The Mermaid's Sad Song

I’m a mermaid. To stop the slaughter of my kind, I made the ultimate sacrifice: I came ashore to sing my song to my childhood best friend, Sam Wilkins—now a top-tier scientist and a national sensation in the biomedical field.

For seven days and seven nights, he held me in his arms, as if releasing me—even for a moment—would tear him apart.

But paradise was fleeting.

The next morning, still dizzy from the remnants of his touch and the lingering heat of his kisses, I was jolted awake by a searing heat. Something liquid—hot, corrosive—poured over my head.