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Measure of a Friend, Epilogue

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__ Measure of a Friend, Final Part: Epilogue __
by Draiken Talkos

Dad was taken back home without a trace of It on him and without any memory of anything that had happened in the past two days. The pain in his stomach and jaw were the only indication that something had happened to him out in the forest. (Mori and I theorized that Dad must have run into some criminal and was caught off guard; Dad seemed to accept this explanation due to having no memory of the event himself although he couldn't reason why he'd be in the forest at such a time. Thankfully, he didn't seem to remember the cage nearby; that would have been harder to explain.)

Meanwhile,  fishermen around the lake consulted and learned that the lack of fish was probably because of recent overfishing, a problem they worked together to solve by learning new skills while observing the lake, cautious to avoid causing another shortage of fish for their communities.

The rest of the summer went by quietly. During the week after Zuumi returned to the lake, talk of merfolk died out gradually, returning back to the fairy tale people knew it as. A few people from a nearby town came to the lake in search of merfolk after some rumors leaked, but no evidence was found of merfolk living in the lake. It was just another urban legend, soon to go unnoticed as people went about their busy lives. Somehow, Mori and I retained our memories. Was what we had seen or something we did deemed unforgettable? Did we somehow slip through the spell net, or did someone intervene to let us preserve our memories? I brought this up to Mori after things had quieted down, but he only shrugged, his guess as good as mine.

To my annoyance, I did catch a cold when I came home with Dad and spent a few days in bed, staring out of my window towards the lake, letting the events of the previous night sink in. Part me of thought that maybe everything was a dream, a figment of my imagination, but there was that stone, now tied on a cord thanks to Mori, hanging by the window. I did open up a little and started talking to people after I got over the cold. Mori had to help me out a lot (and by 'help', I usually mean 'hold me back'), but my classmates grew to relax more around me, taking my prickly demeanor to be just another part of me and not anything I had against them.

Still though, throughout the rest of the summer, at sunrise and sunset every day, I rowed out into the lake, waiting for the mermaid who wouldn't come. Mori would sometimes wait with me, teasing me (probably more like provoking me) to help me pass the time. She didn't come though. Maybe this was a fairy tale without a happy ending. I guess I may never know.



"Well, it was a very interesting read, and you do have the potential to be a very strong writer. However, next time, please follow the assignment's instructions and write about something that actually happened."

"Yes, ma'am," Hayashi said, rolling his eyes after he left the room. Mori was waiting for him in the hallway, stifling his laughter. "'Write about something that actually happened'," Hayashi muttered angrily. "What does she know?"

"Not even the half of it," Mori chuckled. "I'm sure you saw it coming though."

"I thought it was worth a try," Hayashi shrugged, letting his scowl dissipate in acceptance. "I guess changing names didn't help much either."

"Not when you're the main character of it. Can't really hide yourself in someone else, can you?"

"Guess not," Hayashi sighed. "Stupid assignment all the same though." Summer was over, and school was back; first assignment upon return: write about what you did over the summer.

"You going out again tonight?" Mori asked. "Hayashi?"

"What?"

Mori shook his head. "Just as I thought. You're sick again, aren't you?" he asked, his tone solemn.

"I'm perfectly fine, Mori," Hayashi said, his face grim as if expecting something he would not like.

"No, you're not. I think this time, you might actually be lovesick!" Mori snickered quietly as they left the building, soon erupting in laughter as he dashed away from Hayashi, who started after him for the remark.

The two of them ran until they reached the lake, at which point, the two were on the ground, catching their breath and laughing at the same time.

"You know, Hayashi," Mori managed to chuckle, "you can be a pretty fun guy when you're not so serious."

"Shut it," Hayashi panted, a grin growing on his face against his will.

"Well, I'm gonna have to run back. I have relatives coming over," Mori said, getting up with some difficulty. "See you tomorrow, Hayashi."

"See you if you can even walk to school tomorrow!" Hayashi shouted as Mori somehow started running again. He lay there on the ground, breathing in the peace of the woods. He brought a hand to his neck, feeling the rough surface of the stone, thinking back to the mermaid who gave it to him. Are you okay? he thought, as if his thoughts would reach her. Will I see you again?

The stone started to vibrate and glow under his touch. To Hayashi's surprise, it pulled itself free from the cord and hovered in the air for a moment before flying off on its own. "Get back here!" Hayashi shouted, getting up quickly and running after it. He caught up to the stone several times, but it continued to fly away, just out of reach. Even when Hayashi ran into the lake, he was determined not to lose the stone, and in all of his focus in getting the stone back, never did he expect to be knocked back by a slap of water.

"Goodness! What's wrong with you people? You could at least be more considerate of others already in the water, you know!"

"Well, sorry if I was running after a glowing, flying stone," Hayashi sputtered, wiping water from his face to see someone who looked as surprised as he felt. Before he regained control of his body, the figure tackled him in an embrace, knocking Hayashi back into the water. "Zuumi, get off of me! You know I can't breathe in the water like you can!" he protested, his tone in contradiction to the hug he gave the mermaid in return.

"Just as kind as ever, I see," Zuumi laughed, helping Hayashi get back to a stable standing position.

"So where'd the stone-" Hayashi started, his question soon answered when it floated between them glowing more brightly than before. When the light receded, it was no longer the dull brown it was before. Instead, the stone was as blue as the lake, seem to sparkle with an inner light.

The mermaid crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip in a pout. "I haven't seen you in two months, and you don't even ask how I am! Instead of stopping to talk, you go on and ask about a rock. What kind of gentleman are you?" she said, turning away in a huff.

"And you're still as much of a brat as before," Hayashi answered with a smile, only to be met with a slap on his arm before the mermaid decided to hug him again, this time more gently. "Good to see you too," he laughed, hugging her back.

For a change, neither one said anything to the other for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other's company for however long the embrace lasted. Perhaps there was a happy conclusion to this tale after all. A conclusion, not an ending; the break from one story into the beginning of another.



"Mother, what's this?"

"It's a heart stone," she explained.

"But this one's dark. The ones in the book were all pretty and bright."

"After a long time, the pretty stones become dark. Did the book tell you how you can make them pretty and bright again?"

"No. How do you do it, Mother?"

"When two people have a strong enough desire to see each other enough, the heart stone will shine and bring them together. If you want to make this stone to shine, keep it to give to someone very special to you, and hopefully it will shine for you."

"Then I want to give this to Mother!"

She laughed and pushed her daughter's outstretched arms back. "Thank you, but I want you to save it for another special person."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Maybe I'll tell you when you're a little older," her mother smiled, ruffling her daughter's hair.

"Do I know this person, Mother?"

"I don't know," she said, "but I'm sure you will when you see that person."

"But how?"

"You just will. It's a girl thing," she winked.

"But I want to know now!"

"You have to trust me and be a little patient, okay? If you're patient, I think you will be very happy."




Thank you, Mother. You were right right up to the very end, Zuumi thought.
Thank you for reading along, and I hope you enjoyed reading "Measure of a Friend". It was a bit tough to figure out how I wanted to end the epilogue because I didn't want to leave ends completely open. This isn't to discount the possibility of short pieces intended to give further background into the characters, but that's for another time, another story (or another few stories).

Comments and constructive criticism appreciated, but please put any comments about a particular part in that part and not all here at the epilogue.

Merry Christmas and happy new year!

-Draiken Talkos
© 2010 - 2024 DraikenTalkos
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