Horizon
August Gross
Atop a grand, wooden passenger ship, two fair figures stood staring at the starry, moonlit sky as they sailed through the ocean, unaware of the storm that was soon to be upon them.
The taller of the two figures had shoulder-length golden hair, held a map in one hand, and was importantly pointing at various areas in the sky. “And that constellation right there is the dolphinfish, and that one is -”
“Enough, Eric. I’m tired now. I’d like to go to bed,” the petite, light-brown haired woman interrupted.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You go ahead inside then. I’ll stay a little longer out here.”
The petite woman was already halfway to the ship’s entrance en route to her quarters.
“You know there are even prettier constellations up in the North,” Eric called out. The woman answered with a vague wave of her hand before disappearing through the oval-shaped door. “Well, I guess we’ll see them when we go on our honeymoon,” Eric said aloud.
Storm clouds silently crept over the sky, darkening the stars and moonlight. The waves against the ship also became more vicious, challenging the ship’s balance. The downpour of rain was calm compared to the sea’s new mood. The change happened too quickly for Eric to get inside. The map was taken in the wind, and Eric clung to a wooden post, alone on deck. The ship started to roll more than it should. After several minutes, Eric’s grasp of the post was lost, and he found himself treading water in the cold, dark ocean.
Sight was no use, except when the bright silvery flashes of lightning provided brief moments of light that helped Eric truly comprehend the impossibility of re-boarding the large wooden ship without aid.
Eric’s head was barely above the water as the turbulent waves continued to thrash . Though amongst the cold, rough waves, Eric suddenly felt a gentle pressure on his waist that coincided with the feeling that a determined course of movement had now taken over, and he was no longer simply surviving the chaos of the waves. The next flash of lightning provided mere seconds of illumination for Eric to see a glimpse of the pale, feminine features of the person who was apparently swimming them both quickly to safety.
The clouds began to part, and the innocent light of the night sky reappeared. Eric’s adrenaline prevented him from making an accurate assessment of time, but now the water was shallow, and the support of fine sand replaced the depth of the sea.
“Are you okay? Oh, please tell me you’re alright,” the mysterious young woman said, her voice a clear trill. In the moonlight, Eric could see that the woman’s skin seemed to shimmer, and her long auburn hair framed her face.
“Yes, yes I think I’m alright,” Eric eventually said. The woman made a motion like she was beginning to leave, and revealed the metallic, magenta-colored fishtail where her legs should have been. The folktales of fishpeople were known to Eric, and though surprised, Eric was not fazed. “Wait, I- I didn’t get to thank you. I mean, you just saved my life.”
“Well, you probably would have done the same if you were me.”
“What’s your name?”
“Adeline,” the auburn-haired merwoman replied. “And yours?”
“Eric.”
“Are you sure?” Adeline asked inquisitively, staring strangely at the golden-haired person sitting next to her on the sandy shoal.
“Oh, well. I wonder why you ask… “
The moonlit night felt safe and free of consequences. “Well, I actually prefer to be called Eloise. But no one would ever do that for me,” Eric confided .
“But it’s your name, isn’t it? If I ever see you again, I’ll know you by Eloise.”
“I feel like I need to give you a gift for rescuing me. Could you come back here tomorrow?” Eloise asked.
“I can try. I can try,” Adeline said, shyly smiling. “By the way, I believe this is the West Shore of -”
“Cerulean Island,” Eloise finished. “Luckily, you finished my trip back home,” she added.
“Well, I’ll try to meet you here then, tomorrow night,” Adeline said, and Eloise nodded in agreement.
The next morning, Eloise helped the petite, light-brown haired woman unpack her luggage. She was due to marry the petite woman, who was named Catherine, in one month’s time. The two had met only three days prior when, as is customary, Eloise had traveled to Catherine’s home island and brought her back to Cerulean Island for their arranged wedding. Eloise opened a large red, black-buckled suitcase to help unpack. Several dresses pushed the top off once the buckles were undone, a white lacy dress with a tulle skirt was the first on the pile forced into the suitcase.
“Hey, stop that. Don’t unpack that one. Eric, it’s bad luck to see my dress before our marriage,” Catherine warned.
“I didn’t know, it wasn’t labeled. And isn’t the bad luck only if you’re wearing it?” Eloise replied.
“The dress is the dress, why risk bad luck?”
Eloise tried to close the suitcase but couldn’t. She sat on the floor in front of it, staring at the full, white skirt that overflowed out of the suitcase. “What would you think if I wore a dress too for the wedding?” Eloise said, still staring at the suitcase.
“That would be ridiculous, Eric.”
“Would it be?”
“Yes. It would be. I’m supposed to wear a dress, and you’re not. It’s simple.”
Eloise let the conversation end. Catherine had essentially restated what Eloise’s father had told her when she was a child, except that he had done so while laughing in Eloise’s face and had added, “I’m sorry, but a he-she can’t run our Island. Don’t make me think that there’s something wrong with you.”
Though it always stung Eloise, she understood that she would have to present as her assigned male gender, and do whatever was expected of her to continue her family’s leadership of Cerulean Island. All other direct heirs to the leadership of the Island had died, and after her father, she was the only one next to take over. Eloise had not expected the misfortune of becoming the sole heir to her family’s legacy, but she earnestly tried to commit to it and forget the future that she had imagined for herself as a child, a future that she hoped would be full of traveling and living as her true self. But she didn’t want to cause further grief to her father. Though the whispers of her childhood desires were at times hard to quiet.
Night fell, and Eloise made her way to the West Shore of the island with the gift in her hand. Adeline was already waiting, her fishtail barely hidden in the shallow water. Eloise sat down beside her in the cool water and gave Adeline a necklace of crystals of varying colors and textures strung together.
“This is for me? It’s beautiful, I love it!” Adeline gushed, caressing each crystal on the necklace.
“Yes, I’m glad you like it,” Eloise replied. She thought about mentioning where the necklace was from and why she had it but thought against it. The crystal necklace was supposed to be a gift for Eloise’s fiancée, Catherine, but she never gave it to her. Their marriage was arranged and would happen with or without an insincere gift, and there was no need to burden Adeline with details of the necklace’s originally intended recipient.
“Do you want me to help you put it on?” Eloise asked.
“Oh, yes, please do,” Adeline replied, gently handing the necklace back to Eloise for her to assist. The necklace fit close to Adeline’s neck and complimented the shimmer in her skin.
“Can I ask you something?” Eloise said.
“Yes, of course, go ahead.”
“How did you know yesterday that I had a different name?”
“Well, I’m not sure exactly how it is for you, but we can just tell those types of things. I mean, can you really hide who you are?” Adeline asked.
Silence prevailed before Eloise abruptly broke it with another question. “Is it true that there are cities like this one down in the ocean?”
“Where do you think I went after I left you yesterday? Yes, of course. To my understanding, it’s quite comparable to your cities. Would you like to see it?” Adeline asked.
“Well, yes, but I’m afraid I’d drown.”
Adeline laughed at Eloise.
“What’s so funny?” Eloise said.
“We’re magical. I can make you breathe like me in the water for a short period. Do you want to?”
“Oh, well, then, yes. I would like that,” Eloise said.
Adeline took both of Eloise’s hands in her own and closed her eyes, seemingly in concentration. Adeline began to quietly sing an almost chant-like melody, and Eloise watched her intently. The words were indiscernible to Eloise, though they sounded sweet to her. After several minutes, Adeline stopped singing and opened her eyes. She announced that the spell was complete and that they could depart if Eloise was ready.
“Wait, that was it? But I don’t feel any different,” Eloise said.
“Well, why would you? You’re not underwater yet,” Adeline replied.
Eloise couldn’t argue. “Well, then, we can go now, if you say I’m ready.”
Adeline nodded and helped Eloise further into the water that reflected the dark, starlit sky above them.
“I usually like to swim above the water on beautiful nights like this,” Adeline said.
Eloise only smiled in reply. Adeline took Eloise’s hand and guided her as she took the lead. She had an internal sense of direction that Eloise had no comprehension of. After guiding the two of them to a point in the deep ocean, with no visible markers that Eloise could see above water, Adeline slowly helped Eloise underwater and wouldn’t continue until Eloise was comfortably breathing under the surface. Eloise couldn’t stop smiling. She wasn’t sure if she had believed if Adeline’s spell would work, but now that she was calmly breathing beneath the water, excitement flowed out of her.
The rays from the moonlight followed Adeline and Eloise’s descent, and within several minutes, Eloise could clearly see a large structure made from a translucent crystal-like material with several smaller structures circled in front of it, seemingly made from red and orange corals.
“What are those buildings there?” Eloise asked, her voice becoming an odd echo of sound.
“Oh, the really tall building is our Celebration Center, and the tiny ones in front of it are where our market is. They’ll be open for a little bit longer; we can go and see them,” Adeline said.
Hand-in-hand, Adeline continued to guide Eloise through the cool, deep water closer to the center of the city. Eloise could see several other merpeople, and though they all had the same basic form of “human with a fishtail,” she couldn’t see any similarity beyond that shared trait. Some had long hair like Adeline, and others had short or no hair at all. There were various garments worn with a few materials seemingly mimicking fabric from on land, and none of the garments hid anyone’s fishtail. There was no clear distinction between what one group of merpeople looked like compared to any others.
As they approached the center of the underwater city, Eloise asked, “Is it alright for me to be this close to the city? Since I’m not like you?”
“Of course, it’s alright, Eloise. Why would anyone mind?” Adeline said brightly.
They entered the marketplace, which was lit on the perimeter by floating, bubble-like orbs emanating white light. Merpeople were moving to and from the area of the market, and no one seemed to notice or mind Eloise’s fully human form.
“Oh, Hollis is still here! She has the best sweet seaweed desserts in the whole ocean, we have to get one,” Adeline said, already moving straight towards one of the red coral buildings. Eloise was almost dragged along by Adeline in her excitement for desserts, but she didn’t mind. She was partially distracted by the setup of the marketplace and its many items. There were tables with jewelry that looked like miniature pieces of coral intricately strung together, what appeared to be tapestries with fish and sea-flowers embroidered onto them, and tiny abstract sculptures that looked to be made from the same translucent crystal as the Celebration Center. Eloise was mesmerized.
“Hello, Hollis. Can we have two seaweed bonbons, please?” Adeline said to the dark-haired merperson behind the confectionary display.
“Why, of course you may, Adeline. I see you have a new friend with you. Will I have the honor of being introduced?” Hollis said.
Adeline moved to the side to better reveal her friend. “This is Eloise. She’s visiting for a short while, and she’s from Cerulean Island on the surface,” Adeline proudly announced to Hollis.
“Ah, lovely to meet you, Eloise. I hope you enjoy your visit. You’re in good hands with Adeline here,” Hollis said, using a pair of seashell tongs to pick up the seaweed bonbons and place them on small square plates.
“Yes, thank you. It’s lovely to meet you too,” Eloise shyly said.
“Thank you, Hollis. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon,” Adeline said, picking up both plates. Adeline led Eloise to a crystal-like bench where they could enjoy their treat.
The bonbon looked similar to bonbons found on the surface, except it was wrapped in dark edible seaweed instead of foil. Adeline happily ate her bonbon in one bite, and then eagerly watched Eloise as she took a bite of hers.
“This is amazing! I’ve never tasted anything like this before,” Eloise said after her first bite, her eyes wide from the joy of the bonbon’s deliciousness.
“I told you! I’m glad you like it,” Adeline said.
Adeline and Eloise sat and talked for a while about their respective cities. They compared notes on the differences between their two homes. They talked until Adeline reminded Eloise that the magic would soon fade, and that she would have to return to the surface.
Shortly after, Adeline guided Eloise back to the West Shore and the magic spell she had used on Eloise faded, as intended.
“I hope you enjoyed your visit, Eloise. Do you think I’ll see you again?” Adeline asked, sitting on the sand in the shallow water.
“Yes, I would like that. Could we go back to your city tomorrow night, too? And maybe I could stay a little longer if that would be alright,” Eloise said.
“Of course, I would like that very much,” Adeline replied, before departing with a wave.
For the next month, Eloise met with Adeline almost every evening on the West Shore and underwent the spell to travel with Adeline to her underwater city. Adeline warned Eloise that if the spell were used too frequently it would build up within her and irreversibly transform her into a merperson. Eloise was not deterred by this possibility and continually chose to go with Adeline nearly every night to her city. Eloise quickly became an expected and welcomed visitor in the city, and she had not experienced such acceptance before.
As Adeline returned Eloise to the West Shore on the second to last day of the month, there was an unspoken heaviness between them. Adeline was the first to break the quiet.
“Eloise, if we meet again tomorrow, the accumulation of the spell will make you like me, and you won’t be able to go back to your life on the surface. You’ll miss your wedding,” Adeline said, trying to hide her sadness.
“I know, I know. Will you meet me here tomorrow? I’m not sure what I’ll do, but I know I’d want to see you anyway,” Eloise said.
Adeline nodded before departing. Eloise felt like she should be leaving with her as she watched Adeline disappear under the water while she sat in the sandy shoal of the West Shore.
Eloise slowly walked back to her family’s estate and found her way to her bedroom. She spent most of the night lying in bed and staring at the stone ceiling of her room, a room which no longer felt like home.
The night’s silence brought the clarity she had attempted to suppress for most of her life. She didn’t want to lead Cerulean Island. She didn’t want to live in the male gender. Her dutifulness to try to do so was only her hope that it would console her father and assuage the hurt that they mutually experienced from the losses in their family. Eloise felt that the effort to fulfill a role that she never thought she’d have, or even wanted, would not do anything to change the emptiness left by those lost in her family. Her leadership of the island would never undue the past.
Shortly before sunrise, Eloise wrote a letter explaining her intent to leave the island and her consent to have her fiancée Catherine take over her role as heir to Cerulean Island’s leadership if Catherine were interested. Eloise signed and enveloped the letter and left it on her desk.
Eloise quietly left her bedroom and went outside. The sun had not yet risen, and she could see a window on the top floor of the estate with a yellow light glowing from it. Eloise knew it was her father’s room, and that he had probably just woken up and lit the candle for light. Her mind was made up though, and she knew he would not understand. Eloise raised both of her hands to her lips and blew a kiss towards her father’s window.
She walked over to the West Shore and wanted it to be evening already. Eloise was surprised to see Adeline sitting in the shallow water.
“Adeline! What are you doing here this early?” Eloise exclaimed as she got closer.
“I couldn’t wait until tonight; I was hoping to run into you earlier. Were you feeling the same way?” Adeline said.
Eloise nodded. “I want to go back with you. I’m ready to be a merperson, too,” Eloise said, sitting down in the water next to Adeline.
Adeline smiled brightly and took Eloise’s hands in her own to perform the spell for the final time. After several moments of Adeline’s rhythmic singing, Eloise’s legs were covered in white foam in the shallow water. Eloise giggled from a tickling sensation in her legs. Some minutes later, Adeline’s singing stopped. The white foam receded from Eloise’s legs and revealed a silver fishtail similar to Adeline’s own magenta tail.
“How do you feel?” Adeline asked.
“I feel great. I feel happy,” Eloise said. “Can we go back to the city?” Eloise added.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Adeline said, taking Eloise’s hand in her own.
As Eloise and Adeline departed into the sea, the fading, starry moon-filled sky gave way to sunrise. Bright, golden rays of sunlight leapt through the pearly white clouds and shined down on the two figures as they swam through the ocean.
August Gross is an English major, class of 2022. August is originally from Orlando, Florida, though they have lived almost half of their life in New Jersey – split between Hoboken and, more recently, New Brunswick. They are looking forward to continuing with their creative writing after graduation.