I probably have the weirdest ideas for stories. My gut said to write this, so I hope you guys like it.
Ib and Mary are mermaids living in a strip of the sea called the Abyss of the Deep. There are some refrences to the game Ib such as paintings and people who are paintings. Ib is not mine, nor is Mary, Garry, Ib's parents, the ladies, hanged man, and Abyss of the Deep.
000
Abyss of the Deep
Just a few miles off the shores of a distant land is a dangerous strip of sea. Pointy rocks surround the undersea world, preventing any ship from slipping past. And despite being relatively close to land, the ocean floor seems to drop.
This untouched realm had been measured to be about 15 miles in diameter. The locals of the towns near the strip of sea forbid going past the sharp rocks that fence the area since anyone who came in never was seen again.
For this reason, the locals call this area The Abyss of the Deep. It is in this dark realm where our story begins.
000
Ib stared at the tangles of rubbery seaweed as it waved with each gentle current. She flicked her small red fish tail to keep balanced in the water. Her straight, shoulder-length brown hair billowed out behind her as tiny, unnoticeable gills on either side of her neck accepted the salty water graciously into her system.
"Ib!" a shrill girl's voice came to her ears. She turned her red eyes to the direction of the call; just in time to see her sister come barreling at her. "Happy 9th birthday, Ib!"
"Thank you, Mary." Ib answered quietly. She allowed her older sister to give her an enthusiastic hug.
Mary was the polar opposite of Ib. Her hair was curly and golden. Her eyes and tail was a greenish blue. And while Ib was quiet and withdrawn, Mary was wild and playful.
When Mary released Ib from her hug, she continued to stare at the seaweed. Mary rolled her eyes at her. "You're going to go crazy looking at that thing, Ib. Besides, I've got something to tell you."
Ib turned to Mary with curiosity in her eyes. "Mommy says we can visit the surface today. This is our first time, and I'm so excited! Oh, but we have to follow her rules. We have to stay within the walls, and we have to be back by nightfall."
Ib nodded in understanding and took her sister's hand. She followed her to the wall.
From the bottom of the sea, the wall was a large rock formation that wrapped around the undersea city in a protective bubble. Only the spaces between the spikes of the pointy rock formation allowed the mer-people to leave the city. But the girls had never swum that high before, until now.
"If we start now, we'll have more time to play on the surface." Mary reasoned.
"We won't get in trouble?" Ib asked quietly.
Mary reassuringly squeezed her hand before letting go. "We have permission, now let's go!"
With an excited laugh, Mary swished her tail to motor herself upwards with Ib following not so far behind. "I can't wait to feel the sunlighttouch my skin. I hear it's warm , like Mommy's hugs." Mary rambled.
Ib smiled at the idea. Warmth would be nice, especially since the waters were turning colder.
Mary continued to talk as the waters around them became less gloomy and dark. "I hope we see a boat or swimmers. Teacher says I'm not old enough to enchant visitors, but I think my voice is pretty enough. Don't you?"
Ib nodded solemnly, making Mary crack a smile at her. "We're almost there!" Mary suddenly observed. Before they touched the surface, the blonde turned to face her sister. Ib stopped too and waited for Mary to speak her mind.
"Now remember Ib, the surface is made of something called air. Teacher said to inhale and exhale with your mouth and nose." Mary reminded her.
With that being said, they gave a final flick with of their tails to pop their heads out of the water for the first time.
Ib felt like her head was heavier. Her hair plastered unnaturally against her pale skin. Even worse, she couldn't breathe! Her gills weren't taking in any of the heavy substance Mary called air.
'Use your mouth!' she thought. She uneasily took a short breath with her mouth. She continued to take short gasps of breaths until her breathing was less painful and easier. Looking over at Mary, Ib found that her sister had recovered from the effects of air more quickly. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked while smiling at Ib.
"No."
"Ah… Feel that sunlight! And look up! There's fluffy white stuff above us. I wonder what it is…"
Looking up, Ib could see that there were indeed whit wispy things drifting by in the sky. She stretched her hand up to feel the wisps, but she couldn't reach them.
"Hey Ib!" Mary tried to recapture her sister's attention. "What do you want to play now that we're here? Oh I'm getting excited just thinking about it!"
000
"Alright class, close your books." The professor told the class. There was a collective sigh of relief as art books thumped closed. A lavender-haired student with a tattered dark grey coat glanced up at the clock. It was time for their assignment.
"Now that we've studied Guertena, I'd like you all to reach inside yourselves for inspiration. Each of Guertena's pieces were a reflection of his soul. I want each of you to create a piece that is a reflection of your soul. It can be either a painting or a sculpture." the professor went on before dismissing his students.
The lavender-haired man walked over to the professor's desk and waited for his attention. "Oh Garry, did you have a question?"
The student nodded his head. "Yes, sir. I was wondering if the last project we did could still be turned in for credit."
The professor stared at Garry sadly. "No, I'm afraid it's too late. But if you do really well on this project, you'll have a better chance of passing this class."
Garry sighed and gave his teacher a polite smile. "Of course. Thank you, sir."
Garry strode out of the classroom and started for home. He took a lemon candy from his pocket and popped it in his mouth thoughtfully. He was rather tall and thin for a sophomore in college. The gentle features of his face rarely show signs of anger. His purple-blue eyes unknowingly broadcasted his every emotion to the world.
He walked out of town and down a small path he knew well. The path took him to the sandy beach by the sea.
He paused for a moment before he walked along the shore. Tightening his coat against him for warmth against the chill coming from the sea, he could feel his brain whirring for ideas he could use for his project.
"Hmmm… a reflection of my soul, huh? This is going to be a tricky one." He mused aloud, "I do like lemon candies and macaroons, but I doubt that's a reflection of my soul."
The water crept up as the tide moved in. Garry carefully adjusted his walking position so his shoes wouldn't get wet. "Water? Doesn't that symbolize change? Maybe 'change' is part of my soul that sould be portrayed. I did transfer this year and switch my major…" he continued to spin off ideas to himself as he continued down the beach.
000
While Mary watched the seagulls fly lazily over their heads, Ib wandered away on her own to explore the surface. She swam bravely until she could see her sister no more.
She went to the edge of the wall where she could clearly see something in the distance. It was brown and jutted out of the water. This thing was far off, but it filled the horizon.
"What is that?" Ib asked herself softly. She wanted to get a closer look, but she wasn't to cross the wall.
After a moment's hesitation, she reached a hand out beyond where one spike of the rock formation ended. When nothing happened she carefully slipped between the spikes. She felt guilty for disobeying her mother, but her curiosity drew her to the thing jutting out of the water.
The thing never moved, but it was huge. As she came closer, she could see that it was even bigger than the wall. It certainly looked like a rock formation, except it looked like a mesh of patterns and colors.
"This must be land." Ib realized as she looked on in fascination.
Feeling a bit tired, she swam over to a rock that jutted out of the water rather close to land and laid on it to rest her tail. The cool breeze blowing from the sea was just as refreshing as the warmth of the sunlight.
Ib hadn't even known she had dozed off until she heard a person talking from the direction of the shore. She flopped onto her stomach and peeked over the top of the rock.
A young man with wavy lavender hair was on the land. He moved on two limbs covered in tan cloth. He seemed to be talking to himself. "-really need to get this project done right. It's not my fault I'm not easily inspired. I'm going to fail if this doesn't go well…" He smacked at the sand beneath him with one of the limbs below his waist while the other kept him upright.
Ib gasped in awe. She had never seen anything like that man before. She didn't know what those limbs were called, but they definitely weren't tails. The way he moved on them… it wasn't graceful, but it wasn't clumsy either. It was just interesting.
Hearing her gasp, the man swung his gaze to the rock she was resting/hiding on. "Hello?" he called out gently, "Is someone out there?"
Ib crept closer on the rock to see him better. Their eyes met and he smiled kindly at her. "There's no need to be afraid. What are you doing all the way out here?"
Ib stared at the man in silence before answering, "Resting on this rock."
The man nodded understandingly. "Yes, I see that. You must have swum here."
Ib smiled back at him. Since he mentioned swimming, she wished she could see him swim with his limbs-that-weren't-tails. Would he look silly or graceful?
She was drawn from her thoughts when he said, "How rude of me not to introduce myself. My name's Garry. What's your name?"
"Ib," she told him.
"Ib you say… Well Ib, isn't it a little cold to be swimming today?" he asked.
The question had Ib confused. "Not at all. The sunshine makes everything warmer." she explained.
Garry frowned a bit at the answer. He didn't exactly understand her reasoning. "But the water is cold and your clothes are wet. If you stay in wet, cold clothes for too long, you'll get sick."
"I'll be fine." she assured him with a smile. After a moment of staring at him, she asked curiously, "What were you talking about earlier? Do you have a problem?"
Garry ran a hand through his lavender hair. "Actually, I was just stressing over this art project I was assigned today. I'm not sure what my teacher wants me to paint. It's so confusing." he glanced away in embarrassment.
Ib tilted her head in thought. She didn't know what paint was, but she understood art. Her mother was obsessed with carving things in the wall of the tower-like cave they lived in, claiming it was creative and artistic.
"I'm sure I'll find the answer anyways." Garry continued with an assuring smile on his face. Ib's lips twitched happily in response.
"By the way Ib, don't you have to get back to your parents? They are probably worried. Do you want me to help you find them?" Garry offered.
Ib frowned, glancing up at the sky. The sun did see awfully close to the horizon. Mary would be wondering about her whereabouts.
But she didn't want Garry to come with her. She was taught all her life that if she met an intruder, she should bring him down to the city. He wasn't considered an intruder yet, and she wanted to keep it that way.
"I'll be fine, Garry." she said with a smile. She hesitated a moment before asking, "Um… would it be okay if I saw you again?"
Garry's eyes widened in surprise. "Er, sure, as long as it's okay with your parents. I'llbe here about the same time two days from now. Could we meet then?"
Ib nodded. "I'll be here."
Before Garry could remind her to ask for her parent's permission again, the little girl slipped into the water tail first behind the rock and swam off.
She was so relieved to be underwater again. With seawater rushing through her gills, and her hair and clothes not plastered to her skin, she felt more at home. She gracefully swam in the direction of the wall.
She slipped between the spikes of the rock formation and swam around aimlessly until she found Mary.
"Where were you Ib? I was starting to worry about you. Oh, you were probably exploring on your own, weren't you?" Mary chided her younger sister.
Ib nodded silently. Encouraged by the gesture, Mary went on, "Well, we'd better go now. Mommy will be making a special birthday dinner for you."
The blonde dove with her quiet sister following behind. The water grew colder the farther away they swam from the sun, but the girls didn't dare complain. They were just happy to have had their adventures.
At the floor of the sea where the mer-people lived, wide towers of rock rose up. These rocks were hollowed hundreds- maybe thousands- of years ago. They were slightly taller than one story houses. The towers were where the families lived.
The tower that belonged to Ib and Mary's family was just like any other. There were gaps all over to allow easy entrance and for water to flow in and out.
Their mother was putting together a dinner of sea greens and fish. "Hey girls." she greeted them with a smile, "How was the surface?"
"It was great! I saw the sun! And there were white fluffy things flying in the sky and birds! It was so much fun, Mommy." Mary chattered away.
Ib's mother flicked her red tail gracefully, making the skirt of her red dress billow around her beautifully. "It sounds like you two had a lot of fun. I wish I had been there with you." She said as she set the dish of sea greens on a flat rock.
"By the way, the fluffy white things in the sky are called clouds. Sometimes clouds drip water from the sky." Ib's mother informed them.
"Oh, that sounds cool! Can we see that someday, Mommy?" Mary asked, swishing about in excitement.
Ib swam calmly to the flat rock with the food. Her mom smiled warmly at her. "Maybe some other time. Sky water can happen randomly."
000
Garry stood at the shore facing Ib's rock where it stuck out of the water. The little girl was smiling softly down at him. She wore a red scarf with a cream colored blouse. Her wet clothes clung to her as her damp hair did.
Even though her wet street clothes seemed odd, something was definitely off about the girl in front of him. But he couldn't tell what it was exactly.
As he thought this, the tide came in, lapping at his shoes. Garry backed away from the rising water level. "Come down from there, Ib." Garry called out to the girl. "The rock will become too slippery to sit on."
Ib shook her head at him. There was a mischievous glint in her red eyes.
"Seriously, Ib. You could get hurt!" Garry's voice rose over the roar of the waves.
Suddenly, Ib wasn't there anymore. Panicked, Garry ran into the water despite the liquid filling his shoes. He wadded to the rock and went behind it to check if she was alright.
There was no sign of Ib, but he saw a flicker of brown and red in the water heading deeper into the sea. "Ib? Ib!" Garry shouted as he gave chase.
He eventually stopped. Even though the water only came to his waist when he stood, he had the feeling he was very far out at sea. The land was nowhere in sight.
Without warning, the ground beneath him fell away. He fell in the water with a stream of bubbles escaping his mouth in surprise.
Blue water filled his vision, except her he could see a red rose floating in front of him, just out of reach. The petals of the red rose fell away one by one, as if the water was pulling them out. All the while, he could hear a shrill girl's voice singing, "Loves me, loves me not," until it was a bare stalk.
It was then that Garry woke up from his frightful dream. "That was… unsettling." he said as he got up and prepared for the day. "I wonder what it all meant…"
He got dressed in his usual attire of a green shirt, khaki pants, and his tattered coat. In his pockets were a few lemon candies, a lighter, and some money.
After a moment of internal conflict, he decided to take a sketchbook and pencil with him. "In case I get an idea for my project." he said to himself as he locked up the house. "Now where to go…"
He started to walk to town. He took the path that cut through the forest rather than the shore this time. His walk to town was tiring and left him hungry and parched. Coincidentally, there was a café nearby.
There was a line in front of the counter, but Garry didn't mind the wait. A heated conversation between two people in front of him drew his attention from the threat of boredom.
"-can't believe you still believe in that nonsense, Maggie." A boy clad in grey said. He had messy brown hair, pale skin, and eyes as black as coal.
The young lady with whom he was talking with stamped her foot at him in frustration. "No, you are wrong, Chris! I'm telling you, that place is cursed or something!" The lady was dressed entirely in blue. She had straight brown hair, and dark eyes that held Chris's firmly.
Chris rolled his eyes at her statement. "The Abyss isn't cursed, it's just dangerous."
"Excuse me…" Garry interrupted as politely as he could. Both of them stared at him in surprise. "I don't mean to intrude, but might I ask what you two are talking about?"
Maggie smiled at him pleasantly. "Of course. I'm Maggie Blue by the way."
Garry took her hand and shook it in greeting. "I'm Garry." Chris glanced down at his feet and mumbled something. Garry stared at him in confusion. "What was that?"
"I said that my name is Chris Hangedman." Chris introduced himself, his face flushing in embarrassment.
"Oh…" Garry tried and failed to find a good response. All he could think of was what a sad name the boy had.
Maggie cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to the lady in blue. "We were talking about the Abyss of the Deep. Have you heard of it before?"
The name brought an image to his mind. "Do you mean the floor painting by Wiess Guertena?"
Maggie shook her head. "No we were talking about the place. It is an unexplored part of the sea just a few miles off the shore a ways away from here."
"And Maggie here believes the place is either cursed or haunted. It's just dangerous because of the sharp rocks around there." Chris interrupted.
The lady in blue glared daggers at the Hangedman. "Yes the rocks prevent ships from passing, but explain how the ship last night managed to go off course through that area! Something must have drawn it there!"
"What, a ghost?" The Hangedman teased. "It was probably a wind or current. Just because there's a rumor-"
"It's truth I tell you! My mother used to warn me to never swim or sail anywhere near that area. The ship last night is only proof that she was right." The lady in blue retorted.
Garry glanced from one to the other in confusion. "A ship last night?" he asked.
"Yeah," the Hangedman said. "Some freak accident. The remains of a ship was seen floating around this morning. Everyone assumed Fishing Hook smashed into the rocks of the Abyss. It was last seen taking off at about 2:30 the day before."
"But none of the crew has been spotted yet, dead or alive. Something drew the ship to the rocks and caused the crew to disappear. The place must be cursed." The lady in blue pointed out.
The conversation came to an abrupt end as their turn came next to order. Chris and Maggie ordered their drinks and went over to a table.
Garry ordered his coffee and macaroons and went to one of the unoccupied tables. The tables all had a vase with a red, blue, and yellow rose.
'Could an area in the sea really be cursed? It is rather eerie that an entire crew would disappear miles from land.' He thought as he munched on his snack. 'Hm… Ib was swimming yesterday. I wonder if she knows. I'll have to warn her.'
He looked over to the table where Chris and Maggie sat, sipping their beverages. The lady in blue's eyes sparkled as she delicately took the blue rose from her vase and proceeded to pluck off the petals. Even though he couldn't hear her, he knew she was singing as the petals fell on the crisp white tablecloth.
"Loves me…" pluck, "Loves me not…" pluck, "Loves me…" pluck, "Loves me not.." pluck.
Garry turned away, unable to understand why he felt so unsettled by an innocent girl's game.
000
Ib and Mary quietly floated in the waters of their teacher's tower. Their tails flicked at the water as their teacher turned to them with a bright smile plastered on her beautiful face.
Their teacher was a young lady with flowing brown hair, crimson eyes, and delicate features. She had an enchanting voice that could bring in any visitor who dared to come within hearing range. Both her tail and her dress where red, earning her the nickname 'Lady in Red'.
"So how was the surface, my dears?" she asked.
"Oh, I loved it! There were clouds and sunlight… and a boat!" Mary admitted.
The last bit of information was new to Ib. Lady in Red's eyes widened. "Oh my… I hope you weren't seen."
Mary's smirked in pride. "I enchanted them. I invited them to play." She said, "And so we played."
Lady in Red's lips formed a firm frown. "Mary, we've talked about this. Enchanting visitors is too dangerous at your age." While Mary sulked, the lady turned her attention to Ib. "why didn't you try to stop Mary, Ib?"
Ib cast her eyes down in shame as she explained, "I wasn't there to stop her, Teacher. I had gotten lost for a while."
Lady in Red closed her eyes, swishing her tail faster in anger. "How very… disappointing…" she seethed. She glared at the two girls. "I expect you to stick together and stay out of sight if you see any humans the next time you go to the surface."
Ib and Mary nodded in agreement before Ib asked in her soft voice, "What are humans?"
Lady in Red seemed surprised and pleased to hear her quietest student speak up. "Humans are the people who dwell on the surface in places called land. They look like our kind, except they have limbs called legs they use to travel on.
"Sometimes they come to the sea where we invite them to play with us. But they don't last very long in the water." Lady in Red explained.
Two different reactions came from this new piece of information. Mary smiled in fond remembrance of her fun yesterday. Ib's eyes widened in horror at the mental image of Garry 'not lasting very long in the water'.
"Do we have to play with the humans?" Ib asked.
Both Lady in Red and Mary frowned at Ib. "What? But it is so much fun! When you sing, they all try to get as close as they can to you and they go under, never to come back up again!" Mary squealed in delight.
Ib felt sick thinking about this. "Ib, if a human were to see you, then a whole school of them will be coming to kill us." Lady in Red said firmly.
Ib nodded sadly. Mary started prattling again, but her sister was too lost in her thoughts to pay attention. 'I should still go tomorrow to see Garry. I want to at least say goodbye forever.'
000
In art class the next day, Garry stared at the blank canvas in front of him with sleepy eyes. While the other students already had at least an image in mind, Garry only had a nightmare to go off of.
'Maybe a rose in the sea… Nah, that would seem like a mix between Embodiment of Spirit and Abyss of the Deep. That dream isn't helpful at all.' He thought as he contemplated the blank canvas.
Garry eventually developed a headache from staring into nothingness for too long. He sat in his chair and started sketching mindlessly. When he looked at his paper again, he saw that it had a rose stem surrounded by petals and bubbles.
'I need to stop thinking disturbing things.' He thought as he flipped to a new page. 'Think happy thoughts.'
The next time he looked at his paper, it had an image of Ib with a sweet smile on her face. Surrounding her face were floating macaroons. Garry smiled as his stomach growled. 'I guess happy thoughts make me hungry.'
But this drawing exercise reestablished his thoughts and he lightly sketched his new idea on his canvas before it escaped his mind.
'There,' he thought when he finished the sketch. 'That should do for now. I'll start painting tonight.' He packed his things into his backpack at the professor's dismissal and left, bringing the colorless canvas with him.
He walked along the path to the seashore. As soon as the ocean was in sight, he peered out at it, trying to imagine where the Abyss of the Deep was and what exactly goes on there.
000
Ib was typically a good student. She always had good attendance and she was very smart (although she wasn't too wild about participation). So cutting class was not something she did before.
"Ib, are you alright? You haven't even touched your greens, and they're your favorites." Ib's mother looked at Ib with concern etched on her face. Mary looked on curiously as she ate her own lunch.
Ib glanced up from her untouched food. "I feel unwell." She stated bluntly.
Her mother placed her hand to the child's forehead tenderly. "Are you ill? Do you want to stay home from afternoon lessons?"
Ib nodded. She was lying though. She was not ill and she wasn't planning on staying at home. But she stayed silent as Mary hurried off to Lady in Red's tower. "Mama, is it okay if I take a nap?" Ib asked.
"Of course, dear. I'll wake you when dinner's ready." her mother told her.
Ib nodded again and went to her room. She covered the entrance with an old quilt then swam out the window. After making sure that no one was watching her, she swam towards the surface.
It was a little scary going alone, but she knew that she could do it. Her head broke through the surface to the warm afternoon air.
Once again, she felt breathless, like she was suffocating until she remembered to use her mouth and nose. She started swimming around until she spotted land. With fresh energy, she swam between the spikes of the wall and made her way to shore.
It took her awhile to find the rock where she met Garry. The rock was warm and dry from being exposed to the sun for hours. Enveloped in the warmth, Ib dozed off again on the rock.
She snapped back into reality when she heard someone call, "Ib! Ib, are you there?"
The little girl yawned and peeked over the rock at the lavender-haired man. "Yes." She replied.
Garry smiled at her. Ib rubbed her eyes sleepily and suppressed another yawn. "Were you napping over there?" Garry asked.
Ib nodded, causing him to frown slightly. "That's not safe, Ib. You could accidentally fall in and drown."
'Drown?' thought Ib. Out loud she said, "I don't know that word."
"What, drown? That means to die from inhaling water."
Ib nodded in understanding, Even though she couldn't die from inhaling the water, she could see how he would make that mistake.
Garry raised a white, flat object with light marks where she could see. "I brought my art project with me. I hope you don't mind if I work on it with you."
Ib stared at the white thing and shrugged. "I don't mind." she said quietly.
She watched as he sat down on the sand and positioned the thing in front of him. Unsure of what to do, she stared at him quietly as he worked. Every so often he would glance up at Ib from his work. "You're kinda freaking me out with your staring." he said with a laugh.
Ib giggled a bit surprised. Garry understood that she was just joking around. Whenever she'd stare at Mary, she would ask if Ib was okay, which wouldn't make the joke funny anymore.
The pair became silent yet again, listening to the waves crashing on the shore. It was like the sea was trying to reach Ib from her rock. Ib thought carefully what she should say next.
"Hey, Garry?" the girl called. Garry looked up at her with undivided attention. "What exactly are you doing?"
Garry repositioned the white thing for her to see correctly. "This is the canvas I'm going to paint for my project. I'm just sketching the details so I won't be as likely to mess it up."
Ib squinted at the canvas. There was a horizon and squiggly lines that represented the waves of the sea. Above the waves was a massive rock. Ib's eyes widened as she realized this was the spot he sketched along with a figure on the rock.
She pointed at the canvas. "Is that me?" she asked. Garry nodded, grinning brightly. Ib peered closer. "What is that in my hand?'
"Ahhh!" Garry exclaimed, growing awfully red in the face. He quickly brought the canvas close to him again. "I'm not done yet! It's supposed to be a rose. I got the idea from a crazy dream of mine actually. Unfortunately I'm not good at drawing flowers…" he babbled on.
Ib was confused at his reaction. She thought it looked fine, but she'd never seen a surface flower before. "I've never seen a rose before." she confessed aloud.
"Oh? I'm going to have to show you one another time then." Garry said.
At this suggestion, Ib's heart sank. How was she going to tell her friend that she wouldn't be seeing him again?
Oblivious to her inner conflict, Garry went on. "Speaking of showing you things, I brought you a gift."
Ib couldn't help but perk at the surprise. "You didn't have to do that-"
"But I wanted to, Ib. You helped me with my project and you are my friend." He dug into his backpack and presented a small paper bag.
He approached the water until he was in front of it and held out the paper sack for Ib to grab. The little girl stretched her arm as far as she could, but she was too far away. She frowned as she inched as far as the rock would allow.
Her balance couldn't hold as she stretched in this awkward position. Ib pitched forward into the shallow water, her tail and arms flailing in fear. She landed on her stomach, causing water to splash at Garry's shoes.
The paper sack was dropped into the seawater from fingers limp from shocked bewilderment as Garry stared at the red tail below the waist of the girl he had just called his friend.
Ib looked up at Garry sadly as she picked up the paper sack. "Garry-" she tried to say before he reacted.
"Eeeeekkkk!" he jumped backwards in fear of the oddity.
Ib didn't show offense. She simply waited for him to compose himself again. "Ib! You're a mermaid?!" he asked incredulously.
She nodded and he sucked in a breath of air. "Why…? How…?" the lavender-haired man seemed really confused.
Ib's eyes began to tear up. "I'm sorry Garry, but there won't be a next time we meet. This is goodbye, friend."
"Wait." Gary said frowning, "You aren't coming back? Is it because I found out your secret? I won't tell anyone."
Ib shook her head sorrowfully. "I don't know if I'm coming back, but it isn't your fault. Bye, Garry." The mermaid was quick to turn and flick her tail, shooting into the deep water.
She was temporarily blinded by her emotions, but Ib swam in the direction opposite of the shore. She didn't hear Garry's frantic calls to return as she fled home with a soaked paper sack in her hands.
000
Garry was gently floating in the seawater. He had no idea where exactly he was or how he got there. His shirt, pants, and coat were soaked, weighing him down.
He held his breath and dove into the dark water. His eyes widened at the sight. In front of him was a series of sharp rocks that seemed to fuse together further down. It stretched beyond his line of sight, but it seemed to curve, as though walling in this part of the sea from the world.
Just as Garry was running out of air, he heard a voice. It was muffled by the water, but it was a little girl's voice.
He turned, expecting to see Ib, but was surprised to see a different girl. She was about the same age as Ib, but she had wavy blonde hair that moved almost hypnotically in the water. Her eyes were a greenish-blue that matched a tail that slowly flicked for balance. Those eyes were narrowed in anger at Garry.
"How dare you come here? You're looking for Ib, aren't you?" she said lowly with an edge in her voice.
Unable to say anything because of the water, Garry only nodded.
The girl got a murderous look in her eyes; fury etched into her face. "Well you can't have her! She's mine only!" the girl screamed.
Garry flinched at her tone, but she wasn't done with him. She started singing in a language unfamiliar to him and suddenly he didn't know which way was up or down.
Garry desperately tried to get to the surface. His throat was burning and his chest tightened painfully with need for air. But he could not escape the enchantment of the song.
As he thrashed about in panic he thought, 'This is it. I'm gonna die.' Clamping his eyes shut, he saw with his mind a blue rose with its petals being plucked one by one.
When Garry opened his eyes, he blinked in surprise. He was lying on his couch in his house. Moonlight poured in through the window, providing what little light it could to the dark living room.
'Why was I sleeping on the couch?' he thought as he raised himself to a sitting position, 'And why did I get another crazy dream?'
On the coffee table in front of the couch he was on was a colorful painting. The canvas had dried, leaving a satisfactory picture where a colorless void had been. Garry turned on a lamp so he could see the final product better.
Holding the painting to the light, Garry could clearly see the rock above the waves. On the rock sat a little girl in a white blouse and a wet, red scarf. The little girl was Ib. She even had a flash of tail visible from behind the rock.
The little girl in the portrait was smiling brilliantly with her red eyes twinkling. She was leaning forward, like she was going to share a precious secret with the viewer. In her gentle grasp was a red rose.
Garry placed the painting back on the coffee table and turned off the lamp with a yawn. He got up off the couch, stumbling to his bedroom tiredly.
000
Nighttime was especially dark under the sea. Neither Mary nor Ib dared leave the tower after dark. For one thing, someone could get hurt or lost. For another thing, the dark was scary.
Therefore, Ib stayed in her dark room in isolation after dinner. Normally, she would spend her evening with her sister, but her last trip to the surface had upset her.
Ib floated motionlessly in an attempt to find sleep. A current coming from the window blew the paper sack into her tail.
The little girl looked at it curiously and picked it up. The paper sack was soaking wet and it tore easily in her hands. She opened it carefully and peered at the contents.
Inside the sack was a yellow plastic covered sphere. Ib wondered what the thing was. She pulled at the crinkly ends of the plastic and the plastic wrap unraveled itself. The yellow sphere floated free until Ib held it carefully, unsure of what the sphere was used for.
While she rolled the sphere between her fingers in thought, some of the yellow smeared on her fingers, making them sticky and funny smelling. Curious, the child smelled then licked one of her yellowy fingers. She smiled to herself at figuring out this puzzle. The yellow substance had a sweet, sharp flavor to it.
The girl happily licked her fingers and popped the sphere into her mouth. While she worked at dissolving the treat, Ib turned back to the paper sack. The rest of the contents were colorful, yet fluffy looking things.
She took out a pale pink one and looked at it closer. The thing was squishy and soaked with seawater. In between two fluffy parts was a sort of cream. She pressed her finger to the cream and fluff and put it to her tongue.
Not only was it edible, but it was delicious. She ate the treats as soon as the sphere was gone. She put the plastic wrapper of the sphere in the pocket of her favorite skirt, where she wouldn't lose it.
Once the crinkly wrapper was put away, Mary burst past the quilt covering the doorway and into Ib's room.
"Ib! Are you feeling better? Do you wanna play?" the blonde asked. Ib smiled nicely but didn't say a word.
"I know what'll cheer you up. A trip to the surface!"
Ib froze, her eyes widened in shock and guilt. Her smile was more forced now. "Um, Mary-" she tried to protest, but her soft voice went unheard.
"It's going to be so much fun! And the sunlight will make you feel better!"
"But I don't-"
"It'll be fine, Ib. We'll go tomorrow afternoon. Goodnight!" Mary hardly noticed Ib's distress when she left.
Ib stared at the curtained doorway for a moment, trying to come up with a way to get out of returning to the surface. If she did go to the surface, she knew she would want to see Garry again.
But Mary always got what she wanted one way or the other. If she wanted them to visit the surface, then Ib would have no choice in the matter. 'Unless I tell her about Garry.' she resolved in her thoughts, 'I'm sure she'll understand if I just tell the truth.'
Even though she had a plan, Ib was dreading the next day.
000
The professor paced between rows of working students, examining canvases and sculptures. He nodded encouragingly and pointed out things that stood out in the art, both positive and negative. Basically, he was just seeing whether or not his students were on task.
He was surprised when he came to Garry's canvas. It wasn't blank as he expected. In fact, the piece was completely spectacular. "Well done, Garry! It's so realistic!" the professor praised.
Garry flushed at the compliments. "It's not like the usual last-minute assignments I've done, is it?" he asked, brushing his hand through his hair uncertainly.
"No, you've exceeded my expectations. This will definitely pull up your grade." While Garry did a mental dance in celebration, the teacher placed a paper in front of the painting. "If you are finished with the painting, give it a title and put it on the drying rack."
The professor moved on, leaving Garry to decide on the perfect name. 'Hmm. What name can I give it that isn't plagiarism or stupid…?" the name came to him quite suddenly. 'Precious Rose of the Sea' he wrote on the paper.
After signing his name in the corner of the painting, he set it on the drying rack. He set his bag on his desk and took out a book he checked out of the library that morning. According to the description, it was about local legends.
Garry immediately flipped it to the Index and found the Abyss of the Deep. The section dedicated to the area gave the exact location and lots of warnings on it. It also listed stories and theories behind the disappearances.
Garry wrote the directions on a piece of paper and took a picture of a map on his cellphone before the professor dismissed class. He resolved to rent a boat from the local dock and check out the suspicious area that he believed had a connection to Ib.
000
Ib gingerly touched the crinkly wrapper in her pocket as she stared at Mary, who was waiting for her to say something. It was after their lessons and Mary was eager to swim to the surface again. Ib had pulled her aside, informing her sister that she had something to say.
Because it was rare for Ib to have anything to say to her sister, she had to think a moment before pressing on. "I met a human." she blurted.
Mary grinned at Ib. "And here I thought you didn't like the idea of playing with humans. You should have told me!"
Ib grimaced at the idea and put up her hand to silence Mary. "I didn't kill him. Garry's my friend." she said quietly.
For the first time in her young life, Mary was stunned speechless. Her eyes were wide with disbelief as she finally sputtered, "Wh-what?!"
Ib remained silent as Mary swam back and forth in thought. "What makes him so special that you can't kill him?" the blonde demanded angrily.
"I talked to him. He's really nice." Ib informed her while shrugging her shoulders. "I like him."
"You promised we'd be together, Ib. It'd be best if you forgot about him." Mary reminded her sister in a steely voice.
Not wanting her sister to be angry with her, Ib nodded silently. Mary allowed her smile to return to her lips, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Now let's go to the surface to play." she suggested before turning her back on Ib and swimming upwards.
Ib followed slowly behind her sister. She didn't know why Mary didn't understand, but she did know she wouldn't forget Garry. She hoped he was doing okay.
Ib turned her attention back to Mary, who had paused in her swimming to stare at something. The thing was as long as a person and half as wide. It floated on the surface of the water. Ib was confused, but Mary was grinning gleefully.
"What is it?" Ib asked.
Mary pointed at the floatation device. "That is a boat. It looks like it can hold one or two humans."
A cold chill ran down Ib's spine as they propelled themselves up so their heads were over the surface.
000
Garry felt kinda silly, rowing a leaky rowboat in the middle of the area that has been avoided for years. 'How can this place be considered dangerous? There's nothing out here!'
Indeed, this area was fine once he was safely over the rock formation. He hadn't drowned yet, which made him think he was at the wrong place.
Then a hand shot out of the water and grasped his wrist. "Ahhh!" Garry shrieked in surprise. Two heads popped out of the water with the hand. The person who held his wrist was the blonde girl from his dream. The other one was Ib, who seemed very afraid for some reason.
The blonde girl smiled at Garry sweetly and tightened her grip on his wrist. "Hello, Human. Wanna play?" she asked. Before Garry could even say anything, he was pulled into the water by the little girl.
"Mary! What are you doing? Stop it!" he heard Ib cry as her struggled to stay up.
"That was –cough cough- dangerous little girl." Garry said between hacking up water he accidentally inhaled.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm playing with him. You should too." Mary, the blonde girl, told Ib with a confused expression on her face.
"I'm not going to let you hurt Garry." Ib promised seriously.
Mary's smile faltered at that. "So this is Garry, the human that means so much to you…" She narrowed her eyes at Garry. Then she smiled brightly at Ib. "Even if he is your friend we still have to kill him. Teacher said so herself. You don't want her and our parents to think you're a bad student, do you?"
Ib stared at Mary with unfazed red eyes. "Just let him go, Mary."
Mary's smile turned into a frown and her eyes seemed sad. "Are you choosing him over me? But you promised we'd be together…" Mary's eyebrows furrowed in rage and she let out a giggle. "Together forever, together forever, together forever." She started singing.
Garry felt very disoriented. He could no longer tell which direction the air was, let alone wher Ib or the boat was.
His panic didn't last long, for a small hand grabbed his hand and guided it to the edge of the boat. Garry latched onto the side of the boat and breathed deeply in relief. He was still disoriented, but at least he was sure his head was above water.
"Stop it, Mary." he heard Ib say in a warning tone over the sound of the song.
The song slowed and ceased into nothingness. The world was suddenly crystal clear to Garry, but he still kept his hand on the boat in case Mary started singing again.
Mary was glaring at Ib angrily, but she turned her attention to the human who looked confused and scared. "Why won't you be good and just die!" she yelled as she lunged at Garry.
Garry instinctively put his free hand out and pushed her away rather hard. Neither Mary nor Ib had been physically involved in violence so this act shocked them.
The blonde glanced at Garry then at Ib. "I'm telling Mommy." she told her sister before diving below the surface.
Ib stared at the ripples from where Mary left before swimming over to Garry. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine." he said in reply, "This stuff isn't good for my mental health, but otherwise I'm fine."
Not knowing what to say about that, Ib simply stared as Garry struggled to get in the boat again. When he didn't succeed, he sighed and contented himself with gripping the side of it. "What was up with the creepy song?" he asked.
Ib tilted her head in thought. "We enchant our victims with a song. It's the only way we can defend ourselves."
Garry was surprised, "But I didn't do anything! Why was she trying to kill me?"
"Because you're trespassing." Ib explained, pointing in the direction the wall was.
"Oh…" Garry hung his head sadly. "So you're in trouble now because of me…"
Ib shrugged her shoulders. Garry motioned for her to follow as he started pushing the row boat in the direction of land. She helped him pushed it and stared in fascination as he kicked his legs up and down in the water.
Because Garry wasn't as experienced in long distance swimming, he had to take breaks every now and then. Ib wasn't complaining though. She wasn't at all eager to get home.
"What were those things you gave me the last time we saw each other?" the little girl asked.
"Um, oh right! The little pastries are called macaroons and the candy was a lemon drop." Garry instantly lit up at the mention of his favorite treats. Ib smiled back at him. How could Mary have wanted to kill him?
"You should smile more often, Ib. Frowning is such a disservice to your cute face." He said He chuckled when her face flushed at the compliment.
"How's your project coming along?" she asked.
"I finished it today before coming here." He answered, "And I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."
Ib's already crimson cheeks were beginning to rival the shade of her eyes. She shyly ducked her head so her damp hair would block her face from him. "I-I didn't do anything." She stuttered uncertainly.
"You inspired me, Ib. There's no way I would have finished my project as quickly as I did if we hadn't met." He smiled fondly at the girl as she battled her embarrassment.
"I don't know that word." Ib informed him.
"Hmm? Inspired means to give a person a really good idea."
"In-spi-red…" Ib sounded the word out aloud, scrunching her face cutely in concentration.
'Ib is so cute and innocent.' Garry thought as he watched her look up with pride at learning a new word. 'I can't imagine her killing people. In fact, I want to defend her.'
Ib tilted her head at him curiously while he was lost in thought. She was surprised that even though he only knew her for almost a week he seemed to care very much for her and vice versa. She was also worried about what was going to happen to her now that she had disobeyed.
It was getting rather late when they reached shore, but neither Ib nor Garry wanted to go home yet. "Your parents are probably really worried by now, Ib. We'll see each other again soon. I promise." Garry said from where he stood waist deep in the sea.
Ib stared at him solemnly with her red eyes shining with guilt and sadness. "I don't know if I'll be able to come back. And it's too dangerous for you to trespass in our territory again." She pointed out logically.
"I know, but still… I'm going to go to our meeting place every afternoon, just in case you can come." he told her with a smile. "If you need me, just yell for me and I'll come running… or swimming."
With that being said, the two friends bid each other farewell and went their separate ways. Garry felt awful for leaving Ib to face her punishment alone, but there was no way of going with her without drowning. 'Or is there a way I haven't seen yet?' he asked himself as he walked in the direction his house was.
He didn't know if there was a way, but he knew where he could find answers. "It looks like I'm heading back to the library tomorrow."
000
Ib floated on the surface of the Abyss of the Deep as the sky above her darkened. She wished she could stay to see the little sky lights that appeared after dark, but she had to get home on time. She didn't want to get in even more trouble.
"There you are, Ib." said a clear voice. The girl looked up to see her mother swimming towards her. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
Ib's mother took the little girl's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Ib felt less frightened with a familiar hand holding her's. "Let's go home." the woman suggested.
Ib gave a nervous gulp, but nodded. The two dove into the darkening water and swam down to the bottom.
On the floor of the sea, her father, Mary, and Lady in Red came up a little ways to meet them. Ib allowed them to hug her even though she wasn't a hugger.
"We were so worried for you, dear." Lady in Red cried.
"You are not visiting the surface again." Ib's father said sternly.
Ib stared at him in surprise, hoping he was joking. He stared back entirely serious. "But… why?"
"Mary came back early, saying a human was hurting you and you needed help. When we swam up you were gone." her father explained with concern and worry in his expression.
"But he didn't-"
"Oh, the poor dear. We don't have to talk about that now. No need to upset her." Lady in Red interrupted, giving Ib's father a glare that clearly said 'How could you?!' "Ib is safe now."
Lady in Red gave Ib one more hug before going to her home. Ib's parents swam ahead of the younger girls to their tower, but they would glance back at them every so often.
Ib faced Mary now that the adults were out of hearing range. Mary's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You took him to shore." she accused Ib.
"You lied to Mama and Papa." Ib shot back.
"If you had been good and obeyed, none of this would have happened!"
"He's my friend. I couldn't just let you kill him."
"I thought I was your friend!" Mary yelled, "You promised we'd be together forever! Why did you choose him over me?!"
"Of course you're my friend Mary. Both you and Garry are my friends."
"Not anymore, Ib. You can't go to the surface anymore, so you can't see Garry." Mary flicked her tail hard, motoring herself into their tower.
Ib touched the crinkly yellow wrapper in her pocket before entering the tower. Her family paused from their dinner preparations to smile at Ib. They were all so happy to have her there. Ib stretched her lips upwards before joining her family again.
000
Garry gazed at the building in front of him, wondering if this library really had the information he was looking for. He was on his lunch break between classes, so he had some time for research.
The lavender-haired man shifted his backpack so it rested on his less sore shoulder and walked into the local library.
Heat and the smell of ink filled the air of the room he entered. It was inhabited by rows and rows of bookcases, making the somewhat big room seem cramped.
Not knowing where to look, Garry went to the front desk. "Excuse me," he whispered to the girl with her head buried in a book behind the desk, "Would you be so kind to tell me where any books on local legends might be?"
The girl looked up in surprise and Garry gaped openly. "M-Maggie Blue?" he stuttered.
"Garry!" the lady in blue grinned at him. "I didn't expect to see you again."
"I didn't know you worked here."
"Well, it's not the café, but it is peaceful. You're interested in local legends?" she asked.
"Yeah… um, the conversation we had in the café about the Abyss was… intriguing. I got a book here, but it didn't answer all of my questions." Garry set his backpack on the desk and removed the library book he read the day before. "Can you help me find more information?"
"Of course! This book here has more theories and records of mysterious things going on with the Abyss. It also has other legends, such as the one about the wishing rock." The lady in blue said as her handed him the book she was just reading.
Garry took the book and barely glanced at the worn cover before blurting, "Wishing rock?"
"It's just an old myth. They say there's a cave in the side of the cliff down at the shore with a magical rock deep inside. It can grant any wish at if you touch it and make a wish at midnight. But there's a catch! The cave is almost always underwater and is very hard to get to." The lady in blue explained.
"That isn't a very believable story." Garry remarked. "How can a wish be granted by touching a rock?"
"It's a magical rock." Maggie pointed out. "You can find out more about it while you are researching the Abyss."
Garry rolled his eyes, but accepted the book with a "Thank you." A wishing rock sounded to him like something any gullible person would believe in. Then again, he didn't believe in mermaids before he met Ib.
He sat down at one of the tables and started to read. The information was the same content as in the other book. There were no mentions of mermaids, but the many strange disappearings were explained. There was nothing new about the Abyss.
Frustrated with his lack of progress, he flipped the book to the section about the wishing rock. The book said the cave where the rock lay was constantly underwater and extremely dangerous. There even were directions in the book.
Garry wrote down the directions, thinking he and Ib could probably check it out sometime. That is, if Ib would agree to meet him that late at night… maybe.
000
After lessons with Lady in Red, Ib found herself staring at the seaweed again. A week ago she would have said the leafy greens were dancing to the current. Today though, she felt like the seaweed was waving goodbye.
"Ib, you've been staring at that thing forever. When are you going to play with me?" Mary pouted as she swam up to her sister.
Ib shrugged her shoulders without looking away from the seaweed. Mary gave a frustrated sigh before going away to find something more entertaining to do.
Ib sighed as well when her sister left, except she did it for a different reason. She was sad that she wouldn't be able to talk to Garry again. She stared at the seaweed in silence, thinking about his kind smile. If he had kept his word, he'd be waiting for her at the shore by now.
Ib quickly scanned her surroundings. No one was watching. She was a fast swimmer when she wanted to be and she only wanted to check up on him. 'I'll only be gone for a few minutes.' she reasoned, 'They won't even notice I'm gone.'
Giving the seaweed a final glance, she swiftly swam to the wall in the direction of the shore.
000
Garry was sketching a rose with a lighter nestled in its petals when he heard a splash coming from the water. He looked up to see Ib push herself onto the rock out in the sea. She leaned on one hand while waving at Garry with the other.
The lavender-haired man grinned back at the little girl. "Hi Ib! I didn't expect to see you today."
Ib tilted her head in curiosity. "If you didn't expect to see me then why did you come?"
Garry stood up and walked into the water. When he was close enough he removed a red rose from his coat pocket and gave it to her. "I saw this on my way here and I wanted to give it to you. You said you'd never seen a real rose before." he said.
Ib tenderly held the delicate flower that seemed too beautiful to be real. "I have to go soon, Garry."
"Okay, but before you go, I want to tell you something." Garry went back to the dry shore where his backpack was. He pulled out an old looking book and looked to Ib with an unreadable expression. "I heard that there's a magical rock in a cave around here that will grant your wish if you touch it at midnight."
Ib's eyes widened at that thought. She didn't know what midnight was, but she knew granting wishes was good. She was instantly curious. "Can we look for this rock?" she asked.
Garry frowned. "Well… I guess if it's okay with your parents…"
Ib nodded even though she knew they wouldn't want her visiting the surface at all.
Garry sighed. "Okay then. We'll meet here at 11:15, after dark. Don't worry about it if you can't come."
Ib nodded again even though she didn't understand what 11:15 meant. "Thanks Garry. I'll meet you later." she said while waving farewell.
"Bye Ib!" Garry waved back, watching as the little girl leapt into the water with the rose clutched tightly in her hand.
Garry put his things back in his backpack and started towards his house. This time, he was going to be prepared for this adventure.
000
Ib pretended to sleep until she could hear no noises from inside the tower. It was dark, silent, and terrifying outside. The red eyed girl slipped her hand in her pocket to touch the candy wrapper and the slightly withering rose before swimming out the window and straight up.
Ib gasped for air once her head burst to the surface. The air around her was cool, and light emitted from a silver disc in the sky. The sky lights twinkled beautifully over the sea. This was a magical sight to Ib.
She stared at the sky for a moment, then slipped between the spikes of the wall and made her way to shore.
She found Garry already sitting on her rock at the meeting spot. "I knew you'd get here." Garry greeted her, "A little late, but not too late."
"I'm sorry." Ib apologized.
Garry looked at her in surprise. "Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong." He gave her a small smile, "Remember to smile, Ib."
"Okay." Ib said, twitching the corners of her lips up. She took a closer look at Garry as he dropped into the water. He wore his usual coat, shirt, and khakis, but he had an unusual tank attached to his back with a tube that looked like it would go in his mouth.
Garry swam over to Ib and noticed her looking at the contraption. "This is so I don't accidentally drown." he told her, gesturing to the thing. "You know, just in case."
Ib nodded, looking a bit troubled. She placed her hand in Garry's hand and allowed him to lead the way. "The book said it would be in the cliff beside the shoreline…" Garry muttered to himself.
Ib stared distractedly up at the sky lights. "They're so pretty." she said aloud.
"Hmm? Oh the stars? Yeah, I guess they are kinda pretty…" Garry glanced up for a moment before focusing on the shoreline again. "That area seems to be where rock meets water. Maybe the cave entrance is somewhere over there?"
Ib nodded her head and followed Garry. The area they came to was a rock- like cliff that stuck out of the water.
Garry stuck the tube of his contraption in his mouth and they dove beneath the surface. Garry took out a handheld device that emitted light, which Ib found fascinating, and used it to search for an opening.
Once they found the opening, they didn't hesitate to swim in. If they had turned around they would have seen a figure with a tail and long, wavy hair trailing behind following them in the cave with hands clenched into fists.
000
So, are you all creeped out yet? I'm going to post the various endings soon, so don't worry. I don't like keeping people waiting...
In the meantime, tell me what you think so far! Even if all you have is negative comments, I wanna hear it. There's always room for improvement and I'm not very good at keeping people origional, especailly in situations like this. Please review!