For days, Seirra could think of nothing else but the boy she had saved from the waters. His image had etched itself into her mind—the dark hair, the solemn expression, and most of all, those eyes. His eyes haunted her thoughts, blue like the deepest parts of the ocean, yet filled with a sadness so profound it made her heart ache. There was something in his gaze that spoke of loss, of pain, and an emptiness she couldn't understand.
"Why did his sadness and emptiness affect me so?"Seirra often asked herself, but no answer came. She had seen humans before, but none of them had ever drawn her in like this. The others of her kind would scoff if they knew she had been watching humans so closely. They would say she was foolish for even thinking about them. But Seirra couldn't help it.
She had watched him for hours before that fateful night, his silhouette against the shore as he sat with a bottle in his hand, staring out into the endless horizon. He looked like someone who had lost everything. And then, in one moment, he had staggered into the sea, as if the water called to him, as if it was what he needed.
Seirra hadn't meant to interfere. She knew the dangers of getting too close to the human world, the stories her people told of the humans' cruelty. But she couldn't just watch him drown. There had been something in his desperation, in the way his body had given up, that had tugged at her heart. And before she knew it, she had acted, pulling him from the water before he sank too far.
Since that night, her mind had been filled with questions. "Who was he? Why did he look so broken? What had happened to him?"She wanted to understand him, to learn more about his world and why he seemed so lost. More than anything, she wanted to know if all humans were like him—if they, too, carried such heavy burdens in their hearts.
Without telling anyone, Seirra had begun going near the shores more often, hiding behind rocks or kelp as she watched the humans from a distance. She swam closer than she ever had before, allowing her curiosity to pull her nearer to their world. And every time, her thoughts drifted back to the boy she had saved.
The days slipped by, but she couldn't forget him. Seirra found herself returning to the same spot near the shore, hoping to catch a glimpse of him again. She didn't know why she was so drawn to him, only that there was something about his sadness that resonated with her, something that made her want to understand him, even if it meant breaking the rules of her kind.
She had been careful, ensuring no one from her city knew she was going so close to the human world. Her people would never understand her fascination, especially not with a human boy. To them, humans were dangerous, unpredictable creatures who had done nothing but harm their world. But Seirra wasn't so sure. The boy she had saved didn't seem dangerous—just broken, lost in his own pain.
One afternoon, as Seirra swam closer to the shore, she found herself once again thinking about his eyes.They were unlike anything she had ever seen in her kind. Mermaids had eyes in shades of greens, blues, and purples, but none as deep and expressive as his. His eyes were like windows to his soul, reflecting a storm of emotions that he didn't seem to know how to contain.
"Is this how all humans are?"she wondered. Were they all so vulnerable, so raw with emotion? Or was it just him?
As Seirra neared the rocky outcropping that overlooked the beach, she hid herself carefully, letting the waves cover her lower body. From her point, she could see the shore clearly. It was quiet, only a few humans wandered nearby, walking their strange four-legged creatures or simply sitting by the water. But there was no sign of the boy she had been watching, the one who occupied her thoughts day and night.
"Where is he?"Seirra wondered, her eyes scanning the shore for any sign of him. It had been days since she last saw him, and though she knew it was foolish, she couldn't help the disappointment that settled in her chest when he didn't appear.
She sighed softly, her tail flicking beneath the water as she leaned against the rock, her thoughts drifting. What was it about him that made her so curious? He was just a human, after all. And yet, there was something about his sadness, about the way he looked at the world as if it had betrayed him, that resonated with her.
Seirra's gaze wandered across the shore, taking in the humans as they went about their lives. She had always been curious about their world—so different from her own, yet somehow connected by the same sea.
The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a golden light over the water. Seirra was about to swim back to her city when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him—the boy with the black hair and the ocean-blue eyes. He stood at the edge of the shore, staring out at the water just as he had the night she saved him.
Seirra's heart leaped in her chest. "Its him"
He looked the same as before, his shoulders slumped, his expression distant. But there was something different about him today—something more intense in the way he stared at the horizon. He looked like he was searching for something, though what, Seirra couldn't guess.
She watched him closely, her heart pounding with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. "What is he thinking so intensely ?"she wondered. She wanted to swim closer, to see his face more clearly, but she knew she couldn't risk being seen.
For what felt like an eternity, he stood there, unmoving, his gaze locked on the sea. And then, slowly, he began to walk along the shore, his steps slow and deliberate, as if each one was a struggle. He moved closer to the water, his feet sinking into the wet sand with each step.
Seirra's breath caught in her throat. "Is he going into the water again?"
She tensed, ready to act if he did, but instead, he stopped just at the edge of the waves, letting the water lap at his feet. He stood there, staring down at the ocean, and for a moment, Seirra thought he might step in. But then, he dropped to his knees, his hands sinking into the sand as he bowed his head.
Seirra's heart ached at the sight. "What is he doing?"
She wished she could go to him, to ask him what was wrong, to understand the pain that seemed to weigh him down. But she knew she couldn't. It wasn't her place to interfere in the human world. And yet, she couldn't tear her gaze away from him.
For a long time, the boy knelt there, his hands buried in the sand, his head bowed. And then, slowly, he looked up, his eyes scanning the horizon as if searching for something—or someone.
Seirra's breath hitched as his gaze swept across the water. "No..Is he looking for me?"The thought sent a shiver down her spine. She hadn't told anyone she had saved him, not even her grandfather or her brother. But what if he remembered? What if he knew she had been watching him?
She shook her head, dismissing the thought. "No, he can't know. He was unconscious when I saved him."
But even as she tried to convince herself, a part of her couldn't help but wonder. Was it possible he had felt her presence, even if he hadn't seen her?
The boy remained by the shore for a long time, his eyes fixed on the water. Seirra stayed hidden, her heart pounding as she watched him, unable to tear her gaze away. She knew she shouldn't be so fascinated by a human, but she couldn't help it. There was something about him that drew her in, something she couldn't explain.
Eventually, as the sun dipped below the horizon, the boy stood up, brushing the sand from his hands. He cast one last glance at the water before turning and walking away, his steps slow and heavy.
Seirra watched him go, her heart heavy with unanswered questions.She wondered as his figure disappeared into the distance. "why can't I stop thinking about you?"
As she swam back to her city, her thoughts were filled with him. The boy with the ocean-blue eyes. The boy who had nearly drowned, but who she had saved. The boy who seemed so lost in his own pain.
She wanted to understand his world, the world of humans, and the emotions they carried within them.
Because, deep down, she knew that this boy was different.