Glass Prison

Chapter 1

The scientist had basically stated that the mers were just animals with no coherent communication skill. But I did not believe that for one second. When I looked into the merman's eyes, there is undeniable intelligence. I set my pencil down and checked around me once more. Safe. I raised my sketchpad for him to read my message.

'Can you read?'

My hands tightened. It could go two ways; one, he can't read or two, he doesn't want to reveal the fact that he can read. Why would he have any desire to even dare to communicate with a silly human girl? I snuck a peak at the merman. His sea green eyes scanned the sketchpad and then he stared at me, watching me intently. The hairs on the back of my neck stood erectly.

What was I doing? Of course they can't read. They couldn't have been able to acquire humans' reading materials such as papers and books under the sea much less learn to read them. I felt like an idiot with this revelation. I sighed heavily as I withdrew the notebook. Just as I was closing the notebook, the merman waved his hands with a controlled urgency, enough to avoid attention from bystanders, but enough to catch my attention. I lifted my eyes to meet his green ones.

He nodded.

My breath hitched and my eyebrows in shock. Yes? He can read? I grinned at my discovery as I quickly turned to a new page on my sketchpad. A thought occurred to me, just because they can't have books doesn't mean they don't have other sort of reading materials. They must have come across artifacts from hundreds of shipwrecks. The mers must've learned our languages. Some scientists predicted that mers have existed before the human race was ever born... My erratic thoughts trailed off. Maybe we, humans, learned languages from the mers. I shook my head, attempting to squash my overly thrist to knowing everything.

Eagerly, I began writing on a new page and jotted 'My name is Meredith. What is your name?' I showed him my question. He smiled. Good god... That smile made his face - if possible - more stunning. He bowed to me. I flushed as butterflies fluttered in my core. He opened his mouth and his lips moved. Was he saying something? No... they can't talk. He was lip-syncing something. He was trying to tell me something. I focused harder at the way he mouthed his words and harder to not be distracted by his plump lips.

His mouth slowly shaped the words. "Nice to meet you too." He neared even closer to me and his lips moved. I squinched my eyes as I tried to make out what he was saying. Maybe he was trying to tell me his name... I desperately tried to lip read and I was so focused that I didn't realize we were no longer alone.

A group of family shuffled between merman and I. I quickly casted my eyes away from him and feigned interest in my sketchbook as I casually flipped to a new page, hiding my previous message. I looked under my eyelashes at the merman. He had his eyes closed as he dozed away against the coral that held him like a cradle, pretending to be asleep. The family snapped their photos of the merman with their phone and the two little girls pressed their faces against the glass pane, staring at him.

After ten minutes and a dozen photos of the merman later, the family finally left. I left out a sigh in relief that they hadn't suspected that I was communicating with him. The merman slightly cracked open one eye and when he realized that the family was gone. He uprighted himself and sighed, expelling a trail of bubbles that floated to the top. His eyes searched for me as he neared the glass and met mine. He smiled.

My stomach somersaults and I smiled back.

I pointed at him and mouthed, "What is your name?" I had really wanted to know his name. I wanted to put a name on his face. Knowing a person's name can make them instantly feel real and take a permanent part of your life.

The merman puckered his rosy lips, contemplating. His face lit up with an idea. He beckoned me to come closer. I stood up slowly as to not attract attention as I looked over both my of shoulders to make sure no one saw him waving me over. Everybody was too busy looking through their phone screen.

I turned to him and he waved me over once more so as he floated to the sand at the bottom of the aquarium. He grinned mischievously. My knees weakened. How much closer does he want me to be? I lightly snorted. If he told me to run into the glass of the aquarium with that smile of his, I would gladly run into it.

The merman turned his attention to the sand at the bottom and dipped his pointer finger in the full sand and began to drag his finger in the dunes. He was writing his name. I barely contained myself from smashing my face to the glass to eagerly read his name. His floating body blocked his name so I waited till he moved away.

"Tristen."

It read Tristen.

I grinned as I curtsied to the merman, Tristen. I mouthed his name. "Tristen."

Tristen grinned back, little bubbles then escaped his mouth as his shoulders slightly shook. He was chuckling. He then swam closer which sent butterflies in my stomach in an erratic frenzy. Tristen laid his palm on the glass pane.

I raised my hand and lay it over his, just as I had the last time I visited him.

He smiled softly.

I smiled back.

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Model: Toni Mahfud

Designed by me (Added filter with photoshop and typography with Illustrator)

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