text: A young woman named Lily lived in a quaint coastal town. With her long chestnut hair flowing freely in the wind, she walked along the shoreline, capturing the essence of a genuine, free spirit. As if reflecting the calm ocean, her deep blue eyes shimmered with a captivating curiosity, luring everyone in. Lily couldn’t resist whispering her heartfelt wishes to the gentle ocean waves as she strolled along the shore, her heart brimming with dreams. “My greatest desire is to find a lover, a man who can match and return my deep passion, and most importantly, a man who will always remain by my side, never leaving me.” The very idea of him evoked an intense desire that consumed her every moment. Immersed within the depths of her imagination, he transcended mere mortality. By being her lover, he would also serve as her protector and eternal companion. Believing the ocean listened, some thought that the God of the sea ruled over all creatures in its vast depths. Starting with this wish, the tale of her heart’s desire unfolded. Those who called out to the god of the sea from above were the ones the deity aimed to increase the population from. Lily’s pleas echoed through the vast depths of the sea and caught the attention of the God who ruled over it. The sound of the wind passing through the palms gave off an eerie vibe, almost as if it was whispering, “Be careful what you ask for.” While Lily was strolling along the shoreline one day, she came across a tall, mysterious man. His eyes, a striking shade of green, seemed to conceal a hidden mystery. With a hint of a sea breeze in his voice, Jack revealed his recent arrival as a sailor in town when he introduced himself. When their eyes met, Lily couldn’t ignore the instant and undeniable connection between her and him. Jack’s charming personality, both delightful and witty, matched her adventurous spirit. He embodied everything she had ever dreamed of. Deepening their bond, Lily’s and Jack’s connection only grew stronger as time passed. While under the enchanting moonlit sky, they shared passionate kisses that kindled a deep connection, binding them together. The rest of the town, consumed by envy, whispered countless tales of their nightly escapades, unable to resist being captivated by their love. Lily was happier than she had ever been, but a small voice in her head kept nagging, “Be careful what you wish for.” Without a second thought, she ignored the warning, being infatuated with her newfound love. Jack mysteriously disappeared, leaving no evidence, all the while being surrounded by the gleaming silver glow of the full moon. Lily’s heart ached with longing for his touch, causing her to wonder where he had gone. She found herself unable to resist the mesmerizing allure of the sea as the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon, casting a stunning golden hue upon the ocean’s surface. His disappearance became a powerful symbol, a constant reminder of how ephemeral their love truly was, a love that flourished solely in the captivating illumination of the moon. With the breaking of dawn, his silhouette emerged, resembling a ghostly figure from the depths of the ocean. The scales on his tail shimmered with a mesmerizing iridescence, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colors, while his eyes gleamed with a radiance that seemed to belong to another realm. Much to Lily’s surprise, Jack turned out to be quite different from the man she had envisioned. After seeing him, a peculiar being with the characteristics of both man and fish, Lily experienced an inexplicable shiver coursing down her spine, evoking a mixture of both fear and desire. The pull of the ocean, with its irresistible force, was inescapable as it drew her heart closer and closer to the captivating Merman who had seized her imagination and soul. Lily became entangled in the snare as soon as the spell was cast. Upon seeing the merman’s silhouette, Lily felt a sense of tranquility instead of alarm. Her heart ached with a deep longing as if she had been waiting for his touch for an eternity. The sight of him was a haunting reminder, a bittersweet symbol of the love they had once shared - a love that surpassed the boundaries of ordinary life. The mighty ocean waves had granted her wish, but she soon realized the weight of the consequences she had unleashed. Ensnared in a love affair gone wrong, Lily’s life took a dark and unexpected turn. She was so captivated by the intense magic from below that she couldn’t perceive the danger as anything other than a sign of love. Lily found herself under the enchantment of the God of the sea, who had cast a spell that forever intertwined her heart with his, deep within the ocean’s vastness. For their love to thrive, she would have to let go of something truly meaningful. The something would be so precious that she couldn’t even bear to imagine it. Despite the danger and the sacrifices that would change her life forever, her passion for him burned brightly. Her mind was filled with thoughts of him, drowning out her worries about the potential risks and dangers ahead. Sharing was a concept that had never crossed Lily’s mind before. The Mer people’s ways were as different from those of the land dwellers’ as the ocean’s depths are from the peaks of mountains. The sailors who escaped the deathly claws of the sirens were aware of this fact. On that fateful night of the last full moon of the month, the moon rose, its pale light reflecting off the dark waters like a ghostly apparition. Jack motioned for her to follow him, and she hesitated for a moment before diving into the tumultuous sea. Like his father’s magic, his spell had an irresistible allure that pulled her in like a siren’s song. She took a deep breath, feeling her heart race as she descended into the unknown, her body trembling with a mix of nerves and determination, ready to do whatever it took for the man she loved. Lily’s naivety sealed her fate, transforming her into a captivating mermaid. She sat upon the rocks, her haunting melodies harmonizing with the others, drawing lost sailors to their doom. In his quest to expand his unsettling collection of wives, Jack persisted. Jack’s father had an impressive collection of thousands of wives luring sailors into the breakers worldwide. Jack had only just begun and had a very modest count of twenty. With Lily among them, Jack’s tally increased to twenty-one. If you’re walking the ocean shore at night and are lonely for the love of your life, be careful what you ask for. You might get much more than you bargained for.