Innocence Was Bliss

2: The Ship Graveyard

"We're almost there, Flounder!" Ariel said to the already-shaking-with-fear yellow and blue tropical fish.

"You've been saying that for the past 30 minutes!" Flounder complained.

It was true. Ariel had hardly convinced and then dragged Flounder to explore a ship graveyard. He was the only one she had come along with her. Nobody would dare disobey her father, king Triton, ruler of Atlantica, over the prohibition of nearing humans or human artifacts.

But Ariel couldn't help it. Her curiosity was a both a blessing and a curse. Although her father would thoroughly declare it to be a flaw. It got her in trouble, more than once. It caused her to forget things, important things.

Bubbles formed around her as she dashed through the water. She found a sunken mast, very likely it was one day grand and the talk of a town. She held onto it, feeling her thick, red hair float around her.

"Ariel, wait for me!" Flounder called out breathlessly.

Ariel turned towards him sharply. "Flounder, hurry up." It was deep in the ocean, dark and gloomy.

Flounder came up, panting. "You know I can't swim that fast."

Ariel pointed to a spot were a singular ray of sunshine hit the sunken ship perfectly. Ariel smiled and whispered, "There it is. Isn't it fantastic?"

"Yeah, sure. It's great," Flounder said sarcastically. "Now let's get out of here."

He went to swim away but Ariel grabbed his fins. "Oh! You're not getting cold fins now, are you?" She began swimming closer to the boat.

"Who, me? No way." Flounder followed Ariel. Then he began a nervous ramble while Ariel neared and explored the ship. "It's just it, uh, it looks in there. Yeah. And I think I might be coming down with something. Yeah, got this cough." Flounder forced a cough.

Ariel looked at him with a smirk, seeing clean through his lie. She found a window and looked inside. "All right, I'm going inside." She looked at Flounder. "You can just stay here and watch for sharks." She smiled wickedly and headed in.

Obliviously Flounder said, "okay, yeah. You go. I'll stay and-" fear flashed over his green eyes. "What? Sharks? Ariel!" He dashed into the window, getting caught there. He grunted, unable to get through. "Ariel, I can't... I mean.... Ariel, help!"

In the darker lighting of the ship, Ariel turned around and laughed. "Oh, Flounder." She swam up to him.

"Ariel," He whispered. She grappled Flounders fins and pulled. "Do you really think there are sharks around here?"

"Flounder, don't be such a guppy."

"Im not a guppy."

Ariel gave one final tug and Flounder was pulled through the window with a grunt and a pop. They continued their excursion, going deep into the ship.

"This is great," Flounder mumbled to himself. The ominous, decaying wood of the ship around him said otherwise. "I mean, I really love this. Excitement. Adventure. Danger lurking around every corn-" Flounder gave a blood-curdling scream and backed away, bumping into something which cause the wood above him to fall. "Ariel!" Flounder hurtled into Ariels arms, bubbles everywhere.

Ariel looked down at him. "Oh, are you okay?"

Flounders teeth were shaking. Heck, his whole body was trembling and he had a traumatized look about his eyes. "Yeah, sure. No problem. Im okay."

Ariel shushed him and pointed up. They swam through a whole in the ship, one leading to a second story. Ariel peered inside, looking at every detail. Then her eyes caught onto a shining, silver object.