1941,
World War II era...

It was another day for me, Rand Matthews. Their was war spreading across the world. The Nazis and the Japanese had taken more lives than anyone ever has. Nazis have taken lives in their own country. And, the Japanese took lives when they blew up the Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. My Father, who is a sergeant in the Military, is stationed to fight the Nazis in two days. The Military fights like hell and they won't stop until the end of the war. I've been encouraging my Father to do his best in the war. My Mother died during childbirth and my Father took care of me himself. He and I got along very well and, when I was little, he talked about what he does as a sergeant in the Military. At one point, he told me about his journey on the seas of the Atlantic Ocean. He said he passed by sharks, whales, and a mermaid. When he said "mermaid", I thought he was joking. But one day, I realized he wasn't joking...

My Father, Doug Matthews, took me to our beach cabin close to the Miami beach in Florida in order to spend time with me before he goes to war. I was worried about him. "Father..." I said to him. We were eating on the kitchen table. "You can't go. I don't want the Nazis to take you away from me." "Rand. You know I have to." My Father said. "I have to fight for this country. For you." "For me? You're willing to take your own life for me?!" I cried. "But, I don't know what I will do without you!" "I asked your Uncle to take care of you if......I don't make it, Rand." My Father said. I started trembling and gripping the kitchen table. "Father... I don't wanna lose you!" I cried. "You're the only one I trust! Wouldn't Mother want you to stay with me?!" "Yes, but your Mother is gone!" My Father cried. "And, that upset me too! But, I don't have a choice. I have to do this or we'll all perish. You have to understand, son. I only want to keep you safe. Working in the Military will also ensure that we keep our home." I looked down in sadness. "Yes...Father." I sighed. "I...understand."

An hour later...

I sat on the shore of the Miami beach, looking down and thinking to myself. Sigh... What am I gonna do without Father...? I thought, depressive. I love my Uncle, but my Father has raised me since Mom died. If he dies, I will lose everything... I don't want to lose everything. I felt the waves splash on my knees. I slowly looked up. Wow... I thought. Beautiful, but this isn't helping... I looked around and saw waves splashing on the shore. It didn't help me. I continued looking down. Another wave splashed on my knees. I got up and tried to walk away from the shore when I suddenly noticed someone laying on the sand from afar. It was a body! I ran closer towards the body until I stood over it. I stared at the body in shock. It was the body of a mermaid. I've read about the legends of mermaids in Greek mythology, but I didn't think the myths were true! I turned the mermaid body onto it's back. The mermaid was slender and her silver fishtail was around the middle of her waist. The mermaid also wore a shiny, turquoise-colored string bikini top. She also had very beautiful blonde hair. My lord... I thought, completely in shock. How is this possible?! Mermaids are supposed to be fictitious! Not reality! "Son?!" My Father called out, as I looked up and saw him walking towards me. "Who's that on the sand?!" Father came closer to me and saw the mermaid body. "WHOA!!" Father shouted, as he pulled out a gun and aimed it at the mermaid. "NO! DON'T!!" I shouted, blocking Father's aim. "Don't touch her!! She has passed out!" "I don't care! She could be a siren!" Father snapped. "We need to kill this thing!" "No!! She could already be dead!!" I shouted. "We need to take her to our pond behind our house!" Father slowly lowered his gun. He was astonished by what I saw too. "Alright..." He said reluctantly. "Let's take her back to the house immediately." Father picked up the mermaid and walked off while I followed him.

Another hour later...

We returned to our small house Mother and Father built behind a large pond. Our house was surrounded by trees, long grass fields, and a small amount of logs. It wasn't really a ranch house, but it resembles one. We had one boat in the pond behind our house. It's mostly Father's way of transportation. Father slowly placed the mermaid in a very shallow part of the pond, close to the edge and right behind our backyard. Her body floated on the pond. "This is an amazing discovery." Father admitted quietly. "I didn't think we would ever come any closer to such a mythical creature... But, if she tries to kill us, I have to shoot, okay?" "Yes, Father." I sighed. "....If you want, we can go back to the beach cabin." Father said. "I'm going back inside to figure all this out..." He walked off and back into the house. I immediately sat on the grass next to the floating mermaid body. I can't believe we've actually discovered a mermaid... I thought, looking down. But, why would Father think she's a siren... She's a mermaid. Good lord, today is crazy... "Hello!" A voice said cheerfully. "My name is Liliana. What's yours?" I looked around. I didn't see anybody nearby. "Down here, silly!" The voice laughed, playfully tapping my shoulder. I looked to my left and saw the mermaid awake.

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