Temperance: Unity

Excerpt:
A path of moonlight led the way from the shore’s edge to horizon point. Glowing and yellow, the sphere of the moon lit a circle in the obsidian sky it moved through. The gentle wind seemed to shimmer as it passed through the air, bringing with it sea smells to quivering nostrils of the lone girl by the beach, with strands of light brown hair shifting across cheekbones and eyes.
The girl’s posture was nondescript and slouched diffidently, as though she was used to being overlooked. She was present without any others being aware of her, near the end of the road, where the sand overtook the gravel, and the moon’s vibrant blaze shone brighter than the nearest street lamp a little way back down the road. She moved pink, naked toes through the sand and watched how they disturbed the smooth lines of gritty texture that had settled into a flat, hardened surface after the sea water had receded. Roiling waves were not drawing so close now as her feet made obvious tracks as she lifted them, and the tide drew ever out.
Darcy wondered how long she could stay here. She would probably be missed before long.
The surface of the sea was broken before her unexpectedly. At first, it was easy to believe that it had been a trick of the eye, a wave that had broken and dissolved into foam out of the corner of Darcy’s vision. As Darcy watched, the waves receded. That was normal for the tide at this time of night. Convinced it was nothing more than a wave, Darcy turned her feet around in the sand.
The silvered walk of the moon’s shadow, from horizon line to shore, was broken a second time. This time it allowed Darcy to see that it had not been her imagination playing tricks on her the first time. Again, the sea creature disappeared beneath the waves before Darcy could glimpse it clearly. She stepped back. From waters seemingly smooth, a flash of pearl, white skin broke the surface; an ambiguous imperfection in the gentle evening waves that the darkness again disguised.
As Darcy peered into the dark blue waves for something she still wasn’t quite sure was there, a sea nymph expelled itself from beneath the depths and showered water unerringly upon an unsuspecting bystander. Darcy had never been a fan of the tales of Ancient Greek hierarchy of gods or whatever—that had always been the domain of her older cousin, Patrick, when growing up—but as she watched the water sluicing off the lithe upper body of this creature, she found herself coming around to believing very fast.
Long, black, wet hair dribbled trails of water over the sea nymph’s bare, glistening shoulders and collarbone. Darcy could see the little droplets that fell from her hair as they made their impact upon the sea the nymph had arisen from. Her elfin features were turned upwards towards the moon and Darcy realized the nymph was completely unaware of her presence, while she could not help but notice that the sex of this creature was very definitely female. The nymph gazed up into the star-studded sky and started to twirl her body around in water that went only up to her navel.
Darcy’s eyes widened as the full attention of the sea creature turned suddenly upon her. She stood shock still, not sure if the ‘no sudden movements’ advice was applicable here. Even with the distance of sand and water between them, Darcy felt at a disadvantage. The nymph, however, seemed quite unbothered by her realization of Darcy’s attendance there, more curious than worried. She gazed at Darcy with the moon shining behind the dark head of hair. Shadows danced around the face of the nymph and Darcy could see large, black irises around the pupils in the pale face that still gleamed where the moonlight touched it. Darcy wondered if it was the water alone that caused the inhuman glow surrounding the sea maiden. She focused deliberately on those, not on the dark circles of the nymph’s areolas. It was impolite to stare.
Neither of them moved from where they had found each other. Darcy had never seen anything so captivating as the nymph. Her hometown, Kinvara, was a small place. Very little passed into the town that hadn’t been seen dozens of times before by the locals who lived there all their lives.
The nymph tipped her head to the side, considering silently. Darcy thought it strange that this creature of myth should not feel any modesty for the way she was standing half-naked—and probably all naked beneath the water—in front of a stranger. Of course, if her body was as perfect as this one’s, Darcy might not have been self-conscious either.
Darcy was the first to deliberately break the spell that had taken them both over by looking to the house on the point near the pier. There was no direct passage between the beach and her house. She would have to take the road back and hope nobody noticed her slipping in. She really shouldn’t have stayed out this late.
With trepidation, she turned her head to glance at her water maiden again. The nymph was gone; gone as though she had never been, and it was certain that nobody would believe her story, even had she had friends she wanted to tell.
She backed slowly away from where she stood at the shore, silently apologizing that she was such a social spaz, and nonetheless hoping her nymph would see her the next night, or the one after. Reaching the end of the road, where the sand overtook the gravel, Darcy whispered a sentence for the sea alone to hear.
“I won’t betray your secret.”