Agonized cries drifted from under the full moon, like lost souls...
"ARRG!! What an annoying racket!! Old woman!" Lina turned to the hag just creeping in. "Can't you do anything about that!?"
"I'm sorry, Lina-sama. It can't be helped." The old woman sat by Lina's futon. "The full moon brings the high tide. We cannot help the Lost Souls unable to escape being swept out to sea. Here is your dinner, Lina-sama." The withered hag set down a tray before Lina.
Lina's chopsticks immediately started clicking against her bowl, rice flying all around. The decrepid hag simply sat, staring.
"Ah, Lina-sama... This old woman couldn't be happier. You're at the peak of your beauty."
Lina put down her chopsticks. "Every day you just watch me eat and say the same thing!" Lina yelled, throwing her bowl.
The old woman simply collected the mess and made her way out. And Lina was alone again. The way it was everyday. Her only activity: lying on the futon and waiting for the old woman to come for the next meal and repeat the same phrase.
At least when I was a child, I wasn't too big for the old woman to carry me outside. Lina lay, staring up at the ceiling, her legs useless. I want to walk...
Outside, the old woman hobbled into a larger hut, followed by many other old hags, and several young women. Once all were settled inside, she spoke.
"Lina-sama has turned 15. To preserve her beauty, one of you must die tonight." The old woman pointed to one of the few young women among the numerous old hags. "You, Ayu, have lived the longest of all of us. You must die."
Ayu and all the rest nodded in agreement. They lead her out to a lagoon near their little-known seaside mountain village, armed with harpoons. Ayu stepped into the water, and the rest speared the large fish-tailed body that swam within. The old woman bent down and carved off some flesh from the tail, picking off the scales.
The next morning, the door to Lina's hut began to open.
"Ah, Lina-sama. This old woman couldn't be happier..."
Lina immediately threw a muffling pillow at the old hag. Her annoyance was replaced with curiosity though, as she spied the tray. "What's this?"
"It's a rare fish we caught last night."
Lina picked up her chopsticks, and again, the repetitive clinking began on the bowl.
The old woman sat watching, like the physical embodiment of aging and death itself.
"Just what is so interesting about the way I eat!?" She again emphasized her point by throwing a bowl.
An urgent knock came to Lina's door. "You must come quickly." An emotionless voice beckoned.
"What's going on?" Lina asked.
The old woman said nothing and left.
"HEY!!" Lina screamed at the closed door of her empty room. "...hey..." A dejected sigh.
"What is it?" The hag asked.
"There is a man wandering the forests near the village!"
"He must not be allowed to find this place!"
They immediately set off, again, harpoons in hand.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Zel looked at the hold hag for a moment. No need unsettling an old woman with strange tales of mermaids, or his hunt for them. But then again, if he didn't ask, it might be another century before the next good lead.
"Actually, I heard rumors of mermaids around these seaside mountains."
"Are you the only one searching for mermaids? Does anyone else know you came here?"
A little surprising. The old hag passed right over the subject. "I'm searching alone." Wait a minute. Why would they be asking -- ?
Zel stared down at the harpoon end sticking out of his chest. Another old woman was behind him, impaling him with a harpoon. Not a moment later, several other old women were in front of him, administering the same greeting. The old women pushed him to the ground with their feet, to better pull out their weapons.
"Is he dead?"
The first old woman checked for a pulse, despite the fact all his vital organs had been pierced. "Yes."
"Throw him into the underground caves."
They hauled Zel's corpse to a pit in the forest, the air howling in whispers from currents running through the extensive natural tunnel system. Without much ceremony, they tossed him in and headed back for their reclusive village.
They had long forgotten the corpse by sundown -- at which time, he tried to sit up.
"Damn those old women." Zel observed his speared and bloody clothes over his uninjured body. "They ruined my only shirt!" Now very much free from holes in his chest, if not a little tired, Zel glanced to his left, and ran at what he saw. "A mermaid?!" A pool of water in the cave sported a large fish tail, with a chunk of flesh carved out. He sighed. "It's dead."
"How fairs Lina-sama?" One of three triplets working in the fields asked the old woman.
"Hail and hearty." The wrinkley old face grinned. "The mermaid's flesh she ate has surely worked through her whole system by now. And she's still perfect."
"Then we must not waste any time." Another old woman approached.
"Yes, she is ready. You must prepare her immediately." A third old woman joined the conversation, followed by the rest of the old hags in the village. They all agreed. The first old woman drew a knife and headed for Lina's little hut.
Inside, Lina lay, as always on her futon, staring at the cieling. Her eyes occaissionaly strayed towards the sunlight and trees out the window. But she warned herself that such hopes to be among them were futile. The singing of birds outside seemed to mock her as they fluttered by. But she would never walk among them.
The door opened.
"Is it lunch time, old woman?"
"Yes. But not yours. Although you will be in attendance."
"What -- !?!!" Lina screeched and threw pillows, small vases, whatever was in reach.
Some unknown man had pushed the old woman to the floor and threw down a corpse, practically landing in Lina's lap. And as she quickly noted, a decapitated corpse. It's truncated neck, staring her in the face.
"Thank you so much for your earlier hospitality." The man menaced the old woman. "Now would you mind telling me about this mermaid!?"
Lina stared down at the decapitated mermaid, practically in her lap, old blood oozing from the halfed neck. "Aack! What do you think you're doing?!!" Lina pushed the thing off herself hard enough to throw it back at Zel.
He dodged, a little surprised at her strength, but became more wary for it. A glance behind him proved that the other villages were approaching with more fishing spears. Without another word he lunged forward, snatching the old woman's dropped knife, and grabbed Lina. Pressing the knife to her neck with one arm, the other firmly restraining her, he gave the old hag a warning look.
She understood and began to back off, giving him space towards the door.
The tension left with a scream.
"Auug!"
Lina continued biting Zel's hand. He yanked it back quickly, and glanced back at the old woman.
"Don't move!" He commaned, making her retreat her steps. "And that means you too!" He re-adjusted his knife's hold on Lina.
"Put me down!" Lina disregarded his threats as her feet dragged across the floor with Zel.
"Listen, you -- " Zel glanced down to see what the drag was: a large wooden shackle binding the girl's feet together.
Lina tried to take advantage of his surprise and maybe throw him, but he was quick to catch onto her. And again, she found the knife at her neck.
The hag waved back the other villagers, and they slowly lowered their blades. A gasp escaped the female crowd as Zel emerged from the hut, holding Lina hostage.
"You can't take her from us!" A cry escaped the crowd. A spear was thrown, and soon, the others decided to follow.
Zel dodged as best he could while carrying a hostage, that now didn't seen necessary. He dropped her and was about to take off for the woods, when one of the spears impaled the girl's leg. Zel thought it was a stray at first, but then the villagers continued to throw the spears.
Lina was about to yell explitives, but the pain in her leg gripped her. She ducked and tried to move as more spears came past. She may as well not be there. Why?! Don't they care if I get hit?! That I am hit?!
The villagers seem to split off into speared women going for Zel, and over-zealous old hags with knives eyeing Lina. And running towards her. Zel saw the girl stare horrified and indignant at her leg, then almost tearful for a second up towards the approaching, knife-wielding villagers. Zel and Lina both thought that they were supposed to be her protectors.
"Why those inhuman witches!" Zel muttered, as he dashed back for Lina. The back of his mind warned something about regretting this later, but nevertheless, he dodged passed the spears, picked up Lina and ran for the woods.