Finding a mermaid.

Thunder cracked outside my window, startling me awake for the third time that night. I groaned and folded the pillow over my head. A few curse words I'm not exactly proud of slipped past my lips, and my face grew hot in anger. All I wanted to do was sleep. Clearly that wasn't in the cards tonight.

Another crack of thunder reverberated throughout the house. The crystals hanging from my lamp shade jingled together as if the storm was mimicking a minor earthquake. Then, just like that, the rain pelting against my window slowed to a light, quiet drizzle. The lightning vanished as if someone turned off the switch to a strobe light.

Finally, I thought to myself. Now I can get back to sleep. I wasn't entirely sure I'd actually slept at all in the last two hours.

Though I welcomed the quiet, I still couldn't bring myself to fall asleep. By the time the rain completely stopped tapping against my window, I was still staring hopelessly across the room at my dresser. It wasn't like there was anything interesting to look at there; it's just that it was in direct line of sight from my bed. At some point, the clouds cleared, and the moonlight shone in through my window to illuminate the silhouettes of my furniture.

The small analog clock on my nightstand ticked in my ear, re- minding me of the minutes I'd been lying awake. I didn't know why I even bought the darn thing. I guess I thought the shimmery blue border around the clock was cool and matched the rest of my bedroom décor. Now I only cursed the light ticking. It was almost worse than the thunder. Almost.

I didn't know how long it'd been, but eventually, I caved to the mocking tick of my clock.

"Fine," I said aloud through gritted teeth. I tossed the covers off my body and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Sleep wasn't coming, and lying there praying it would wasn't going to help anything. I needed to take a break and try again later.

I tiptoed out of my bedroom. On my way to the back door, I peeked into my parents' room. Their still bodies and quiet breath- ing indicated that they'd somehow slept through the storm. How could they both be such deep sleepers? Where'd I get the "light sleeper" gene?

I didn't bother with shoes as I tiptoed out of the house and down to the sandy beach that came up to touch the back patio. I always went barefoot on my late night walks when I couldn't sleep. The wet sand squished between my toes, relieving some of the tension in my shoulders. I inhaled a deep breath, which felt heavy in my lungs after the rain, but the salty scent of the ocean calmed me even more. Each step I took down the beach soothed my anxiety. My white nightgown danced in the light breeze, and the only sound I could hear was the ocean waves softly lapping over the shore.

The moon shone just bright enough to guide my path. I passed by my neighbors' houses and spotted the pile of rocks that rose fromthe sea ahead of me. Those rocks marked the public beach up ahead, where children splashed in the tide pools and teens like me hung out most days. In Sea Haven, California, swimming in the ocean was a popular pastime. It's not like there wasn't anything else to do here; we had a movie theatre, a bowling alley, parks, and tons of other fun stuff. It's just that the ocean was where we came from. It was part of who we were.

Once I hit that rock, I'll head back home and try sleeping again, I told myself. As I neared the tall rock in front of me, though, a new figure took shape. I'd been to this beach enough times that I knew every sin- gle rock. A kid could pick up a stone and I'd know if it was out of place. So, what was that lump on shore that wasn't supposed to be there?

Maybe something washed ashore from the storm, I thought to myself. My mind raced through the possibilities as I approached it. A clump of sea weed? A treasure chest? A dolphin? Maybe someone left their stuff here on accident. There's only one way to find out.

I stalked toward the shape carefully. The lump of...whatever it was...appeared to be a bit bigger than me. It was longer than it was tall, which almost made it look like a sunbather lying on their back. Actually, the bumps and curves made it look like the shape had a head...and a nose...OH MY GOD!

I rushed the last several yards to the figure and dropped to my knees near his chest. A person! It's a person! I frantically searched for signs of life by pressing my ear to his chest. My relief came out sounding like a small shriek of excitement.

Only when I confirmed the man was alive did I pull away to in- spect his features. In the moonlight, I saw that he had long blond hair and a matching beard. His strong features made him look a lot like Chris Hemsworth as Thor.

My gaze trailed down to his shirtless torso. Man! Was this guy muscular or what? His defined abs nearly took my breath away. Who was this guy, though? And how did he get here? I knew everyone in Sea Haven, maybe not by name, but by face. I was born and raised here; it's not like anyone came and went from our town, not when we had secrets to keep from the rest of the world. I ran through the possibilities in my mind. Maybe he was a sailor who got caught in the storm or something. When my gaze traveled toward his legs, I nearly toppled over in surprise.

I inhaled an audible breath. "No. Fricking. Way." The legs I was searching for weren't there. In their place was a fish-like tail with green scales that reflected the moonlight. How hadn't I noticed these beautiful scales from a distance? His tail extended longer than I would have expected. The end split in two di- rections and lay motionless in the sand while the waves licked the bottom few inches.

I didn't know how long it took me to finally breathe again. Mermaids weren't real, at least not anymore. Could this be real, or was I dreaming? I involuntarily reached out and ran my fingers along the merman's scales. They left a layer of slime on my fingertips, but I was too shocked to care. I inspected the area where his scales met his skin as if I expected to find a seam that would tell me his tail was fake. But his tail and torso blended together so perfectly that there was no mistaking it.

If this was real, if it wasn't some twisted dream or sick joke, then how was it that Sea Haven residents had been led to believe for so long that our ancestors were extinct? I'd always thought we were all that was left of them.

There's no way the city council knows about this, I thought. If they did, they would have told us. I have to tell my dad. Maybe he can help him. This guy was out cold, and it's not like I had any medical training. What could I possibly do? Give him CPR? Would it even matter if he had water in his lungs? My only choice was to run home and get my father out here.

Before I could finish that thought, the man lying still in front of me twitched. I froze just long enough to make sure I wasn't imag- ining things.

This can't be real, I told myself for another time. Only, there was no denying it. A real live merman was lying on Sea Haven Beach. His hand twitched again in my direction, and without thinking, I grabbed onto it. "Are you okay?" I asked desperately.

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