*Three Years Later*
Jason was pacing back and forth outside the operation theater. His heart was anxious but thankfully, it was not in pain like the other times. However, it was extremely cold thanks to what was going on inside.
“Relax uncle!”
He looked around to see a spunky eleven year old girl with long, curly hair and the same blue eyes as him. Alina had a growth spurt over the past three years. She was now almost reaching his shoulder.
“Aunt Alya will be fine!” she told him. “If you get too anxious, she’ll only panic.”
“I can’t help it!” he scowled. “And kids shouldn’t be here! Why aren’t you at school?”
The silence of the dark night was disturbed by the rustling of leaves. A long, winding road cut through the forest with the large trees surrounding the area. While the large moon shone brightly in the sky, its light was blocked by the trees which threw dark shadows over the road. There was no other sound, not even the cries of cicadas. Not a soul was in sight at the desolated road since it was past midnight. The world slept on, unaware of what was about to happen at that lonely road. Through the darkness, a pair of headlights lit up as a car sped through the forest. Inside the car were three people. A middle aged couple were at the front seat while a small hooded figure was sitting at the back. The bespectacled man in his forties looked worried as sweat glistened on his forehead. His wife, a dark haired beauty with blue eyes, was glancing at the rearview mirror every minute to ensure they w
The sirens of the ambulance reached his ears as he rushed out of his car. There were many police cars around the crash site while photographers clicked pictures of the car. To his horror, the car was totally wrecked in the accident. His mind was numb, something he had not expected.How many years had it been since he saw them? He could not recall. All he remembered was being angry at his sister for running away from their family. She did not even turn up at the funeral of their parents. She had disappeared without a trace, preferring to run away with a lowly scientist instead of staying with his family.The rage he felt had not ebbed but seeing his sister and her husband’s car in that state gave way to an ominous feeling in his heart. As soon as he received the phone call, he abandoned everything and ran to the place wher
Jason rushed through the front door of his mansion, not even bothering to greet the household staff. The nanny he hired for Alina, Jocelyn Shin, came forward to address her master. She was a short woman in her fifties and highly experienced with children. With greying hair and a kind demeanor, Jason had hired her for her excellent track record since he was inexperienced with children.“What happened?” he demanded. “Didn’t you give Alina her medicines?”“I-I did!” Jocelyn protested. “She took her medicines in the morning but I don’t know how she suffered from another attack!”Jason did not stand around to listen to her excuses but ran upstairs where the doctor was examining Alina. He barged in through the door to fin
*Few Hours Ago*Alina turned away from the door and lay on her bed, feeling miserable. Ever since her parents had disappeared, she had been in a state of constant confusion. At first, she was not even understanding what was going on when the police entered her house and told her babysitter that she was to be taken away to live with her uncle, Jason. She had never seen him before but her mother used to talk fondly of him.“I used to carry little Jay on my back everyday to school,” Sheila used to giggle. “He was always sad because our parents used to fight a lot so we were very close. Whenever he heard our parents fight, he would hide in the treehouse for hours. I was the only one who was able to find him every time…”Whenever her m
*Present*The girl blinked. Alina stood there, staring at the girl with large, curious eyes.“Are you running away from my uncle as well?” Alina asked. The girl shook her head, confused.“Well, I’m not really running away,” Alina went on. “I just wanna spook him a little. And also…”She clenched her fists, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. “I also want to see my parents,” she added. "They are apparently at a place called 'grave'. I want to meet them and go home!" The girl sensed a sadness in the child’s tone, unable to comprehend why the kid was sad. But the girl’s soft heart was a
Alina was awed by the ethereal beauty of the mermaid. Her long, silver tail glittered under the moonlight while her skins shone like a pearl. There was a calming aura emitting from her which was alleviating Alina’s earlier anger against her uncle. Just looking at the mermaid was so relaxing and made her happy.“I can’t believe that mermaids actually exist!” Alina squealed. “I’ve been searching for one for so long!”She had read about mermaids and their amazing powers. The books she read were fictional but mermaids were faster than normal humans and quite strong too. They were known to be intelligent creatures which traveled from one sea to another in order to roam around the world.“You’re so pretty…” Alina s
*Three Weeks Ago*Miles away from the city, a lonely building stood in the midst of a deep forest. It was hidden from the world by thick trees and darkness but the area was surrounded with secret electric fences in case any person wandered that way. The building was shrouded with mystery and isolation, a large shadow of cold despair falling on it.Inside the building were a series of cell like rooms, kept locked despite having no occupants. There was no one on that floor but a few bottles lay on the floor, indicating that there were people in the building. A small cafeteria was located at one end, where the stove was heating up food for the people living there while a dark corridor led towards a series of stairs which led to the fourth floor.The fourth floor had no wi
Alina crept out of the house to look for the mermaid in the pond. She glanced around to make sure none of the servants were nearby.“Are you here, Ms. Mermaid?” she hissed. Silence.“Ms. Mermaid?” she called, this time a little louder. But her calls were met with silence. She looked down and noticed that there were muddy footprints coming out of the water. Frowning, she followed the footprints, and to her horror, the prints went towards the house!“Yikes!” she exclaimed. If her uncle saw the mermaid, all hell would break loose!She quickly ran towards the mansion, determined to stop Jason from meeting the mermaid. What if he drove her away? Or worse, sent her to a zoo or circus? E