The Sea

XVII

The cave is like a maze. There are so many turns to take. The underwater cavern is so big. It's easy to get lost in a place so massive.

For every left and right, the girl takes a gamble. She could end up at a dead end or an infinite loop of circles. Her air is running out. She needs to get out. She needs to take this pressure off her lungs, but how? This place is a puzzle that she doesn't know how to fix. It's impossible to map and her head's already in a haze. She's slowly starting to panic. It doesn't help that she can't see anything. She feels like the walls are caving in. She's losing hope to seeing the end of the tunnel.

Until, there came a force that slithered beside her leg. It's so fast and subtle she almost didn't notice. A chill runs down her spine. Her hairs stand on its ends. Her head darts from side to side, trying to comprehend what just happened. "Who's there?" she wants to ask but couldn't.

As if it understands the girl, the creature slithers close to her. She senses it circling around, inching closer as the seconds pass. Finally, it stops. Right in front of her, she felt coldness as if air brushed on her skin. She still can't see anything, but she feels it, watching, staring... waiting.

The silence is unnerving. No one moves, not a sound. A moment later, the girl lifts her hand. One second passed, then two, until she recognize the feeling of goo. Her lips form a smile. She stays still, letting the creature do whatever it wants. She feels it rubbing its head against her palm. Her grin grows. She moves her hand and pets what she feels is its head. The creature let out a purr. The girl laughs.

It seems like she has wasted her remaining time as she gasps for air the moment she made a giggling sound. The creature jumps and snaps out of its trance. The moment its eyes lay on her form, the girl feels getting dragged through the water. Everything is going slow motion, though it seems like there are cuts in the scene before her. One minute she's submerged, then the next she's being lifted off of the water. She spits out the liquid in her lungs. She gasps for deep breaths, closing her eyes. She opens them again once she calms down. When she looks beside her, the creature is gone.

The girl sits up confused. She's in like a chamber drained of the water. A faint light is streaming from a hole on the wall. From where is the source, she doesn't know. She thinks of the creature. "No," she shakes her head, "it's not an illusion." She stares at her hand. The whole of her palm is covered in slime. On her finger is a string covered in shine. She then gazes out the water and smiles.

"You're not a monster," she says in the gentlest voice she could muster. "You're simply someone I deemed myself as evil."

She bows her head. A monster is made. A monster is not born. A monster, whatever kind it is, still has emotions. It's okay to feel afraid. It's okay to be scared. It's okay to be vulnerable, because this will be her strength.

"Thank you, dearest friend."