Seventeen: 人魚、魔女、モンスター (Mermaids, Witches and Monsters)

The scenery around me was stunning: On my right, in front of a crystal temple, high rocks surround a turquoise waterfall with a narrow river that wound through it. There lay masses of dark brown stone, with the river glistening in the sunlight such as the lustrous shine of diamonds. On my left, the calm, emerald sea reflected a massive sun rising above violet-hued volcanoes in the distance, amid a canopy of flame. White bird flocks were taking off in the air. Almond trees in full bloom with thick limbs crowned the singular panorama. I exhaled a sigh of relaxation since I knew I was at the ideal location, considering there was no land anywhere else in the universe as real and enchanting as this scene in my head.

My one and only friend, Gubimu, was also present and, unbelievably, ruler of this semi-material planet, appealing as usual. He seems so naive and unpredictable, active, and restless sitting on a cliff, perhaps in a dream as we admired the magnificent daybreak. I walked up to him cautiously, making sure not to make any noise, to surprise him. I had virtually no possibility of succeeding in that, yet we still always had fun.

He constantly pretended to be shocked during that little game, since I appeared out of nowhere.

I opened my eyes and remained silent while taking in the eerie silence for a while.

I had often considered a new strategy, and it seemed to be alright but now that I was perched on the ledge of the frightening tribes that were guarding the edge of the cliff, and as they are approaching, I had a new level of fear and uncertainty about my idea. However, it was too late to have regrets.

I noticed them approaching me as they climbed the rocky incline, and I tightened my grip on my laser rifle even further. Moments later there was nothing I could do because they had surrounded me, and I needed to accept I had come to a dead end.

As the tribes got closer, the old hag reached for my hand and with a wave of a finger, she immediately stopped them from getting closer to me.

"Come, come."

She said.

I looked at the sight of her hands that were wrinkled old and weary.

We came inside the wooden hut filled with runes, candles, pots, and glass bottles with all sorts of stuff-lizards, blood, and hair everywhere.

The scent of the hut contained all kinds of aromas- honey, catnip, chamomile, mugwort, lamb’s cress, plantain, mayweed, nettle, crab-apple, thyme, and fennel.

"Can you check what the shape of the moon is now, darling?"

She asked me.

I peeped outside to see.

"It's round."

"Good heavens, it's already the full moon. I have to get you up and ready."

I am curious now as to how she understands me.

"How do you know my language?"

She turned to look at me while busying herself with some old book and preparing her pots, her white hair all over the place.

"Could you get that large stick over there, please?"

I looked over, found a stick, and handed it over to her.

She stirred up something hot, following some instructions in her book and chanting some unfamiliar songs.

"What are you doing?"

"I am a Salem witch," she began.

"I am here long before these tribes came. I am a gypsy. I am from a land-Sordoha that nobody knows about. Upon traveling everywhere, I sought out knowledge. This is how I knew about your language.

Little girl, you are not from this world. You only have a body, but you do not have a soul. You are a different entity, and I can tell it right now just feeling your presence."

"What do you mean?"

I exclaimed.

What is she talking about?

"I know you are confused. I will have time to explain it to you later..."

When she was done stirring, she held the cup higher and as if putting a spell on it, she chanted more words into the cup and seized it near her forehead.

"What about those tribes?"

You are not from this time, Hotaru. The gods brought you to us during this civilization for you to understand who you are and what you are capable of.

"But... I don't understand."

“How do you know my name?”

I have lived hundreds of years, child. I know a lot of things even the world cannot understand.

The old witch raised her wooden cup again and gave it to me.

"What is this?"

Drink it for your protection, she says.

I gazed at the drink.

It looks brown and raw; I could puke myself out.

"Hot, dreams are doorways. Doors to different planets!" she continued in an enthusiastic, eager way to make an impression. The future is even influenced by your dreams! You can change the future if you have control over your fantasies. You could also go through dimensions and actual encounters on the other side!”

I am hungry, so I considered drinking it and asked for some water to quench my thirst.

“I am hungry; do you have some food to eat?”

“Hotu, after you drink, I will give you some supper.”

I drank the cup and slowly, I felt dizzy…

Two dark horses were pulled by a ghostly, strangely glistening vehicle that suddenly showed up. It came to a standstill while it was quickly approaching.

It stopped when it got to me, and a carved door unlocked.

The door shut when I entered with grace until an odd car arrived, the horses resumed galloping and vanished from view, covered in dust.

Nothing else needed to be done there, so I just stayed. So I left with nothing but my school ID, in a hurry, on the planet, just what I had intended, a spacecraft for public transportation. The horses brought me to a very dark place and suddenly I opened the first glistening door I saw after climbing yet another set of stairs without thinking about the knob, which apparently; they had neglected to lock without thinking about it at all. I walked inside a large, white area with numerous walls, each one of them with a bed.

I am very exhausted, let me just lie on this soft pastel bed. When I lay down, I could not fall asleep because I think somebody was watching me.

I scream.

Get me out of here!

I only saw walls getting closer and closer to me, and I feel so trapped…

Just when the walls already pushed and squeezed me to dust, I am now in a flowing river and tall mountains with steep, purple sides glimmering below; little flowers among the angular rocks that are large, bright moon surrounded by azure clouds and rocks; then I woke up and was charmed by the beautiful night-time scenery on a slick cliff and sat upright. A merchant stood at the edge of the cliff, the enormous moon brightly beaming behind him. He immediately turned to face me as if he had only recently known I was waking up.

Help! I’m trapped!

 I told him.

It didn't take long for the area to resemble some hostile terrain on the far-off desert, dotted with blue rocks and an amazing blue moon was prominent among the violet highlands and the starry sky.

I think I am some kind of a cosmid which is a type of cyberspace creation, a highly advanced hologram that can infiltrate the real world, blend in with any natural environment, manipulate minds, and cause a wide range of illusions, hallucinations, and unfathomable problems to living things.

I immediately felt my heart sink when I heard those words because I am well aware of what a cosmid is.

And, sure, the witch was correct—I couldn't live there since I wasn't the cosmoid's creator and wasn't even merely one of its inhabitants. Instead, I was just a pawn, easily susceptible to disaster and trouble—which had already occurred to me numerous times in the past. I became overcome by despair, but I knew that if I did, it would be the last of me. I had to respond somehow... Then maybe next I had to flee and hide behind a holographic but reasonably sturdy blue rock.

The next thing I found was a lake nearby, and its water was stirring. The man I saw a while ago disappeared.

Not again.

I kept quiet.

I became surprised by a sight that appeared before me: seeing a thin woman's quick, yet delicate motions-a submerged creature that swam until it vanished behind a prismatic cliff block.

I cautiously approached in its direction and watched it emerge by the gravel lake shore: An adorable tiny mermaid with long red hair caught my attention.

It was seated gracefully on a flat rock, grinning, with green eyes and hair. She whispered to me gently.

In a sweet, beautiful voice, she ordered me to "take the way around the lake." And be careful, monsters could show up at any time.

“Who are you?” I asked but she gave me no answer.

The mermaid dove under the sea once more, disappearing quickly. Despite the mysterious nature of her behavior, I rushed to take her guidance and walked along the rocky, steep route that seemed to encircle the lake. How come I never noticed it before? Thoughts crossed my mind, but I kept quiet. The path turned out to be much longer than I had anticipated. Eventually, it led me quite far away from the lake after continuing for what seemed like an eternity along a series of treacherous tracks along high cliffs that went down and up, right or left. I simply continued to walk, unable to speak, expecting to escape, if there was a path out.                                                                                                                                    

The biggest surprise came at the path's end when I emerged from a long, vertical tube and found myself inside an extra-terrestrial base that was humming with energy. It was constructed at the edge of a cliff over an abyss and was made out of several bee swarm structures that were all composed of a bright, marble-like material that was smooth and shiny.

For a time, I completely forgot that I had just walked into a terrible death trap as I stood there stunned, gazing up at the stunning starry sky above the hives and their horrifying dwellers. There were several space monsters around. Most of them resembled enormous insects with open mouths full of long, pointed teeth, and their violent screams filled the humid air. They had long, pointed tails with stings and many, membranous wings that allowed them to fly freely. I could tell some of them were distinct because they resembled enormous spiders with tentacles, while others appeared to be liquid particles. Others had no shape at all and were made of a disgusting, seeping fluid that changed shape constantly before becoming something.

Could it be that the mermaid wished for me to arrive here? She wasn't a mermaid at all, I realized as I was wondering. They can change their shape. They are capable of taking on any form, including human form. Without the locals ever knowing, they will mix in with them and wipe off the entire population! "I told myself in the quietest voice imaginable.

As soon as my presence was noticed, there was an immediate hush throughout the entire area. At the same time that a shapeless, still-oozing creature had just crept up on me, all the monsters turned their hideous heads in my direction. It transformed into a red-haired mermaid in a matter of seconds. She gave me a cunning smile that showed who she was. "You're finally here, which is great because my kids are starving to death! “ She proclaimed in a sober voice, her lovely features taking on a somewhat nasty expression.

She then started transforming once more into a new creature, one that would soon be the worst of all those horrors. While more and more of those monsters drew nearer and nearer, I took a step back. I could sense the strength flowing anew inside of me, though, and I felt ready to face them all. I let out a loud shout at the edge of bliss as I raised both arms and sent two thick surges of energy against the approaching beasts.