Chapter Text
The moon hung low in the sky, a silver coin tossed to the ocean, its glow spilling over the water's surface like a whisper of magic. Below that gentle light, the world stirred—a vibrant realm of color and life hidden just out of reach. The little boy, Frederick, had found his way to a big, bright float—the kind that giggled with playful squeaks and promises of lazy summer fun. With a mind heavy from the day’s mischief, he surrendered to the lulling caress of the waves and, lulled by the symphony of the sea, slumbered.
In dreams, the boy floated further away, slipping into depths unseen. The float creaked and swayed as it drifted, cradled by the rhythm of the sea, until the stars wrapped him in their soft embrace.
When Frederick woke, he was still upon his float, but the world above had slipped away, swallowed by the vast expanse of shimmering blue. Air-filled bubbles danced around him like tiny, effervescent spirits. He blinked, dazzled by the brilliance, and felt an unusual sensation creeping through him—like the tickling flutter of a school of fish brushing past his leg. He instinctively shivered, but when he looked around, that chill dissolved into wonder.
Off to his left, a shimmering shape darted through the water, its iridescent tail casting shimmering rainbows in its wake. The apparition came closer, and Frederick squinted against the sun-dappled sea: a girl, her hair flowing like kelp caught in a tide, tangled with silver and cerulean luminescence. She had the sparkle of the ocean in her eyes and a smile that could rival the brightest coral reef.
“Hello!” she sang, her voice a melodic bubbling, clear like the tinkling of shells. “I’m Lira! What’s your name, surface boy?”
“F-Frederick,” he stammered, still absorbing everything—the cool caress of the water against his skin, the sunlight fracturing into perfect diamonds around him, and the gleeful call of creatures he had only seen in picture books. “I… where am I?”
Lira giggled, a sound that made the water around them shimmer with delight. “You’re in the Celestial Cove! The sea currents are your friends here,” she said, her words twirling in soft bubbles of laughter. She swam closer, her fingers dancing through the water, leaving trails of golden light in her wake. “Come! I’ll show you what lies beneath!”
Frederick hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the surface, where flecks of light still sparkled like memories. But the lure of Lira’s laughter was too strong to resist. No longer a boy floating atop an inflatable toy, he dipped himself into the shimmering depths. Here, he felt weightless, and with each determined stroke of his arms, the excitement coursed through him, drowning out the remnants of his former life.
Lira led him through an enchanting world of coral castles, their bright colors reminiscent of a painter's palette—garnet, turquoise, and a splash of sunset orange. Schools of tiny fish darted playfully, glimmering like stars as they navigated through a forest of swaying seaweed. An octopus waved from its crevasse, its limbs waving like long-lost friends beckoning him to join the revelry.
“Can you believe this?” he gasped, his eyes alight with wonder. “It’s incredible!”
“How can you not wish to stay?” Lira’s voice dripped with enchantment, drawing him deeper into her vibrant underwater kingdom. “You could explore forever, swim with the dolphins, and listen to the songs of the ancient whales!”
“I have a family!” he protested, a pang tugging at his heart.
“But here, you’ll be free!” Her gaze was earnest, sparkling like sunlight through the water. “You’ll never have to worry about the land above. You could be one of us!”
Just as Frederick was starting to surrender to the beauty surrounding him, a shadow unfurled above—a vast silhouette with glimmering eyes that gleamed like beacons in the dark. Lira turned with reverence as the giants—the Wise Whales—swam into view, their bodies arcs of majesty. With one grand sweep of their powerful tails, they created waves that shimmered like glass.
“Child of the surface,” the largest whale rumbled, his voice a thunderous song echoing in Frederick’s bones. “What is it that you seek in our waters?”
“There’s magic here!” Frederick burst out, necessity seeping into his tone. “I want to stay—to become one of you!”
The waves shimmered as the whales exchanged glances, their eyes depthless and discerning. The air between Frederick and Lira grew heavy with anticipation, thick enough to feel.
“But stay, you must truly wish,” the whale continued, “for magic can be fickle, and choices longer than tides. You could become a merman, swirling in the verses of the ocean forever, but know that to dwell beneath, you must forsake the world above.”
Frederick’s heart raced—a hundred emotions danced through him, crashing like waves against the shore. He thought of sunsets over the ocean, of laughter echoing from the beach, the warmth of hugs, and the scent of summer nights. But even deeper than that was the gilded vision of this vivid realm, where colors blossomed in every crevice, where playful creatures beckoned him to join their race under the waves.
“Choose wisely,” the Wise Whale intoned, his voice a mellow thunder. “If you embrace our magic, the charms of your human existence will fade like bubbles in sunlight.”
Frederick looked at Lira, her eyes bright with hope, with dreams of underwater adventures. If he submerged himself and took the plunge into this new reality, would he ever miss his family? Would the laughter of the beach still sing to him from the depths?
“I want to stay!” His voice rose, fueled by the exhilaration of possibility, yet rooted still in uncertainty. Inside him, a storm stirs, a tapestry woven between the threads of adventure and familiarity.
“You will forget,” the Wise Whale’s song consumed the water, somber and unyielding. “You will leave behind all that you know…”
Yet, laughter bubbled inside him, and all he saw was the shimmering glow of a life unbound. Caught in the whirl of enchantment, he felt time dance, pushing him to the precipice. Perhaps he was too young to grasp the full weight of what he was forsaking, but in the heart of the sea, entangled in the wonders of his new friend, the boy longed to dive deeper, beyond the waves and into a life filled with magic.
And as Frederick stood teetering on the edge of a choice, the ocean sparkled around him—a world alive with color, and the promise of a second chance.