Nene tried to cover her face with her hands, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Amara rushed to Chijioke and placed her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him.
“Chijioke, please don’t shout. Please calm down,” Amara said, her voice shaking.
Chijioke’s eyes were still wide and he was trembling.
“Mama, what is that? Why does she have a fish tail? Is she a witch? Is she going to eat us?” Chijioke cried, stepping backward.
Amara felt tears gather in her own eyes. She did not know how to explain it to her young son.
“She is not a witch, Chijioke. She is a mermaid, but she needs our help. She is not here to hurt us,” Amara explained, kneeling down to his level.
Chijioke shook his head, tears dropping from his eyes.
“Mama, the elders say mermaids take people’s souls into the river. They say mermaids are dangerous,” he said, sniffing and wiping his tears with the back of his hand.
Amara hugged him tightly.
“Chijioke, not all mermaids are bad. This one is sick and pregnant. The hunters wanted to kill her and her baby. We cannot let them do that. We must help her,” Amara whispered into his ear.
Chijioke’s body was shaking as he looked at Nene, who was still lying on the mat, her silver tail shining in the dim light of the hut.
Nene slowly removed her hands from her face and looked at Chijioke with tears in her eyes.
“I will not hurt you. I promise. I just want to be safe,” Nene said softly.
Chijioke swallowed hard, looking into Nene’s eyes.
Amara held his hand tightly.
“Please, Chijioke, promise me you will not tell anyone. If people find out, they will take her away and kill her, and they will punish us too.”
Chijioke looked at his mother, then at the crying mermaid, then back at his mother.
He nodded slowly, tears still in his eyes.
“I will not tell anyone, Mama,” Chijioke said softly.
Amara hugged him tightly and kissed his head.
“Thank you, my son,” she whispered.
Chijioke looked at Nene again, his eyes softer now.
“Are you hungry?” he asked shyly.
Nene managed a weak smile, her eyes full of gratitude.
“Yes. Thank you,” Nene whispered.
Amara stood up quickly, wiping her tears. She moved to the corner of the hut to prepare some hot pap for Nene.
But deep inside her heart, Amara was afraid. She knew that Mama Jadeeka would come back, and if she found out about the mermaid, the whole village would hear about it. She also knew the hunters would soon realize the mermaid was missing and would begin searching every house.
Amara did not know how long she could keep Nene safe in her hut. But she knew she would try, because deep in her heart she felt this was not just an ordinary mermaid. This was something bigger, something spiritual, something connected to the destiny of her family.
The sun was already high in the sky when Amara finished washing her children’s clothes and sweeping the compound. She was trying to act normal, but inside she was terrified. She kept remembering how she had hidden Nene, the pregnant mermaid, in her hut, and how her son Chijioke had promised not to tell anyone.
But deep inside, she knew the hunters would come looking.
And they did.
Hours later, three hunters with guns and angry faces entered the village. They were asking everyone they met on the road who had gone to the river early that morning to fetch water. They said the person had left a clay pot there, but no one knew whose it was. The hunters even described the pot and where it had been found, but no one had any idea.
The hunters themselves had not seen Amara’s face that morning, so they could not describe her. They went from house to house, knocking on doors and asking people, “Did you see who went to the river early this morning?”
Everyone said no.
The hunters were becoming angry. They felt someone in the village was hiding something.
Finally, they arrived at Amara’s small mud house.
Amara was pounding cassava in a mortar when she heard a loud knock on the door. Her heart jumped. She wiped the sweat from her face with her wrapper and went to open the door.
The three hunters were standing there, looking angry and tired.
“Good afternoon,” Amara greeted them, trying to smile.
“Good afternoon,” one of the hunters replied coldly. “We are looking for the woman who went to the river early this morning to fetch water. She left her pot there.”
He looked directly into Amara’s eyes.
Amara’s heart was beating very fast, but she controlled herself. She took a deep breath and replied calmly, “I do not know who went to the river this morning. I have been here since early morning, pounding cassava.”
The hunters looked inside the small hut, but saw nothing suspicious. Amara stood firmly, praying silently that they would leave.
After a few seconds, the hunters shrugged and turned away, leaving Amara’s compound.
Amara quickly shut the door and leaned against it, her chest rising and falling fast.
She knew she could not keep the mermaid in her hut anymore, or the hunters might return and search her house.
That night, when the moon was shining in the sky and the stars were blinking brightly, Amara called her children, Chijioke and his younger sister, Nenna.
“Chijioke, Nenna,” she whispered, “Mama is going somewhere. I want you to lock the door from inside and do not open it for anyone until I return.”
“Mama, where are you going at night?” Chijioke asked, worried.
“I will come back soon, my son. Just do as I say,” Amara said, touching his cheek.
The children nodded, and Amara covered Nene the mermaid with a large wrapper, tying it around her to hide her fishtail. She opened the door gently, looked left and right to make sure no one was watching, and then carried Nene on her back like a baby.
Nene was weak, but managed to wrap her hands around Amara’s neck as Amara carried her through the small bush paths toward the river.
Amara was frightened as she walked. Every sound of crickets and frogs made her heart jump. She was afraid of meeting someone on the way, but she kept moving.
Finally, they reached the river.
