𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐒 | privation; a state in which things that are essential for human well-being are scarce or lacking.
Esmerelda had suffered through some pretty awful summer vacations before like that one time she was nearly sacrificed to a world-end...
Forbidden tangoooooo!!! It starts at the very end, so once you're done reading all of this, you can go straight to the Church of Essie!
ETHAN COULD STILL HEAR THE echo of Esmerelda's screams even in his dreams, and even when he woke up, he could still hear them.
His awakening wasn't peaceful. His throat felt like it was ripping itself apart from how much he was screaming and his limbs were flailing every which-way. Suddenly he felt something constrict around him and at first he thought he was about to get dragged away by the tendrils again, until he heard a familiar voice shouting in his ear:
"Ethan! It's okay! You're okay!" Frank was saying. The younger boy literally had him wrapped up in a bear hug to restrain him.
Ethan's whole body was shaking from head to toe. "Where's Essie? Where's Essie?! Where is she?!"
He shook his head. "She's not here, she's back at the ship! Ethan, you need to listen to me: you're having a panic attack!"
Ethan's ears were ringing. She was back at the ship?! The same one that was getting assaulted by some gigantic shrimp monster?! He thought back to the last time he saw her; screaming and trying to reach out for him as the monster's tendrils drew closer to her. What if they had grabbed her and dragged her into the water? What if she drowned? Got crushed to death, or—
Suddenly his horrifying thoughts were cut off by a loud bark and a tongue licking at his face.
He blinked.
What?
He looked to the side, just now realizing that Frank was no longer trying to restrain him. Instead, the kid was gone, and sitting at his spot was now a golden retriever.
He stared at it, and the dog stared back. It had a really expressive face. It was almost human-like how the dog looked so sheepish and awkward.
"Frank?" He said dumbly.
Frank the dog barked in confirmation. He then shifted back into his human form, his face a hundred times more sheepish than before.
"You were panicking, and I didn't know what to do. The first thing that came to mind was 'therapy dog' so... yeah..." He finished, scratching the back of his head.
Ethan wasn't exactly feeling anything therapeutic from this, but he appreciated the sentiment.
"You're still really pale," Frank pointed out worryingly.
