The mermaid nodded, tears falling from her eyes. “Yes. And I am pregnant. They caught me when I came to the river at midnight. They tied me here and left, but they are coming back later. Please help me.”
Amara’s eyes filled with pity. She saw that the mermaid was shivering and that there were bruises on her arms where the rope had been tied.
Suddenly, Amara heard voices of men talking nearby.
She quickly turned around and saw shadows moving near the bushes.
“They are coming,” the mermaid whispered, fear in her eyes.
Amara’s mind was in confusion. She did not know what to do. Should she help the mermaid escape? Should she leave her there and run away?
The voices became clearer, and Amara could hear the hunters laughing and saying, “We will take her before people start coming out.”
Amara’s breathing became heavy. She knew that if they came now, they would see her standing near the mermaid, and they might harm her too.
She looked at the mermaid, who was still begging her with tears and fear in her eyes.
Amara did not know where she got the courage, but she stepped closer and touched the rope tied around the mermaid’s hands.
The mermaid flinched in pain, but looked at Amara with hope.
Amara tried to untie the rope, but it was too tight. Her fingers were shaking as she pulled at the knot, her ears straining to hear the footsteps of the hunters drawing closer.
“Please, please, please,” the mermaid kept whispering weakly.
Amara felt sweat on her forehead. Her heart was beating like a drum, and her hands moved frantically to loosen the knot.
The hunters’ voices were now very close.
“Let’s see if we can take her,” one of them said.
Amara’s eyes widened in fear. The pot of water she had left on the ground was still there, and it would be easy for the hunters to know someone else was around.
Amara looked at the mermaid, and the mermaid looked back at her.
At that moment, Amara knew that her life would change forever because of what she was about to do.
But just before she could untie the last knot, the hunters’ footsteps stopped very close to them, and Amara quickly hid herself.
