Free Blue Nymph: An Adult Fantasy Romance Tale by Eden Redd Page A

throb with terror and fear. Hands out and pointed, the nymph slipped into the water without a splash and barely a ripple. Down deep she dived, fish moving aside as their friend swam to the bottom and clutched at a tall thin rock.
    Looking up, the nymph cowered by her safety stone. The surface was bright from sunlight and fish swam but nothing else moved. Time marched on and the young nymph held on for dear life to her stone. As she began to relax, she let out an underwater laugh. She was being silly. That twig could have been broken by Old Bear as he wandered the forest. The silly bear has been acting odd with his old age and grumpier than usual.
    Ilara slowly let go of her safety stone and let her body rise to the surface. Head and eyes floated above the water line to peek around. At first everything seemed normal. No sign of Old Bear or anything else. Turning, the nymph heard another twig snap. Eye opening wider, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
    A young man had dropped his back at the forest edge next to her pond. Next he dropped a staff he was carrying and took in a deep breath. Ilara couldn’t believe she was seeing a man. It had been years since she last saw a human and it was a frightful experience. It was enough for her to hide farther into the forest, away from her sisters. No humans come out this far. Why was this man here, now?
    The man wore a travelling robe. His hair was long and tied back. Broad shoulders moved as he fished into his pack and pulled out rods and sheets. Ilara couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he worked. He had scruffy hair on his chin and along his jawbone. Bright eyes looked around calmly as he began assembling something.
    Ilara’s first instinct was to dive under and wait for as long as it took for him to leave. Instead she treaded water, watching the man assemble a simple tent. Long forgotten urges welled up as she watched the man work. It had been so long since she had seen one in the flesh. Her fears made her keep her distance but she noticed this human didn’t carry a bow and arrows. It was enough to ease her tension but only a drop.
    The man finished building his tent. He reached into his pack and took out a small axe. Ilara stared as he went to a small tree and began chopping at it. The sudden cries of the young tree were enough to cause Ilara to look away in sorrow. When the final chop sliced through, the tree became silent and Ilara wished it a good journey to the next life.
    The man chopped the downed tree into sections and carried them over to his camp site. Building a fire pit with rocks, he placed the large logs in the middle and dusted off his hands.
    “Now maybe some fish for meals.” The man said to no one in particular.
    Ilara’s eyes bulged as the man reached into his pack and pulled out fishing string, hook and a jar filled with writhing worms. The nymph slipped under and her heart beat with worry. Floating in the gloom of the pond, she waited. It wasn’t long before the man’s fishing line was cast in and it bobbed. Along the line was a small stick tied to it so it could keep the line and hook afloat.
    Fish moved in to investigate, eyeing the worm wriggling on the hook. One fish moved in closer. Ilara shook her head, trying to tell him not to take the bait. The fish eyed her and then the worm. Hunger won out and the fish bit the swaying worm. A tug and a pull and the fish was hauled up, hooked on the line.
    Ilara’s fear turned into a storming fury. She had runaway to be as far away from man as possible and now one has set up camp and eating her friends. Hands clenched, she kicked her legs and swam to the surface. Silently breaking the water, she watched as the man smiled and pulled up the fish he caught. Letting the fish flop on land, the man used the back of his axe and brought it down with a wet crunch.
    Ilara clutched at her chest as the man went to the water’s edge and cast his line in once again. Fear and rage swirled. She was unsure what to do