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It's cold.
Although, I can't remember a time when it wasn't cold in this eerie old tank that distinctly reeks of ammonia and rotten fish.
The rotten fish being yesterdays leftovers that I couldn't exactly throw away considering humans haven't invented underwater trashcans. One would think a species dying to invent the next baffling creation that they can pull out of their asses would have by now.
Even if they did, it's not like The Amazing and Spectacular Dr. Lafayette would ever make it a priority to spare even a penny he's made off me in order to make my living hell slightly more comfortable.
So yes, this tank filled to the brim with water tainted with a dash of chlorine strong enough to burn my skin but not kill me is very cold, smelly, and was never designed to hold my kind within it's three inch glass.
Just who would be so cruel as to design anything meant to hold someone like me?
Even in this world, something like that still seems just too cruel to be true.
However, I'm sure if Dr. Lafayette had slightly more than a pre-middle school level of intelligence he might of designed his own tank for my kind; But considering he doesn't, that task will have to be left to the next psychopath that has the fortune of getting their grimy little man-hands on me.
No, wait... I take that back.
This tank originally built for expensive saltwater fish for rich pricks to stand in front of ominously, is PERFECT for what Dr. Lafayette uses it for.
Because Dr. Lafayette didn't buy this tank in order to keep me comfortable as we take a fun road trip around the world.
No, Dr. Lafayette bought this tank to carry a young freshwater merman he found in Lake Erie by accident. A young freshwater merman he took from its family in order to turn it into an exspensive fish display he can stand before and parade in his wild fantasy of being rich prick.
But to Dr. Lafayette that was not all this tank was good for.
This tank makes sure I never have the time to grow my legs because I'd drown before I could finish the lengthy process, which makes it perfect for keeping me tame as he drags me from coast to coast on dry land. Five years ago I could fit without having to stay bent, but now I've become so long I have to keep at an angle to avoid searing pain in my fin that likes to cramp from improper blood flow. Just big enough that I can put my arms out, but too small for me to stretch my tail completely. When I was younger I didn't have the strength to break the glass, but now that I am strong enough I can't wind back enough force. This tank, makes sure I and the world around me stay separated for as long as I live and because this tank is small enough to transport but big enough that it hasn't killed me yet, chances are I'm going to live in it for quite a while longer.
Quite frankly, this thing keeps me from getting the hopes that I'll ever swim freely again back home.
So, yes. This tank is perfect for Lafayette.
Lafayette had a plan for me the moment he saw that little guppy swimming too close to the bay, and oh boy, it's been working so swell for him ever since. He doesn't care about my condition, and he's definitely not going to start worrying about it for his health. The only reason I'm still alive is because people are willing to pay more to see a "Living Rare Magical Merman!" even if it's bobbing in the water barely able to move.
I still can't believe humans think I'm rare. In reality, my people are as rare as goldfish.
This world is just so full of biased humans too shortsighted to accept the existence of magical creatures, and because of that a lot of things are still left to the unknown by the majority.
