Viveca stands on the shore, smiling at the scenery. The sanguine golden Sun hangs low over the glittering waves. Dolphins tease each other and perform tricks in the distance. Viveca relishes the warm burn of sand under her feet. She digs her toes into the the cool, dense water logged sand. The sand that separates worlds. The beach is empty except for a few stray seagulls.
As Viveca travels further down the coast, the water’s rolling surface remains unbroken. She sits on a dry rock and watches the ocean devour the rest of the Sun. She is elated when the Moon casts its other worldly glow on the beach.
Three objects, no people, emerge from beneath the surface. They wave at Viceca. They gesture for her to join them. Like they know her. A raven haired girl with glowing purple eyes breaks from the group and swims up to Viveca. She has no legs but a long scaleless, shark’s tail. She offers her hand to Viveca.
Viveca doesn’t hesitate to grasp the webbed hand and is pulled under the waves.
She inhales as much water as her lungs can hold. Gills form on Viveca’s neck. Her legs fuse and grow brilliant orange scales, ending in a beta fish tail. Her eyes become smoldering red.
The shark girl smiles, showing rows of sharp teeth. They swim hand in webbed hand to the angel fish and angler girls. The four float in the moon light.
They swim over vibrant coral reefs and explore dark abysses. The vents of the benthos are their own personal spa. These strange, gorgeous creatures rule the night.
As sunrise begins, the shark, angel, and angler wave farewell to Viveca. She lays on the ocean floor. Watches the sunrise in a bed of seaweed. Through the crystalline shallows.
Viveca exhales a sigh of relief. Bubbles, carrying her breath, disappear with the darkness.
An orange bottle slips from her hand and rolls off the tub’s edge. It hits the toilet base and stops label up. Viveca Grayson, Dr. Kyle Zimmerman, Rx # 29504, Ultram.
*
Jazmine Ellington is a junior at Cleveland State University. She is an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing, and also seeking a Bioethics certification. Her work appears in Entropy and Feminine Collective. If she’s not reading or writing, she’s playing Minecraft or a Sims game. You can connect with Jazmine on Twitter @GreatGiggles22
Twisted Sister lit mag 