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You might find yourself walking on the beach alone one day. The sky is slightly overcast, but the air is still warm enough for the breeze coming off the sea to feel refreshing. The usual laughter of children is replaced by the sound of seagulls, and instead of limbs splayed out to tan, you’re dodging pretty seashells, not wanting to be the reason they become cracked. But they all crack sooner or later.

As your feet sink into the sand with each heavy step, you consider taking off your shoes. As you look out into the water, you consider getting in. Something about it looks so inviting today.

Suddenly, you notice a flash in the distance. You squint, wondering if there could possibly be dolphins this close to the shore. It must have just been a regular fish, made larger by your imagination.

But no, there it is again – two of them! You could swear that the two green tails you’d seen briefly poking out of the water were human-sized.

You’re not sure why that’s the word that came to your mind first. Surely you meant dolphin-sized? How big are dolphins, anyway?

You walk slowly towards the waves, hoping to see more of whomever was out there. Instead, a young woman’s face emerges, her wet auburn hair stuck to her pink and smiling face. She’s so stunning you almost look away. Instead, you wave, vaguely concered – where had she come from? Had she seen the large fish? What if they’re dangerous?

She waves back. “The water’s gorgeous today! Are you coming in?” she calls out to you.

“Oh, I’m just here for a walk,” you call back, involuntarily taking another step towards the water. An over-eager wave reaches for your shoes and you barely notice.

“So am I!” she giggled and dove back in.

“Hey, wait for me!” You hear another voice a dozen feet to the left of the first woman. You barely see the second one before she dives in after the first, but you thought you caught a flash of green around her head.

You watch them play in the water, chasing and splashing each other, and then notice another flash of the tail.

“Watch out!” you call. “There’s something in the water!”

The second woman suddenly emerges just a few feet from where you’re standing, her dark eyes sparkling with mischief. “It’s just us, silly.”

“You should join us,” the first one invites you in again, her head bobbing out of the water close to the other. You take another involuntary step towards them.

“Oh, I would, but I didn’t bring a towel or a bathing suit…” Your brain vaguely registers water reaching up to your ankles.

“That’s okay,” says the second one. The water glistens against her dark skin. You can’t decide which one is more beautiful. In fact, you find yourself a bit tongue-tied. Beautiful women were always a weakness of yours, and these two are a whole other world from the women you usually meet.

“I think she’s a bit shy,” the first one says to the second, and they both giggle. You blush, not able to argue. You realise you’ve taken a couple more steps towards them, and the bottom of your skirt is getting quite soaked.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” the second one says, noticing your concern. “After all, things always dry again on land.” You suppose she’s right, and continue walking slowly towards them. A wave hits you with unexpected force, and you let out a yelp of surprise.

The women let out peals of laughter like windchimes swaying in the sea breeze. Suddenly, something strong and scaly hits the backs of your ankles and you lose your balance. Before you’re able to register what has happened, you’re sprawled out on the sand, half-submerged in water.

You hear an “oh no!” and a splash, and suddenly the two women’s faces are right above yours.

“Are you okay?” asks the first one, her green eyes wide with concern. You notice the shade of green matches that of the tails you saw earlier. You also notice her hand lightly caressing your hip.

“You took quite a fall,” says the second one as she runs her fingers through your hair, half of which is now in the sea. You shiver slightly with pleasure.

You’re too tongue-tied to respond, so you nod dumbly. Close up, you can see that the second one is wearing a wreath of seaweed and shells around her head. You wonder briefly how it stays intact in the water.

“Oh dear,” the first one says. “I think she’s in shock.” You suddenly catch a glimpse of a green tail again, this time impossibly close. You look around for the rest of the fish’s body.

“What are you looking for, beautiful?” the second one asks. Her eyes are the same shade of green, almost unnaturally light against her dark skin.

“There’s – a fish,” you sputter out.

“Didn’t we tell you, silly?” she says. “It’s just us in here.” You think you see the tip of a tail fin flash behind her head.

“I think we’re scaring her,” says the first one. “Don’t worry, we’re not here to hurt you.”

You nod. You feel a deep certainty that you can trust them.

“Well, we can’t let you go home like this, can we?” the second one says.

“No, she might have a concussion,” says the first. “I think we should take her to our house.”

“Would you like to come home with us?” the second one asks you. “It’s real nice down there.”

Down where? you wonder vaguely. You think you already know. You consider protesting, but the fingers in your hair and the hand running up and down your side quiet any concerns you may have had. You feel so relaxed…

The first one’s face is inches from yours, and your hand involuntarily moves up to touch it. The tips of your fingers graze her soft cheek, wet from the sea. “We’ll take care of you,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “You just have to say yes.”

You’ve barely finished uttering the monosyllable when her lips lock with yours and her arms wrap around you. You close your eyes and lean into the kiss, your whole body burning with pleasure, as she lifts you off the sand and pulls you in. You hear the second one’s laughter like music beside you. A moment later, you’re fully submerged.