“Lauri?!” he practically yelled into the receiver. The house was suddenly full of glory and joy and everything happy—

“Hello, this is CI, we’d like to tell you about our newest product—”

He hung up and sniffled into his sleeve. The glory and joy and happiness departed swiftly. The hope in his heart was crushed by the ten ton rock of cold, unforgiving reality.

Slowly, forlornly, he sat down on the couch with a melancholy plop. The quilt she had embroidered lay on the arm, depicting a mighty Poseidon. He had never known why she liked Poseidon so much…until now. He couldn’t bear to look at it. But when he threw it down, he saw the stain where he had spilled caviar when trying it. Lauri’s a mermyd! taunted a voice in his head. Across the room, the empty fishbowl. Mermyd! it cackled. On the coffee table, her collection of seashells from her deep-sea diving. _Mermyd! it shrieked triumphantly. He couldn’t take it: he ran outside, desperately, bitterly, wishing for the past he could never have again.