CHAPTER 8 – TRUST

Finally finishing my fabric project, I realized that no matter how skilled I am, the material leaves much to be desired.

I threw the poorly made cloth on the sand and observed the baskets and backpack that Krahs had made. Both looked really flimsy and were about to fall apart. The material here is not suitable.

I opened the store and began browsing. Lilay was by my side, sucking on a crab and watching me as if he didn’t understand what I was doing.

I simply ignored him and continued analyzing various plants in the store. This planet seems to only have aquatic plant species. I haven’t seen a tree, bush, or cactus.

— Or maybe the items sold here are only those known by mermaids... That wouldn’t help me much.

But soon, I was caught off guard by a plant that looked like bamboo. I quickly read the description to see if it was what I had been looking for.

— Moreira Algae, a plant that looks like a yellow moray eel stretched up to the surface. It grows and multiplies very quickly, making it great for creating ambush hunting grounds. Its stem is hard, but flexible enough to make harpoons and tridents.

— Found it! Finally, a base material to start a civilization! But... how do I get this without Krahs suspecting?

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I looked at the middle pool and thought about leaving the nest, but then a strange fear grew in my heart. It’s been two weeks since I arrived in this world, but I haven’t even had the courage to spend my salary. Now, this dilemma seemed even greater.

— If something strange suddenly appears in the nest and Krahs throws it away out of fear... Or if he suspects I’m different and...

I sighed. Something was stopping me from trusting him. Just like I used to do with my real family. No matter how much I loved them, I never had the courage to show my true self, and I ended up distancing myself.

— If I distance myself from Krahs, my life will get harder and harder. After all, he’s an adult, and I’m just a child.

I looked at Lilay fighting with a crab beside me while I reflected. Is this what I want? To distance myself or reveal myself?

— I never had a father to deal with this dilemma before... And I’m too scared to go out and pretend that I magically found something.

I sat on the sand and crawled closer to the central pool, watching it. Unlike the outside, where the sea was rough, here it was calm, with no waves. You couldn’t see anything below the surface.

That’s when Krahs finally returned. He came up calmly from the water and noticed that I was watching the exit with curiosity.

— Were you waiting for me, little one?

His hand gently passed through my hair and messed it up. Many thoughts passed through my mind, but no solutions.

— I want to trust... But I’m afraid he won’t want to be near me anymore.

As much as I wanted to speak, I could only stutter without forming solid words. Krahs didn’t seem to mind as he came out of the water and sat on the sand.

— How am I supposed to conquer this world if I don’t even have the courage to trust someone who could have left me but chose to stay and take care of me?

I calmed my doubts and tried something I wasn’t sure would work. I focused and tried to say something Krahs could truly understand.

— da... daddy.