Innocence

Part 6

"Mother, come quick! Look what I have found!" Young Yurena called her mother with excitement.

Her mother smiled and quickly approached her innocent daughter, "Yurena, what did you take from the sunken ship?" her mother asked when she saw her daughter putting the things she had picked up.

"Look at this, Mother, I can see myself," the girl asked, she's holding a small flat glass and she didn't know what it was called.

"That's a mirror, Yurena. That's what humans use to see their physical form," her mother explained.

"Then, mother, I saw something else. A notebook containing funny images," Yurena added, what she saw was a plastic photo album containing laminated pictures of children with legs, people wearing fancy clothes.

Yurena was amazed at what she saw. People adorn their bodies too beautifully. "This is what people look like, Mother. Their feet are funny and the things wrapped around their bodies are funny too!" his amazed words referring to the clothes the people in the picture are wearing.

"Yurena, when you go up to the ground you have to wear something like that so you don't get too hot and cold. You're a really funny kid. I think you're the only mermaid here who likes to take people's equipment. You look too interested in them," her mother said.

She gave a sweet smile. "Mother, when the time comes for me to have feet, I will find father on the land and bring him home to us," she said, full of hope.

The room is filled with silence..

Yurena wonders why her mother knows so much about these things from up above. "Mother, How'd you know all of this?" she asked with eagerness in her eyes.

Her mother smiled and pinched her cute and innocent face, "You know when I was your age I also liked to collect things from above. At first, I didn't know what they were called until I met your father, he taught me everything about the things that can be seen above," she explained.

"Then father knows more about such things? I'm just longing to see him and be with him. And when that day comes, I will ask him everything I want to know," Yurena replied, she couldn't hide the excitement in her eyes.

Her mother smoothed her hair, sadness appeared in her eyes but she didn't show it to Yurena, she didn't want her daughter to ask about her emotions. She's still innocent and she certainly won't understand everything yet. That's why she simply wiped her tears.

She feels sorry for Yurena because she sees that the little mermaid is very eager to see her long lost father. "Yurena, don't worry because I know the right time will come when you can be with your father. But for now, you have to grow up strong and brave so you can keep up with the chaotic flow of life. Always remember that life is an undying cycle. It is a battle of survival. If you quit, you are a loser. If you fall, stand up. Fate doesn't throw stones that you cannot catch."

"Mother, I will always remember your advice. But I hope that when I grow up, you will allow me to find my father, please," Yurena pleaded.

Her mother smiled and caressed her face. "Daughter, I will never stop you from doing the things you want to do. One day you will be a full-grown woman, you will have your own thoughts and decisions. I want you to know that I am with you in all situations. But for now, I think you are too young for such thoughts. People your age are just playing and enjoying being young. You will only be this small once so as long as possible I want you to be happy because your innocent smile is the best thing I see every day," her mother said happily. She hugged her daughter while touching her soft hair.

Their mother-daughter relationship is perfect and there is no time when they do not feel their love for each other. For Yurena, her only treasure is her mother. She is also her happiness. But it's getting to the point where they have to separate. On her tenth birthday, her mother bid farewell.

Yurena knew that her mother was ill. It can no longer swim properly so she usually stays inside their cave resting. She witnessed the weakening of her mother's body so she could do nothing but be with her until the end.

At the age of ten, Yurena was orphaned. From time to time, she was taken care of by her mother's close friends but most of the time she was alone. She was left with nothing but her mother's necklace, a rare pearl that her father had given her when they met. Yurena kept it and considered it a treasure.

It hurts, but she had to go on. She needs to live and be strong like she promised her mother before she passed away.

At twilight, Yurena often sits on the rock, watching the beautiful sunset over the ocean. She was silent while the wind was blowing her black hair, looking away into the void and deep in thought.

At that moment she kept thinking about where the playful tide of fate would take her. Will she be able to face it alone? For her, life is a long journey. A battle that is uncertain how to win.

As Yurena looked into the void, she saw a ship passing in the distance. She took a deep breath and jumped under the ocean again.

That moment she dives under the water, it can be seen that she is a young mermaid. And when she rises up from the surface, she is now a beautiful woman who possesses the most beautiful face in the ocean.

A long time has passed. She is now a grown mermaid with a perfect body. She moved as fast as the wind while swimming and her glowing silvered tail. It cannot be denied that Yurena was very beautiful and her smile was perfect.

When she swims, mermen are stunned by her beauty. And because she was orphaned back then, she became stronger and more strategic in life.