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The Summer of Mermaids and Late Shifts

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Oct 21, 2017

Two men walk down a hall that seems to be made entirely of glass. The sky outside was almost too blue, way too blue. The light spilling into the hall from outside was even bluer. It was so calm in this hallway, so organic. I focus my attention back onto the two men coming directly towards me.

One of them looks like a walking rectangle. It's like someone tried to cut the man out of marble, but never got past the first lesson of sculpting class and just made a sculpture that captures the general idea of a man, the essence of humanity. He's made completely out of right angles and points. He has a neutral expression on his block of a face, and his tight-lipped mouth looks like it was cut into his face. His tree trunk legs were marching ever forward and his arms remained at his side. He doesn't say anything to me, in fact he doesn't even acknowledge me. He just continues to walk, as if he's on some track or pulled by some string coming out of his massive chest.

His partner is shorter than him, more realistic than him. He has his head down, he's looking down the bridge of his narrow nose at his phone. His shock of blond hair is so light, it's almost white. His hair is almost as striking as this room. God, it's so blue in here.

The men get closer and closer to me and I hold my breath. There's nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. The men get so close I can see every fiber on their suit and every pore on their skin. I close my eyes and wait to hear them say something to me. What do I even say back to them? I don't even know where I am. Gotta think fast.

"H-Hi," I squeak as they walk right past me, not even batting an eye. I whip around and watch them go. What the fuck? A million thoughts run through my head at once. I'm invisible. I'm a ghost. I'm dead. I do the only thing any one would do in this situation: I follow them.

The men turn a corner and walk right up to a steel and glass door. There's blue light coming in through that window too. Weird. They must really like this whole "Night in Paris Under the Sea" vibe they have going on here. The man with white hair looks up from his phone and presses his hand to something next to the door- a scanner? The door slides open and they walk in. And so do I. I gasp so audibly, I am sure they hear me.

The room is all windows, just like the hallway. I am washed in that blue light again and then I notice the sky really was too blue. A school of fish swim past the window just as the realization hits me like a ton of bricks. We're... underwater? 

Before I even fully register that thought, I am hit with the weirdest fucking sight I've ever seen. In the middle of the room, there's an enormous cylindrical tank of water coming through the floor and disappearing into the ceiling. I am reminded of the vertical fish tanks at this one sushi restaurant I went to when I was a kid. I didn't even have time to reminisce about over-priced sashimi because I notice there's a man in the tank. 

I immediately forget about the two walking suits and run straight up to the tank. A man with the most beautiful, long, black hair is just floating upright in that tank, naked from the chest up. He has marks across his chest and on his upper arms and one big slash across his nose. His eyes are closed and he actually seems to be pretty comfortable in there, despite the fact he's probably drowning. My eyes drift from his face to the rest of him. His muscular chest transitions smoothly into his abdomen which then transition to his tail. I stop. 

This man-or whatever the fuck he is- has just one long salmon colored fish tail, complete with iridescent fish scales and fish fins. It would have been quite the sight to behold if it wasn't for the fact I was so taken aback by it I nearly fell over.

I look closer at him. His hair floats around his face and drifts ever so slightly to reveal his ears, which weren't really ears so much as little fins with skin so delicate and light you could almost see right through them. His hands, crossed across his chest, were webbed. He had long black nails that seemed to catch whatever light was coming through the water. In fact, everything about him seemed so shiny and and reflective- he seemed to be made completely out of pure light.

I press my face up against the thick glass and tap on the glass a little with my index finger. I know it's taboo to tap on a fish tank, but he looks more man the fish anyway so I figured he wouldn't get too spooked. 

I am just staring at his face now, trying to memorize every feature from his sharp cheek bones and thick brows to his angular jawline and pointed chin. I was trying to connect the dots of his freckles when his eyes snapped open. I leaped back.

His eyes were a bright yellow with little black slits for pupils. Catlike. How many animals can be represented in just one person? He blinked a few times, clearly disoriented, and then focused those slits right on me. He immediately furrowed his brow and narrowed his eyes at me, his face morphing from confusion into anger into unbridled rage. He uncrossed his fin-hands and pressed them against the glass. He was talking, but I couldn't hear him and boy, am I bad at lip reading when I'm about to launch myself into a panic attack.

When he realized I couldn't hear him and saw that I was just staring blankly at him with my mouth practically hanging open, he got even angrier.

He started pounding his fists on the glass, baring sharp little triangular teeth, and screaming what I could only imagine to be the choicest mer-curses at me. I didn't get why he's so mad. I wasn't the one who put him in that tank. I figure that I should try to diffuse this situation.

"Liste- stop screaming please- Listen, I'm sorry I guess, I don't kno-", was all managed to get out of my dumb mouth before the two suits from before rushed the tank.

One touched a button on some panel attached to the tank and the other attempted to calm down fish boy. But, Fish boy wasn't paying attention to either one of them and kept his eyes trained on me. He was about to let out one good scream and really put me in my place when his eyes started to droop. The water in the tank got milky, and his raised fist that was once pummeling the glass began to lower. He got sleepier and sleepier until his eyes closed completely and he slumped against the floor of his tank. 

I was shaking and backing slowly out of the room, wishing for someone to whisk me away from this entire situation. I wanted to see if Fish Boy was okay, but the Almost White Haired Man looked up from the panel on the tank and stared directly at me.

"I think it's time for you to leave", he said, with a crooked, no-lipped smile.

sangchu
kareura

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Laggienail
Laggienail

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Dear writer,
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Enter the contest now! Write your royal romance,And there are a lot awards waiting for you!
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

206 views 2 likes 1 comment


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