The mermaid tied to a tree lifted her hand weakly toward Amara, tears falling from her eyes.
“Please help me. They will kill me and my baby,” the mermaid pleaded in a soft, trembling voice.
Amara stepped back in fear. Her body was shaking, and she wanted to run away. But the mermaid’s sad eyes kept calling to her.
Amara was a poor woman in the village. She lived in a small mud house with a leaking roof. She did not have much money, and she was always looking for ways to feed herself and her two children. Her husband had died many years ago, and since then she had been alone in her struggles.
One early morning before sunrise, Amara carried her clay pot and went to fetch water from the river near the village. The birds were just beginning to sing, and the cold breeze touched her skin as she walked along the narrow footpath. Amara liked to go to the river very early because there would be no crowd, and she needed to return home quickly to prepare some pap for her children before they woke up.
When she got to the river, she filled her pot with clean, cool water and carefully lifted it onto her head. The water was heavy, but Amara was used to carrying heavy loads. She started walking back home, but she decided to take the back road because it was shorter and she wanted to reach home before the sun had fully risen.
As she was walking through the back bush path, she saw three hunters standing under a mango tree. They were talking and laughing, holding their guns and wearing their hunting bags. Amara greeted them politely.
“Good morning, hunters.”
The hunters answered her, but they did not look at her face, and their voices were cold. They were too busy talking among themselves and laughing.
Amara continued walking slowly, and as she moved away, she heard one of the hunters say, “Ah, we are rich now. I still can’t believe we caught the pregnant mermaid near the river. We will get double money for this one.”
Another hunter laughed and said, “Yes, they say if a mermaid is pregnant, the power inside her and the baby will bring plenty of money. We will sell them to the big man in the city.”
Amara’s heart started beating fast. She did not understand what they were talking about.
Pregnant mermaid. Double money. Sell her to the big man.
She walked away quickly, but her mind was troubled. She kept wondering, Is it true that there is a mermaid near our river? Is it true that she is pregnant? Are they really going to sell her?
As she moved closer to the small path that led home, she decided to pass through the small bush behind the big trees so she could avoid the hunters. But as she walked, she heard a soft crying sound coming from behind a large bamboo tree.
Amara stopped.
She placed her pot gently on the ground and listened carefully.
“Help! Help me!” she heard a weak voice cry.
Amara was afraid. Her legs were shaking and her heart was pounding. She looked around to see if someone was there, but she could not see anyone. Then she slowly walked closer to the bamboo tree, and what she saw shocked her.
There, tied to the tree with a strong rope, was a beautiful woman with long wet hair and shining skin. Her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked very weak and tired. Her stomach was very large, and it was clear that she was pregnant.
Amara looked down and saw something that made her freeze.
Instead of legs, the woman had a long silver fishtail, and it was tied tightly with rope, making her unable to move.
Amara opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was staring at a pregnant mermaid in the bush near the village river.
The mermaid lifted her hand weakly toward Amara, tears dropping from her eyes.
“Please help me. They will kill me and my baby,” the mermaid pleaded in a soft, shaking voice.
Amara stepped back in fear. Her body trembled and she wanted to run away. She had never seen a mermaid before, and she had heard stories in the village about mermaids who took people’s souls and how dangerous they were. But the mermaid in front of her did not look dangerous. She looked helpless and frightened, like a woman who truly needed help.
Amara looked around quickly and saw no one. She took a step closer to the mermaid, her heart beating fast.
“Please help me. They will come back to take me away. I don’t want to die,” the mermaid said again, her hand still stretched out toward Amara.
Amara bent down slowly and whispered, “Are you really a mermaid?”
The mermaid nodded, tears falling from her eyes. “Yes. And I am pregnant. They caught me when I came to the river at midnight. They tied me here and left, but they are coming back later. Please help me.”
Amara’s eyes filled with pity. She saw that the mermaid was shivering and that there were bruises on her arms where the rope had been tied.
Suddenly, Amara heard voices of men talking nearby.
She quickly turned around and saw shadows moving near the bushes.
“They are coming,” the mermaid whispered, fear in her eyes.
Amara’s mind was in confusion. She did not know what to do. Should she help the mermaid escape? Should she leave her there and run away?
The voices became clearer, and Amara could hear the hunters laughing and saying, “We will take her before people start coming out.”
Amara’s breathing became heavy. She knew that if they came now, they would see her standing near the mermaid, and they might harm her too.
She looked at the mermaid, who was still begging her with tears and fear in her eyes.
Amara did not know where she got the courage, but she stepped closer and touched the rope tied around the mermaid’s hands.
The mermaid flinched in pain, but looked at Amara with hope.
Amara tried to untie the rope, but it was too tight. Her fingers were shaking as she pulled at the knot, her ears straining to hear the footsteps of the hunters drawing closer.
“Please, please, please,” the mermaid kept whispering weakly.
Amara felt sweat on her forehead. Her heart was beating like a drum, and her hands moved frantically to loosen the knot.
The hunters’ voices were now very close.
“Let’s see if we can take her,” one of them said.
Amara’s eyes widened in fear. The pot of water she had left on the ground was still there, and it would be easy for the hunters to know someone else was around.
Amara looked at the mermaid, and the mermaid looked back at her.
At that moment, Amara knew that her life would change forever because of what she was about to do.
But just before she could untie the last knot, the hunters’ footsteps stopped very close to them, and Amara quickly hid herself.
Her heart was beating fast like a drum. Her hands were shaking, and sweat was running down her back even though the early morning was still cold. The mermaid was breathing heavily, tears rolling down her cheeks as she looked at Amara with fear and pain in her eyes. She knew the hunters would soon find her and take her away.
Amara closed her eyes for a moment and whispered in her heart, God, please help us. Don’t let them find us here.
Just as the hunters were about to turn toward the back of the bamboo tree, one of the hunters, who was walking behind the others, suddenly screamed loudly, “An antelope!”
The other hunters stopped immediately and turned around.
“Where is it? Where is it?” they shouted.
“There! There! Running toward the other side!” the hunter said, pointing with his gun into the bushes.
The hunters forgot about the mermaid for a moment and started running toward the direction of the antelope, lifting their guns in the air, ready to shoot. Their boots made loud noises on the dry leaves as they rushed away, shouting and calling to one another.
Amara’s eyes widened in surprise. She saw it as her only chance.
She came out quickly from her hiding place and ran back to the mermaid.
“Please, let’s go now before they come back,” Amara whispered, her hands moving fast to untie the rope.
Her fingers were shaking as she pulled at the tight knot. The rope was rough and strong, and it hurt her fingers, but she did not stop. The mermaid whimpered in pain, but she looked at Amara with hope in her eyes.
“Thank you. Thank you,” the mermaid whispered weakly.
Amara finally untied the last knot, and the rope fell to the ground. The mermaid’s arms dropped to her sides, and she leaned against the tree, too weak to stand properly.
Amara looked around quickly. She could still hear the hunters’ voices, but they were now farther away, closer to the river, shouting and calling one another as they searched for the antelope.
She knew she had to leave immediately or they would return and find the mermaid missing.
The mermaid tried to stand but fell back, her silver tail brushing against the dry leaves.
“Please help me,” she whispered.
Amara bent down, wrapped her arms around the mermaid’s waist, and tried to lift her. The mermaid was heavy, and Amara was not strong enough, but she tried her best. She placed the mermaid’s arm over her shoulder, and the mermaid leaned heavily on Amara. Her swollen belly made it hard for her to move easily.
Amara took one step, then another, her legs shaking under the weight. They moved slowly, step by step, trying to avoid the dry leaves that made noise beneath their feet.
The mermaid winced in pain, breathing heavily and holding her stomach.
“Ah… ah…” she groaned softly.
Amara looked at her with pity. She did not know how long it would take to reach her hut, but she could not leave the mermaid behind.
Every few minutes, Amara had to stop and rest. She would bend down, allowing the mermaid to sit on the ground for a moment while she wiped the sweat from her face.
Her clay pot of water was still behind them, but she could not carry it now. She left it there and focused only on getting the mermaid to safety.
The morning sun was beginning to rise, and the birds were singing louder now. Amara’s wrapper was soaked with sweat and her back was aching, but she kept moving. The mermaid was crying softly, her face pale and her hands holding her big belly.
“Please don’t leave me. I don’t want to die,” she kept whispering.
“I will not leave you,” Amara said, even though her body was exhausted and her legs were shaking.
They passed through small, narrow bush paths, avoiding places where people might see them. Amara was afraid that if the villagers saw the mermaid, they might call the hunters or bring trouble upon her.
They stopped to rest again under a mango tree, and Amara checked the mermaid’s face.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly.
The mermaid nodded weakly, though tears rolled down her cheeks.
After some time, Amara gathered her strength and lifted the mermaid again. They continued moving, resting, and moving until finally they reached Amara’s small mud hut at the edge of the village.
Amara pushed the wooden door open carefully and looked inside. Her two children were still fast asleep on the mat. She was thankful they were still sleeping, so they would not see the mermaid yet.
Amara helped the mermaid inside and laid her gently on the floor, which was covered with a small old mat. The mermaid groaned in pain, her hands on her belly, her tail lying weakly across the mat.
Amara looked at her with concern. She saw that the mermaid’s body was swollen in some places, and there were red marks where the rope had bound her.
“I will bring hot water,” Amara said softly.
She quickly went outside, took some water, and placed it on the small fire in her kitchen. When the water became warm, she poured some into a small bowl and brought it inside. She dipped a clean cloth into the hot water, squeezed it, and gently placed it on the mermaid’s swollen arms and shoulders.
The mermaid winced in pain, but after a while she let out a soft sigh of relief.
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