was too late. The girl jumped into the pond.

Alina rushed towards it, scared out of her wits. She searched the water from afar for any signs of the woman but other than a few bubbles, she could not see anything else.

“Did she drown?” Alina wondered, feeling very scared. Uncle is gonna kill me!

Suddenly, a head emerged from the water. Alina was relieved when she saw the woman was safe. The latter was smiling widely at the little girl who was now very annoyed at her.

“Hey, you can’t just jump into some...one...else’s….pool…”

With every word, Alina’s eyes widened in shock. 

The girl had dunked into the water again but this time, Alina caught a glimpse of her lower body. Instead of legs, the girl now had a long, silvery tail which was glittering under the moonlight as the girl swam around the pond, feeling happy and jubilated. It was as if she had reached home.

“M-Mermaid?” Alina squealed.