Sea Spell

Chapter Thirteen

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The emptiness of her water-splurged travels had lead to something remarkable. Wallowing into a valley of lightened waters, the plants seemed to erupt, growing everywhere as if they were determined to dictate the grotto. Pastel flowers, not unlike the ones wrapped around the bridge bases, flourished and surged, some larger than Squidlip's infamous flapjacks. Their honey-soaked tastes, tingling with an aroma of clove and pumpkin, were barely remembered now, only aroused as she passed by the restaurant threshold or heard a jangling of entrance bells from the city streets.
It was breathtaking, scenery without wildlife, overgrown and unkept. Even coldhearted rocks were adorned with life, blooming in mosses and snail shells. This underwater garden was the polar opposite of where she had just been, so diverse from the caves. How could a simple coast host countless wonders of the world? How were they undiscovered, standing here in plain sight?
Clams, spread in a variety of sizes, roared silently as if they were gaping at her arrival. Exuberant coral beds, more spiriting and lively than any she had witnessed, withstood ground in the currents. Swarms of petite fish darted together nervously in and out of their homes, while bulgier life-forms stuck out survival alone. Starfish lay still, almost basking in the sunlight, while sea crabs dueled over scraps in the sand.
Lana was merely beginning to put a finger on what bustled before her. Nature prevailed, unaware or uncaring of her presence. Anything outside if it's ways would prove irrelevant- something she had learned ages ago, but was proved truthful to her now. A tenor growling of her stomach erupted at the ripening plants and her temptation. This was the perfect chance to round out her stomach, to take advantage of her luck.
Sparing not a minute longer, she plucked flowers from their vines, popping their heads off as Anadia would have with her childish chants. Stripping the vines from rocks, she ripped leaves from the undersides and balled them up. Twitting her fingers, she shoved the tangled mass into her mouth and was about to swallow when a blur of blue hues dashed towards her tail, nipping at the thin fins. Straddling figures held tightly on, jerking sloppily at her as she was shaken violently. Choking as the vines rolled a ways down her throat, she flapped her tail frantically and swatted at the petite beings. Merciless too, she realized when they burrowed underneath her scales, pecking and prying with dulled fingers. She went into a violent coughing, hacking fit, catapulting the vines from her throat, to bonk off her hips and settle in a clump of wet sand. Sheepishly detracting from from her body, the odd creatures retreated as quickly as they had provoked- making her question whether her mind was playing tricks. The peeling scales were an evidential reminder, she thought as she backed slowly away, towards the bridge. Tucking herself behind a pillar, she nearly broke her neck sneaking glances at the garden. If she stayed still, perhaps the creatures wound present theirselves once more.
After quite a lot of huffing impatiently and admiring random things catching her eye, she took a sharp inhale as the wispy blue faeries cautiously crept into the open.
They fiddled, buzzing about like a bee colony- always something to be tended to, something to be done. A clear leader was showcased as their high-pitched clatters echoed in waves across the waters. It prodded and chided at the others, never scolding but always reminding of the task at hand. Otherwise, they worked as a team, scrunching up their femininely delicate faces in concentration as every animal, every plant was looked after.
Nymphs, caretakers of all things natural. In this case, Oceanids, beings of the saltwater, she recalled. Having an extensive knowledge of mythology wasn't uncommon in the region, but it was certainly proving useful.
Fear had warped into fascination, for as a child and even now, she had been awed at the worlds of faerietales and magic in itself. Clumps of essence- could she even call it that? spiraled from their bodies and evaporated into the water. Everything they touched had an aftereffect of revitalization, straightening upwards and regaining strength. Without nymphs, this ecosystem would collapse, boney and barren.
Daring to get a closer look, she lightened at the laugh lines that lit up the corners of their mouths, the glowing freckles that bordered their cheekbones. Deeply set eyes and angular noses gave a look of regality and wisdom. So jovial and youthful were they, acting playfully curious as they chittered in flurries of groups. These particular creatures weren't entirely innocent, however; aware of the inflictions that foreign trespassers had on their world.
Forgivingness was smeared across Lanakila's face, whilst underneath a slightly guarded forbearing lay, as it did in nearly any change of heart.
Keeping her arms flattened across her chest, sure not to so much breathe in the direction of any wildlife, she approached them timidly from the outside and treaded water, observing until they took notice of her.
Cocking it's nose upwards with a sense of superiority, a bolder nymph turned to face the mermaid, looking her closely up and down. Lana held her breath, hovering on the edge of nerves. This appeared to be a test, a judgement of approval or rejection. Would she pass?
Arching its nearly invisible eyebrow, the nymph circled around her multiple times, narrowing its eyes. Feelings of uneasiness flopped to alienation as the creature held up a strand of her mousy hair, only to shudder at what it could possibly be and drop it in utter disgust. Luckily, a neutral pursing of the lips signaled satisfaction at her tail. Nodding slightly, as if she had barely swerved flunking it's inspection, the nymph waltzed away and gestured with it's companions. A few pulled their lips backwards or raised their eyes, obviously disagreeing with the leading one's statements. If they did, they were too respectful to voice their opinions, and much to Lanakila's delight, the nymphs approached her in a friendly manner. Tapping on her hands and tugging gently towards the rocks, they urged her to take a seat, pressing her downwards when she tried to raise up.
Tiny nymph thumbs massaged at her scales, flattening their bent corners. A few others examined her damaged fingers, tsk-tsking and turning them over. Instead of her usual swirling fingerprints, blue whirlpools swirled in her skin as a nymph pressed a skinny arm onto her. The nymph startled at the tattooed Spell engraved on her arm, disappearing hurriedly into a wavering anemone before returning, heaving a faded pearl under one arm. The pearl, antique and blackened from decay, was duller and gloomier than it's surroundings. She gave an oomph at the heavy pearl being plopped into her lap. As if trying to convey something, the creature stared at her knowingly, pointing at the pearl. Confused, Lana broke eye contact and shrugged the thought that it may be trying to tell her something away.
A cooling sensation came over her fingers, and although they were not restored to their normality, the mashed and jagged curves had rounded themselves out, looking scarred but healed nevertheless. She genuinely appreciated this, although it was not unlike trying to substitute a humble stump for intricate tree branches.
Occupying themselves with other scrapes and scabs, the nymphs hovered around her, making high-pitched noises, which seemed to be an ongoing routine. Her stomach rumbled, loudly embarrassing. Sympathetically, a nymph handed her the fallen mass of vines she had attempts to pick, watching with amusement as she wolfed it down greedily. The vines settled roughly in her stomach, tumbling about before only making her hungrier.
Taking a few paces backwards, the leader dusted off it's palms and nodded once more, this time with pride and accomplishment.
A hand signal was given, and the group dispersed back to pruning the reef. It hit Lanakila that the Oceanids hadn't taken a liking to her, they were simply doing their duty by healing a fellow sea-creature.
The reefs were once again empty, isolated from anything but an occasional water-logged gurgle, reflecting sun and plants dancing in the sea-wind.
It was astonishing, really.
Halfheartedly calling for the nymphs, knowing that they wouldn't appear now that she had been taken care of, she wobbled to and fro at the weight of the pearl. It was deadweight, holding her down, but she noticed now that the term, "something gained," had vanished similarly to its predecessor. The phrase below it, "something healed", was disappearing, but only halfway vanished...

Progress.
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hi
it's really late and I'm very tired so I might edit this and republish tomorrow, but here's a little teaser for right now. If you've seen any grammar/spelling/punctuation errors please point 'em out!
noticing a pattern in the storyline?
thanks for all the opinions I've been receiving lately, they're really helpful.
xoxo
payton.