Terry couldn’t sleep. He spent a whole day outside, using his energy with the Stephens’ at the museum and park, but he tossed and turned until he could no longer attempt rest anymore.

He sat up in his bed and scratched an itch on his back. He listened, to the sound of the town from the open window by his bed. It was the usual sound. Owls, cicadas, coyotes, wind. But, there was something else. A subtle sort of chime rang through the apartment grounds along with a voice.

He sat up and looked at the moon. He could see the craters. While he was still in a dazed state, he wondered how anybody could ever see a face on the moon. He yawned and shook his head. He could hear something.

He leaned against the window, searching for the source. Then, he noticed the fountain. There was suddenly water, and it glowed a soft blue. Terry rubbed his eyes, but when he was finished, it was still there. The noise came from the same place the glowing was: the fountain. It was flowing with glittering blue water that splashed from the spout and trickled down into the pool.

He held his breath. There was a figure moving in the pool.

He turned and listened into the apartment. There was no sound of his mother moving. She was fast asleep. He stood from his bed and crept to the door. Carefully opening it, he tip-toed through the hallway and living room. He remained quiet and unbolted the front door before stepping out into the cool humid outside air. He took a deep breath and walked down the stairs of the apartment building to investigate.

Terry walked with his bare feet on the cooled stone pathway and slowed as he approached. His eyes hadn’t deceived him from the window view. The fountain was flowing. A hush of the running water filled the air.

Along the brick edge, leaned a woman, half-submerged in the water. She lit up the night in the same way the fountain did, fiddled with her hair, and hummed an awe-inspiring tune. In the water, nearby where she sat, something moved. With a closer look and a squinting of his eyes, Terry saw something below the surface. It was something scaley, and the same color as her, but reflected rainbows through the water. Terry’s eyes widened when whatever it was surfaced to reveal it was a fin. It was her fin.

Terry gasped.

The woman, or mermaid, hadn’t noticed him until his astonished breath startled her. With the rise of her eyebrows, she scrambled to cover herself in her vulnerable state.

Yet, her reaction was similar to one of a character poorly performed on stage.

She kept herself submerged in water with only her eyes above the surface. Terry stayed careful not to make a move. The mermaid stared, intently looking him up and down, sizing up how much of a threat he was. Her ears were pointed like an elf and stuck out from behind her long brown flowing hair.

Terry realized his facial expression, and quickly placed his hand over his gaping mouth. He remained where he stood about five feet away.

“Sorry,” he finally spoke. “I saw from my window, and I was curious, ‘cause the fountain’s always been empty.”

The mermaid relaxed and rose from the water. She leaned against the edge with her chin resting on her crossed arms. There was a sudden glint in her eyes. Something devious. Something that made Terry fear for his life. But, it was gone in a flash, as if it were just his imagination, and her expression turned to curiosity.

She said nothing, so Terry spoke up again. “I’m Terry.”

She gained interest quickly and spoke with the beat of a song. “Hello, Terry. I am named Cadence.”

He told her it was nice to meet her, but couldn’t help but ask, “What’re you doing in the fountain?”

Cadence's voice turned to a gloomy song. “I’ve been cursed to never depart from here. If I could, I would leave to swim among the fish in the ocean.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Part of him felt like he was just in a dream.

He tried to converse with her, but she remained in a melancholic tune as she talked to him, and she quietly swam around the pool.

Finally, after a bit of silence, Terry said, “Wish I could help. You seem sad.”

As if on cue, she turned to him slowly, with a bit of hope shining through her eyes.

“Well,” she said.

“Well?”.

“There is this mean man.” She continued. “He plans to kill me, and make me suffer.”

“Oh, no,” Terry said. “Why’s that?”

“He thinks I’m ugly, and evil.”

“I don’t think you’re ugly, and you definitely don’t seem evil.”

“That’s not what he thinks,” she said. “I think if he were stopped, I’d be able to feel a bit more at peace.”

“Well, how can he be stopped?” Terry asked.

Cadence grinned as she kept her face turned, and looked back at Terry with a frown across her face. “I can’t make you do that. You’re young, you may get hurt.”

Terry looked offended. He stared down at the bricks below his feet and thought. Then he said, “Yeah. You’re probably right. I don’t think I’d be able to do much to stop a fully grown man.”

She looked at him and made a face full of annoyance, but quickly hid her expression.

“Well,” Cadence said, “Maybe you could help.”

“How?” Terry looked up.

She fiddled with her hair and kept her eyes low as she spoke. “He has a crystal of mine. He plans to use it to destroy me. You could steal it from him, and bring it back to me.”

She described him, and Terry began to recognize who it was. Then, finally, she said, “his name is Leland Clines.”

Terry stared at the ground, a debate shouted in his head about what choice to make.

Cadence spoke up again. “I’d understand if you didn’t want to help.”

He said nothing for another minute. If what Mister Clines had told him was true, then she was trying to trick him. But, if she was telling the truth, then he couldn’t let Mister Clines hurt her. He knew Mister Clines was known for being off his rocker though and had a reputation for acting crazy.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

Then, she described what it looked like to him, until there was a cough from a nearby balcony, and then Terry said goodnight and ran off back to his apartment.

He snuck through the front door and crept through the apartment to his room. He yawned at the sight of his bed, and before going to sleep, he waved to Cadence from his window. She didn’t notice him. Instead, she played with her hair and hummed the same tune.

Terry fell asleep.