Latty’s mother looked up at him slowly and nodded. Tears rolled down her cheeks again.
“Please,” she begged, holding his leg. “Help me look for my daughter. I don’t know what happened to her.”
Eba felt pain pierce his chest. He looked around the compound, hoping, wishing to see Latty sitting somewhere, listening quietly.
But she was not there.
Meanwhile, inside his room, Latty’s father stood by the window, watching everything with a grin on his face.
“Good-for-nothing girl,” he whispered to himself.
He turned and walked outside calmly. He went straight to Eba and placed an arm around his shoulder, acting friendly.
“Come,” he said, pulling Eba away from the crying woman.
He led him behind the house.
“You see?” he said quietly. “We may not see Latty again.”
Eba pulled back in shock.
“What?”
But the man continued smiling.
“You can still marry my other daughter.”
Eba stared at him in disbelief.
“I don’t understand,” he said slowly. “Your daughter is missing, and you are telling me this?”
His voice was full of anger and pain. He shook his head and walked away without another word.
Latty’s father stood there alone, confused.
“What did I say wrong?” he asked himself.
Inside one of the huts, Toro sat with her mother. They were eating and laughing as if nothing had happened.
“Are you sure Papa is not responsible for Latty’s disappearance?” Toro asked, laughing softly.
Her mother waved her hand carelessly.
“Who cares?” she replied, laughing back. “She was always a problem.”
They continued laughing, mocking the situation as if it were a joke.
Outside, Latty’s mother could not cry anymore. Her tears had dried, but the pain was still burning inside her. She stood up slowly, ignoring the people trying to stop her. She tied her wrapper and began walking around the village again, screaming her daughter’s name.
“Latty, my child, Latty!”
Her voice was weak now, but she did not stop.
People who saw her shook their heads sadly. Some whispered prayers. Some looked away.
In Toro’s hut, laughter continued. They mocked the crying woman, copying her voice and laughing harder.
The sun climbed higher in the sky, shining on cruelty, lies, and pain.
Back in the mermaid’s home, Latty sat quietly, still holding on to the mermaid’s arm. The place smelled different, like clean water and strange flowers. Latty could hear faint sounds outside, like soft singing far away. Her mind was full of confusion.
“So this place,” she asked slowly, “is not the world I know?”
