Julian Sands

The day is sunny outside, a typical Caribbean summer: clear sky, fluffy yellow sand, birds chirping, and the water a transparent blue full of waves that crash every few minutes. To Julian, it is absolutely perfect. He woke up early to help his mom shop, offering to be her personal bag holder—which she gladly accepted. He puts on red swim trunks, a tank top, his sandals, slings the colorful eco bag over his shoulder, and heads out. Walking down to the flea market, he spots some familiar faces—friends of his mom. She approaches the couple and their kid, launching into an endless conversation he is used to. The kid, however, looks bored and unimpressed, like she would rather be anywhere else. Julian smiles at her; he knows the feeling, that particular boredom. He steps closer and crouches down to her level, still smiling. “Hey there, what are you thinking about?” he asks. She suddenly looks interested. “I saw a mermaid today! And I want to go back to show my mom, but she doesn’t believe me...” She answers, beaming at first, then wilting at the end. Julian chuckles. “Have you now? And what were they like?” he asks, leaning into the fantasy. “Beautiful! They helped me get my doll back!” she answers confidently, which amuses Julian even more. He sees her mother pulling her back. He stands up, watching his mom say her goodbyes before they move on. He spares one last glance at the kid—her confidence stirs something in his chest .He helps his mother the rest of the way, carrying the now-heavy bag full of fruit and vegetables home and unpacking everything. Once he finishes, he hears a knock at the door and goes to answer it. When he opens it, a grin spreads across his face. Jaden stands there with his board in hand and his sunglasses propped on his head. “Waves are good today. We goin’?” Jaden asks. Julian doesn’t think twice. “Give me two minutes,” he says, already moving. He doesn’t take long—peels off his shirt, heads downstairs to the garage, grabs his board, a towel, sunglasses, and sunscreen, then flies back to the entrance and hops out the door. They walk toward the beach, about five minutes from Julian’s house, catching up quickly on life. Once they arrive, they drop their things and run into the water with their boards, lying on their stomachs while they wait for sets. “So, how was your morning?” Jaden asks. “Went shopping with Ma, waited for her to talk with her friend for hours, talked to her kid.” He snorts. “Kid said she saw a real mermaid. Funny, right?” “Sure she did. And I saw a vampire last night,” Jaden teases. “Good wave coming. I’ll have it.” He paddles away.

The day goes smoothly: pretty waves, even better food, swimming, and more waves. Once the sun starts giving its first signs of an early sunset, the two boys sit on the sand, relaxing with half full beers. “I gotta get goin’. Marina is probably blowing up my phone,” Jaden says, mentioning his girlfriend. Julian’s nose wrinkles, but he doesn’t complain much. “At least finish your beer,” he says. Jaden huffs a laugh. “You’ll understand one day.” He stands, grabs his things. “Have fun with the mermaid,” he deadpans. Julian tsks. “Shut up. Go have fun.”He looks back at the sea as Jaden’s steps fade. His mind starts to wander—next competition, what he’ll demolish for dinner—when something catches his attention. He hears an unusual noise, like a fishtail struggling and slapping against something, except this tail sounds too heavy to be any fish. The sound comes from behind a rock about ten feet away. Eventually the slapping stops. He stands. He approaches warily, clutching his board like a makeshift weapon, trying to locate the source. The closer he gets, the more he thinks he is losing his mind. A flash of light reflects off something behind the rock. His blue eyes narrow. Scales—many scales, too many. It is obviously a fish tail... if fish could be that enormous. He looks up and his mind freezes: a human body. He blinks once, twice, convinced he is dreaming. He even pinches himself. No—not dreaming. Whatever he is looking at is real. The person—fish, merperson, whatever—is coiled on the sand unconscious, looking dried up. Sand sticks to their back and shoulders, their hair is a mess, their tail drained of color. Julian’s mind races. A mermaid? Merman? Merperson? Whatever—I must be tripping. Except he cannot convince himself anymore. He just stares, mesmerized, until something clicks. His eyes widen. "Fish. Right. Water! They need water!* He drops his board and approaches, hands flexing at his sides. The logical part of his brain screams to leave, but the part that always helps people—human or not—keeps him there. He crouches slowly, turns them fully onto their back, slides one arm under their shoulders, the other under the tail, and lifts with a grunt, stumbling at first. They are heavy, but he is strong enough. He starts walking slowly toward the water, careful not to jolt them awake or hurt them. He stops when he is knee-deep and sets them down gently, submerging them fully. Then he steps back, blows out a long breath—arms burning—and looks down, waiting.