What Lies Beyond the Walls

For as long as anyone cared to remember, the sea was for the most part untouchable. As kids, they were told tales of alluring killers, enormous creatures and never ending depths. Children's books would ingrain the bravest of souls of a fear towards the ever rolling, never changing waves. Beaches were surrounded by tall walls kept under watch and if you were to sneak close enough to them you’d hear the loud crashing of water, the sounds of a world unknown. Any attempts to gaze upon the salty waters, were prohibited, the walls were watched by armed guards. No one questioned it, for as long as they’d remembered the ocean was only a fever dream or a tale passed between whispers when it seemed no one but the walls would listen. Plane windows were all dark, and pilots were governmental workers who’d been sworn to secrecy. Fish and the such were exotic delicacies, and very little was known about their lives far from the safety which land provided. 

Amongst all societies were stories of a time in which the walls hadn’t existed, in which people would travel without fear over the waters, of pirates who braved the seas, and of beautiful but bitter souls who’d sing those who dared come close to their deaths. For Mari, living in a world without knowing the depths of the ocean was perfectly fine. She had long lost the childish curiosity to explore, as most adults often did. She’d grown as a city kid, the concrete jungle taking up all of her attention as time went on. Mari was always too busy, too tired, too poor to ever question the limitations that had been accepted by society. Like all things held back from the public, there were always ways to sneak past the eyes of the law- if not for a while.

When Mari was in highschool, she remembered the gossip that would fill the halls. Groups of kids who’d find weak spots in the walls long forgotten by the surveillance teams and of kids who’d strike when the guards were tired, or so they bragged. Others would even say they had connections to let them in. 

Some spoke of churning, rainbow waters that would shine far from the shore. Others, of a barren world- saying that they were all being lied to by the governments. more believable were those who would say that the oceans were simply bigger versions of lakes and rivers, except saltier. Mari stuck to that, and never strayed from it. Any opinions of the forbidden waters were internalized or shared with friends. That’s how her life had gone until she turned 25. 

Like any other person her age, Mari’s life seemed to be falling apart.

She’d lost her job, and gotten kicked out of her apartment by her lousy ex. So, she took to the streets, keeping to the dark alleys and cradling a half empty bottle of cheap wine to her chest, not caring if her silk blouse got stained. Graffiti decorated the narrow walls, and broken glass crunched beneath her sore heels. She kept walking anyway, not caring where she’d end up- too caught up in the painful burn in her stomach to notice she had strayed from the safe side of town. A hand reached out, wrapping around her mouth, a white cloth smearing her lipstick and blocking her airways. She angrily elbowed her captor, trying but failing to escape their gasp, and she could hear people approaching. The person finally got tired of waiting for whatever drug she was being forced to inhale to kick in and moved his hand down around her throat. She was down in seconds, choked into unconsciousness.

It felt like seconds had passed when Mari finally woke up, and her head pounded painfully. Groggily, she regretted getting wine drunk, before she realized that her movements were all restrained. Her eyes shot open, but there was only darkness. She felt like she was going to throw up. The floor beneath her seemed to sway like a crib, which had never happened the last time she’d gotten drunk but she associated to the stress prior to drinking balling up. The floor that pressed to her thighs felt coarse and cold, and with some fingering around she could only imagine it was wood due to the grooves and dips. She couldn’t be sure without seeing. She tried to stand, but the world kept rocking beneath her, and the loud crashing from outside wasn’t helping her hangover. Her captors probably had a noisebox in the room to keep her from hearing anything else, although she wished she could find it- it was grating her nerves. After what might've been days but was probably only a few hours a panel across the room in the ceiling was brought up. 

Blinding white light filled the room she was in, illuminating the empty room. A man hopped down, and despite her attempt to question him, he ignored her. He picked her up like a sack of potatoes and passed her to another man waiting at the gap in the ceiling he’d popped down from. The moment she emerged her running thoughts were halted, and if her mouth wasn't already it’d turn dry. All around her, was deep blue water. It moved against the ship, as if angry by their intrusion. Another person untied her and pushed her forward, closer to the edge with a maliciously sharp laugh. With pale shaky hands, Mari held onto the railing. Momentarily shocked out of thinking about running or escaping. Her thoughts were focused on the shrinking walls, and on her safe life now long gone in the matter of what she could only assume was a night. When she tore her eyes from the expanse of the sea, she faced a group of people surrounding her in a tight ring. Any opportunity of running was long gone, although not that there was one to begin with.

“What do you want from me?”

Her voice came out shaky, it trembled with a note of exhaustion and fear. A man in the center grinned. She noticed, gulping that there wasn't another woman in sight.

“We are simple men,”

Said the man, after a pause. He seemed to be the one in charge, if the expensive way he was dressed was anything to go by. He was missing a finger, and his nose was crooked as if it’d been broken too many times in the past.

“We find the restraints of the simple minded ridiculous. The sea is a goddess to be respected and adored- fed.”

There was a ripple of laughter.

“Fear not, for you are our chosen sacrifice to the goddess. You are lucky, to escape the close minded chains of land and be embraced by our goddess. She does not fancy men, you see. We must offer her only maidens, to appease her people.”

Mari’s head swam.

“What do you mean her people?”

She had more questions but that was the only thing that could leave her lips.

“You’ll see.”

Without further ado, the closest men to her grabbed her arms and began to once again tie them. She began to scream, for no matter how confused she was, she understood what being a sacrifice could entitle and none of it was pleasant. The man drowned on over her frantic screeching, and the sea seemed to get rougher almost as if it was excited by her terror.

“It’s really nothing personal. Poor city girl tragically goes missing is such an easy cover up. No one will notice, no one ever questions the sea, never enough to push the law.”

Weights were added to her feet, her hands and even one around her waist. Her shoulders sagged, and her throat was raw from hysterically crying. She was lifted with some heavy grunting and she tried desperately to cling to the men carrying her. The man had a look of mocking pity on his face as he stepped up to her, caressing her cheek.

“I’m sorry beautiful, it has to be this way”

And without a warning, pushed her back roughly.

For a few seconds, Mari was floating. Everything had been slowed down, and the sky was the only thing in her eyes. Her body crashed into the frigid waters, and she could hear the loud cheering from the sick men from above before everything was blocked. The water burned her eyes, and blocker her ears. She sank at an alarming rate, despite trying to swim. The weights were dragging her at a rate faster which she could float. She couldn’t see the sky, only the light of the sky breaking the surface as she continued to sink. She finally gave in, breathing in the ocean water and feeling it burn her lungs and throat. Her vision was turning black, and her tears were seamlessly one with the sea. And then, as if the ocean was taking mercy on her, she began to breathe. It still burned, but it was like something had changed. Her weighed legs began to transform into a single unit beneath her wet skirt, her heels being kicked off by her feet expanding into fins. Her eyes, which had initially burned from the salt, began to form a protective layer, and she began to see. In her soul, a fire for vengeance was ignited as the ocean began to feed her her lessons. The ocean slowly washed out the world she once knew, as her body continued adapting to her new environment. Mari had a renewed purpose, as she listened to the goddess teach her a millennia of information.

Many miles from Mari, people continued to live happily in ignorance. Children would whisper stories of what hid behind the walls, teenagers continued to spread rumors of illegal behavior and women continued to mysteriously go missing. The ocean? She continued to take what was given, her ancient soul hungering for the day she could rise beyond the walls and take what was rightfully hers.