Mermaid love by Asmaa Nada

Those trees that line the shore are like mothers spreading their arms to embrace their children. At night, the moonlight and stars reflect on the water, turning it into shimmering silver, like scattered pearls. Despite the darkness, the moonlight reflected on the water feels like lights bouncing off the bottom, aiding the luminous fish in sending their own light through the waves that caress the shore like a sweet melody, illuminating the entire beach

Between the trees, there's a grassy path, as smooth as if it were specially prepared to welcome royalty. It winds between rows of intertwined trees, whose leaves form a canopy that filters the sunlight, creating a magical glow for those who pass through

Numerous cottages surround the island, floating like ships and connected to the shore by wooden walkways anchored to both the island and the cottages. The islanders call them floating houses. Each cottage has three levels: two above the water and one below, resembling a glass crystal from which one can watch fish play and race in their vibrant colors

The islanders wear brightly colored, short, floral dresses (women) or shorts reaching the knee and netted T-shirts made from various tree fibers (men). In winter, the cold weather calls for fur coats and leather boots for both men and women

Deeper into the island, one finds it divided into distinct areas. There's a section reserved for land animals, where hunting is restricted to specific times of the year. On the opposite side, there's a marketplace providing everything one could need. At the heart of the island lies a small lake near the tribal chief's cottage and his wife's.

In one of the floating cottages lived the island's wise man, whose wife had passed away giving birth to their stunning, dark-skinned daughter, as the islanders called her. Despite her dark complexion, she was of captivating beauty, kind, and generous. Though young, she was immensely popular among the island families, earning her the nickname "Myasin, the Dark Beauty."

From a young age, she was accustomed to wandering among the islanders, helping everyone. Around midday or in the afternoon, she would take some paper and colors and sit on a nearby rock, drawing the natural scenery and the waves that embraced the shore as if dancing to the rhythm of the waves crashing against the rocks.

At sunset, she would walk barefoot, her toes tickling the sand as she laughed and sang to the fading sunlight, oblivious to the eyes that watched her every move from the time she was eight until she was fifteen.