Discovery

“He wakes up to the discovery of an unimaginable phenomenon.”

He awoke to the discovery of an unimaginable phenomenon.

However, it was not the first thing he had noticed. Rather, it was the hot rays of the sun; providing a vivid contrast from the cool ocean depths his memory last recalled. The heat was not at all uncomfortable, a pleasant tingle to warm the body as he stayed still, trying to recollect his last thoughts after the shipwreck. Nothing but the feelings of cold insecurity and loss came to mind. It was slightly bothering.

His eyes fluttered open, blinking harshly against the radiant brightness. He licked his dried lips and swallowed: his throat parched. Feeling around, gritty bits of sand clung to his fingers. He lifted his hand to rub against his frustration lined face, spirals of abolishment revealed upon the once smooth surface of the sand.

He pressed both palms against the gritty surface, attempting to lift himself into a sitting position, but failing as he immediately felt the exhaustion taking over his body; something he did not realise was there until that moment. Chest heaving in his helplessness, eyes staring straight ahead up towards the harsh bright blue of the sky, he forced his body onto its left side. 

He blinked. Once. Twice.

No, it was still there. Something, that shouldn’t be there, shouldn't even exist with the exception in fairytales and sailor myths. 

It was a young maiden, similar in age, poised elegantly upon a bed of rocks; silent and watching his every move. The first thing he had noticed about her was her hair, it was not a dark auburn like his cousin, rather a bright scarlet red; almost orange. Her skin was pale and clear of any littering dots, unlike his. It was so white, he worried for a moment whether the girl had been locked in a dark room for the majority of her life. The attire she wore was very revealing, only a stripe of seaweed wrapped around her chest. Her red locks were very long, almost covering the only anomaly about her: the tail. The tail was a contrast to her hair, covered in dark green scales, only a few hints of silver from the light reflected off from sunlight. Her head was tilted slightly in question, as if scrutinising him, with her hair falling in red waves cascading down her right shoulder. 

He licked his lips, conscious of her lingering stare. Raising his own dark eyes to match her blues, he opened his mouth, inquiringly. 

“Is there something on my face?”