Tanked

Over the next several light cycles, we learned four things.

First, light cycles were our new sun cycles. The lights were bright for so long and then dimmed to nearly nothing to mimic when the moon should have been out. It was still a strange and unnatural feeling.

Second, we were not allowed to eat the live fish or plants. Synris ate the fish the humans had tried to add with us and before he had even finished the humans had taken us out of the tank and into smaller pools somewhere else and the whole ordeal was frightening. They put me back in the tank because I refused to touch live fish but Synris took longer. He told me after that the humans hit him with a stick if he so much as chased the fish. On the upside we now have living creatures in the tank. It isn’t so dreadfully boring.

Third thing, Zephic and Salo didn’t care about us at all. We saw them once maybe twice and they were usually playing with each other and really looked to be having a grand time over in their cage. It almost made me jealous, but I hated this place too much and wondered more how they could be happy at all. Synris was obnoxiously at ease most of the time too. How and why were any of them okay in this horrible situation?

Fourth thing, we were only allowed to eat what was tossed in by the humans.

I don’t know how long we had been there at that point, but I was growing ill. The humans failed to realize I don’t eat fish and that the kelp they had growing also made me ill. I was eating it because there wasn’t anything else, but it was making my stomach boil itself.

This has of course made Synris very displeased. He knows the kelp makes me sick and is upset that I refuse to eat anything else. The other has also been acting strange lately. I shouldn’t say strange, just a lot friendlier towards me than I’m used to dealing with. I think he’s growing bored, or he just wants to cheer me up.

I should mention that mers are people of physical socializing. Generally, we’re touchy, handsy and most of us socialize in sexual ways. Personally, I was the white whale out on the matter as I was one of very few who liked personal space.

Despite this, and the fact that he knew I didn’t like being touched, Synris was being extra clingy. He’d come up behind me and rub himself against me or use his tail to rub mine. I took to hiding in the sand and rocks to avoid it all. Synris liked to play with the fish and mess with the humans so I was able to at least find some peace here. Until Synris would scream at dinner time and make me come up to at least look at the food.

It finally got to the point though where I was starving and too tired from not eating. I had tried the food, but my body rejected it and expelled it the same way it had gone down. So even though I was willing to try and eat, I literally couldn’t. I had finally gotten so weak that I could not even move away as the humans came and tried to prod me to move. I answered with a groan. Synris heard and came to shoo the human away from me, protecting me. The thought made me feel better at least.

Still I didn’t feel particularly good. I hated the place and was so hungry.

“How are you feeling?” Synris returned after the humans left us. He sat near me and stroked my cheek

“Not good…” I mumbled back to him. He knew I didn’t like being touched at all. I had hoped to at least get some space while I died.

I didn’t. Honestly, I should have realized before even this what it would inevitably lead to. I’m not sure how I didn’t.

For days I laid there, and my state worsened. At no point did Synris respect my personal space. He would rub against me or sit there and pet me as the world faded in and out of focus around me. I couldn’t respond anymore and barely realized when it was the humans moving me. I think I only knew because Synris’ scream woke me up for a moment.

The humans moved me to a smaller water filled cage. This one had no decorations to disguise it and above it was a square of thick material of some kind. I could just see far enough though that around its edges I could see a little bit of the sky. I thought they must let us see the sky again before we died.

Seeing even just that little bit of sky made it better. I longed to be back in the ocean where I could swim up and see the sky every day or night rather than the hideous, metal and glaring lights the humans had above our cage. I missed the ocean, where the other mers, Synris included, were usually too busy with each other to pay attention to me. I wasn’t happy out there, no, but it was better than this place. I thought at least out there I could at least die and find peace. Dying here meant there was certainly no glimmer of hope for me, not even on the other side.

But I didn’t die. No, actually the humans nursed me back to health. They found food I could eat, sea grasses and such, and fed me every hour until I was able to move on my own again and started gaining back some weight.

They put me back with Synris after I seemed to be recovering properly. I was grateful to see him, but I also missed the sky desperately. Synris made me laugh as he tickled and examined me. Thankfully, he left me alone for a few days after.