Water surrounds me, and I'm overtaken by an ocean of silence. Blood colors the water red, hovering above me like maroon ribbons. It feels like I’m floating on a boat of nothingness. The sails set to a destination unknown. It leads me away from the surface, down, deeper into nothing.

The color red is a constant thread, linking me to the surface, or where I think the surface is, but reaching it is impossible. Whatever has a hold of me will not let me go. It drags me down and pulls me further into the gaping deep even with my thrashing like a madman, the adrenaline finally kicking in.

The need for air burns so strongly in my lungs. Vision darkening, ears thundering. The panic surpasses any rationality left in me. I can feel my heartbeat all the way through my fingertips. A constant thud. This must have been what my poor excuse of a father felt in his last moments, pure misery. 

As my limbs become numb, the eminent sense of doom kicks in. I'm helpless. The ocean has its invisible hand around me, squeezing me tightly. It wants me dead. I've never been so vulnerable before, left without any escape. I let the ocean take me away, down and down. 

Suddenly, there's a shadowy figure in the distance. It's swimming towards me by the looks of it. It's too dark to fully see, a fish, perhaps. I scoff internally. What a way for earth to mock me. Reminding me of my helplessness in my last moments of life. If just I was a fish right now. 

The shape becomes visible as it nears. The coral around us starts to glow as a man halts right in front of me. There's a frown etched on his face. His brown eyes are wide in what looks like worry. White teeth bite at his lush bottom lip. 

His hand reaches up to touch my face, cradling my cheek. Before I know it, his lips are on mine, and air seeps back into my lungs. The man is smiling as he pulls back from the kiss. But what is most concerning of all is the fact that I'm breathing... underwater. 

I take in the man in front of me, his lean floating form. He's bare-chested, rope-like braided hair wrapped in all sorts of pearls and seashells. And as I look down where his legs were supposed to be, I’m met with a blue tail. A full-blown fishtail of some sort. 

I just full-on smooched a merman. 

What the fu-