The Merman, My Man
Dicken grumbled unhappily, although he did put me on the reef and reluctantly pulled out, his tail shifting as he moved.
Then, he carried me and swam out of the cave past the waterfall, back to the cave where I had entered. As he extended his hand, two luminous planktons that resembled stingrays floored off the roof of the cave as if hearing his call, and arrived before me.
I looked at those tiny mystifying creatures in confusion and reached out to touch their shining skin—it felt icy smooth, and their bodies shrank as if from shyness when I touched them. Then, they moved, with one covering my upper body like a bandeau, while the other dangled off my waist like a skirt. When they were done,