105 - From the Graveyard to Paradise

  I had no name. No one cared about me, much less looked after me. All I had known for as long as I could remember was hunger... The only thing that ever drove me was the pure instinct to survive.

  I was adrift when the dark waters dragged me to the wreckage at the bottom of the sea. Enormous bones rose like pillars of a submerged graveyard, serving as my hiding place. It was there that I learned to hide and hunt.

  But one day, everything changed. The fish began to disappear, as if something invisible hunted them before we could. The silence became deafening, and the sunken graveyard, which once harbored echoes of life, was swallowed by emptiness. The shadows of the giant bones stretched like tombstones in an eternal field of death, and the sea, once our home, now felt like an endless tomb. Slowly, hunger took those who shared that place with me. I saw bodies floating, eyes glazed over, mouths open in silent pleas for help that would never come. Until only a few of us remained, too weak to flee, too weak to fight... We accepted our fate, waiting for the darkness to take us too.

  Then, an intruder descended into the graveyard of giants. I did not run. None of us ran. We had no strength, neither to flee nor to resist. We simply waited for them to find us and finish what the sea had started. But instead of death, I found a hardened gaze, marked by deep scars.

  The one we thought would be our end brought us something we had lost long ago: hope.

  This being was Lioras.

  He grabbed my arm. His tired eyes still shone with determination. I trembled under his touch, but he did not hesitate. He took us to a place we never imagined could exist.

  He took us to paradise.

  Even so, fear remained. What if, one day, the food disappeared and left us starving again? What if we were cast out like other merfolk had done before? But, unlike what we feared, the gates of that paradise opened for us.

  There, we could play without worrying about where our next meal would come from. We could fill our bellies without guilt... But my siblings and I did not feel right just taking without giving back.

  So we started helping. That was how I discovered my passion: gathering pieces and building something bigger. I loved building. I loved it so much that my siblings started to wonder if I was crazy.

  They preferred farming or fishing over construction. I, on the other hand, became more and more dedicated to building and helping.

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  Until, at last, we all had shelter. When I saw each house standing, my heart ignited. I didn’t want to stop there. I wanted to do more. Much more.

  One day, the son of the leader of that paradise came to me and asked:

  — Hey, come here. I’ve been watching you... Why are you always building? Your siblings always do something else, but you never stop working on construction.

  — I-I just want to make sure the food is worth it... And also, I love being here. Building is so much fun.

  He laughed.

  — I’m Nexha. And you, what’s your name?

  — I-I don’t have one... My siblings call me "the youngest."

  — Well, I think I might confuse you with your siblings since you all look so alike. How about a temporary name? You can change it later if you want.

  My eyes lit up at the suggestion. Without thinking, I agreed.

  — Well, since you’re the youngest of the three... How about Ayla? What do you think?

  — I-I love it!

  — Glad you liked it, Ayla. Since you love building, I can teach you some things. What do you say?

  — I would love that!

  Little by little, I learned more and more from Nexha. He explained everything in great detail. He even taught me how to count! I was so happy with my new life. Even my sisters got names. Helen, the eldest, loved helping Nula weave baskets. Nina loved watching Nexha cook, and just as he had done with me, he taught her how to cook.

  That paradise seemed to get better every day, but everything changed the day we saw Lioras hesitate before the chance to live. Something inside me and my sisters broke.

  We begged and cried for him to stay with us, but he said he had to go.

  None of us wanted that, but we couldn’t stop him... Not on our own.

  So we called upon the one who could—the leader of this paradise, a shark who guided this place toward prosperity.

  — Please, save our father.

  We knelt and pleaded with everything we had for him to save our savior. The one who had cared for us when no one else would. He might not have known it, but he was already a father to the three of us.

  The leader sighed and looked at us in silence. Without asking for anything in return, he answered:

  — I will go after him.

  And he did. We were ready to offer everything we had, but he asked for nothing, only went to save our father.

  When he returned, I saw the lost look in Lioras’ eyes. His resignation. The pain in his chest was different from the one I knew. It wasn’t fear... It was anger. But I didn’t understand it at first. Anger at seeing him give up. Anger at seeing him treat himself as a burden when, to us, he was the only reason we were still alive.

  Without thinking, I swam to him and punched that old man right in the face. I had no strength. He didn’t even feel it.

  — You old idiot!

  Then, I hugged him tightly. My sisters immediately followed, throwing themselves over him as well.

  Lioras widened his eyes in surprise. But even without understanding, he hugged us back. We cried together, clinging to that embrace, until the words slipped from our lips, pleading:

  — Please, Father, don’t leave us!

  He blinked, confused. He never imagined that, in just a month, the children he had saved already considered him family.

  — But... I’m not your father...

  — Yes, you are! — Helen interrupted.

  — You’ve done more for us than any of our real parents... — Nina added.

  — Don’t give up on yourself... Or on us, old man!

  We cried, clinging to Lioras, who no longer knew what to do. Krahs chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  — You’re a father of three now. Take responsibility and live for them, as you said you would.

  Lioras sighed, defeated by the unexpected affection. And for the first time, he smiled.

  — Hahaha... Easier said than done.