Beyond the Trench

Chapter 1, Sink or Swim

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.  Sound slowly came to me as something banged near my head. My body felt strange,  it felt heavy and cold yet it seemed like I was suspended in space. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. As my mind began to register my surroundings I realized there was a constant sound, a steady shushing noise that became interrupted when I reached to rub my face. _Fuck! These aren't my hands, wait why is it so dark?_ I tried to kick myself free of the weight thinking I must have been in bed but my legs wouldn't move. Correction, a leg, a single leg moved but my foot felt so strange, large and -  lifting my head I realize I couldn't see my legs, but as I jerked and kicked a large glittering tail came into view, a fish tail?  I took in a rasping breath to find my mouth filling with water, spitting it out didn't do me any good as more rushed in to fill its space.  My chest grew tight with anxiety as my mind raced trying to understand what was happening. Oh, I died.

     Somehow the thought of dieing caused my brain to stop it's rampant racing which allowed my heart to steadily return to it's normal beat. _Alright, you're alright, you're fine. Just dead; you're an intelligent woman, maybe a fish now but let's figure this out._ out of habit  I went to speak but found that no sound emerged other than a bubbling moan. -_well, your apparently a fish under water in_ she shifted her gaze around studying the broken swollen timbers of a sunken ship.  -_under the sea, in a boat, as a fish. Yes I've established that but I think I'm still having a- I'm explaining things to myself again, I need to stop that._ .After struggling to use my fin I managed to roll herself over as I surveyed the level of the ship I was on _it looks like the second deck, not the storage area. Is this the ship I was on? That would serve him right for what he did._

     As I pulled myself away from the thoughts of his betrayal I realized I was slowly spinning as my fin twisted and flipped using itself like a rudder.  Contorting myself put my tail on full display, it looked like it was a deep maroon with iridescent fins extending from the sides as well as the center back. _oh, I have a dorsel fin; I think. The fins look so thin I can see the wreckage right through them.. are they pink?_ although I could see decently there didn't seem to be a great deal of light down here, which you know made sense. With a couple of flicks I managed to touch the wooden floor feeling the swollen grainy texture of the wood as I crawled awkwardly along it, my tail swishing behind me.

     There wasn't anything to distinguish this ship from the one I was on except this one seemed to have been down here for years, Did it take that long for a human to become a fish? Well, I suppose since I have hands-_ I touched by face passing my fingers across my eyes, brow, nose and lips _I'm a fucking mermaid. How did I become a mermaid?_ in my distraction my hand slid over something familiar, it appeared to be several strands of rope knotted together _ah,  net that might come in handy_ I mused as I continued finger crawling along the floor of the ship. I tied the scrap of jrt around my waist using it like a bag which came to hold a rusted knife, and a metal stein. I was surprised to find proper fabric although it was in strips.  With careful maneuvering I managed to bind my breasts, they were smaller than when I was human, more solid as they rested perfectly straight; as if gravity didn't exist in this place. _clothing, check, accessories, check, Now all I need is a handsome guard to ask for directions. I can see it now, good day Sir Fish, could you tell me how to get back to land? Oh and where to purchase a new set of legs! As you see I too am now a fish. What if he gets offended that I use the term fish? Do mermaids call themselves mermaids? I have to learn a whole new world of etiquette and policies to not offend the local lords. Although, I haven't seen anyone and I don't hear anything. Well, besides the haunting whoosh sound and the constant thunk.  But that's just a _ moving my head until I found the source caused my stomach to flip. _just skeleton in an air pocket._ covering my eyes seemed the best way to go about things.  Screaming would lead to the whole drowning not drowning thing again and we'll, I've natured since then."

     It took me longer than I'd care to admit before lifting myself up to stick my head into the air bubble, it was in the corner of the ship and barely any space at all.  It did however confirm that I was able to breathe air, like a human. A proper human with legs. Not that I could swim much better before I died.