Elias plunged into the calm, warm ocean waters, surrounded on all sides by a vibrant coral reef, the beauty of which he had nurtured over the past few years. The saltwater stung slightly as it filled his mask, but he barely noticed—the familiar sensation felt like coming home. He cared for this reef like his own home, examining every detail with practiced eyes, recording everything related to this unique ecosystem in his waterproof notebook.

However, for some time, something had begun to bother him. Something he couldn't see, but which he could clearly feel—a prickle at the back of his neck, the sensation of eyes on him when no one should be there. Every time he dived deeper, he had the feeling that someone was... watching him.

At first, he thought it was just his imagination, tired after long hours in the water. But then, when he dove again, he began to notice something in the corner of his eye—quick, subtle movements, as if something large was moving just out of his reach. Maybe a shark? No... not here, there were no sharks in this area. Something else. Maybe a fish? Or maybe...?

Elias decided to be more vigilant. He began to dive in this area regularly, trying to catch that "something". Every time he tried to get close to the mysterious shape, it ran away so fast that he couldn’t tell what it was. But recently... recently, when he looked into the water, he saw something that made a huge impression on him – a large, colorful tail. Yes, it was what he had seen before, but now he could clearly see its shape and colors, shimmering like polished宝石 in the dappled sunlight.

Determined to capture what he had seen, Elias took out a pencil and quickly but precisely sketched the tail on a piece of paper while standing on the beach. The grains of sand stuck to his damp skin as he worked, the ocean breeze tangling his dark hair. “What is this creature?” he wondered aloud, running a hand through his hair. “What could have such a large tail and be so agile that it always runs away from me?”

He decided to act. He set up waterproof cameras on the reef to capture any evidence of this mysterious entity. When he connected the cameras to his laptop the next day, his hands trembled with anticipation. He couldn’t believe his eyes. On the screen appeared something that looked like... a human, but instead of legs, it had a tail. It was the same tail that Elias had seen underwater.

The creature in the video approached the camera, looking as surprised as he was. It nudged the camera with a webbed hand, clearly seeing something like this for the first time. Elias stared at it in amazement – it was like a dream. A merman... was it a merman? Or was it just his imagination, which started to come up with more and more strange things?

Fascinated and determined to find out the truth, Elias decided that he had to meet this creature in person. He rummaged through his collection of beach treasures and selected a small, polished abalone shell on a silver chain—something that would surely attract the attention of this strange, mysterious being. He went to the right place at dawn, when the light filtered perfectly through the water, and hid behind one of the largest corals, his heart pounding against his ribs.

Moments passed, and Elias' heart beat faster and faster, until he finally saw what he had been waiting for with hope and impatience. It swam through the water, gracefully and freely, just like the mermen from myths. Elias felt his breath catch in his throat. This wasn't just a fantasy. This was reality.