A real mermaid discovered in a fisherman’s net
in Tri Nguyen ?
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) - May 10, 2033 - A fisherman was surprised to find a mermaid, a mythical figure of the Greeks, in his nets.
The fisherman did not notice the mermaid right away. It was his nets that caught his attention. They shone like gold, and upon closer inspection, he found that they had been indeed transformed into gold thread while fishing. Seized by both fear and the prospect of making a good deal, he hurried to unload his cargo. That's when he found the mermaid.
The villagers rushed to admire her beauty. The children's eyes gaped, the women shouted in joyful surprise, the men stared at the mermaid's beautiful breasts. The mermaid sang, the villagers talked and the children laughed. Everyone understood each other perfectly.
The mermaid was given a small house by the water to make her feel at home. In gratitude, she took care of the children while their mothers worked. Soon the children were no longer attending school. They preferred the mermaid's lessons and learned more and faster.
The villagers loved their mermaid so much that they decided to protect her from other humans. They persuaded the curious scientists that the mermaid did not really exist. This was convenient for everyone. During the tourist season, the mermaid would go out to sea with the fishermen and help them select the commonest and most nutritious fish.
When she came back from her sea escapades, she would bring back fish for the children wrapped in plastic, birds contaminated with oil and shells full of heavy metals. Everyone thought it was disgusting and dangerous. Each time the mermaid asked the inhabitants: "What would you give up to prevent this from happening ? And each time, some children laughed and found an answer, and others found something else that could replace that renunciation.
And so, after a year, the fifty or so families living in Tri Nguyen no longer needed anything from the city. They had given up what they lacked, and replaced it with something that fulfilled them.