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The Mermaid's Sad Song
NovelShort
Completed
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. It hissed as it ran down my scalp, tracing paths of fire across my face, neck and chest. The pain was brutal, savage, an explosion that tore through every fiber of my being. I screamed, the sound ripping from my throat. And then I saw him—Sam. He stood there, silent and cold, an empty bucket dangling from his hand. His face was an unfeeling mask, his gaze unblinking, as he watched me writhe in agony. “So, even immortal mermaids feel pain,” he sneered, his voice like ice, cutting through the air. He crouched beside me, his words like knives slicing through the silence. “But this pain? This is nothing compared to what I felt when your kind kidnapped my parents.” He leaned in and I could smell the acid fumes still clinging to him. “This is just the beginning. Until you tell me where they are, don’t even dream of leaving this place.” *** For the next two years, I was his prisoner. He threatened to slaughter my people if I ever tried to escape. And I had to watch him marry someone else—Jill Combs. His hand-picked bride. Over and over, he sliced open my chest and carved out my mermaid pearl—my life force—to extract its essence. He used it to strengthen Jill’s frail human body, prepping her to carry his child. He chained me by the ankles, forced me to clean up their used condoms night after night while they laughed and moaned in the next room. And when she couldn’t sleep, he made me dance—barefoot on broken glass, grinding my pain into lullabies just to calm her down. When she got pregnant, Sam began slicing pieces of flesh from my tail to nourish her growing child. He hated me—that much was clear. But each time I hovered near death, he would tenderly feed me the medicine that kept me alive, forcing me to endure just a little longer. “You know I love you, Nerissa,” he’d whisper with terrifying calm. “That’s the only reason you’re still alive. So be good. Tell me where my parents are.” I never answered. But I wouldn’t have to keep the secret much longer. Mermaids can’t survive long out of the ocean. Three years is the limit. And I only had three days left.
Chapters (5)
第1章
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. It hissed as it ran down my scalp, tracing paths of fire across my face, neck and chest. The pain was brutal, savage, an explosion that tore through every fiber of my being.
I screamed, the sound ripping from my throat.
And then I saw him—Sam. He stood there, silent and cold, an empty bucket dangling from his hand. His face was an unfeeling mask, his gaze unblinking, as he watched me writhe in agony.
“So, even immortal mermaids feel pain,” he sneered, his voice like ice, cutting through the air. He crouched beside me, his words like knives slicing through the silence. “But this pain? This is nothing compared to what I felt when your kind kidnapped my parents.”
He leaned in and I could smell the acid fumes still clinging to him. “This is just the beginning. Until you tell me where they are, don’t even dream of leaving this place.”
***
For the next two years, I was his prisoner.
He threatened to slaughter my people if I ever tried to escape. And I had to watch him marry someone else—Jill Combs. His hand-picked bride.
Over and over, he sliced open my chest and carved out my mermaid pearl—my life force—to extract its essence. He used it to strengthen Jill’s frail human body, prepping her to carry his child.
He chained me by the ankles, forced me to clean up their used condoms night after night while they laughed and moaned in the next room.
And when she couldn’t sleep, he made me dance—barefoot on broken glass, grinding my pain into lullabies just to calm her down.
When she got pregnant, Sam began slicing pieces of flesh from my tail to nourish her growing child.
He hated me—that much was clear. But each time I hovered near death, he would tenderly feed me the medicine that kept me alive, forcing me to endure just a little longer.
“You know I love you, Nerissa,” he’d whisper with terrifying calm. “That’s the only reason you’re still alive. So be good. Tell me where my parents are.”
I never answered.
But I wouldn’t have to keep the secret much longer.
Mermaids can’t survive long out of the ocean. Three years is the limit. And I only had three days left.
——
At 3 a.m., the wooden door of the storage room was kicked open with a force that shook the very foundations of the house. I was yanked to my feet, a series of sharp slaps ringing through the air until my lips split open and blood trickled down my chin.
Sam’s assistant dragged me out by my legs, muttering curses under his breath.
“How dare you sleep like a pig when Mr. Wilkins’s wife is hurt?” he sneered, his voice venomous.
The salty, humid wind from the sea carried with it the heavy scent of blood, mixing with the stench of decay. The bloodstains trailed across the floor, winding their way to Sam’s bedroom.
Sam saw the trail of blood leading to me, his brows furrowing as his eyes narrowed in contempt.
“Jill’s hurt,” he said, his voice devoid of concern. “Go treat her.”
I lifted my gaze, my eyes falling on Jill. Her face was flushed, a slight sheen of sweat clinging to her skin, her belly swollen with child.
Slap!
Sam’s hand crashed into my face. He loomed above me, his shadow swallowing me whole.
“I told you to treat Jill. Why are you staring at her? Do you think your eyes are worthy of looking at her?”
I dropped my head immediately.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Then I crawled—literally—over to the bed.
That’s when I learned what had happened. Jill had woken up hungry in the middle of the night and tried to feed one of the mermaids Sam kept locked up for research. She got bitten—just a small nip on her finger. Just a small wound on her fingertip, but it was enough to send the whole house into chaos.
Over the years, I’d gotten used to Jill’s constant ailments. It was always something—her headaches, her backaches, her sudden allergies. And now, pregnancy had given her a new list of sensitivities.
Without a word, I pulled up my shirt, exposing the skin over my heart. My nails, sharp and hardened like coral tips, dug into my flesh. Sweat rolled down my temples as I pushed past the pain and pierced into my chest cavity, fingers trembling as I retrieved the pearl—my core.
The same pearl Sam had ripped from me time and time again, using its essence to nurse Jill’s fragile body back to health.
My breath came in shallow gasps. Blood dripped freely as I held the shimmering orb in my hands and began the ritual to heal her.
As I endured the pain, Sam’s voice sliced through the room like a cold blade.
“Think your little act would move me? I’ll never pity you, Nerissa.”
To him, this was just another performance—another pitiful attempt to earn sympathy I no longer deserved. He didn’t care that every time I opened my chest, I died a little more inside.
He used to say mermaid blood could heal wounds too. But my blood had lost its magic long ago. I’d been drained dry, over and over again, until only the pearl held any power.
Behind me, Jill stirred with a soft cough. Sam rushed over to her side like a devoted husband in a movie scene, scooping her into his arms.
“Does it still hurt, baby?” he asked, brushing the hair from her face.
Jill bit her lip, her eyes flicking briefly to my blood-soaked chest.
“I don’t know what it is,” she murmured, her voice thick with false innocence. “But ever since I got pregnant, the smell of blood makes me so nauseous…”
That was all it took.
Sam’s boot landed hard against my ribs, kicking me like trash.
“Get out and stay out!”
I crawled away slowly, my limbs numb and listened to the soft murmur of his voice behind me.
“Jill, you’ve been sleeping poorly lately. Is the baby makes you uncomfortable? Let me listen.”
My heart, once long dead, clenched with a dull, slow ache. The wound in my chest reopened, leaking blood onto the cold stone floor.
And I waited in silence for the last three days of my life.
第2章
A bucket of foul-smelling water splashed over me, soaking my skin and clothes in cold, salty filth.
The maid’s expression was twisted with disgust and revulsion.
“Freak. Aren’t you supposed to heal? Then why the hell are you still bleeding? Gross.”
The mop smacked against my forehead, hard enough to make me flinch.
“Clean up this mess, or I’m telling Mr. Wilkins!”
I spent the rest of the night hunched over, scrubbing the floors until my arms ached and my fingers bled.
From inside the house, moans of pleasure echoed through the walls—Jill’s voice, high and breathless, calling out for Sam.
A single tear slipped down my cheek.
Sam’s disgusted face kept replaying in my mind, growing sharper with every pass of the mop.
Soon, I told myself. It’ll all be over soon.
Even mermaids—creatures meant to live forever—can still die.
Only three days left.
When I wiped away the last smear of blood from the tiles, the wound on my body finally sealed shut.
Another day at the seaside manor began.
Sam emerged from the bedroom, his neck littered with tiny, fresh red marks. He stopped when he saw the bloodied mop.
“What the hell? Why’s there so much blood?”
I said nothing to defend myself. Just bowed slightly and muttered,
“I’m sorry. I’ll take care of it right away.”
Out in the garden, the maids were clipping flowers. One of them raised her voice deliberately.
“You won’t believe this—she actually asked me how to make someone happy. Can you imagine? That sea witch thinks she can seduce Mr. Wilkins!”
The other snorted. “Please. Like someone like her could ever dream of becoming Mrs. Wilkins. If it weren’t for her, Mr. Wilkins’ parents wouldn’t have disappeared.”
I tried to retreat quietly, but Sam was faster.
With a swift kick, he shoved the cleaning supplies aside and dragged me down to the lab.
He strapped me into the electric chair—the one capable of discharging a hundred thousand volts. The dizziness hit me instantly. My head spun and bile rose in my throat.
Sam sat down, crossed his legs, remote in hand. His eyes were cold.
“Almost forgot... It’s been a whole month since I last interrogated you.”
“Tell me. Where the hell did they take my parents?”
I hadn’t even seen him press the button yet, but my hands instinctively gripped the armrests.
Tightly. So tightly my nails tore into the metal until they bled.
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
Electricity coursed through every nerve in my body. I screamed, muscles spasming uncontrollably, my lower body suddenly soaked with scalding liquid.
Even when the current stopped, my body kept twitching.
Sam stood up, gritting his teeth and stepped closer.
“You’re tough. I gave you that.” He grabbed my jaw with force and spewed another hiss
“Still won’t talk?”
I coughed blood. Every organ felt like it had been roasted alive.
“I’m not telling you.”
I couldn’t. It was a secret—one that held his parents’ lives in the balance.
He didn’t shock me again.
Instead, he motioned for someone outside the lab. Moments later, they returned with a handful of shark pearls—ones I’d hidden under the floorboards, thinking they were safe.
My breath hitched. My eyes locked on them, pupils trembling.
“What… what are you doing?” My voice cracked.
He gave me that twisted little smile he always wore before he did something cruel. “You already know, don’t you?”
Without breaking eye contact, he dropped one of the pearls to the concrete floor and slammed his boot down on it.
The sickening crack echoed through the lab, followed by a scream I didn’t even realize was mine—bloody, guttural, full of agony.
He chuckled, dark and amused. “So, was that your dad’s? Or your mom’s?” He crushed another beneath his heel. “They say mermaids only die for real when you shatter their pearls. Otherwise, you freaks just keep crawling back from the dead.”
“You’re still not gonna talk?” he sneered. “Even after all this?”
My fingers were torn open, nails ripped down to the bone, skin peeled back to nothing but white. Blood dripped from my hands like rain. From my eyes too.
“Sam,” I rasped, voice shaking with hate, “I hate you.”
He didn’t flinch.
Instead, he grabbed me and kissed me. His kiss was so hard and brutal, it felt like he wanted to bite my tongue clean off.
That kiss... made my head spin.
Lately, I’d been growing weaker and sometimes I almost forgot how deeply we once loved each other.
Mermaids have always been drawn to humans. It's in our nature to come ashore, to fall for them, to bind our lives to theirs.
I was three years old the first time I met Sam.
The moment he saw me, he turned to his mom and asked with serious eyes,
“Mom, is she the bride you picked for me?”
Mrs. Wilkins burst into laughter and flicked his forehead.
Our families became close after that. We visited often, celebrated birthdays together, even vacationed as one big unit.
But everything changed when I turned fifteen.
The merfolk were being hunted, driven off by humans who feared and coveted us. We had no choice but to disappear.
第3章
But sometimes, I’d still sneak ashore to see Sam.
When people asked who I was, I would be ready to lie and say I was his sister.
But he never let me.
“She’s my girlfriend,” he’d say, eyes serious. “And one day, she’ll be my wife. This is Nerissa.”
That moment had made my heart flutter for real. I was falling for more than I could imagine.
Later, my people, the merfolk, struck a deal with a group of top-tier humans.
The ones facilitating the negotiations were my parents and Sam’s parents.
But Sam’s parents disappeared.
And I was one of the suspects.
I knew he hated me, but I couldn’t tell him the truth.
Years passed and Sam became a top-tier scientist.
And I, I had to get close to him for the sake of my people.
Many times, I wanted to tell him the truth directly.
But I couldn’t.
Well, it didn’t matter. Soon, I wouldn’t have to endure it anymore.
***
Sam’s fingers set fire to my skin.
But then he stopped suddenly, his eyes fixed on the blood coating his hands.
Only then had I noticed—those old wounds, the ones from tearing out my flesh for healing pearls, had reopened again.
I gave him a numb smile, “I’m dying, Sam.”
It was like the word "die" had triggered something primal in him. He snapped. He tore open a bottle of pills and shoved one into my mouth with shaking hands. His voice was ice. Sharpened. Shaking.
“You don’t get to die unless I say so.”
He unshackled my wrists, dragged me across the lab and shoved my head into a tank of healing serum. I choked as water rushed up my nose.
I choked. Water shot up my nose.
His hands trembled, breath coming in ragged bursts. His eyes—bloodshot, crazed—watched like he was the one suffocating.
I forced myself not to breathe, trying to keep the serum from flooding my lungs.
Everything went cold. My face turned purple. But eventually, the pills kicked in. The bleeding stopped.
He yanked me out of the tank by my hair.
I was barely conscious when he clicked the shackles back around my wrists, chaining me to the headboard like an animal.
And there was Jill.
Leaning into him, all flirtation and fake sweetness, like this was just a twisted honeymoon. Her eyes found mine, brimming with venom: I want you dead, Nerissa.
***
Half-conscious, I felt someone gently stroke my hair. Tears from that person dripped into my mouth, salty and bitter.
“Nerissa... if only none of that had ever happened,” the voice called softly. "Wouldn't we be okay now?”
Was that Sam?
Was… he crying?
I forced my eyes open—but there was no Sam.
Instead, his assistant was there, tugging the rope around my ankles and dragging me into the estate’s courtyard.
Mermaids hated the sun. Especially me—who was barely clinging to life.
Jill stood there, smiling sweetly when she saw me.
“Aren’t you hungry, Nerissa?”
I could see Sam holding onto her, his body relaxed, almost possessive. When I didn’t answer, he kicked me, his foot landing hard on the exact spot where my wounds were threatening to tear open.
Blood seeped through my clothes, soaking into my stomach.
Sam barely looked at me. With a look of pure irritation, he couldn’t even spare me a glance. Just tossed his jacket from the lounge chair at me.
“Cover that up. Jill can’t stand the sight of blood.”
Jill’s eyes sparkled for a brief moment and she turned, throwing a pile of raw meat and dirt-streaked vegetables in front of me. Her voice dripped with false sweetness.
“Eat up.”
I don’t know why—I lifted my head and looked at Sam.
Why did I think he actually… pitied me?
Expressionless, I bent down and began gnawing on the dirt-covered cabbage. My fingers clawed at the ground, desperate, ashamed.
Jill’s concerned voice reached my ears.
“Why aren’t you eating the meat? You need meat to stay strong.”
Without thinking, I tore into it. My senses had dulled so much I couldn’t even tell what kind of meat it was.
“Does it good?” Jill giggled. “They say mermaid meat is really nutritious.”
I froze mid-chew, staring up at her.
What… what did she just say?
第4章
Jill’s smile stretched wider and the realization my stomach churn.
I vomited right there.
“Oh my God—my shoes!” Jill shrieked in disgust, jumping back as bile splashed on her expensive heels.
The assistant didn’t even wait for an order. He grabbed me by the collar and slapped me so hard that the tears on my face splattered to the side. My cheek stung, my ears rang, but I didn’t make a sound.
Sam had always been a neat freak. Germaphobe to the core. Yet now, he crouched down beside Jill with a pristine handkerchief and gently dabbed at her soiled shoes with the kind of patience and tenderness that made my chest tighten. So gentle. So careful.
Back then, after using my body like I was nothing more than a release, he wouldn’t even look at me—let alone help me clean up.
Now, he looked genuinely annoyed.
“Ungrateful bitch,” he snapped. “If she won’t eat it, then let the dogs have it!”
Jill put on a delicate smile and touched his arm, her voice as soft as whipped cream. “Nerissa’s probably just not hungry, Sam. Don’t be too hard on her.”
She tilted her head, all sweetness and false concern. “Maybe... she could help me with my painting? Make up for the mess?”
Sam sighed, the irritation in his eyes dimming under her gaze. He gave her a helpless little chuckle. “You really are too kind sometimes.”
He looked over at me then, his expression sharp again like a blade, about to say something else—but his phone rang. His features instantly softened. He leaned in close to Jill, whispering something sweet in her ear before bending down to press a kiss against her pregnant belly.
I didn’t know why, but my chest ached. My nose burned like I was about to cry.
He left and Jill’s mask dropped. The warmth disappeared from her face like it had never been there.
“I don’t like people watching me when I paint,” she said flatly. “Go to the basement.”
I didn’t argue. I turned and walked away.
In the basement, a maid tossed a few plastic buckets at me, her nose wrinkled in contempt like I was garbage. Her voice was deliberately high-pitched, mocking.
“Hey freak, the madam’s short on red paint today. And nothing beats the color of fresh blood. Fill three of these buckets, now.”
She tossed a rusted razor blade at my feet.
“Use that,” she sneered.
I stared at the blade. “It’s rusty.”
She spat on the ground. “You think you deserve clean tools, monster? You’re not some pampered princess. You’re just a thing. And you don’t die that easy.”
She folded her arms, clearly ready to watch.
I didn’t say a word. I picked up the blade.
And cut.
Warm, red blood dripped into the first bucket. Then the second. My hands were trembling by the time I reached the third. My whole body was cold. My lips had turned blue.
Only when the third bucket was full did I stop.
I leaned against the damp wall, eyes blank, trying to stay conscious.
Upstairs, I heard the maids gossiping as they walked by carrying stained laundry.
“Madam’s paintings really are something, huh? Shame the materials are so hard to come by.”
“Tell me about it. Took killing several mermaids just to get enough pearl powder. And even then, some of the blood was too impure. A monster is just a monster, different from us humans.”
I could feel every hair on my body rise. My limbs were numb, but I forced myself to stand.
I dragged myself back to the courtyard. And then I heard it—high-pitched, heart-wrenching cries.
I stumbled forward just in time to see Jill—smiling, serene—grinding her heel into the mutilated tail of a dead mermaid. She reached down, pried out a shimmering pearl and crushed it under her heel.
Something inside me cracked.
She turned to me, her face lit by the sun behind her, casting an almost angelic glow that belied the evil lurking in her smile.
“Nerissa,” she said sweetly, “I just realized today that each mermaid pearl is a different color. What a shame, though. I only want the white ones.” Her eyes sparkled with sick delight. “How about you help me out and collect the pearls for me?”
I opened my mouth, but the words froze in my throat—because right then, I saw him.
My little brother.
He was inside a water tank, no older than ten, his tiny hands slapping the glass in desperation. He hadn’t even learned to shift into human form yet.
“Sister! Help me!” he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks, turning into tiny pearls as they fell.
Jill made a pouty face. “Aw, he’s your baby brother? So cute! Oh, I have an idea. Why don’t we start with him? Let’s see what color pearl he has, shall we?”
She waved her hand and two bodyguards dragged him out of the tank like a sack of meat.
“No—please!” I fell to my knees. “Please, I’m begging you, don’t hurt him! Take mine instead! My pearl’s white—I swear!”
Jill twirled the blade in her hand, amused. “But where’s the fun in that? I like surprises. It’s like opening a mystery box!”
She stepped forward, raising the knife toward my brother’s chest.
“Don’t worry, little fishy, Nerissa will have her turn. I’m just going to— AH! What the hell are you doing?!”
第5章
“No! Don’t hurt my sister!”
With eyes burning red, my little brother fought back with everything he had and sank his teeth deep into Jill’s wrist.
But before he could even pull away, Sam stormed in and kicked him hard across the room. I watched, frozen, as his tiny body hit the ground near me—his teeth shattered, blood mixing with his tears.
Sam cradled Jill in his arms like she was made of porcelain, rage burning so brightly in his eyes it nearly scorched the room.
“Nerissa. You made my parents disappear and now you want to hurt my wife too?”
I was already crying, shielding my brother with my body, my voice trembling.
“I’m sorry… please… please kill me instead. He’s just a kid… Please, let him go.”
“Oh? You want me to let him go?”
Sam’s glare cut through the air like a blade.
“Then tell me—where are my parents? You give me that answer and I’ll spare his life.”
That again. Same question over and over.
My knees gave out, every ounce of strength draining from my body. For the first time, I looked at Sam not with guilt—but with pure hatred.
“You know nothing! You understand nothing!” I snapped.
“I already told you—when the time comes, you’ll know everything. Why are you still hurting my family?”
I hate you, Sam Wilkins. I hate you.
He averted his gaze, refusing to meet my eyes.
His tongue pushed against the inside of his cheek as he let out a cold laugh.
“Fine. If you won’t talk—then your brother will pay the price.”
Everything after that happened so fast.
In one swift motion, Sam plunged the dagger straight into my brother’s heart.
I think I heard something crack, a sickening sound that would haunt me forever. My brother’s soft face turned pale and cold. Without his mermaid pearl, his body went stiff, the warmth draining from it too quickly.
I sat there, motionless—numb, no longer able to beg or plead. I didn’t care anymore.
Jill, now heavily pregnant, tried to hobble over to help me up, but before she could reach me, she tripped and fell, landing just half a meter away.
She cried—those pathetic little sobs, like a kitten.
“Nerissa, they were just sea creatures. Who cares if a few die? But I... I have a baby inside me. A human baby. Are you trying to kill my child too?”
Sam had never believed me and this time, I didn’t bother to explain.
“Yeah,” I said through gritted teeth. “I want all of you dead!”
He trembled with fury, ready to strike me, but then Jill screamed. Her water had broken.
Sam cast one last furious glance my way.
“I’m gonna deal with you after the baby’s born.”
I gave him a weak smile. He wouldn’t get the chance. I was already dying.
They locked me in a storage room—no light, no warmth. Just shadows and silence. I curled up on the floor, my body trembling as my temperature kept dropping.
Above me, the floor shook with commotion. Jill’s screams echoed through the cracks—she was giving birth. She cried all day and all night, until finally, the baby was born safely.
Sam let out a breath of relief, leaning against the door as he lit a cigarette.
Then—an urgent knock.
His assistant came rushing down the hall.
“Mr. Wilkins! There’s someone at the front gate!”
Sam barely looked up. “Who?”
“Your parents, sir. They’re here!”
He shot off like a bullet.
When Sam reached the gate, he expected hugs, tears—an emotional reunion. But instead, the first words out of their mouths were filled with panic.
“Is Nerissa here?! You have to take her to the ocean—now! Without seawater, she’ll die!”
Sam froze. His heart dropped, but he forced a casual shrug.
“She hurt Jill, so I locked her in the storage room. Come on, Dad—she’s a mermaid. She can’t die.”
“Let’s not talk about her,” he tried to redirect. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
Like a thunderclap on a clear day, Mr. Wilkins’ hand whipped across Sam’s face, a loud slap ringing out.
“What the hell have you done?!” he demanded. “Where’s the storage room? Take us there now!”
Sam dragged his feet as he led them to the door, swinging it open like it was nothing.
“See? She’s fine.”
But one look—and his parents collapsed into sobs.
Sam turned around to see what they were looking at.
Half my face had already turned to foam.
And then, something I never thought I’d see happened.