Sea Foam | ✓

iv.

Later that year, First sister had her chance to go to the surface.

We were around that white marble statue of the beautiful boy when the First Sister returned from the surface. You were leaning dreamily against it, caressing his marble cool cheek, while I was telling you a funny story of what a great prank I pulled on the pufferfish.

You were hearing my words, but you weren't listening, your mind was elsewhere. You only nodded in a daze as I spoke.

We were waiting for First Sister to return— well, you were waiting. I was just there to keep you company. It was dark and I didn't wish to leave you alone, so I decided to accompany you.

You really loved that white marble statue. He was a handsome boy... I don't blame you. But the way you were fixated upon it... It unnerved me. You were obsessed with humans. You would go into town just to buy things that people scavenged from sunken ships, you fidgeted with knick-knacks with no purpose under the ocean...And you read books.

So many books.

First sister came back when it was dusk. I saw her first and I waved. That caught your eye, and then you went giddy with excitement.

She swam excitedly towards us, descending from the surface, like an angel.

You jumped into her arms as soon as she was in the bounds of the castle. "How was it? How was it?" You asked excitedly.

She giggled and booped your nose. "It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen!"

"Really?" I asked sarcastically. I didn't find my sister's visit that interesting. "I thought the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen was the suitor who came last week."

"Oh, shush," You said, putting one finger against my lips. I was miffed. You usually laughed at my jokes. "Please, sister, tell me! What was it like? Did you see any humans?"

"I didn't see any humans," Sister said. "But it was so beautiful! I swam till near the ports and I sat on the shore and I could hear the sounds of the city; oh, how it sang! You would not believe how loud..." And then she drawled on... and on...

You lapped it all up. You squeezed every detail out of her. It was the only discussion that we had— all of us only chittered away about one thing—the surface.

That night, when we were all supposed to be asleep, I woke up because of a nightmare I do not remember. I think it was something involving a suitor, but I couldn't rest when sleep kept evading me. I stumbled out of bed, and you were up too.

"What're you up to, glumfish? Wanna cause some trouble?" I asked you, as you sat on the window sill, staring out upwards. Your eyes shone as you gazed at the moon, diluted and glossy from the waves. "Hey, is something wrong?"

"Huh?" You snapped around. "Oh... nothing. It was nothing."

"C'mon, glumfish! Tell me!"

You just looked at me sadly. "Things must be better up there. It must be better being a human."

"W-what?" I was taken aback. You rarely shared your thoughts, but to think you wished to be human? "Why? Do you know how short human lives are? How fragile?"

"Better a short, eventful life, than a long boring one, isn't that what you say?"

"A short mermaid life! Not a human one!" I protested.

"I want what they have," You murmured, ignoring my shrieks, reaching your hand towards the flicker of the moon. You slowly closed your hand around the moon, as if you would pluck it out from their sky. "I want a soul, just like them."

"What?" Only humans had souls. Mermaids didn't have any. We just turned into sea foam at the end of our days. "What do you mean?"

You turned towards me, serious as can be. "Sister, do you think humans drown because of the weight of their souls?"

I could not say anything to you then. I had no answer. You stared at my face for a few more minutes, then you bid me a goodnight and crawled back to bed. 

In my sleep I forced myself to forget. And I succeeded.

I wish I could tell you, sister, that you were right.

You were right.