There once was a lonely boy who went fishing by the lake. It was almost dark but he didn't catch a single fish. "Please, just one fish before I go," he sobbed.

"What about a mermaid?" a voice came from beside him and made him jump. It was a young mermaid with hair as blue as the sky. "Don't be scared," she said.

But the boy wasn't scared. In fact, he had never felt so happy.

The mermaid and the boy were lonely no more. They would meet beside the lake and play all day. "Must you go too soon?" he asked when it was time for her to leave. "I can stay a little bit longer," she smiled.

Saying "goodbye" was always the hardest part. "Please don't leave," he begged. She longed to return to the water but couldn't bear seeing him so sad and lonely. "Ok," she whispered, "I'll stay here for as long as I can." And so, the blue-haired mermaid remained longer than she ever should have.

One day, the boy didn't show up. It was terribly hot and humid. But the blue-haired mermaid waited patiently for her friend. She wanted to go back into the water. She felt faint and sick, her strength waning with each passing moment. She had read about the dangers of staying too long on land, of monsters who prey on vulnerable mermaids. "If I leave and he comes looking for me, it might break his heart," she thought. Against her better judgment, she stayed to wait.

The boy finally came as the sun set. "Where are you?" he called out. But there was no blue-haired mermaid in sight. What he found instead was a horrible-looking creature beyond his imagination. It had claws, worms writhing on its hair, and long sharp teeth. "You've eaten my mermaid!" he screamed in horror.

"No, it's me! It's me!" the creature cried, her voice resembling a screech. "I waited for you. I knew you would come."

"Get back into the water, you ugly, horrifying thing!" He threw rocks at it but it didn't stop it from crawling to him, so he tossed the creature into the boat, and with a push, he sent it drifting into the lake.

The creature shook violently until it tumbled into the water with a splash. He stood in horror. "Was it really her?" he thought. "It doesn't matter. I could never be friends with a monster."

The blue-haired mermaid resurfaced from the water. It didn't take long for the lake to restore her true appearance. She turned back into the mermaid that she was, but her heart had turned to stone.

"You are back!" he rejoiced. "Come, I've got you a present."

The blue-haired mermaid dove back into the lake without a word. She disappeared into the water, leaving behind ripples - and then silence.

"Wait," he cried. "Wait, please come back. I'm sorry. I'm terribly sorry!" But the mermaid was no more.