The pungent smell of onion started to work. A teardrop rolled down from Aalto's check. As soon the drop of tear fell onto the water, it began to take a shape. The drop of tear solidified and turned into a pearl. Of course, it wasn't properly shaped. From translucent to light cream to baby pink, the transformation was worth watching till the very end. It was so alluring.
"Wow! The color is so pretty." I said gleefully.
"This is the first time for me also. I've never seen a mermaid pearl." Mr. Oscar observers the beauty of the pearl after taking it from Aalto. It is truly something that deserves our praises.
" If we sell this pearl we will get rich in no time."
" Sorry to break your little dreams but you can't do that. This pearl is different than other natural pearls. Since it is produced bizarrely. People will be curious to know its source. Which will eventually lead them to think about mermaid's existence."
"Yes, Mr. Oscar is right. Mermaid pearls are rare. If humans get a hold of them they'll find out about us. So we can never give this to anyone." My indiscreet remark may have been too much for these nonhuman entities.
Jeez!
"Aren't you guys being ridiculous? I mean that is just a pearl."
"If they can create a nuclear weapon, they can do anything. On behalf of all other species, I'm telling you, humans are the scariest monster living on this earth." Mr. Oscar sneered at me.
"Seriously? And what about your superpowers?"
" Don't even compare our powers with modern technology. I used to live in a castle peacefully until those assholes turned that place into a honeymoon destination. And do you know what's the main attraction? It's being haunted by a ghost!"
" Lemme guess, the ghost is you?" I let out a laugh thinking about the whole situation he had to go through. However, Aalto seems to listen to him with at most care. He is sympathizing with Mr. Oscar.
" Damn right it was me! I did everything I could to scare those dimwits but in the end, they just frustrated me. I had to leave. You have no idea what I went through. Humans are the real monsters." He let out a heavy sigh to show his dismay.
"Well, we don't drink human blood." I shrugged my shoulders.
"How cute! At least we don't eat our kind. None of us eats their kind; you humans are cannibals!"
"Excuse me, but not all of us, okay! Those people are crackheads psychos. Don't just assume everyone is same."
"Whatever makes you happy. That's a true fact and you gotta believe it. Anyway, city life isn't bad. I avoid the daytime, wear the glasses, and apply a thick coat of sunscreen."
"That's it?" Aalto asked him curiously.
"Yep. How ironic! To think that humans created these kinds of stuff to make our lives easier. I keep on changing countries with my daughter. It's better to do that often before they start suspecting her growth rate."
"What about her mom?"
"She's dead."
"Oh! That's sad-" Mr. Oscar cut me off in the mid way.
"I killed her."
"Wait! For real?" My eyes widened in shock.
"Why did you kill her mother?" Aalto asked with a concerned face. Do they just kill people whenever they like? I can't believe he's so calm about it.
"Her mom was a succubus! I wouldn't mind if she were a werewolf even though I hate those dogs but succubus? A big no-no."
"And why?"
"They are born whores. Their source of power is sex." In utter disgust Oscar replied.
"Succubus and Incubus seduce people into their trap with the help of their body. Later on they drain out the life energy of their victims. They won't kill you but the process will make you extremely weak." Aalto added.
"Indeed. Thankfully my daughter turned out to be a vampire."
"She's not hybrid?"
"Hybrid children are rare. If the parents are from different species the child will inherit either the father's or the mother's genes. We aren't talking about Asian people marrying Americans. We are talking about a fish marrying a dog. Get it? This isn't a sci-fi movie girl! "
"Okay! Okay! But does your daughter know this?" Of course I was using my brain way too much even though the situation itself is very bizarre.
"Nope. I told her that her mother died after giving birth to her. Case closed. Anyway, thanks for the pearl. I'll bring my daughter here next time. She will be thrilled to see a mermaid."
"Sure. By the way, we also want your help."
"Okay. As long as I have the power to do it."
"I found Aalto on the beach, unconscious. He doesn't know how to go back to his home. So, can you help us with this?"
"Returning to the mermaid world? Sadly I can't do anything. I may have seen a few of their kinds but, I don't have any leads on their whereabouts. You see, we need to hide our scent so that other kind won't recognize us. Aalto's scent isn't hidden and, that's why I was able to spot him on that day. Honestly, I thought it's a trap to lure me in, but after following you guys I realized that he's not aware of it. Oh! And, I have the pepper spray also."
"It's fine Mr. Oscar. I'm not having any problem here since Hyeon is taking real good care of me." His sweet, gentle smile melted my heart although I knew about the pain which he was hiding behind that smile.
"Don't worry, I'll try to find a way. For now, keep this perfume and use it every day before someone else barge in here with ulterior motives."
"Is this a special type of perfume?"
"Yes, the owner of the brand is a vampire. Only our kinds use this but, it'll work on him. I guess."
"Thank you."
"Have a great night!" With that Mr. Oscar left. It was a surprise. I was trying to process everything in my brain. Our first encounter with Mr. Oscar wasn't that bad after all. Now, the main concern should be his intentions. He seems like a good guy. But who knows? What may be going inside his head.
~ to be continued