Description
The taste of salt spread throughout Mari’s tongue as she breathed in the blue waters of the ocean. Despite her appearance as a lost little lamb, she had the ability to breathe underwater, a small perk for having water magic flowing through her veins.
She dived deeper than she thought trying to find Sol, her naughty spiritz companion. He usually hated the ocean, said the salt water made his multicolored wool feel sticky. Imagine her surprise when he dashed right into the water as soon as they reached the beach.
Mari floated idly, letting schools of fish pass her by. She didn’t know how long she spent underwater, worrying that she might have to bury a small empty coffin in the sand once she returned to the beach– when she spotted a small shining star in the darkness of the ocean.
She swam deeper to reach that star, swam so deep the water turned frigid.
When she reached that lone light, she found Sol staring off into space, the star at the end of his little tail glowing like a lighthouse during a stormy night. Mari glanced around her, pushing her light blue hair aside to look at what her friend was staring at.
Nothing.
It was pitch black, suffocating, and still. Her body shivered, but it was not from the cold.
It was primal.
It was fear.
An instinct long buried deep within her subconscious clutched at her heart, at her lungs, making it hard to breathe. It was a warning.
A predator was watching her.
“Sol?” she whispered worriedly.
No answer.
She cupped her companion gently in her hands, holding him close to her heart as she slowly swam upwards, not taking her eyes off the abyss.
The instant the sun’s warm rays kissed her skin through the water, was the moment she made a mad dash to the surface.
Mari swam like never before, ignoring the pain stabbing her legs, she broke through the surface at record speed.
She gasped air.
Her heart was pounding as she pushed away stray wet hair from her face, swiped the water from her lashes with the palm of her hands, and squinted at the afternoon sun. The bright blue sky with its fluffy white clouds and the gentle breeze playfully pushing the water around her felt like it was mocking her.
Mari looked down at her companion who blinked up at her innocently.
“You little –,” Mari cut herself off from cursing with a deep breath. “Why did you rush into the ocean?”
Sol looked at her with his sweet eyes and with a tilt of his head, said “The Old Gods were calling.”
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For the JUUNI art festival!
