Contest Entries

A Different Point of View

Prompt: Are you free? | 1,626 words

The water dances around my legs as I sit safely on my perch on a rock. Seals lay all around me, resting during this chilly afternoon. The skies are as gray as the land we sit on. A storm is approaching, but we don't care. The water is our home; a little rain won't hurt us.

I breathe out a sigh. It feels so good to be around the water again. The beach, the seals, the sea - they are my home. Nothing else could be more comforting. Nothing else could make me feel so...free.

Freedom is such a strange word. It can mean you are not tied down. It can mean you are not limited by restrictions. It can mean you are not in captivity. It can mean you are able to choose what you want. It can mean you have nothing to do. Even if one has restrictions or is in captivity, they can still be considered free. Then what would not be considered freedom, if freedom has so many meanings?

I'll tell you what isn't freedom.

About ten years ago, I was lying on the beach. I was alone that day. There were no seals, no nymphs, no merpeople, not even any sirens were around. The humans weren't out on their boats or in the sun, either. It was peaceful, and a perfect opportunity to be out. My sealskin was right next to me, safely where I could see it. In the next moment, however, it was gone. I looked around in a panic, wondering if a seagull had stolen it. I didn't have to panic too long, though, as a hand suddenly grasped my shoulder roughly and turned me around.

A burly, hairy man stood in front of me. His free hand held my sealskin. I looked on in horror, then tried to grab it away from him. He held it up high above his head so I couldn't get it back.

"Is this yours?" he asked.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. All I could think to do was bark at him like a seal in the hopes of intimidating him. However, he just laughed.

"A feisty little thing, aren'tcha?" he remarked. "Well, that doesn't matter. This skin will get me a lot of money. What a nice reward for you to give me!"

I glared at him.

"Oh, but I guess I'll be taking you as a reward too," he continued.

I couldn't even begin to comprehend what that meant before he seized my arm and pulled me away from the shore. I tried desperately to stay where I was, but he kept his grip and put more force into his pull. I reached up to get my sealskin back, but he held it up higher and kept me low. He dragged me across the hot sand.

"Let me go!" I screamed. He didn't obey. I kept shouting and yelling for him to let me go, for someone to help me. Nobody came to my rescue. That day, although peaceful, had led to a blatant kidnapping. I was dragged all the way to his abode. I couldn't run away. I only belonged to him now.

When he brought me into his house, he immediately hid my sealskin. I stood in the entryway, feeling conflicted. I didn't have to wait long, though. He soon came back, grabbed me by the wrist, and showed me around the house. It was a beach house, he told me, one with a perfect view of the water. The sandy-colored wood floor squeaked under my feet, and I couldn't help but notice all the chips in the paint. Everything seemed like it had been here too long. I was introduced to rooms called the den, the kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedroom. He showed me a spare bedroom for me to sleep in. When the tour was over, he told me to bathe so I wouldn't stink up the house.

I still don't understand how fish smell bad to humans.

Nevertheless, I did what he asked. I stayed in the water much longer than I should have, as my skin became all "pruny", as the man called it. The water did not have any salt like the sea did. I already longed for the feeling of brine against my skin again. When I was done, I dried myself off and put on spare clothes he had given me. He showed me how to cook food, as that would be my job. When the sun had set, he retired to bed, but I stayed awake. I stared through the window at my previous home, hoping for an opportunity to go back. With him still around, I could not risk searching for my sealskin.