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Rob couldn’t believe his luck when he got the letter informing him his interview was successful. He was ready for something different, and this was as different an opportunity as he could’ve hoped for.
It was easy to find a place to stay - the coast wasn’t that popular a destination in autumn, and he easily settled into the town, and his new workplace.
“It’s a privilege to be a part of the project,” he said to his boss on his first day. “I’ve always wanted to work with merfolk. They’re such a fascinating species.”
He realised he’d already put his foot in it from the pained look that crossed Claire’s face.
“Don’t use that word around them,” she admonished him. “They find it highly offensive. Use ‘race’, or even ‘nation’, but not the s-word.”
“Sorry,” Rob mumbled. “I guess I don’t know as much about them as I thought.”
“That’s what this project is for,” Claire explained patiently. “There’s so much mystery around them. We want to find out more facts, so we can break down stereotypes, and improve relations between humans and merfolk, for the good of both races.”
So Rob began his work with an open mind. He definitely didn’t want to jeopardise the project by treading on any toes (a phrase he was sure was also highly inappropriate). He only wanted to show the utmost respect.
Thus, he was a bit anxious as he went to meet Felipe, the merfolk representative, for the first time, eager to make a good impression. Maybe Felipe would be wary and quick to find fault, looking for any excuse to back out. Even after the briefing he’d had, Rob still didn’t know exactly what to expect. But he was pretty sure it wasn’t quite what he found waiting for him in the special aquarium room, set up within the research centre.
Felipe was basking in an open-top tank, turning gracefully in the water to meet Rob’s gaze, and Rob’s stomach suddenly did a nervous flip.
“Are you alright in there?” he asked. “Comfortable?”
To Rob’s relief, Felipe gave him a bright smile, his big, dark eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yes,” he said. “You will join me?”
Rob’s face must’ve been a picture, because Felipe laughed, and Rob knew he’d already been teased. Maybe some stereotypes had their basis in reality after all.
He quickly found his worries about the merman being hard to engage were unfounded. Felipe was easy to communicate with, and perfectly willing to do his best with the data collection he’d been recruited for. Every week, he brought Rob a substantial amount of video and audio for the research team to study, and was happy to answer Rob’s questions about their findings.
Rob was delighted when Felipe told him after not too long, “You are much nicer than the other researchers we have seen. They were not friendly, to them we are animals. But with you… I like to talk to you.”
Rob ducked his head modestly. “I like talking to you too,” he murmured. “And if you have any questions about human life, feel free to ask.”
Felipe's eyes twinkled. “Maybe you can tell me about your mating habits.”
Rob knew Felipe well enough by then to know he was being played with, but he still felt himself blush.
“If you like, you can come and visit,” Felipe said, almost casually. “I will show you how we live, is better than the videos.”
Rob wanted to jump at the chance, but Claire was, unsurprisingly, more wary.
“It's wonderful that you've gained Felipe’s trust,” she said. “But I don't think the ethics committee would approve. Going underwater is just too risky.”
Rob supposed he understood. But he just couldn't seem to care about the risks. If he could go without the research team's support, he'd be there in a heartbeat.
But he couldn't. And the allotted time for the project was running out. The closest he could get to the sea was the same as every other human, standing on the beach, which he'd taken to doing more and more frequently.
He could hear the merfolk singing, a faraway sound that could be miles or metres away. It sounded like the stars and the moon and the stones under his feet.
He’d asked Felipe about it, but all he’d got was a coy laugh.
“We hear you singing at night too,” Felipe said, his eyes twinkling. “Is just fun, no?”
At the time, Rob had laughed along with him. It was just mer-karaoke after all.
But at that moment, standing on the beach on a clear night, it was the most affecting sound Rob had ever heard. He never wanted it to stop. He felt like nothing would ever be the same again after it ended.
And then it did, and Rob felt its hold over him dissolve like sea mist in the morning, leaving him without even a memory, just a feeling.
He blinked, trying to clear his vision, and when he opened his eyes, Felipe was there, sitting on a rock, tail a glimmer in the moonlight.
“You will leave soon,” said Felipe, and Rob was surprised again, because the merfolk never showed much understanding of the passage of time in the human world. “I wish I could show you my home before you go.”
It was the most serious Rob had ever heard him, and he felt a pang in his heart. “Me too,” he murmured.
“Not just for the research,” Felipe said, and slipped back into the sea.
It was probably for the best the project was ending, Rob thought, because he felt in real danger of getting closer to the research subject than the ethics committee might be happy with.
But that didn’t stop him feeling utterly elated when, on Monday morning, Claire greeted him with a beaming smile.
“Congratulations, Rob! The project has been so successful we’re going to extend it for another six months.”
He couldn’t wait to tell Felipe.