Midnight Catch
Arif, a 17-year-old boy, rows his tiny wooden boat into the dark waters of the Bay of Bengal. The moon glows above, silver and silent. His hands are blistered from fishing nets. His mind, heavy with worry. With his father gone and mother ill, every fish he catches feeds their survival.
But that night, something strange happens.
Out in the waves, he sees her.
A girl.
Swimming alone in the moonlight.
Her hair floats like ink in water. Her skin glows faintly. Her eyes shimmer like the stars.
Afraid she might drown, Arif pulls her aboard.
She's calm. Smiling.
"I was just… hungry," she says softly. "Do you have fish?"
Arif, confused but mesmerized, gives her a freshly caught hilsa.
She eats quietly, eyes never leaving his.He asks her name. She says: "Aleya."Where is she from? "Near the sea land," she answers.
Before he can ask more, she slips back into the water and disappears.