Hydrus PopokoThe girl was seventeen when she drowned. Her family had been invited to a cruise ship to celebrate the birth of her new cousin, but the lighting of a storm had struck the ship and led it to its demise.
She had sunk into the sea, unable to swim, along with the many other frantic babies, parents and elders, and squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't want to die," she thought.
And then the sea had suddenly turned calm, as if there had been no storm at all. As she sunk deeper into the crystal clear water, she heard a voice; it was silky and kind, almost inviting. "You will live," it said. "Do not worry, child. Now rest."
Then everything blurred.
When she woke, she was underwater. Her vision was oddly clear, and when she moved her legs to paddle, they felt heavy, as if tied together with thick rope. As if she had-
A fish tail.
And then she saw that, the fish surrounding her weren't fish, but other girls just like her. They were all stunningly beautiful, laughing as their fish-like tails caught the sunlight and shone blindingly.
One of them swam forward. "Welcome, sister," she said in a voice that almost sounded like a lullaby.
The girl stared at the fish-like creature in bewilderment. "W..." she backed away, her eyes large with fright. "W-what are you?"
The creature merely smiled at her, gracefully swimming towards her with ease. "Your kind." Before the girl could move away, she grabbed her wrist. "Come with me," she said. Her voice was gentle, but the girl couldn't refuse. It was an order, not a question.
Art by Seny
