Part 7
"Yurena, next week you will be eighteen years old. When you step on the ground, you will also have feet. The first walk will be a little painful, but once you get used to it, it will be easy to move. But I'm still not in favor of your plans looking for your father up there," Celes said, her deceased mother's best friend. Celes took care of her since she was orphaned.
"But I noticed that none of us are going up there. Even though the others have reached 18 or 21 years old, they are still here," Yurena replied. Around them were young mermaids playing that caught her attention.
"Because the land is more dangerous than here in the ocean. People are worse than sharks and they are crueler than the other dangerous sea creatures that can harm us. I once had the opportunity to set foot on land and a handsome man caught my attention. We fell in love and collected good memories. But unfortunately, when he found out about my secrets, he got scared.
"He avoided me, pushed me away and stayed away from me forever. I thought love was enough for someone to understand me, but I was wrong. Because love can't change the fact that a human and a mermaid can't be together. But I'm still grateful that I felt love and to be loved even for a moment. That was enough to make me smile. Perhaps, this is the reason why I never got married. I was too disappointed and afraid to love again," Celes recounted.
"Have you not returned to land since then?" Yurena asked her.
"I come back, somehow I still want to see the man who I love the most," she answered while smiling.
"Then? What happened?" Yurena asked continuously, she felt the emotion of astonishment and sadness. She hasn't been in love yet so she can't understand everything.
"I didn't see him and then I found out that he was already living peacefully with his wife and his child. And I didn't do anything. I think he's happy now, so I'm happy anyway," she replied, although she was smiling a strange sadness on her face.
Yurena looked at her mother Celes and put her arms around her. "That's okay. I'm still here," she said, trying to get rid of her sadness.
The place is filled with silence.
"Thank you, you got the attitude of your father and your mother. When I failed in love, I thought it was the end of the world but they are both here to support me. Your mother never left me and she made me feel I'm not alone," she broke the silence.
"My father? What does he look like? Is he kind?" Yurena asked. These were the things she was ashamed to ask her mother when she was alive because it would surely only cause her grief.
"Your father? You look exactly like him, you have the same tail, both silver and glowing while swimming in the ocean. Your father is always quiet and doesn't hang out with other mermaids."
"My father's tail, why is it silver?" Yurena asked again in surprise.
"They say that your father is special because their lineage is from the ancient races of mermaids. Mermaids who turn the moon into God, so their tails are silver as the shade of the moonlight. Your father goes up to the surface of the ocean every night and worships the moon. But only your mother and I know this," said Celes, things that Yurena found out only now.
"Where does he rise to worship the moon? That's why I'm strange because my father is also strange," Yurena added.
"There was a small island called Karikit. Your father usually went there to look up and pray to the moon. Yes, your father is strange but he is very handsome and his physical appearance cannot be compared. Just like you, you are a stunning and very beautiful young woman," Celes replied.
"Do I really look like my father?" Yurena asked again.
"Yes, you are the spitting image of your father. You know, we mermaids are like humans too. We also age and our lives don't last that long," Celes added.
Yurena smiled and quickly took her mirror.
She looked at her beautiful face in the mirror and then smiled. In this way, while she was observing herself it was as if she was also observing her father. It had been gone for a long time and she hadn't seen it since she was born. Still, she hoped that one day they would meet, when it was destined.
"When you look in the mirror it's like seeing your father because you two look the same," Celes said smiling.
Yurena couldn't get rid of her smile while looking in the mirror. And while the two of them were in that position, it seemed that they heard something commotion and shouting outside. They quickly came out of their cave home and here they seemed surprised because the surroundings were black, the water was mixed with a strange chemical that hurt the eyes and the skin.
"POISON! There is poison mixed in the water!!" the mermaid's cry around as they quickly swim away from Coralia.
It's getting worse! Everyone is scared, confused, and doesn't know what to do. The toxin that has spread into the water is a chemical that may have come from an oil tanker. This one is unique because the surrounding sea creatures such as fish, plants, corals and others died very boldly and quickly. With chemical prowess it easily killed the whales and the sharks around.
The mermaids were even more agitated. Some of them died and were badly injured. Their skins and scales dissolved and burned.
"Let's get out of here!" Yurena shouted as she pulled her mother. Because Yurena swam fast and quickly, she was able to sneak away easily and reach the part that was not contaminated by the chemical although both of their fins were slightly burned.
The other mermaids have also arrived here. Some were wounded, others had their whole bodies badly damaged. When they reached the fresh part of the water, they observed the destruction of their beloved habitat Coralia. They have been living in this place for many years. It's just sad that this tragedy happened.
Many mermaids died. Many sea creatures were also badly injured. Thousands of fish floated. Several whales washed ashore in the oceans due to poisoning.
On land, the spread of toxic oil over a large part of the ocean was in the news. The government is concerned about what happened and the effect the oil spill will have on the ocean and those who live under it.
Meanwhile, at the bottom of the sea, the mermaids continue to be enveloped in sadness and anxiety. Many of their kind perished unopposed. And many of the survivors were also badly burned.
Because they don't have a safe place to stay, they have to move to a place to live. In that part of the ocean away from the chemicals and away from the people who would kill them little by little.
"That's what the old mermaids say, Yurena will bring bad luck to our race! A baby born under the moonlight really does bring bad luck!" other mermaids blaming Yurena for the tragedy that occurred in their race.
"Wait, it's not right to blame Yurena for this tragedy. Yurena has been with us for almost seventeen years, nothing bad has happened, right? Maybe this tragedy was just a coincidence," Celes defended her daughter.
"It's a jinx, look at her tail, it's different from ours! And another thing is why did you adopt her Celes? You supported a jinx!" They put all the blame on her.
Celes hugged Yurena. "Yurena is not a jinx and it's not her fault! Please, don't blame her for what happened. This was done by humans. I'm sure the chemical that spread and killed Coralia was the product of their intelligence. Believe me, because I've stepped on it before on the land and there are large buildings of chemicals that destroy nature up there! Yurena had nothing to do with this incident."
"Jinx! I'm sure this is just the beginning of our misfortune!" They replied that they could hardly hide their anger.
"Yes, that's right, the ocean is wide, but the poison hit us.! That's because we have a jinx and it's Yurena!" shouted a merman.
At that time, many believed that Yurena was the one to blame for the tragedy that occurred in their home because even as a child, the word "bad luck" was attached to her and even though she was in pain, she could not do anything to defend herself.
The mermaids moved to a new home in a deep and hidden part of the ocean. Here they will start a new life but they will not forget yesterday's tragedy especially since many mermaids are still injured and have not yet recovered.
Their new abode they called "Pulum", which means treasure. They equipped it with a special barrier to hide their race from outside the ocean.
The mermaids didn't want Yurena to live here but for the sake of Celes' plea, they agreed to give her a shelter but on one condition.
And that condition will change the course of Yurena 's life. Here, she will begin a unique mission that she cannot escape.