Journey Above

A refreshing flush of cool, currant water washed over Amelia’s skin, stirring her from her ever-peaceful slumber. Gentle rays of light from the sun trickled down to the deeper ocean, where they reflected off mirroring instruments to bring light into the underwater citadel. Many Syreni were already out and about, working the kelp fields and bringing all kinds of sunken trinkets from the surface-world back for analysis in their laboratories. Even the queen had ventured out to enjoy such a spectacularly peaceful day. Amelia swam elegantly out of her nook among the rocky cliffside. Today, she planned on leaving the sanctuary and venturing to the surface-world. With gleaming eyes fixed on the effervescent light above, she made her way up onto the tip of the cliff where she would meet with her Syrenian friends one last time.

“Amelia!” Nerissa called, rushing into her arms and holding her close, “I thought you’d already gone!”

A chuckle escaped Amelia’s mouth as she denied the notion of leaving without saying goodbye. It was apparent that Nerissa was deeply troubled by Amelia’s decision. Tyrius and Leandra arrived shortly after with kelp streamers in hand to celebrate their beloved friend’s new life.

“Thank you so much for coming along to see me off!” Amelia beamed. She handed each of them one of her most precious trinkets, causing a series of hugs and tears between the lot.

“This place won’t be the same without you…” Tyrius said, with pain in his eyes. Amelia felt awful for the sadness she was causing, but it wouldn’t change her mind.

“Agreed, I wish you were allowed to come back…” Leandra pouted, thinking of how the dynamic of their friend group would change without the joyous Amelia. A vibrant school of fish swarmed the group, making them break out in giggles as the fishtails brushed against their skin. It was as though the ocean was giving Amelia a final sendoff too.

“I’ll see you all again at one of the full moon celebrations, I’ll find a boat and travel out to sea!” Amelia promised. Tyrius had never looked so excited and heartbroken at the same time, he hid his emotions with a hopeful half-smile.

“Yes! Oh, I cannot wait!” Nerissa performed many flips and twirls in anticipation of their next meeting, “Do you think you’ll find your parents?”

Leandra nudged Nerissa discreetly as if to stop her from prodding. Amelia’s head tilted to a side as she pondered the concept of meeting them.

“I don’t know, I wouldn’t mind it either way. I’ll have to make the same hard decision one day if I’m to have children too.”

The four of them took a moment to think of all the surrendered babies the citadel receives each full moon from previously ascended Syreni who wanted their children to experience life beneath the surface.

“Maybe by then the rules will have changed,” Leandra considered out loud. Amelia shrugged and redirected her attention to the world above. A strong current pushed them further out away from the cliff; Amelia felt it was time to ascend.

“I love you all!” she called back.

“Good luck!” Leandra yelled after her.

“We love you too!” Nerissa said.

Tyrius kept quiet and simply waved with a forced smile. Very few Syreni returned to the water once the transition took place. The surface-world was truly captivating from the stories they had heard, and land-born had the benefit of also experiencing life beneath the surface, albeit, temporarily. It seemed land-born were gifted with a natural advantage and that fact was deeply troubling to Tyrius, as he was worried Amelia would forget her friends down below.

Amelia had almost reached the surface. The light from above was so strong she began to wonder if it was healthy to bask in the daylight at all. Only seconds from surfacing, she swallowed the magic pearl. It would take a few hours to transform her, but she knew how important it was to stay close to the surface during the process. She swam west for a few hours until finally reaching the coast. Resting upon some rocks, she waited patiently for the full effects of the magic pearl to take effect. Amelia suddenly felt a tightening in her throat – her gills were malfunctioning. The barrier between worlds broke as she pushed her head above water. Although she knew surfacing meant losing her tail, she hadn’t realized how emotionally confronting it would be. The bright beautiful purple faded and her lower body split fully into two limbs. Syreni were able to transform without much pain, but if they spent too long above water their bodies would fail to revert and they would never be able to live beneath the surface again. The thought of it scared Amelia; she was having extreme doubts about whether exploring the world above was worth the potential cost.

She struggled to breathe as the skin on her neck healed over. A small torrent of water spurted out of her throat, forcing her into a coughing fit that eventually turned into calm breathing. She pushed her hair back and noticed the webbing in-between her fingers had disappeared entirely. The current was much harder to swim against without her tail, but the transformation allowed her to climb out of the ocean rather inconspicuously. She stood upon barnacle covered rocks and allowed the ocean breeze to energise her. Amelia had surfaced only a few times before, once illegally with her closest friends just to feel the surface-world and moonlight on their skin.

Amelia opened her knapsack which held a bundle of useful surface-world items, albeit, completely sodding wet. She slipped on a little strapless beach dress and made her way across the rocks towards the sand. Making her way with careful strides, she felt the strength of her tail carry over to her newly formed legs. Memory of her short-lived experience in the surface world as a baby escaped her entirely. An eagerness grew inside her when she realised how close she was to touching the sandy beachside. It lured her like a fantasy only imaginable inside her own mind, compelling her to move faster and faster across the rocks. It felt crunchy, but soft when her foot finally hit the sand. Amelia poked and prodded at the beach with her feet, she couldn’t quite describe how it felt and wondered what kind of explanation she would give her friends upon their next meeting. A smile grew permanently on her face as she leapt and bounded along the beach, cartwheeling and twirling along the way. The world was so much louder above water, even the wind was loud. It was exciting, but also exhausting. Amelia sat on a small patch of grass where the beach met the mainland and caught her breath. Breathing luckily came naturally, but it was nowhere near as efficient as oxygen cycling water with her gills. She wondered how people were able to travel so far and wide in the surface-world without dying from exhaustion.

A loud seagull squawked overhead before coming in for a perfect landing beside Amelia.

“Well, hello there flying thing,” Amelia greeted the bird with a genuine smile, “What news do you bring?”

The seagull made a more quiet chirping noise and a few others landed to join in. Amelia paid no mind to their inquisitive mannerisms and instead looked out to the ocean. It was such a marvellous perspective from up above, but also very sad. The ocean surface acted as a giant mirror, disallowing vision of what lied below – it was the same way the surface world looked to her from underneath. Amelia sighed loudly. She didn’t know where to go or how to fit in with the land-born, even though she was technically one of them.

The seagulls took flight on the next breeze, leaving Amelia to decide where to explore next on her own. The sun was high above the horizon now, providing a wondrous warmth to the earth below. Amelia stretched up and carried on inland, making her way to the skirts of a small bustling seaside town. Many people were out and about working the docks and loading shipments. Bells rang in the distance as shipmasters shared signals and coordinated the port. Amelia ran along the boardwalk feeling the hardwood beneath her feet. A sea captain waved down at her and wished her a good morning. With overflowing glee, Amelia greeted him right back with a most sincere smile. There were so many textures and colours and sounds in the surface-world that could never be replicated under the surface. She was beginning to understand why so few Syreni returned.

Freshly cooked food from the local tavern could be smelled from three streets away. Upon smelling it, Amelia realised hunger was far more prevalent on the surface. Her body was no longer supported by the gentle gravity of submersion and the energy required to move was far more taxing on land. Amelia was offered a quaint little two-seater table by the window which she joyfully accepted. She dug into a zipped compartment in her knapsack and retrieved a few pieces of gold to trade for a meal. Everything seemed so delightfully different, yet there was a distinct feeling of separation. Everyone was on their own journey seeking their own precious desires and compared to life beneath the surface, it seemed the land-born lacked a sense of community. Amelia wondered if she was just simply in the wrong place or if all settlements were driven by individual trade. The sea-witch that had given her the magic pearl had warned her of the greediness of the surface world despite all its wonders. Luckily, Amelia had enough currency to hold a room for the night but in the meantime, she wandered down the main street taking note of the blacksmith and tailor as key locations to find her way back to the tavern. The armour and swords of the blacksmith were phenomenal to see in their intended form, rather than as rusted and damaged sections of metal on the ocean floor. More invigorating was the tailor, who’s dresses and hats were of a level of craftsmanship never before seen by Amelia. She couldn’t have even dreamt of the beautiful creations before her. She browsed every rack of clothes and even tried a few gowns on before praising and thanking the store clerk profusely.

Her curiosity eventually led her down to the other side of the port, which encompassed a much larger stretch of beach. The tide was going out and it left behind a glaze on the sand that made the earth appear like a gigantic mirror. Pinks and oranges reflected with such a magnificent intensity that she could have sworn she was looking at two skies. Mesmerised by the sounds of the world, she sat and watched the sunset. Many others also took to the beach to enjoy the water and watch the sun go down. For only a moment, Amelia felt a connection with them. Even though they were strangers, she felt they all shared a moment in time gazing at and appreciating the same view – the same world. The world became dark just like the world beneath the surface except there were no signs of bioluminescence to guide the land-born people. Amelia started to feel a strange longing to be back in the ocean. It was as though the darkness brought about loneliness and forced everyone to retreat back to their separate lives. Just as her discomfort peaked, she finally spotted them; glimmering high above the ocean were the first stars of the night sky. Her soul was ignited with a new comprehension that even more than the surface-world lied above.