Claria

Nobody likes the graveyard shift, Kapo thought to himself. Why does Claria insist on having it? 

The matter had been bothering him for months. 

Ever since he had gotten the job as stock keeper in the aquarium, he had liked her and had always wanted to ask her out. She was this girl that always came to work in the evenings and always kept to herself. She liked to wear shiny clothes and had short golden hair. She intrigued him. How could she work at night and still wear shimmery clothes? He had asked around about her. That's how he learnt her name. He imagined he would take her to a movie on a weekend after work and then he would tell her how he felt. 

The problem was on the days that she worked, Claria was always on the graveyard shift. She worked as a cleaner and always requested that she worked when everyone had already gone home. She said she liked to work alone. 

The local aquarium was very popular, especially in the winter. It was located on the south side of town. It was medium in size compared to the small population of Mapullz. During the day, it was very busy. 

Kapo understood introversion being one himself, but Claria's was a bit too much even for him. Nobody at work knew much about her. Was this why he was drawn to her? What was she about?

Who would insist on working the graveyard? The thought had baffled even the management but on a trial period, Clara had done a good job. For this reason, they agreed to assign it to her almost on a permanent basis. 

Kapo had come up with a plan. He was done waiting. On Friday evening, he would pretend to work late and then suddenly show up as Clara was cleaning. He would then offer to help her clean and maybe if they finished early enough, he could ask her out. That way, he could get to talk to her and also spend time with her. 

The plan went as he had planned. On Friday evening, he had stayed in the store silently playing games on his phone. He had gotten bored halfway through but was determined to see the plan through. 

A few minutes past eight o'clock, he had gathered the courage and gone to speak to Clara who was cleaning the visitor's lobby. He had been led to her by her beautiful singing. 

" I didn't know you could sing?" he started coming from behind her. "Hi, I'm Kapo."

"Oh, I have to keep my mind occupied somehow," Clara answered. "What are you still doing here? You startled me there. Are you alone?" 

"Damn I'm sorry. Just been working late. Everyone already left. I was just on my way out and heard you sing. Can I help you? You could finish faster." 

"Oh, no I'm good," Clara answered. " You better go home and rest. Must have been a tough week for you."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Clara dismissed the guy and quickly went back to cleaning, resuming her singing.

She didn't seem interested. 

Kapo had no choice but to pick up his bag and leave. He had walked to the parking lot and started his old car. Many thoughts came flooding in. He had stopped the engine and removed the key from the ignition. 

Why did you give up so easily? You could have at least insisted. Maybe she would have listened to you…You should go back and try…

Kapo had sat in his car for a while. He was trying to gather the courage and find the right words. He had then taken his phone and listened to an hour-long podcast about courage in approaching women. After he had practised what he was going to say. 

He looked at his watch. It was almost eleven o'clock. He took two pieces of gum from his pocket and threw them in his mouth. He then went out of his car and in the direction of the building. 

He used his access card to go in. 

He could still hear some faint music coming from inside. Clara was still cleaning he figured. As he walked in following the music, he found the spaces spotless. How could she clean so well and so fast?

He followed the music. It was more soft and melodious now. The deep silence outside somehow turned it into a faint echo. He walked slowly still gathering the courage. 

The main lights had been deemed. Only the ones in the aquariums lit the room. He had reached its end. In there, the music had grown a little louder but he couldn't see Claria. 

He wanted to call for her. But he didn't have the courage. He decided to walk back to his car.

He took a look at the fish gently swimming away. Combined with the singing voice that echoed through the glass, it was very calming. He took a few more steps and leaned in to see the fish clearer. 

He couldn't believe his eyes!

In there was a woman with short golden hair that resembled Claria. She was singing. She was also seated on a rock in the large aquarium. On where her legs should have been was one large fin. Her hands also looked fin-like.

Kapo rubbed his eyes and looked again. This time, the woman had disappeared. The music had also stopped. He was shaken. 

He took one large step backwards and quickly walked outside the building. He ran to his car and drove straight home. 

Had she seen him see her? He wondered. 

He did not sleep all night! 

"How could this be possible?" he wondered out loud. 

He hoped he was dreaming. 

How could he make sense of what he had seen?