When Can I Breathe Again?

By Joe

I sank to the bottom of a kelp forest onto a bed of seagrass that brushed against me with a slight tickle. I couldn’t move and I didn’t want to. It’s a comfort I’m in desperate need of.

Because I lost something.

The pain now is unbearable. At the time of my loss there was no help to be found nor a plan to be made, hope dropped like a stone off a cliff, and no power to stop it despite all the effort. At the mercy of it all like I am to the water.

It is powerfully caging due to what its created. I’m barely concious and moving with the days. Often becoming susceptible to sadness, anger, and immobility as I try to process this new routine without them. The days I spent lying in bed made my body ache from having no will to move. I risked sociability and occupation for the sake of preserving my mental well-being, but harmed it at the same time. It’s the same when I work to preserve lying there achingly.

It’s a brutal suspension pulling me in two directions having me wonder when I will split in two.

But luckily, and I do mean luckily, I have enough reasons in the end to breathe again. I want to make something amazing before I leave. And I have people I make laugh, and they make me laugh, and they let me cry. Something others would treat like death and try so damningly hard to shake you awake so you don’t go into the light. But we all know that doesn’t help.

Despite it all I still have love and purpose in my life, as well as time and restoration. And my biggest lesson from this is that time doesn’t heal at all. It’s what comes in time. And these reasons came just in time. Even though the lesson is not a guarantee of restoration, the clarity made me feel like I could float back to the surface.

And I breathed again.

What Are We Without Secrets? (A Song for: Kit)
by Lunabear (Private Repost)

“So…you’re a monster?”

Sharine stood to his full height, shadows dousing his eyes. “I am what I choose. Can you say the same, Nikita?”

Kit’s stomach roiled. “It wasn’t my choice.”

“You were turned against your will.” His face crumpled into shame. “I’m sorry.”

Her Maker’s enraged face shot through her mind. Her knees buckled.

Sharine caught her. “Are you ok?”

“I don’t know.”

Their foreheads touched. “Talking about my choice isn’t easy. How about a shower beforehand?”

Kit nodded.

“Ladies first.” Sharine bowed from the waist.

“What about clothes?”

“You can borrow some of mi–”

“It’s unbecoming for a lady to not wear dresses.”

“Fair enough. I know where to acquire some.”

He led her to the bathroom, pointing out necessary items and starting the shower. “I’ll be back,” he whispered, leaving.

Kit stripped and eased beneath the scalding spray. It was paradise.

It was difficult to fathom, having met Sharine last night. Spending most of the day with him. Perhaps it wasn’t smart, but he had kept her safe. That should count for something.

Realization dawned. She was awake…during daylight hours.

Sharine’s blood.

Kit exited the bathroom and sat on his bed.

A light knocking sounded. “Nikita? Are you decent?”

She hid beneath the comforter, leaving only her face exposed. “Yes.”

Sharine entered carrying an armful of clothing, which he placed beside her.

“Where did you get those?” Kit’s eyes roamed over the fabrics.

“A noble family of witches. Their daughter was quite fond of a topaz ring I had.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I have an extensive collection. Besides, I wanted more time with you.”

Sunlight filled her chest. Her eyes illuminated like moonbeams.

“Now, which dress?”

She chose green and dressed in the bathroom, then returned.

Sharine joined her, his arms coiling around her with intimate ease. One of his hands traveled up her back.

Kit’s knees knocked together when his palm caressed her bare skin. His touch made her shiver.

“Nikita? What are these welts on your back?” Blackness shaded his pupils.

How could she have been so careless, so inattentive? Words failed her.

The water feels warm while sinking below. The sliver of lines of light danced across my skin. I brush the strands of my floating hair out of my face to stare at the infinite sky beyond. The surface under the waves reminds me of tiny fractured mirrors of the blue sky. It’s the same sky but the ocean gives a different lens.
I take in a deep breath.
With my hand I pinch my nose, holding my breath as long as I can. Sinking deeper into the cooler water. Raising my leg above the water, I tried to imagine what it would be like, what it would look like. My lungs are burning. I hear a voice. I ignored it, trying to focus on not exhaling. A shadow blocks the sunlight.

“Hey!” A loud voice screams.

I gasped in surprise and swam backwards.

“Whoa, are you okay?” Her voice softened.

“No!” I coughed. My sister waited until I stopped gasping.

“What are you doing?” She finally asked.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” She repeated, not believing my answer.

After a few moments of silence a smug smile appeared on her lips. “Were you imagining being a human again?”

“No!…Maybe…Yes.”

“Well, don’t. It’s bad enough that you collect human trash they throw away! And if our dad finds it, we’re both in big trouble!” The blue fins on the side of her head flared in annoyance.

“Okay. Okay. Fine.” I mutter under my breath. “I’ll just have to hide it better.”

Fall of the castle

by Reinkarnitor

The bay was still, the moon shined beautifully, reflecting along with the stars in the sea. It was peaceful…but then…suddenly a deep roar was heard, the water started foaming and then finally parted as a monster rose from the deep. It opened its mouth with sharp fangs.

The terrifying scene was looked upon by people in a castle, which was built on a cliff, falling deep into the ocean below. They screamed and ran for their lives, but it was no use. One swing of the monsters giant arms, it’s paws set with claws as big as a tower, was enough to bring down the entire castle, and everyone with it.

It was over. The beautiful castle was no more, and the monster made a sound which almost sounded like a terrible, mocking laugh.

“Muhahaha! Puny humans, you can’t best the vampire of the sea!” Fiona laughed.
John, who sat next to her on the beach, shook his head. He looked up to the moon. When Fiona suggested to go to the beach, the boy was admittingly a bit excited. It may be a midnight swim, but that meant that nobody else was there to disturb them, so he did not really mind the time.

Soon after they were done in the water, Fiona wanted to build a sandcastle, but before it was even fully finished she tore it down again, not being happy with its size.

Well…that may have gotten a bit out of hand, because what was supposed to be some simple sandcastle building then quickly became a constant roleplay of Fiona the sea vampire, tearing down the miserable humans little castles.

“Fiona, why don’t we build a new castle, and this time you don’t break it down?”
“Hm…but I am the sea vampire!” She sneered. “Why should I not?”

John grinned at that. “Because I would like to build a castle for my vampire princess instead.”

Fiona blushed…all of a sudden all her outgoing and smug spirit were gone.

“Alright…” she whispered with a small smile. “I’ll let you build me a castle then.”

Important
By: Hastaw

A little girl walked in the forest with no way in, no way out.

She could only wear the white nightgown, the only clothing she wore for who knows how long. She was dirty, but she didn’t care; the little one had friends today.

Only the whites of her eyes shone because the light brought pain. She hated the day. “Hello?” she would say. She couldn’t make herself heard, so speak a little louder they might’ve heard.

“Who’s there?” they would say. Having no way of knowing, she echoed, thinking it was a game. “Who’s there?”
“Hello?”
“Hello?
The boys would scream a little louder.
“Hello!”
She would scream a little louder.
“Hello!”
They could hear a little giggle amidst the whispers of the wind.

She could not see, so she had found them by their screams. She only heard their footsteps running away as she screamed incoherently at them, thinking it was all part of the game.

She occasionally went into the nearby town, but no one seemed interested. She tried asking for help, but no one took her in. She saw this one man, but it gave her a sickened feeling.

She wandered in the woods once again, waiting for new friends. A wave of smells hit her nostrils. She was curious, because she never remembered a smell quite as vivid as this one.

She went into a big house, with beautiful, polished wood paneling. And a hard, shiny surface she had never seen before.

She found the source of the waft. It was soup. Right there was the man, with a big, creepy grin on his face. She remembered the boat, his hands, his voice and most importantly: his shotgun. Images poured in, tears streamed down, and knees hit the floor. “Why?” The little girl said.
“Because I’m not a good person.”
She looked at him. He looked at the shotgun.
“Pick it up.”
She saw him crying.
“No.”
“I said-“
“And I said no! I don’t care.”
“You can’t even let me pay for my actions. Pathetic.”
“N-n-nooo.” She mouthed quietly to herself.

Breathe (Eularia’s Perspective)
by Curry

Do you remember the old tales of wonders? Conquering the skies, multiplying seeds to till countless fields, moving mountains – all those myths about what humanity could accomplish if people prayed to the right gods or wrote the cleanest karma record. If you were humble enough, you’d get promoted to the post of superior saviour. I always hated them.

There is no fairness in hurting, no price in suffering. My pain gets more numbing every day and I don’t have the luxury of dreaming about wonders that will never happen. Neither have you. I am the thorn in your side and we both know it. Every time something slips from my weakening grasp, you patiently gather up the pieces – but I can see the holes they pick in your heart. You’re growing weaker the stronger you need to be, lovingly wasting away for me. I always hated myself for being like this.

But there is one fairy tale I truly like: it’s about a girl who learned to breathe underwater because she befriended a fish. The only time we genuinely share one world is when being submerged by another one that we’re not born into. Life’s ironic like that. This trip right now means so much more than going for a swim, even more than a weekend of quality time spent far away from the fumes of the city.

Those soft waves can lift my dead weight from your shoulders, as they help me glide without my useless legs. Being on eye level with you. No struggling to stand because we both can drift instead. For once, the numbness in my hands is being tickled away by playful ripples while our fingers connect. In this cool embrace I can dive for my love: for you as well as myself. This is what it should feel like. Lightness, warmth, and strength – beneath the waves I can inhale the beauty of our lives. I don’t need to wait for a miracle. I have it right here.

The Waves of Hatred:
By IntenseSpooks

Did you know? Somewhere in this world is a great sea whose Waters are red like blood and boiling like a witch’s cauldron. There is where all people, good or bad, go to throw their tantrums, their frustrations, and their unfilial wrath.

Children scream that they hate their parents, and parents thrash at the water, punch, scream, and curse at their problems. Adults kill at the image of their asshole bosses, the elderly murder their own younger selves due to past mistakes and all that emotion sinks deep into its scalding shores. The oppressed go there to cry and pray for their revenge and the oppressor conveniently discards his guilt and humanity, making it so all the ardent bad of the world there resides. Even the lovers fight and throw their wine bottles and lamps at this sea and there, all accumulate until the end times.

The emotions, anger, love, passion, hatred, and guilt swirl with the currents, crash with the waves and their strenuous battles create a resounding sound of growling fury… While deep within the waves something lurks… a monster that used to be ‘’human’’ but slowly changed upon bearing the emotions of an entire world.

The prince of hatred, the sea of furry in itself shall tire of the never-ending sin of humanity, not the emotional waves themselves but the fact that men choose to throw them away, to not face them and slowly let them rise as a tsunami of inevitable reckoning.

A catástrofe approaches, as a figure, rises from its boiling Waters for it is the monster we created, shaped in our own distorted image as adam was made in god’s.

Its roar is so deafening that it pierces the eardrums of heaven as the sound waves, suffering, and anguish travel the world many times over with a cacophony of screams, annihilation, and death.

That is the story of how the end of the world came to be at the hand of the beating heart of the sea that turned red with blood.

Visiting Uncle James
By Strong Berry

If there’s anything my uncle James taught me, it’s that knowledge and imagination are not necessarily blessings, and that ignorance is not necessarily a curse. Sometimes for your own good you need to be kept in the dark, or at least in light that doesn’t allow you to see.

One afternoon, I went to visit him after school for help with my physics homework. To my surprise, the front door was open. Uncle James usually did not like to leave his house open, he always worried strangers might disturb him in his experiments and research. I went inside, and was greeted not by my uncle, but by silence. This rose suspicion in me, since Uncle James told me he would greet me when I came. An open front door, now this… Did something happen to him?

“Uncle?” I said to the room. “Uncle James?” I said again, louder. The answer didn’t come from the living room, but from below. A muffled, angry “OW!”. The basement. I rushed down the stairs, opened the basement door and saw… nothing. Again. But then I got startled by his voice. “Who-who’s there?!” The voice came from the left corner. I looked there, trying to see my uncle. “U-Uncle, it’s me, Rob. D-Don’t worry.”

“R-Rob… Rob, my boy, your uncle sure got himself in a pickle this time.” Said the left corner with sadness. I was starting to get scared. “Uncle, w-what happened to you?” The left side of the room let out a deep sigh. “You see, Rob… I decided to try and become invisible and, unfortunately, I… I succeeded.”

I was confused. Usually my uncle was sad about failed experiments, not successful ones. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“I now do not reflect nor absorb any light waves visible to the human eye. This means I cannot be seen, but it also means no light can enter my eyes! Such a kind and caring uncle you got, my boy, he spared the world the ugly sight of this pathetic, foolish, utter failure of a scientist!”

Gasp
By Chrono

The things we take for granted every day. A sweet smile, warm sunlight, even just fresh air. Oh how Curry missed the air. His eyes screamed in tune with his lungs before his head was pulled back above the water. There was screaming. Angry words, cruel demands. All barked at him by those silhouetted faces who stood around him.

“WHERE’S THE SPOT AT, CURRY?”

One of the figures shook him violently. His head hurt. He looked down at the water and saw his reflection staring sullenly back at him. His face was soaked, but he could see puffiness from tears he hadn’t noticed.

“I-I don’t know what you mean… ple!–”

He was cut off by cold sea water rushing down his throat. He choked and his body gasped for air, only inhaling more brine. What did they want? His mind seemed to fade in and out. Memories of another boy. His captivating smile, that enchanting laugh, the soft smell of sea breeze and his soap. They had laid that crown to rest under the lone palm. The tree flashed before his eyes, as it had been. Leaves rustling in the wind… air. He needed air.

His head was tugged back above and he retched water.

“I-it’s on the east coast. Under a palm tree all by itself… just– let me go.”

The figure patted him on the back as harsh as he laughed. “There we are. Was that so hard?”

The group began walking east. Curry wheezed, but slowly hobbled his way towards the sunbathed shore, the other side of the island. There lay a palm tree, painfully alone. The crashing waves tore at its roots, but it stood resolute.

Nothing can stand forever, though.

Before he knew what he was doing, Curry was digging at the sand by those roots. His fingers reached something smooth and cool. He pulled loose an aquamarine circlet. He placed it upon his own head and it glowed.

Curry relished the waves of heat from the burning sun one last time.

Where once lied an island, now only the sea knows.

Waves
By Kenji

The rays of sunlight touched my face. A slight warmth spread across my cheeks, quickly replaced by the cold feeling of the water surrounding me.

I can see my friend looking for me at the surface, and I smile at him. It’s probably time I swam up, he must be getting worried by now.

His face broke the surface, and looked around for a while until he saw me, and he swam down towards me.

I kept smiling at him while he swam, and then I saw two more people jump in behind him, quickly following him. A tinge of red started to trail from my head, tinting the world around me in color.

Bubbles keep floating up, and the rays of light can’t reach me anymore with the boat’s shadow cast over me. My body keeps sinking as the warmth no longer reaches me.

It’s getting pretty cold though, maybe we shouldn’t get that ice cream after all.

My eyes are feeling heavy now, and I can’t feel my arms anymore, despite seeing them to my sides. I can’t see him anymore. I can’t see anything anymore. The bubbles stop floating up, and I close my eyes. The noise around me comes to an end, the waves aren’t audible anymore, and I can’t feel the cold anymore.

I open my eyes again, and I can see his face getting closer. I guess it’s getting a bit late. I find the strength to reach my hand up as he reaches me.

You’ll get me, right? I trust you.

The last of the sun’s light gets to me, and the world turns black.

Besieged
By MasaCur

Masaru went through his inventory again. About twenty arrows left. Only a couple healing potions. It was only going to be a matter of time before their foes sent another flood of combatants at their beleaguered party of adventurers.

“How are things looking, Ritsu?” Masaru asked.

“Mana’s pretty low. I’m trying to squeeze whatever recovery I can out of this, but once my energy’s done, so is my magic, and I’m not going to be able to do much.”

“Same here. Running low on ammo, running low on healing. Going to be hard to act as the team’s meat shield after that.”

Ritsu sighed. “Wait, where’s Myoni?”

“Said he was going to get food while we recovered. He should be back soon.”

“I hope so. If we get caught off guard while he’s eating…”

“Hey guys! I’m back!” Myoni announced, his voice incongruously cheerful. “How’s the situation?”

“It hasn’t changed,” Ritsu said. “We’re still waiting for the other side to launch another attack during the siege. Although, I’ve managed to get a hold of the guild to see if they can get a party to come in and break the enemy’s siege.”

“If we can hold out that long…” Masaru said with a sigh.

There was a pause as the three waited. The clink of chopsticks against china could be heard as Myoni ate.

“I have an idea!” Myoni declared. “We should just charge them.”

“That’s stupid!” Ritsu replied.

“No, they won’t expect it. If we rush them while they’re still amassing a new wave of attackers, maybe we can take them off guard, and break out of here.”

“Sounds risky,” Masaru said, trying to think over the proposal.

“You know what else is risky?” Myoni asked. “Waiting here for another attack.”

Masaru sighed. “Ritsu, you’re the strategist. Let’s at least come up with a plan to give us the best…”

Masaru was interrupted by Myoni. “Alright, let’s do this guys! Leeeeeeroy Jeeeeeenkins!” He rushed off from the camp, not waiting for the other two.

Masaru pulled his headphones off and tossed them at his keyboard. “Are you kidding me?”

The Discovery

By: MelancholicOtaku

I don’t think we realize how mesmerizing the sea can be. My dear Ellie Oh, how I wish you could have joined me in this most splendid of nautical adventures. My grandfather used to tell me tales every night of a group of humans who evolved from land-dwelling creatures to become one with the waves.
There are those who believe that we came from the sea; my grandfather was one of those individuals. He believed that one day we were destined to return.
 
“Professor Nicholas, please come quick!” One of the sailors yelled out. If I remember correctly, the young lad was aboard his maiden voyage and eager to learn everything that I could tell him. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at his wonder and desire to absorb every bit of knowledge that he could.
“What is it, Milo?” I asked, closing my journal, waiting for whatever new discovery the young sailor wanted to show me.
“Professor, after Wells and the rest of the diving team came back, they found something new and interesting, which I think you might want to take a look at.” Milo smiled.    I nodded and motioned for the lad to show me this newly discovered treasure.
“Here, professor.”        Milo answered, giving me what looked like some type of rock. Although I took a second glance, I didn’t know exactly what I was looking at.
 
It seemed to be some type of underwater fragment—perhaps it belonged to an ancient temple—although I am having a bit of trouble reading what it says. I can’t quite make out these strange symbols.
“Milo, was anything else found?” I asked, still examining the precious artifact in my hand.
“Not that I know off-hand, sir, say professor, what it is.” He asked as eagerly as ever.
Looking over at the fragment slowly and carefully, I couldn’t help but wonder—a silly little theory, mind you—if the stories my grandfather used to tell me were based on lost facts that, over time, became the ingredient of a particular legend, one about a lost city deep beneath the waves.

Secrets of The Deep
By: ThatWeirdFish

Juan was called over to the specimen tanks one too many times for his liking. His specialty lay in engineering, not biology. Show mild interest one time…

“Have you seen anything like this?” Qui, on the other hand, was practically beaming as she waved him over.

Juan rolled his eyes from the floor, past the tank to the ceiling, before meeting her eyes. “It’s a big octopus. So?”

“Ah! But notice the texture of its skin!” She leaned close and pointed to a patch behind the animal’s eyes. “It’s got scales exactly the same as the feeder fish we were feeding it.”

“Let me get this straight, you pulled me away from critical repairs because of an alien octopus doing its thing?”

“Well, yes, but-”

Juan cut her off with an upraised hand. “Save it for your nerd clan when they get back from the reef.”

Qui’s protests withered into a moan of frustration as the lab door hissed shut in her face. She clomped to the specimen tank and picked up a tissue sample retrieval gun.

“Sorry to do this to you, but some people need more proof it seems.” She grumbled as she lifted the lid to the tank.

Without warning, a tentacle lashed out and latched onto her face. Her gun misfired, the nozzle clanging on the tank wall suddenly enough to startle the creature into letting go.

Qui staggered back shakily, pressing a hand to the painful cuts on her cheek. Her heart fell into her stomach when her eyes met the octopus’s… no… her eyes staring back at her. It took a couple disjointed smacks to shut the tank lid and lock it.

“Qui? You alright in there?” Juan called over the intercom.

“I think we should let Specimen 10 go.” Qui replied, unable to look away. “It… um… is diseased.”

“You don’t sound very confident.”

“Trust me, we…,” Qui found breathing easier the further away she walked. “We don’t need to know about everything down there.”

“That’s a first.” Juan sighed. “Do you need me to get a bucket?”

“Please.”

Das U-Boot
by Shinigama
Content Warning: Suicide

Day 13:

We sink and sink… the hull wails and moans from the pain. We cannot restore the submarine’s power. Kapitänleutnant Prochnow tried to contact the surface, friend, foe, anyone, but received no response.

To think we were in safe waters…

It happened four hours ago. We noticed an unusual signal on the radar, too fast for an enemy ship, too large for a submarine. Closer it came, ignoring all of our warnings.

And then it hit us.

Metal shrieked as the freezing tentacles of the sea burst in, trying to drown us. We managed to stop the flow… but as we descend further into the abyss, I fear it won’t be long before the hull gives way completely…

Day 14:

We just now hit the bottom. The depth gauge broke long ago – who knows how deep we sit beneath the waves. Nobody responds to us – restoring power is our only option.

To think the hull has lasted this long; maybe a testament to our nation’s fine engineering.

Or maybe fate is laughing at our iron coffin of despair…

Day 17:

Tap, tap, tap…

Those three gentle taps again, echoing over the creaking of the hull. Each time they ring out, another man drops to his knees with insanity.

Obermaschinist Leder hung himself; Prochnow had to shoot Richter as his madness turned violent.

We’ve given up trying to restart the sub…

Day 20:

Tap tap tap…

They tore Prochnow to pieces, like savages. They would have ripped me apart too, had I not sealed myself in the captain’s quarters.

Tap tap tap…

They bang and cry from behind the door. The air is hot, and I feel dizzy.

Tap tap tap…

The lights just went out; I write by headlamp.

Tap tap ta-

That noise! My ears – they’re on fire!

I am thrown against the wall. The sub is rolling over and over.

Even through my bloodied ears, I hear the dreadful screams from behind the door. Hear them, as we start to sink again…

No, not sinking.

Pulled. We are being pulled deeper and deeper…

A Leap of Faith (Earth’s New Masters)
By: The Missing Link

The octopi intercepted the squids’ message from God. The satellite that had been signaling to the moon for as long as cephalopods knew how to receive signals was not an octopus, not a squid. It wasn’t even a nautilus. Soren didn’t know what it was. A mammal clearly, the ones from the glass frames strewn around the strange structures on the surface?

Soren wasn’t left with much time to think through this new revelation. He heard the riot before he saw it, thousands of octopi swarming around the temple. Someone had leaked the footage, and now he had to go salvage something, anything, from the fact that God was not what his people had been told for generations.

He understood them of course. If this was what God was, both them and the squids had fought and died in religious wars for nothing, bodies strewn across reef and village, left as food for the crabs.

As he swam from the building, the crowd’s chromatophores fell pale as all eyes turned in anticipation to Soren. He steeled his nerves and took on a neutral color, dancing out an elaborate message approximate to:

“My friends, I understand that you are angry. It was a shock to us all, but how sure can we be that the squids actually received this message from God?”

A protester, bright red in anger, threat markers a deep black, danced out, “Because the squids are doing the same thing over the border. We want temple to answer to its lies, now.”

Soren thought on this, color changing with frustration. “We didn’t lie to you. We were… mistaken.” He hated making those gestures, but it had to be conveyed, “I think it is time for temple to enter into a new era as we come to better understand this other intelligence in the universe, God or not.”

The reaction from the crowd was mixed.

“I think,” Soren hesitated, “I think they might be one of the predecessors, no, I’m choosing to believe it.”

Forgotten Memories (The Will)
By Skeleton

The first time Gale had ever suggested going to the beach, it was a ploy to spend a day around Mobius without his shirt. The pretence of the trip was to celebrate Remianna’s ascension into a full Magus, and while everyone else was having fun, he would be ogling and getting inspiration for his next work.

The air was hot, the waves were mesmerizing, and the ocean waters were as blue as they were in his dreams. It would have been the perfect visit.

Would have been.

It really was sheer chance that Eymir would have the reaction that he did—or the lack thereof. It had been a few hours before anyone even realized that he had disappeared. Gale had offered to find him to keep up the ruse of this being Remianna’s day, but he was secretly livid at his brooding companion’s mischief.

Gale found him a little ways away, just around a bend in the beach. The man was staring out into the waters, the tears running down his cheeks yearning to join the hoard. The sight of his expression of stoic longing destroyed any semblance of anger Gale could have had towards him. When he approached his friend’s side, Eymir began to speak without looking to his companion.

“Do you ever feel like you’ve been somewhere a thousand times, but have never seen the place before?”

Gale did not respond. It was not the kind of question he could answer.

“It feels like I’ve seen this place—stood here for so long, staring out at the crests and falls of the waves. I feel this intense yearning to sink deep into it, and to lose myself completely in the darkness. It’s like there’s something waiting for me down there that I don’t even know I want. And yet… I’m terrified. I can’t bring myself to touch the water’s edge. It’s like I’m drowning just standing here.”

Homesickness. Gale knew the feeling immediately.

Gale stopped suggesting the beach after that; it was needlessly cruel. How could he subject homesickness to someone who’s never had a home?

The Ocean Keeps Her Secrets
by Thunder

It was hard to build up momentum underwater, but Cody managed. The old chest’s lid shattered, rotten wood filling the compartment.

Eddy pushed Cody aside, waving his hand to dispel some of the larger fragments, and caught his breath as the flashlight attached to his helmet had its beam reflected back, colored a dazzling yellow. “It’s here.”

Cody leaned over his shoulder. “That’s a lot of gold,” he said, grudgingly impressed. “You want me to get the balloons?”

“Yes- wait, not yet, with the lid smashed we’ll risk losing everything.”

“Bring a lockpick next time,” Cody said with a sigh, drifting toward the bag of equipment to see what he had to improvise with.

Eddy meanwhile picked up a handful of the coins, allowing them to trickle through his fingers back into the chest. “Beat you this time, Granddad,” he said quietly. Then he frowned, seeing a dark grey object sticking out of the gold. He pried it out, finding a sealed canister. “Huh.”

The radio crackled, Isa’s voice coming in through the static. “How’s it going guys?”

“Found it, exactly where he said it would be,” Cody answered while Eddy stared at the find.

“Great! Uh, by the way, I just got a call from our old friend Agent Clayton.”

Eddy snapped out of his reverie, spinning to lock eyes with Cody. “What the hell does he want?”

“Something about laws and taxes and also apparently we’re in danger. The usual.”

Eddy digested that for a moment. “He didn’t happen to mention why he thinks that, did he?”

“Well, apparently the laws around recovering lost gold are extremely complex and he wanted to warn us before the lawyers showed up-”

“The danger part, Isa.”

“Oh, right. He didn’t, but he sounded worried enough that he’s trying to get the coast guard out here. You guys want to come up until-”

The connection died suddenly. At the same time, the hatch they had entered slammed shut and locked.

The room lurched, and with a horrid scraping sound, the submarine began to slide down the trench wall, straight toward the bottom.

Experimenting with Powers (Frontier Universe)
By Alex Nightingale (aka Spectre)

When Selene finished her work to return to the private rooms of the inn her parents ran, she didn’t expect to run into this. She saw a swirling mass of water, hovering in the room. Light from lamps reflected off the airborne waves, making the entire room look like a scene from beneath a lake. It looked about as much water as would fit into two full kegs.

Beneath the waves she saw her younger brother, his hands outstretched towards the water, directing it with his movements.

“Asa?” Selene asked slowly. “You’ve been practicing.”

“Not successfully,” he replied. “I can’t form any complex shapes. I have the power to move water, but doing anything more than that requires more… concentration.”

Coming closer, Selene was once again reminded of just how… old her brother looked. He was thirteen, yet he looked her age. You never realized how uncannily quick powered people matured, until you saw it happen to someone who was supposed to be five years younger than you.

“Still, your hydrokinesis is coming along really well,” she said.

“Adrian has been an exceptional mentor,” Asa said, directing the water back towards the kegs.

He missed part of them and the table was doused in water. He cursed loudly and Selene hurried over with a towel.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Practice makes perfect.”

“I know. I just hoped I’d have enough control to at least hit the kegs at this point.”

Selene wiped the water away, saying nothing. Asa’s powers manifested fully less than a year ago and he was already throwing around water bubbles. She wondered if impatience was a side-effect of the rapid physical maturation.

“Are you… upset?” Asa asked. “I’m sorry about the powers.”

“It’s not that,” Selene replied and she meant it.

She’d never been jealous of Asa’s powers, even if she herself didn’t have any.

“I’m just worried,” she continued. “And… a little intimidated by how quickly you grow.”

“I… understand,” Asa said. “I’m still the same, old Asa, though.”

“No,” Selene chuckled. “You’re not.”

“No…” Asa chuckled as well. “I guess not.”

Long Wave 198.2
Dagmar Makara (dystop)

I have lingered many sleepless nights, wearily trying to decrypt the code on 198.2. Most of it’s dead air. My eyelids are heavier than a sunken galleon and my body has failed to eat.

What nemesis am I up against this time? Whoever this spy is, he’s depleted the last of my vodka. I feel he’s taunting me. I know he is.

Suddenly, the static gives way to bursts of garbled speech and my heart twists and rends. As if listening to a broadcast live from hell.

“Echo, you, you… echo”.

I desperately snatch my pen and find my most recent notebook. There is an ocean of anarchic papers strewn across the floor, each word warping and contorting. Did I drink too much? Not enough?

The white noise is interrupted again.

“Two is company, three’s a crowd, four’s a nightmare, you’re not allowed.”

Raw terror.

I am being watched, I am sure of it. He knows. He knows I’m trying to catch him.

I hear panicked, erratic breaths… only to realise moments later they’re my own. My heartbeat follows in this frenzied procession.

“Useless.”

I glance up from my notes, mortified, as if the man on the radio is speaking directly to me.

“Useless, echo, useless, you” he menacingly declares in disturbed cacophony.

I hear the slam of the door to the safehouse behind me, and pray this demon remains on-air for the other Agent to hear.

Staring down at my ciphers, I finally begin to realise. A decryption emerges in Polygraphic 28. An epiphany. Lines intersect exquisitely.

I speak for the first time in days, with the faintest hint of a laugh.

“You’ve said too much, Agent”.

Suddenly, a voice behind me. My colleague.

“Agent?” she says, sounding puzzled.

“Yes?” I say.

“Jacob, do you know who I am? I’m your Nurse. We’ve met before. You’re not an agent, and that’s not code, it’s the weather broadcast.”

Why does she sound… worried?

Why does she sound… sincere?

“Jacob, how long have you been like this?” she remarks, glancing from the vodka to the notebooks, as the weather cruelly loops.

Save the Cat [A Devil’s Tale]
C. M. Weller

It was so black out there that even a Hellkin with darksight couldn’t see very far. The wind’s banshee howling didn’t help. The occasional flash of lightning could only suggest the shape of the ship.

Only a true maniac would step out into this apocalypse of a storm. A true maniac, or someone who already knew how he was going to die. Just like he did.

That didn’t stop him from taking all possible precautions on his way to his goal. Jabbing his darts into the deck and threading rope between them. It helped him stay in close association with the ship. He was soaked to his blue skin thrice over and more by the time he reached his objective. About five coils of spare rope pinned to the deck with netting and good staples.

Where the ships’ cat had recently had a litter.

Some were debating the luck of having the Hellkin on board, and losing the ships’ cat would cement his fate in the darkest depths of the ocean floor. He could not hear the mewling inside the nest of rope, but he could feel the blobby shapes of the newborn kittens.

Move the babies, then move the mother. There was room in his gi to hold them all. At least his tail came in handy for helping him hang on to the net.

SIx. Seven. Eight kittens. Their mother tried to snatch them back, but cowered from the weather. Nine. Ten.

The ship lurched under the force of a wave. The water turned it all upside down. He kept one arm around the kittens and watched in amazement as the cat leaped into his vest to join her brood.

No time to waste, he turned back towards the safety of the hold. At least the ship had returned to a proper association with being upright.

The Captain hauled him in and tried chewing him out above the wail of the storm. He simply tipped the mess of cats out onto a handy hammock and breathed a sigh of relief as the crew changed their minds about him.