Page 19 of The Lighthouse Keeper and the Mermaid
“Talk. I’m talking right now.” She pointed to her lips and he nodded.
“Kallias likes hearing Daria talking.”
That was all she needed. She talked of skillets and the meals her father used to make her in them under the majesty of the stars. She talked of ships and the sea. She even talked of butter and showed him the book with the cows.
Of course it didn’t stop at cows. He flipped through the wholebook with her explaining all the way.
The biscuits were good. Different but good, and it was practically lunch when he leaned back on the rock beside her, his mid and upper back on the rock, his tail floating near the surface of the water, and he said three magical little words, “Kallias likes Daria.”
And the response came out of her lips before she could even consider it. “Daria likes Kallias too.”
CHAPTER 15
He meant ‘like’ no different than liking biscuits she was sure. Or that was what she tried to tell herself when she lay down for her nap later that day, and when she ate dinner and when she turned the crank for the first time for the night and even when she turned it for the last time. Biscuits. Just like biscuits.
But her heart didn’t want to listen. It was bouncing, dancing, leaping, somersaulting, backflipping, soaring, flying, jigging. It could not be stilled, and she felt practically giddy. Her first friend and a mermaid no less—and a gorgeous one at that.
Well, gorgeous to her human tastes at least. She wondered what his fellow mermaids thought and how many there were and if he lived alone or with family or friends, if he had a home or always swam, if he slept while swimming or had to stop and be vulnerable. She had so many questions.
Luckily, communication wasn’tthathard. Granted, these kinds of questions were out of scope at the moment, but she imagined it wouldn’t be long before they could communicate further. He was picking up the language faster than she had expected and she was happy he seemed to want to know hers, rather than the other way around. She’d try to learn his of course, but she had been hopeless when Father had tried to teach her Latin as a child, and while she did learn eventually, the speed of progress had been pitiful.
But Kallias seemed like a natural, picking things up even when his teacher didn’t have a common language to instruct him in. Or maybe she was just giving him extra credit because of the ‘Kallias likes Daria’ remark. She wasn’t sure, though it did make her heart sing. She had never tried to teach a language before, so she couldn’t gaugenormal speed, but it seemed fast. And better yet, with him, it didn’t even feel like teaching; it was more like simply trying to communicate and he picked it up on the way.
Brilliant and gorgeous. How lucky she was to meet such a…friend. Her heart hammered again as she lay back down for the last time of the night and willed herself to sleep. She needed to rest so she could see him again.
With that thought, sleep came as easily as her smile, and she fell fast asleep.
CHAPTER 16
Chores became a sprint. She still made sure to do them to the best of her ability—for as Father said, a half-solved problem became a full-blown one overnight—but they became a race, an impatient race until finally she was out the door.
Biscuits became their early morning treat—thank the Lord for Rose and her recipe—and she treasured the smile he gave her as he first saw her every morning, a smile warmer than the sun, a smile that seemed to steal her heart and yet treasure it too.
She brought a book one day. “I love to read,” she said. “And I thought maybe I could read them to you?”
He obviously didn’t quite know what ‘read’ meant so she continued, “They’re stories. They’re all made-up, I think, but they tell these fantastical tales of action and adventure, of people free and exploring the world.”
He did not miss the hint of melancholy in her tone. She might not have noticed it at all herself if not for the way the edge of his lip twitched downward.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she murmured. “I love this island and this lighthouse and my life here too. Just sometimes….” She frowned. It wasn’t like he could understand anyway, but his look of empathy touched her heart—that anyone could listen to her and share her melancholy was too beautiful a thought to process.
But as if he wanted to remind her that he was here and real, he touched her hand, gently first before delicately holding her wrist.
“My father always said the world out there is no place for a girl, and I guess he’s right. No one in all these books and especially not in the history ones is ever like me.” She found herself smiling ruefully,realizing he really couldn’t understand her words. But she spoke them anyway. Maybe in a way, it was easierbecausehe couldn’t. “Here, I can actually be me. Rough and unladylike and all. Still…I wish to explore the world. I wish that was possible for someone like me.”
She could tell he didn’t understand, but he got a bit closer and then facing her, gave her a now sad smile.
“I bet you’ve seen quite a bit,” she said, finding her hand against his cheek before she could even stop herself. He looked as shocked as she felt and she started to pull away like she had been stung, but his hand was suddenly on hers, holding it in place.
CHAPTER 17
He wasn’t looking at her as he held her hand to his cheek. No, he looked down, his shy smile the only thing giving him away.
Then slowly, ever so slowly, he looked up. She was in danger, she thought absently, because if he was an incubus, she was already totally and fully in his grasp.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered, unable to stop herself. She knew her father had said there were many things one could and couldn’t say to a boy when courting—she forgot all of them—but she doubted they applied to a mermaid.
And it wasn’t like this was courting…even if her hand was still on his cheek. Even if he was still holding it in place.
