Ripples formed as the small hook passed through the water surface. The curved metal glimmered as it continued its deep dive. Not before long, the hook disappeared; engulfed by the shadows.

Enru gazed over the darkened water. A flicker came from the thin fishing line every so often, reflecting the dim moonlight into her eyes. It wasn’t blinding, but still took some focus away from her real objective.

The clouds finally thinned out and she could watch as the reflection of the moon appeared on the water, just as clear and bright as the real one. Their pale light illuminated the night, painting the world around her with hues of silver and blue.

“...I wasn’t late after all.” a faint smile appeared on her face. This sight only happened monthly. It was nostalgic, and every time she looked over at the clear brilliance she could be at ease...

Everything would be alright, as long as the moon would continue to shine above her.

But it wasn’t just the sight that soothed her. Enru would often come here alone, sit at the edge of the steadfast wooden bridge and gaze over the tranquil scenery. It was a time and place when she could be herself, without the influence of others.

Without forcing herself to seem strong.

Clad in a hemp shirt and baggy pants, her muddy and bare feet were dangling over the water as she sat tight for the fish to bite. It could happen right after the last catch, or a long while after, but she didn’t mind. Fishing was an art of patience, not strength.

Enru was only sixteen and already old enough to be considered an adult in her village. Given her own house by the elders, she had been contributing to the market by hunting and fishing. What she came with every other day, would last her another two weeks.

But the same amount wouldn’t last another villager five meals.

She leaned forward and stared down, waiting for something to happen. The black untidy hair -set up into a ponytail with a red string- reached over her forehead, down to her ears on the side and just enough to still cover the back of her neck.

Slowly but surely the hair slumped further down as she faced the water. The image of a young, light-skinned girl appeared on the surface. The reflection of mixed blood.

Enru glanced to the side of the clear reflection. Her ears were long. Narrowing slightly into a pointy end, they resembled the ears of some fabled elves as they were described by the elders’ old tales.

She sighed, switching her focus to the vivid reflection of her eyes. Just like anyone else living in the village, her deep pupils were vertical. Compared to the yellow or grey eye-color befitting those demons, however, hers were a fiery orange; a deep amber.

The rod’s thin fishing line tensed up. A sudden force pulled it down, causing Enru’s slender body to nearly follow into the deep saltwater.

She straightened herself and quickly pulled the rod back with all the strength her thin arms could muster. Her fiery gaze followed the small, shimmering fish as it twitched back and forth on the thread. Half her harm in length, it’s scale was a deep blue.

“...Another one.” It wasn’t the first fish she had caught that night.

Enru turned around and walked over to two large wooden buckets. One was filled with well water, while the other was full of the same rahnafish she had just caught. She crouched, placing the blue fish into the water-filled bucket.

The fish stopped moving as soon as its head was submerged under the water. Enru swiftly struck down and got a firm grip around its slimy scale. Reaching in with her other hand, she began to remove the glimmering angle that was stuck in the marine fishes’ upper lip.

“That makes eight.” Enru laid the passive rahnafish down into the second bucket.

She glanced between each and every one of the fish she had caught, watching how their scales shimmered under the full moon. There was enough fish to last her three weeks, and at least a week for any other villager.

Enru faced back to the sea behind her. Furrowing her brows, she softly bit her lips. Stuck with her gaze on the beautiful scenery of the sea, the girl sighed in defeat of her own indecision.

“Maybe a few more.” Enru grabbed her fishing rod, stood up and walked toward the edge of the wide wooden bridge where she always sat down to fish.

Casting the hook out into the water, she sat, and began to wait.

A breeze passed her as the time went by, forming small waves on the water surface. The girl looked back at her reflection, making weird faces to pass the time. Eventually, she stopped and focused on the still fishing line before her.

She began humming on a short melody. Even without the words of the song, her breathing got calmer as she continued the sorrowful tone of the tune. But it ended abruptly once she reached the last note, leaving her with more silence.

Enru stared into the water. No fish had even tried to take a bite. Her head turned back, toward the buckets behind her, “...I don’t want to be pitied by him again.”

She sighed heavily, defeated by the lack of fish. Preparing herself to head home, Enru stood up and tried to lift the hook out of the water, but was interrupted by the tension of the thread.

She pulled the rod behind her shoulder in a swift motion, but its tip didn’t move and instead forced her small hands to another abrupt stop.

“Great,” her arms loosened as she leaned over the edge to look into the water, “just great.”

Taking a deep breath, Enru got a firm grip around the fishing rod. She steadied her footing on the wooden planks below. With the flick of her right arm, pulling the rod back fast and as sudden as she could, the tedious struggle began.

Her arms moved back and forth as she repeated the fine-tuned process. Slowly moving the rod closer to the water, loosening the tension, she once again snapped her arms in an upward slant -behind her right shoulder.

Enru curled her toes to get a better grip on the bridge. It wasn’t working and, soon enough, she abandoned everything reminiscent of the fine movements from before.

She pulled her body back with all the strength left in her thin arms. The tension abruptly disappeared, the momentum caused her body to tumble down onto the bridge.

As Enru fell, she caught a glimpse of something odd flying out of the water along with the hook. Captivated by its sudden appearance, the girl watched as the object twirled in the air above her. It clattered lightly as it slid further in over the bridge before coming to a stop.

A wooden mask.

She slowly raised her body, giving a puzzled yet curious look. Glancing back to the water for a moment, confused as to what had happened, Enru stumbled back on her feet. Unable to resist the temptation of inspecting her mysterious catch, the girl moved toward it.

Reaching out for the mask, a sudden jolt jumped over to her fingers; causing her hand to jerk back almost immediately. Her heart began to beat faster as she immediately inspected her wet fingers.

But nothing seemed out of place. Her head turned back toward the wooden item lying before her. She began to reach out for it again; this time, carefully.

Without another shock running through her arm, Enru managed to safely touch the mask lying in front of her. Making sure nothing else would occur, she firmly grasped it and took a closer look.

Under all the mud, the mask’s backside was so smooth, so polished, that not even some of the best craftsmanship she had seen could compete against. It was broken from its upper left, all the way down to its bottom right, but she couldn’t see the item as incomplete. Rough and uneven on the surface, two small cuts were carved into the wood where the eye would otherwise be.

Her small eyebrows closed in on each other as she picked off another seaweed and brought the mask closer to her face. She removed strands of hair covering her sight and focused in on the odd but enchanting design.

“Where,” the mysterious mask reflected itself in her awestruck eyes after “have I seen...”

You’re here again?

“Who’s there!?” Enru quickly took her eyes off the mask and tensed the muscles in her legs as she began searching for the figure behind the voice.

The night continued to stay silent around her. On the damp bridge, she stood alone. She turned her focus back onto the mask, before glancing over to the large buckets filled with either water or fish.

As she gazed over the sea, the moon had already begun to fade away from the surface. In the sky, dark clouds were forming; blocking the strong light. Enru let out a drawn-out sigh.

It would be another four weeks until she could witness the breathtaking sight again.

She picked up the fishing rod and prepared herself for a long night, but looking at the drawn out line, she returned toward the buckets. The small hook was long gone, forcing her fishing to an end.

Even though she was ready to return home with what she had caught, Enru stood still - looking at the base of the bridge for a while. Nothing but grass and the outer houses of the village filled her sight. It was just like a normal night.

But for some reason, it seemed all the more eerie now than what it ever had before.

“Anybody there?” she kept an eye out for her surroundings as she walked away from the bridge with her catch.

Only the crickets answered her, as if mocking her sudden wariness.

“Thought so,” she puffed air out of her nose as she laughed at herself inwardly and loosened up, “just my imagination.”

Enru walked out of the village and took the dirt path -reaching into the forest. She didn’t live directly in the village, along with the rest, but rather in a small cottage a few minutes away.

Cold air escaped through the entrance as she dragged the door open. Enru stared into the darkness, letting out a faint sigh, carrying her nightly catch inside and further into the kitchen. She placed the dark-scaled rahnafish into a tall barrel filled with salt -preserving them.

After lighting the fireplace, the girl stared into the growing flames for a while as they slowly warmed the house up. She shifted her gaze toward her hands, where the wooden mask was held; drawing all of her attention.

Enru had trouble letting her sight off of the peculiar item, until a sudden yawn escaped her.

Letting out a puff of air through her nose, she glanced toward the mask one last time. She turned away from the flickering flames and walked up the wooden stairs.

The mirror that was placed against the wall on the second floor, between the stairs and her room, came into sight. White wooden frame and crystal clear glass. It stood there, proudly, as it had been ever since she got the house.

Enru glanced at the reflection of her vertical pupils as she passed the mirror.

Entering her small room, she went directly for the straw bed in the corner and laid down -staring into the opposite corner. The maple recurve bow, metal ornamented quiver and broadhead arrows leaned organized against the wall. Her largest source of food.

She scratched the left side of her neck as she held the wooden mask before her eyes. With a smile, she placed it down on the wooden floor and turned around; facing the only window in the room.

Closing her eyes, Enru slumbered into her pleasant dreams. The night had gone on for too long. She had to get up early the next day to sell the fish.

...I suppose it could be, yes.