Fish In A Bowl (TianShan)

The Little Boy Beyond The Glass

The mermaid was one of his grandfather's most prized possession. Nobody specifically told He Tian that, but it was a truth that everybody knew, because the old man had a hobby of collecting curiousities from around the world. His grandfather didn't let just anyone in to see the creature. It wasn't kept to be bragged about at parties but it wasn't a big secret either. It was just that an outsider would deem himself overflowing with luck if he's permitted inside the room to see the mermaid with his own two eyes.

His earliest memory was staring right into the cool light emitting from the glass aquarium, his stubby baby fingers reaching out to the air. The mermaid swam around, ignoring the world beyond the confines of his watery container. The baby would cry, so the person carrying it would knock on the clear glass and the mermaid would flick its tail on the glass, startling the baby, before it would burst out into a fit of hearty giggles.

Then the toddler He Tian would press his face on the glass, leaving a trail of drool and fingerprints as he would unfailingly pound on the wall while uttering things only he understood. Maybe he wanted the mermaid to pay attention to him and swim closer. He still couldn't understand that the mermaid didn't find him cute the way humans did. For it, he's a sloppy creature that it wouldn't even dare bite for a taste.

When he was old enough to walk on his own, he would drag his mother to where the aquarium was although sometimes they weren't granted entrance immediately. The mermaid's room wasn't easily accessible even to family members. During those unfortunate situations, the boy would throw a fit and bang on the heavy door, shouting for the fish. He would refuse to eat, refuse to be bribed by new toys and wait by the door until his grandfather would finally agree to open the huge room and let him in.

The boy would stare at the strange creature lazing around on the smooth pebbles, its head propped up on jagged black rocks serving as pillows. He didn't mind the cold treatment as he watched the mermaid, shooting him sharp glares before turning its back on him to face the other way. Little He Tian would then walk around the immense aquarium to get to the other side. It was a long walk, for the aquarium was huge. He liked the mermaid's front side better than its back with its long, orange hair spreading on the water like seaweed, covering most of it. He also liked the mermaid's face, even when he had never seen it smile. 

He Tian would stand for hours, eyes round and mouth hanging open as he looked up at the creature. He knew it didn't like him. He understood the look of disgust on its face and the way it would bare its teeth when he stood too close to the glass. But it was still a wonderful thing, even its jet-black fish tail that his grandfather found dull, he loved it. He'd never seen mermaids with black tails in movies, especially one as black as this magnificent being right in front of him.

His little hands would always end up pressed tightly against the glass, willing for it to melt through and touch the angry-looking face. Sometimes the little boy would dream about the mermaid and he would be there, riding on its back, its hair tickling his face. There were nights he would spend staring at the ceiling, imagining the mermaid swimming right above it, looking at him with a bright smile on its face. 

As he grew up, he learned more about the mermaid. Apparently in human standards, it was supposed to be a man. It was a fully-grown merman. Back then, his young grandfather bought it from a shipping vessel that accidentally hauled it in, its hair tangled badly on the nets that they had to cut it off to free the creature. The merman was in his grandfather's possession for more than sixty years and he was still overprotective of it, treating it like a son with special needs and feeding it all kinds of good seafood. It even has its own cook.

When he was ten, he asked his grandfather if he could inherit the mermaid after he died. He didn't like the term merman so he kept on using mermaid to refer it, for it had no name. He even went as far as to remind his grandfather to specifically inform his lawyers if he had any plans to agree to their negotiation. His grandfather only laughed and said that it wouldn't be possible.