Watery Grave

There's a familiarity to the cool water that surrounds me. I let the water pull me under until I'm laying before the statue of a water horse. The salt-water makes my wounds burn, but as I look down, I realize I'm starting to heal. I make the mistake of gulping the water down, causing my lungs to burn.

"Silly girl," a child-like voice says.

I look around and find large black eyes looking down at me. A figure hides behind the seahorse statue. I catch the glimpse of webbed fingers and bright orange and pink hair.

The figure swims out from behind the statue she's nothing more than a child. The little mermaid gives me a shark's smile her tail reminds me of coral and lavender. She reaches out to me webbed fingers pressing something into my forehead.

"That should help," she says.

Its suddenly easier to breathe the water no longer burning my lungs, "who are you?" I ask leaning against the statue in a seating position.

"I'm the new guardian to the Seventh Level of the Underworld, my name's Marina. What's yours?" She swims closer nestling in beside me.

"I don't remember, what happened to the old guardian?" I asked taking the strange fruit she offers.

Marina puckers her lips tapping her forehead she says, "I forget, you should eat it if you want to heal," she nods at the pink and purple fruit it's about the size of a small peach.

When I bite the fruit my mouth fills with sweet nectar. Marina watches me with curious eyes before another fruit appears in her hands, she bites into it swishing her tail sideways while humming a beautifully haunting song.

"You could stay here with me," Marina says once we're both done with our fruit. She takes the pits and pushes them into the sand covering the pits she looks up at me, "it's kind of boring here, although I suppose it's better than guarding the lower realms."

"How come you're here?" I ask.

She swims over to one of the glowing pearls, "I did something bad," she says.

"What could a child possibly do to end up here?" I swim over to where she's patting a crimson pearl.

"I don't remember," she says, "but this place is a mercy, not everyone's as lucky."

"How do I go home?"

Marina looks at me with sadness in her eyes, "you have to find your true self before you can enter the Eighth Level, some call it Paradise, they say it's so lovely you never want to leave. If you manage to get to Paradise, you must find the Bridge of Eternity."

"What then?" I watch as she pats, a silvery pearl.

"You either cross it or jump, it's different for everyone," she pauses her hand over a green and violet pearl, "for some it even resembles a gate."

"You could come with me," I say, earning a sad smile.

Marina sighs, "I must finish my punishment or risk the Eternal extinction of my soul," I have the sudden urge to hug her. She seems to read my thoughts because she wraps her arms around me, "thank you, for offering."

I run my fingers through her orange and pink hair setting her down under the seahorse statue when I feel her fall asleep. What could she have done to end up here? Pearls and coral surround us all shapes and sizes, if I had to guess I'd say each pearl represents a soul. Marina must be tasked with keeping them here.

There is one pearl that calls to me its energy pulsing like my own heartbeat. I swim around until I find it. The pearl is a swirl of color alternating between red, orange, pink, purple, green, black. The moment my hand touches it, a wave of energy pushes me back. When I look back the pearl is gone and Marina's awake, looking at me with large frightened eyes.

"What have you done?" she swims over to where the pearl used to be, then over to me. Marina circles me worry on her brow, "that shouldn't be possible."

"What?"

"Are you a Shadow?" she ignores my question asking one of her own.

"I don't even know who I am, let alone what I am," I say, as she continues to circle me.

"How do you feel?"

"Fine," I frown at her, "hungry."

She nods and summons another pink, purple fruit. This time when I bite into it, it tastes like ash. I spit the fruit out and look at Marina who seems even more worried now. She takes the fruit and bites into it.

"What did it taste like?" she asks.

"Ash," I say.

"That's not right," she taps her chin summoning a different fruit this one I actually know, "try the persimmon."

While the fruit is bland at least it doesn't taste like ash. She gives me an expectant look, so I say, "not ash just lacks flavor."

"I think you should start swimming up," Marina takes the persimmon and bites into it, "your senses are failing both fruits are sweet."

"What does that mean?" I take the persimmon back and find it still tastes bland to me.

"It means you're not meant to stay here any longer than you already have."

"What about the pearl?"

"They were souls when you return to the world of the living, you'll see who you just bound to you."

"Each pearl is more than one soul?"

"Not all just some," she starts pushing me towards the seahorse statues, "the one you touched held six Shadow Souls. Swim past the statue of Onyx then up until you've broken through the surface. There's no time to waste."

I steady myself by placing my hand on the statue of Onyx the water horse, "what will happen to you?"

Marina gives me a smile that doesn't reach her eyes, "don't worry about me just go," she gives me a push and I'm tumbling in the water.

Once I steady myself, I find I can no longer see the glowing of the pearls nor can I catch a glimpse of Onyx's statue. I hope nothing happens to her because of me, she's only a child. I swim until my muscles ache every time, I think of giving up I remember Marina.

If I can make it to the surface, I can enter the Eighth Level and perhaps asks the Empress not to punish her. As I continue to swim upward my memories start to return and with them, a name my grandmother used only once.

"My little Kira one day you will remember what I tell you know; your real mother was Cerina she was a spy for the Dark King. Cerina made the mistake of falling in love with your father. She gave her life so you could live. Your maternal grandparents think you died when she did, trust the Dark King you are one of his people. Just like I was, just like your mother, you are a child of darkness and light. For now, continue to use the name Lila gave you, but know it is not your true name nor who you are."

How did she take that memory away if she had no magic? All other thoughts escape me as I break through the surface. I'm floating inside a pond, black and red waterlilies floating around me. I'm no longer in the Seventh Level of the Underworld.