Below the Water

Aqua

Flowing through the motions.

Light that spreads between the waves as I swim mindlessly.

Everything natural to me, I see the creatures that swim next to me.

I have traveled the many seas, seen wrecked ships that have fallen by the mighty touch of Poseidon. Seen the many futures birthed into these waters.

Converse with the sea creatures of ice and water, listened to the whispers of the oceans, kissed by the waves that lather my skin in refine scales.

I've swam all the way to the freezing waters of the Arctic oceans. My skin tough against the ice, my tails smooth to swim the glide.

I notice something odd.

Something out of the ordinary. A small figure struggles to reach solid grounds as it tries to reach for the surface. It was a penguin. I can see underneath it's feet struggling to keep afloat.

This breaks my heart, as I notice from across a hungry sea lion notices the struggling creature. It swims at a speed faster than the aquatic bird.

Without a second thought of my own life. I swim faster than the sea lion racing towards the bird. Grabbing him, there's something wrapped around it's neck and immediately I know what's caused it to almost sink.

The sea lion is persistent, yet I swim faster than him. He's near at the tip of my tail but I do not falter. I then turn around to thwack him against the strength of my tail.

You can hear the sound blast off through the miles of the sea. Any mermaid within reach will know another has defended themselves by the familiar sound of a tails strength.

The seal stares into my eyes, speaking the words that I have won this round. Then he swims away as if nothing has happened, as if I hadn't just stolen his food.

Without looking back, I make my way towards the surface where light can be seen. It reflects off the large walls of large ice bergs. The freezing cold makes the hot air in my breath cool. Wind has become stronger. However, water still melts underneath the hot sun.

I move the penguin on top of the hard surface of ice. Unwrapping of the toxic chaos the clings to choke the life out of this aquatic bird.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

It squawks in a bird like sound however I understand perfectly of what it speaks. Mermaids have always understood the languages of the animal kingdom.

He explains how he's thankful I have saved his life. He hadn't realized it was around his neck. The poison that nearly killed him was none other than, trash bag, plastic. A waste that humans have created for their own use mindlessly harming the seas.

He continues on speaking; telling me how he's gotten here, how he ended up with the trash bag around his neck, and telling me how beautiful I am. We mermaids love compliments. My day ends saving a life and becoming friends listening to his gossip.

Another day of helping the sea life.

Marina

I can hear the sounds of the waves speaking to me.

Their sound is like music to my ears.

The language of dance makes my body motion between the swaying waves. My hips bobbing to the tune of sound.

Anything can be made to a beat.

Swimming behind everything, I move my body up and down. Passing by a pod of whales. The hum as they see me swim by. Their young moving near me curious to what I'm doing. I move up straight to show the small babe what my body does.

Moving to the beat of the ocean waves.

Swimming further away, I wave a goodbye to the fellow creatures that share a home with me.

Still swimming against the waves, I didn't realize the further I swam, the less the water looked clear. It became murky and unsettling.

My eyes widen to the pollution that flows across the sea. One by one, I notice some material that harms my view. I then begin to swim further in where the humans live on land.

It's everywhere.

Everywhere!

It has become worse.

These humans have created damage to my home. A waste of plastic litters the surface. None of the sea creatures no where to go; some getting caught in the line of plastic.

A shark struggles to swim forward without being to take the plastic off. I swim towards it to help, taking it off with care. The shark bumps my tail in gratitude, then swims away into the dark void of the waters.

I reach the surface only to see more plastic floating away from inland. I watch the sailors ignoring the waste continuing to pick the fishes from the sea.

It boils my blood as they ignore the waste.

I want nothing more than to teach them a lesson. As I move my hand to attempt to manipulate the boat to overtip. My hand is held by the wrist by another hand.

It was Aqua.

"What are you doing?" I question her, she stopped me from punishing them.

"This is not the way."

"Then what is the way? They have done nothing good for our world. They've poisoned us with plastic, pollution, and death. How can you defend these murderers?" I'm perplexed, how can she say violence is not the answer? They have done nothing but kill each other and everything around them.

They are destructive creatures!

"They do not know better. But we can teach them Marina, there are still good ones in this world." She tilts my head to watch the beach lines. Our visions are much precise and clear that can see further of many miles. I turn around to see what she points.

I realize she is right.

A group of humans in bright colored shirts walk the shorelines with a contraption that picks the trash up. They throw it in a circular thing that eats up the plastic that creates havoc in our homes.

This brings a smile to my face.

I realize we still have a chance to fight, with kindness.

Celeste

Water.

Life.

Love.

These are what I live by.

Swimming in the endless cast of continuous adventures. Slowly, I rock motionless of my accord.

Allowing the waters to take me wherever I go.

I'm a slave to the waters.

I can never leave my home for anyone.

Never.

I live and breathe water.

My home.

However, today is different. The water has changed the course of my journey once again. Why is that I wonder.

I then feel something smooth yet rough that touches my scales. I wake up, I look over and notice it's nothing more than plastic.

What have I gotten myself into?

I am up, I am awake, and I am mourning.

Plastic is everywhere.

Damaging the ocean wildlife.

Destroying my home once more.

A small gold fish swims slowly towards my way. It almost looked like he was lumpy if you weren't paying close attention.

It's little nose bops against my own. Smile weakly looking up to stare into my eyes. My heart pounds as I feel the sorrow this little fish feels.

It opens its mouth and there lay small waste of mistakenly eating a plastic for food. I attempt to help by removing the content out of its mouth. Once removed, it brightens a lot more better and swims away until the deep, blue abyss.

I can hear chatter from a distance.

Anger rolling off of other mermaids. We can sense each others emotions, were natural born empathy. I swim towards the other two girls, Aqua and Marina.

"They do not know better. But we can teach them Marina, there are still good ones in this world," I tap onto Aqua's shoulder and she tilts her head to the side noticing me, with a broad smile, she brings me close in for a hug.

"How are you Celeste?"

"I am fine, what are you guys arguing about?" We know each other as we are all connected to one source.

Water.

"The humans have let their plastic overrun the oceans hurting the wildlife here." Aqua answers.

"I was going to tip the humans boat over there for not attempting to clean up their mess until Aqua had stopped me," claims Marina.

"I do believe we need to do something, this has gotten out of hand. It's making everyone sick." I look around my surroundings of the surface. Nothing but plastic bags, bottles, and spill litter these waters.

It's made everything feel sickly.

However, I do not lose hope yet.

"We May have a way to clean this up."

"How?" Marina asks.

"We must find Nina."

We nod our heads agreeing unanimously of what our next work shall be. We need to find Nina, she knows these humans best unlike any other mermaid for she had encountered them more than any of us in our whole lives.

We swim away into the dark, murky waters. Traveling the long miles of our fellow mermaid. I hope dearly in my heart we end this drastic change the course of ocean home.

Nina

I have become the embodiment of pain.

Pain that has hurt our creatures of the sea.

What would our god, Poseidon, think if he sees what has happened to our home? My back is now attached to the seagull that died in the entrapment of a sailors net.

My tail no longer shimmering in the oceans light. Now the embodiment of a dead shark that has drowned by the shark catchers that kill for its fin for a bowl of soup.

The horrors of the oceans reality now stuck to my skin. I have no words of any kind to make anyone feel any better about this. I can only imagine what other animals are going through as these human contraptions have been made to hurt us.

As I swim across the waters below the sea. I see from a far distance that a baby turtle struggles to keep afloat. It attempts to swim to the surface only to be dragged down by the plastic that suffocates it from oxygen.

I swim faster with every force into my tail. Finally reaching the small turtle, I cradle it and coo at it as if it's my own. Unwrapping the plastic away from the turtle. It swims away thanking me continuing on its journey finding its way home.

I begin to swim back onto the path of cleaning. Saving any animal from harms way of these trash called plastic.

However, I sense other fellow mermaids coming towards me. I recognized each of their echoes. Swimming towards their sound, I make my way towards them.

Once I'm close, I see them all. Aqua, Marina, and Celeste. All three of them here. How it's been so long since I've been around them. The many years we have known each other and finally we are here in one place at the same time.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask.

"We came to find you. We need your help Nina." Their eyes travel to the length of my new body. I know I must look hideous to them. I have become what every worst mermaids nightmare is, a desecration of the sea.

"What for?"

"These humans have done too much damage onto these waters. It's time we take matters into our own hands." Marina exclaims.

"We were wondering if you can help us since you have a much deep sensory of the deprivation of these animals pain." Celeste speaks.

I think for a moment and wonder if there is anyway I can help, and there is.

"The only way we can help is if we can convince these humans that plastic should no longer be used. We must warn them of how this deeply affects everyone, how this kills us, how they are killing themselves."

"What are you suggesting?" Aqua asks.

"We must go to land."

We all turn to see the land that awaits us. Swimming across the waters, our hands touched solid ground and we can all feel our tails disappear.

We are here.

We will help.

And we will be rid of plastics forever.