Sea Spell

Chapter Nine

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Hazy images of the drab chamber bounced off the walls of her head, rebounding in all directions. It felt as if each of her senses were from alternate universes- they didn't match up. Grits of sand were ensnared in the gaps of her teeth. They snaked down the roof of her throat like it was an hourglass as she arched her back.
Lingering in the far corner of the room was the creature, slumping over a colossal pot made of shimmering stones. They were of washed-out colors, warped by time and the ocean currents, molded by hardened clay and a steady craftsmanship. Its black eyes had a malicious gleam to them, as if it possessed a secret. Bubbling liquids churned inside it, casting out a medley of bizarre shades that darkened and illuminated her surroundings. Winding paths of steam hovered around the cave, their aromas tingling at her nostrils.
On a rickety shelf, there were glass jars topped with oiled corks, of various substances, some writhing and others still. Shards of jellyfish strands and what appeared to be decaying fish scales flopped her stomach inside out. Was she it's next specimen, it's next experiment?
The monster both appalled and amused her, nearly possessing fairness in its odd demeanor. It clasped a spiral, textured bone from the shelves and ground at it with a rock until tidbits of marrow rained into the mixture, grains of white rice.
Lying beside a clump of cuttlefish was a metal drawer, so concealed that it almost slipped her gaze. An intricate golden chain protruded from it, glinting in the light when she looked at it a certain way. It was in near-perfect condition, unlike any other object here. Including her.

Earlier, eating had seemed trivial and unimportant. She had planned to fish in the coral reefs or scavenge for fruit on the shoreline later. Now, she couldn't believe how foolish she was to put it off for so long. Hunger gnawed at her sides in jabbing pangs, stirring forth childhood memories of staring into space to escape the feeling. Lanakila rolled onto her stomach, surveying her surroundings. Sometimes, she had learned, any distraction is better than facing the truth.

Most memories were easier to blockade, she'd envision a monumental cement wall that divided her two sides of reality. There was a side of the wall filled with exotic and vivid flashbacks. It was a rainforest, untamed and unpredictable. On the other side of the wall lay what her grandmother defined as "common sense with a dash of moving on." This side of her was dull and consistent, but it was also her safe haven.

You can only stay in one place for so long without becoming curious of what's on the other side...

As she evaluated her new living quarters, it seemed her only means of escape would be to swim through the entrance and all the way to the mouth of the cave. With her infant tail, and sore injuries, she'd never make it out alive.

From her observation, it spoke no clear language, whistling with a series of clicking sounds in a hollow, flat monotone. Occasionally, it would peer at her swiftly, a look of longing in its expressions.
Her cell was utterly bare, scraped of any resources for survival. It was uncanny for the normally warm waters she was accustomed to to plunge to frigid temperatures. Imprisoned in this peculiar cave, hidden from the light and the currents that swept heat across the ocean, she would shrink into a sack of bones, in this skeleton of a world.
Craning her neck, she leaned to get an idea of what the rest of the room was like. Jutting out from the wall were multiple other coral traps, producing a cry or shrill consistently.
Claustrophobia settled in, space creeping in slowly over the hours. She chiseled sluggishly at the coral bars with a seashell to pass time, knowing deep down that they would not give in. Her newborn tail rested unmoving on the ground, refusing to stir or tread. Swimming for the first time, and being captured, had weakened her physicality to its breaking point.

The potion brewing in was complete, the fizzing dissipating until airy bubbles pierced the surface. Dancing tribally around it, the sea monster began to sing:

"White be narrow, clean be toned. Strength be marrow, pretty bones. Tasty, filling, useful too, I will take the bones from you..."

It trailed off, pausing to flash once more its disturbing smile as it winked at her. Tried to wink, two wrinkled eyelids rolling inside it's skull instead.
Worming her way to the far wall, Lana flattened her nose on the refreshing stone. Hot tears formed at her eyes, the salt of them mingling with that of the ocean. They were invisible and blue, disappearing before they had the chance to appear. She was the single person, single mermaid, who knew the truth, who knew how truly alone she felt. Mermaids don't cry, she had heard, which was untrue. They disguised it.

Wafting over to her cage, the creature pulled itself up to face her squarely, purple tentacles framing its face. It seemed solemn, at a loss for words as it moved its lips awkwardly.
She watched, silent as it scrawled with a slate of marble rock on the cave walls. The print was sloppy and juvenile, thick at the base as if paint were dripping down.

They call me The Widower.
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Here is the much-awaited Chapter Nine! I hope this was actually worth the wait and not as crappy as I'm thinking it is.
Thanks so much for all the new reads/followers!
xoxo
payton.