Squid Satisfaction Buffet

I packed my things for the trip. Cotton swabs - enough to use two a day. A few sets of plastic water bottles. More paper for my writing prompts. Sunscreen - lots of sunscreen. Small sets of travel toothpaste. My shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, body wash, and other things - all in plastic containers.

I picked up the phone and called Nevin.

"Nevin, are you coming?"

"No, I have a project."

"You're still going on and on about that stupid project? One person can't make a difference."

"It's a real problem! I don't care if I can't reverse it. I just want to help. So no, I'm not going with you."

With that, Nevin hung up.

I called Cam.

"Cam, you're coming to the beach, right?"

"Yeah. What's the deal with Nevin?"

"He isn't coming. Still working on that project."

"Oh. Ew. We don't need him to have fun. Let's just go anyways. The ocean will look so pretty."

I called my mother.

"Mom, I'm going down to the beach, so I can't call you on Tuesday."

"I'm so jealous! The ocean is so gorgeously blue. Alright, I'll call you next Tuesday. Have fun, darling! Don't forget your sunscreen!"

"I won't, Mom."

Cam and I arrived down early. I've never understood this idea the older generation has of "blue" water. The water is murky. It's pretty and glorious - but blue isn't the color I'd use to describe it.

First things first: selfie time.

Cam and I took a picture together next to the waves, then sat down together. Together, we figured out what filters we would use. The ocean sparkled like a sapphire once we were done.

"We don't even look human anymore, Cam."

"I know, right? We're so pretty!"

"That's not the point-"

With that, Cam posted the picture. We got likes upon likes throughout the visit. No mention of the aliens in the picture.

Cam told me I was just worrying about it too much.

When it got dark, we decided to go to the boardwalk and look for a place to eat. The people around us were just like us - partying, having a good time, not a care in the world. This trip was going to be so freeing. It seemed too good to be true.

We should've taken that as a warning, but we didn't.

We were finally down by Bethany Beach! The waves were hissing, but other than that it was quiet.

Too quiet.

We should've taken that as a warning, but we didn't.

Cam and I were down in a restaurant, called the Squid Satisfaction Buffet. We should've taken that as a warning, but we didn't.

We were alone in the restaurant, and only one elderly waitress was there. She had glasses and moved around quite a lot, and made it very clear she didn't believe in anything she didn't see with her practically unseeing eyes

We should've taken that as a warning, but we didn't.

She asked us what we wanted. Cam made it clear she was vegan, and ordered squid-shaped vegan burgers. I asked for a taste of squid.

We both got squid. Cam had nothing, and we both sat calmly. I tentatively munched on my squid. Neither of us said a word - it was too uncomfortable. We should've taken that as a warning, but we didn't.

A man hopped into the restaurant next to us, a panicked look in his eyes.

"My name is Jeff - no, seriously, it is - and you need to leave. Get out of here, I'll take you."

We should've taken that as a warning, but we didn't.

Cam looked at him. We recognized Jeff from the beach earlier. He had an obnoxiously large umbrella and took up an obnoxiously amount of space, and almost ruined my tan.

Cam sneered and said, "what, are you crazy? No way!"

He looked at us like we were the crazy ones, and ran out.

We looked at each other, shaking our heads, Cam still half-sneering while she looked down at her plate. Her empty plate. I began to feel guilty. If he really was crazy, we should've had more compassion on the man.

Then the lights went out. So we went out.

A falling lamppost was the culprit for the Squid Satisfaction Buffet's light shortage.

We began looking out to the streets, only to find out we couldn't. The streets were submerged in water. There were a few dead bodies floating around.

And then there were the squid.

Squid roamed the streets, their slimy tentacles reaching out to fight with each other or the humans' buildings. They were waving the tentacles about, angry. Trash was being thrown. Piles of trash were forming on land.

A sign fell and hit Cam on the head, narrowly avoiding me. I stared as Cam's body rolled out towards the sea. My last thought - I wonder who will rescue her.

A tentacle reached out and grabbed me. I felt the slime wrap around my body, but the squid was small.

It looked at me. Calmly, it grabbed a soaking wet piece of paper and a pen, and put it in my hands. The pen was a typical tourist's crab pen, with a bouncy crab on the top of the eraser.

The little squid gave me more things. It gave me a phone, a list of phone numbers, a light, a journal, and so many more things. It's message finally given, it threw me away from the water.

The next day, I woke up in a hospital bed. The doctors were confused, and kept asking me what was going on. There was a man screaming in my face: "Where's Cam?!"

I asked what happened with the squid.

The anesthesiologist gave a grunt of disapproval and put me back under.

I woke up. I screamed: what happened to the squid?

The anesthesiologist gave a grunt of disapproval and put me back under.

I woke up. I yelled: what happened to Bethany Beach?

The anesthesiologist gave a frustrated grunt of disapproval and put me back under.

I woke up one last time. I cried: what happened to the ocean?

There was no anesthesiologist. Just a bunch of doctors looking at me like I was crazy.

At me, the girl born with a new passion.