“The melody of your flute drew me here. I came to see with my own eyes the source of my healing.”
In fact, Feza had been suffering from an incurable illness, and it was by listening every evening to the repeated melodies of Dan’s flute that she had finally been healed.
The great priestess had told her that she must forever be grateful for that sound, wherever it came from. For it was the answer of the Mother to her greatest wish. It was the fulfillment of a prophecy—the melody of a chosen child, a child with a pure heart, a child with an innocent soul.
And Dan knew none of this and understood none of it.
“Will you come back again?” Dan asked her.
“Yes, if you keep believing,” Feza replied.
“I will always believe,” Dan said. “One day, when I grow up, I’ll marry you.”
Feza smiled. “But I am a spirit of the river. Our two worlds are very different.”
“I don’t care,” Dan answered.
Days passed.
Dan visited the river every evening, playing his flute and looking into the water.
Feza often appeared.
They talked and laughed.
He told her about his family and his village, and she told him stories about the kingdom of mermaids and life beneath the waves.
Dan brought Feza candies, and Feza sang for him.
“Here, this is for you,” Dan said, holding out a sweet to Feza.
“Is this what humans eat?” Feza asked.
“Yes, but not only this. These are called candies.”
“Candies?” Feza asked.
“Yes. All boys my age love them.”
“What a funny name,” Feza replied, laughing.
