Song of a Mermaid

You’re not sleeping?

It’s late though.

Yes! I am still awake as well, but mermaids are nocturnal beasts. I sleep in the depth of the lagoon during the day.

You seem to have forgotten that my species has the power to read the minds of men.

Oh, you didn’t know… It explains a lot.

We can indeed read your mind. Some might feel uncomfortable about it, but I see that it’s not the case for you.

You have such a pure soul. You believe that your dark thoughts need to be known so it would be harder for you to achieve them. You're relieved that someone finally understands and sees your darkness. Rest assured, it’s nothing compared to some people I’ve met.

Oh! You didn’t want to hear that. I’m sorry. I can read in my mind, but I can’t foretell reactions to the things I say. I could say the exact same thing you want me to say, but we wouldn’t be able to move forward if I did that. You don’t want reassurance, I understand that now. It’s okay. I’ll try and adapt to your personality.

By the way, why are you so close to the lagoon this late at night?

You heard my songs? I thought the closest human village from the lagoon was a few miles away from here.

You have good ears, you say?

Don’t lie, I know the truth. It’s not only the superficial thoughts that I can hear. I can see even the deepest figures of the mind. As to why I said you have a pure soul. Your deep figure isn’t meant for darkness. It sheltered itself after years of uncertainties. No one reassured you properly when you did something wrong. No one clarified with you the truth about their feelings. It’s all right. You can learn to trust yourself again. You can learn to show your true feelings. And you can learn to love. Nothing is truly lost in someone. Not forever at least. Especially in a pure soul.

You don’t think you’re pure?

Why would a pure soul think such a thing, you say?

Well pure souls can have dark thoughts. The only difference is that they don’t act on them and they try to think about the other’s feelings before doing something about it.

I know it’s hard, it’s the whole point of it. Why would it be called a dark thought if it was easy, simple and joyful? It can never be easy to deal with those kinds of thoughts.

Thinking about others' feelings is hard as well, I know that too! You fear to forget yourself through the attention you give to the ones surrounding you and the ones you love. You sometimes feel as if they don’t even see you. As if you were just a ghost in their lives and they didn’t want you to be haunting them. Trust me, they don’t think that. It doesn’t mean that they don't show their appreciation, that they don’t appreciate you. They just don’t know how to show their love to you. You are a mystery to their eyes. However, you shouldn’t forget that they are a mystery for you as well.

There will always be the ones who openly show you their hatred. Though, you need to know that not all of them actually hate you. With those people, you are left with two main options. Give them your love anyway, which would disturb them in most scenarios. Or ignore their hatred.

I know, it’s hard as well to ignore hate and hostility. As I said, those are just the options I’m giving you. You should probably focus on love instead. It will be easier to forget the hatred that way, trust me! Love as this, almost magical, power to make everything looks more colorful and dazzling. Looking at the love makes the hate look so harmless.

It seems as though you calmed down a little. That’s awesome. You should take advantage of your greater peace of mind to go back to the ones you love. I’m sure they are worried about you. Don’t forget to tell them that you love them. I’m sure they will appreciate the kind words.

Why did I call myself a beast, you say?

Because I am a beast. Beasts aren’t necessarily monstrous and bad. Beasts are creatures with purpose specific to them. It doesn’t mean that you don’t understand their purpose, that they are bad. They just have a different meaning than you do.

On that note, I bid you farewell. We will probably never meet again, but it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.