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Description
Maggie carried on forward, although she soon came to wish she had asked Maribeth for directions. The winding labyrinth of buildings made it difficult to tell where she was supposed to go. Many of the taller buildings shone like beckons, lying about their significance. Above even them was the pitch dark void of the deep. It’s shrouded expanse reminding Maggie to stay low to the buildings, where at least she could see anything approaching thanks to the light. After a few hours of searching fruitlessly, Maggie considered turning back, but then she found the coral.

The branches, the stands, the bony encrustations, all of it made of Mermaids. The corals grew in twisted, painful arrays. Flesh giving way to bear skeletons only covered by the thinnest layer of skin. Those which still had faces wore a solemn look, defeated by the uncontrolled growth of their bodies. What made it even more uncanny was the fact that so many looked the same. Clones and clones of women growing in the deep like a garden of flesh.

None of them spoke to Maggie, despite her attempts to start a conversation. They just kept staring at her, silently asking for freedom. But Maggie couldn’t do anything for them. Much like the situation of the Twins at the surface, she was powerless against the forces that held them there. Helplessly she
swam on through the garden, silent as the maidens that surrounded her. Until she heard something quite peculiar.

”Lightbringer!” A small voice called. It sounded kind of familiar, but Maggie couldn’t name exactly where she heard it before.

”Ah! Uh, hello?” She said in surprise, turning to where the voice was coming from.

Past a pair of sad mermaids who had grown around a car was a pair of small, spindly sponges that looked exactly like the giant Maggie had seen before. They chanted together, calling to the one they called Lightbringer, only to be interrupted by a strange girl in front of them.

”Hush, hush! No need for the racket. We don’t want the dwellers finding her!” Commanded this tentacled stranger. The sponges at once quieted down, but still kept their jovial expressions. The stranger, however, turned to Maggie and spoke.

”Welcome, Lightbringer.” She said.

Maggie was confused, and after a second to process everything she quickly sputtered her reply.

”No, no, I’m not the one who turned on the lights. I only just got here and this is all a coincidence.” She said, lying to stay out of this strange idolization she had found herself in.

”Oh… that’s too bad. We had thought you had- never mind. It’s just an old story.” The stranger said, lowering her head before speaking again.

”You best be finding yourself a place to stay then. Drop your fins and wait with the rest of us.” She finished.

”What’s that supposed to mean?” Maggie asked, now even more lost as to what was happening.

”You, you can still swim. They don’t like that. You can pretend to be rooted like me, but I doubt they’d fall for you playing pretend.” The stranger said.

Now Maggie was really confused. She already was lost in this gigantic city with all its lights and blind alleys, and now she was being talked to like she knew anything about this situation. At last she snapped, and shouted to the stranger in frustration.

”Stop talking like that! I don’t know a thing about what your saying or what’s happening! In fact I’m here to find answers and all I’ve gotten is either sad stares or friends leaving or, or…” She went silent, now more than ever missing Zoe’s sharp tongue. Perhaps if she was still around, Maggie would have gotten one of these stagnant souls to talk. Instead, Maggie could only choke on her words as the sadness of this place stabbed into her heart.

”Your friend left?” Asked the stranger, snapping Maggie out of her silence.

”It’s a long story…” Maggie said quietly, feeling ashamed to have just shouted at such a gentle individual.

”Not surprising. I doubt she made it very far, even with the lights on.” The stranger said coldly, making Maggie somewhat feel justified in shouting.

”You’re talking like there’s something here that’s a danger, especially if I’m swimming, what is it?” Maggie asked.

”Oh? You… haven’t seen any of them then? The dwellers?” The stranger replied.

“The Dwellers?” Maggie said softly, recalling what the shrimp they met on the road had said about glassy monstrosities from the deep, “Do they glow and have weird skulls? If so then I’ve seen one already.” She asked.

”Yes, that is their general look,” Said the stranger, “they don’t attack what doesn’t move. Or, well they used to, but because these girls around you can grow back from tiny pieces they stopped trying to.” She finished, finally making some sense in Maggie’s mind.

”Ok, but they also can’t swim. So I think I’ll take my chances not pretending.” Maggie said sternly, clutching her bottle tightly.

”Oh they can. Some can’t, but most will swim you down and tear you apart. They don’t eat you either, just leave you for the bottom feeders.” Said the stranger pointing at Maggie.

Maggie took a second to take in this information. Whatever she had encountered before had screamed something about memory, and the pieces were finally lining up, if a bit incorrectly.

”Then they must know what happened. And if they don’t then the wishmaker will allow me to find out.” Maggie said, starting to back away.

Now it was the stranger’s turn to be confused. Not so much at Maggie’s conclusions, after all, it sort of made sense knowing a smidge about what the dwellers guarded, but more that Maggie was risking her life on what felt like a hunch. But as the stranger slowly pondered this, Maggie turned to leave.

”Stop! You will not make it!” Called the stranger, trying in vein to get through to Maggie. Maggie stopped and turned around to face the stranger.

”You can’t possibly know that if all you’ve done is sit there.” Maggie said.

”I- I guess your right, but seriously you will get torn apart!” The stranger said back.

”I might get torn apart.” Maggie corrected, not wanting the stranger to forget the uncertainty of death.

”Even with the distraction of the city being lit up, I doubt that where you say you’re going is a path you can come back from.” The stranger said, sounding exhausted from the conversation.

”Maybe not. But I have to risk it if I want to know anything about all of this. Or do the things I need to do. You know?” Maggie’s finishing question confused the stranger, who looked at her puzzled. Clearly, she didn’t know what Maggie was talking about.

”Ok, look, I’m going to have to go, you can’t make me stay put, even if you say it’s for my own good. I need this.” Maggie told the stranger before swimming away, leaving the nameless mermaid behind her.

(Note, the mermaid her is based on the members of Dendrogaster, a parasitic group of crustaceans which are some of the weirdest things in the sea.)

Description
Maggie carried on forward, although she soon came to wish she had asked Maribeth for directions. The winding labyrinth of buildings made it difficult to tell where she was supposed to go. Many of the taller buildings shone like beckons, lying about their significance. Above even them was the pitch dark void of the deep. It’s shrouded expanse reminding Maggie to stay low to the buildings, where at least she could see anything approaching thanks to the light. After a few hours of searching fruitlessly, Maggie considered turning back, but then she found the coral.

The branches, the stands, the bony encrustations, all of it made of Mermaids. The corals grew in twisted, painful arrays. Flesh giving way to bear skeletons only covered by the thinnest layer of skin. Those which still had faces wore a solemn look, defeated by the uncontrolled growth of their bodies. What made it even more uncanny was the fact that so many looked the same. Clones and clones of women growing in the deep like a garden of flesh.

None of them spoke to Maggie, despite her attempts to start a conversation. They just kept staring at her, silently asking for freedom. But Maggie couldn’t do anything for them. Much like the situation of the Twins at the surface, she was powerless against the forces that held them there. Helplessly she
swam on through the garden, silent as the maidens that surrounded her. Until she heard something quite peculiar.

”Lightbringer!” A small voice called. It sounded kind of familiar, but Maggie couldn’t name exactly where she heard it before.

”Ah! Uh, hello?” She said in surprise, turning to where the voice was coming from.

Past a pair of sad mermaids who had grown around a car was a pair of small, spindly sponges that looked exactly like the giant Maggie had seen before. They chanted together, calling to the one they called Lightbringer, only to be interrupted by a strange girl in front of them.

”Hush, hush! No need for the racket. We don’t want the dwellers finding her!” Commanded this tentacled stranger. The sponges at once quieted down, but still kept their jovial expressions. The stranger, however, turned to Maggie and spoke.

”Welcome, Lightbringer.” She said.

Maggie was confused, and after a second to process everything she quickly sputtered her reply.

”No, no, I’m not the one who turned on the lights. I only just got here and this is all a coincidence.” She said, lying to stay out of this strange idolization she had found herself in.

”Oh… that’s too bad. We had thought you had- never mind. It’s just an old story.” The stranger said, lowering her head before speaking again.

”You best be finding yourself a place to stay then. Drop your fins and wait with the rest of us.” She finished.

”What’s that supposed to mean?” Maggie asked, now even more lost as to what was happening.

”You, you can still swim. They don’t like that. You can pretend to be rooted like me, but I doubt they’d fall for you playing pretend.” The stranger said.

Now Maggie was really confused. She already was lost in this gigantic city with all its lights and blind alleys, and now she was being talked to like she knew anything about this situation. At last she snapped, and shouted to the stranger in frustration.

”Stop talking like that! I don’t know a thing about what your saying or what’s happening! In fact I’m here to find answers and all I’ve gotten is either sad stares or friends leaving or, or…” She went silent, now more than ever missing Zoe’s sharp tongue. Perhaps if she was still around, Maggie would have gotten one of these stagnant souls to talk. Instead, Maggie could only choke on her words as the sadness of this place stabbed into her heart.

”Your friend left?” Asked the stranger, snapping Maggie out of her silence.

”It’s a long story…” Maggie said quietly, feeling ashamed to have just shouted at such a gentle individual.

”Not surprising. I doubt she made it very far, even with the lights on.” The stranger said coldly, making Maggie somewhat feel justified in shouting.

”You’re talking like there’s something here that’s a danger, especially if I’m swimming, what is it?” Maggie asked.

”Oh? You… haven’t seen any of them then? The dwellers?” The stranger replied.

“The Dwellers?” Maggie said softly, recalling what the shrimp they met on the road had said about glassy monstrosities from the deep, “Do they glow and have weird skulls? If so then I’ve seen one already.” She asked.

”Yes, that is their general look,” Said the stranger, “they don’t attack what doesn’t move. Or, well they used to, but because these girls around you can grow back from tiny pieces they stopped trying to.” She finished, finally making some sense in Maggie’s mind.

”Ok, but they also can’t swim. So I think I’ll take my chances not pretending.” Maggie said sternly, clutching her bottle tightly.

”Oh they can. Some can’t, but most will swim you down and tear you apart. They don’t eat you either, just leave you for the bottom feeders.” Said the stranger pointing at Maggie.

Maggie took a second to take in this information. Whatever she had encountered before had screamed something about memory, and the pieces were finally lining up, if a bit incorrectly.

”Then they must know what happened. And if they don’t then the wishmaker will allow me to find out.” Maggie said, starting to back away.

Now it was the stranger’s turn to be confused. Not so much at Maggie’s conclusions, after all, it sort of made sense knowing a smidge about what the dwellers guarded, but more that Maggie was risking her life on what felt like a hunch. But as the stranger slowly pondered this, Maggie turned to leave.

”Stop! You will not make it!” Called the stranger, trying in vein to get through to Maggie. Maggie stopped and turned around to face the stranger.

”You can’t possibly know that if all you’ve done is sit there.” Maggie said.

”I- I guess your right, but seriously you will get torn apart!” The stranger said back.

”I might get torn apart.” Maggie corrected, not wanting the stranger to forget the uncertainty of death.

”Even with the distraction of the city being lit up, I doubt that where you say you’re going is a path you can come back from.” The stranger said, sounding exhausted from the conversation.

”Maybe not. But I have to risk it if I want to know anything about all of this. Or do the things I need to do. You know?” Maggie’s finishing question confused the stranger, who looked at her puzzled. Clearly, she didn’t know what Maggie was talking about.

”Ok, look, I’m going to have to go, you can’t make me stay put, even if you say it’s for my own good. I need this.” Maggie told the stranger before swimming away, leaving the nameless mermaid behind her.

(Note, the mermaid her is based on the members of Dendrogaster, a parasitic group of crustaceans which are some of the weirdest things in the sea.)