Horror: Three Plus One (Part One)

(First chapter's up. I'll try to post three today, too.)

That day, Er Dongsheng came back with another pouchful of shellfish. He planned to make scallop soup and treat himself properly! Grilled scallops were just too awful. Boiled ones were better, even if they took more work.

He built a fire, put the shucked shellfish into a section of bamboo, and set it over the flames to boil. He had no seasonings, but the faint aroma of shellfish simmering in water still drifted through his little tent, filling it with a fragrance that whetted his appetite.

He had built a small treehouse at the edge of the southern forest as a temporary home.

Suddenly, a tiny figure flew out of the trees. Fluttering her little wings, she hovered at a distance and watched Er Dongsheng. Her tiny nose caught the scent of scallops, and drool began to drip from her mouth.

She was the little mermaid he had caught that day. He had no idea whether flying mermaids existed, but he might as well call her one. She was just a little unusual.

After Er Dongsheng let her go, the little thing had gradually grown familiar with him. She always showed up when he was about to eat, though she remained wary of him and never dared come too close.

When it came to food, though, she accepted it without a trace of hesitation.

Er Dongsheng shook his head, picked a piece of scallop meat from the bamboo, and held it out on a leaf. He gave her only one piece not because he was stingy, but because the little thing's stomach was tiny. The scallop was so plump that one piece was more than enough for her.

Watching the little thing wolf down her food on the leaf gave