Mini Series: The Sea Witch #3

 Sea Witch #3

 "...all magic comes with a price…"

 The prince stood above his lover's body, knife in hand, limbs shaking. Blood spread across the floor, soaking his feet and the edges of his pant legs 

 "Can you carry the weight of your choice?"

 This wasn't what he wanted. This wasn't supposed to happen. Voices were coming towards him. He knew he had to run. A jump out the window. A short stretch of the Beach. Hot tears flooded down his face as he ripped the clothes off his body. For the first time in months, he felt the touch of ocean water. 

 The pain of his legs changing back to a tail was less than the first transformation, but it was still agony. He floated down to the sea floor, pain ripping at every part of him. When it finally stopped, he didn't try to move. Just layer pathetically in the wet sand for uncounted time.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" A voice finally cut through the quiet. The witch hovered over him, mirroring the scene he had just left. 

 "Yes, and no." He rasped, voice raw from sobs and screams. "I just wanted to be with him, and I was, for a while. Then they found a mermaid in a fishing net, and I watched them kill her. I was so scared. I couldn't move. I couldn't stop them. I tried to stay by his side, because… I thought he was different from the others."

 "You told him what you were." The witch guessed. 

 "I did." The prince said. "He was going to tell everyone. I begged him to stop. I tried… you knew this would happen didn't you?"

"You were not the first to ask me this favor." He replied. "Are you ready for your price?" 

"This wasn't it?" The prince's voice cracked. 

"You're coming with me." The witch said, holding out his hand. "That is the price." 

The prince stared at the offered hand. He didn't know if there was hope or damnation in this path, but he took the witches hand, and allowed himself to be led back into the graveyard.

Fin

Part 1: https://mangothoughtswritingblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/short-story-sea-witch.html

Part 2: https://mangothoughtswritingblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/short-story-sea-witch-part-2.html

Mini Series: The Sea Witch #2

 The Sea Witch #2

 The mer prince tried to forget what happened at the Whale Graveyard, tried to move on, but no matter what he did he couldn't quell his curiosity. 

 Against his better judgment, he returned to the graveyard, seeking out the strange man who he now believed to be a real sea witch. The first few times he tried going back, he was chased off in much the same way as the first time. He was never hurt, so despite everything, he kept returning. Eventually, the sea witch began tolerating his presence. The prince would observe him and try to figure out what strange potions or spells the man was making. 

 The witch almost never spoke, seemingly observing him as well. There was a heavy tension in the air, but before long that faded as well. His visits become routine. 

 This day was different. When the prince came it was with shaking hands, and rocks in his chest. 

 "I have a request." He said.

 "Name it." The witch said, glancing over his shoulder after a moment of silence. 

 "Can you make me human?" The prince asked. 

 "I can do anything your heart desires." The witch replied. "However, all magic comes with a price. Can you carry the burden of your choice?" 

 "Yes!" The prince said. "I will pay any price. Why is it?"

 "When the time comes, you will know." The witch said, his voice dropping. "Now go. This will take… preparations."

The prince left as he was told, and tried to ignore the increasing weight in his chest. He tried to ignore the strange sounds everyone heard coming from the graveyard at night, and tried to ignore the strange rusted color of the moon. He kept hearing gossip about whales sinking ships in unnatural numbers, and sailors bodies going missing. Finally he returned to the Graveyard to see what the witch had done. There was a large cauldron in the cavern, filled with a thick red liquid. 

"What is this?" He asked the witch.

"This is what you asked for." The witch replied. "Drink it and you will become human, if you return to the sea, you will turn back."

"Is there a catch?" The prince asked, beginning to doubt himself. 

"Always, but you will only know in time." The witch said. He took a large shell and scooped up a glob of the red substance. "Do you still desire to be human?" 

"Yes." The prince said, his voice quivering. He took the shell, and drank deeply. The thick liquid filled up his throat and he could hardly breath. His insides began to twist and burn. He dropped the shell and curled in on himself, clutching his stomach, retching up red. Shocks of pain went through every nerve ending, and the last thing I saw was the witch's pitying expression.

Everything went black. 

Part 1: https://mangothoughtswritingblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/short-story-sea-witch.html

Part 3: https://mangothoughtswritingblog.blogspot.com/2023/06/short-story-sea-witch-3.html

Mini Series: The Sea Witch #1

The Sea Witch

    The mer prince had heard the warnings his entire life.

    "Don't go to the Whale Graveyard," They said. "There are things hiding there in the dark." 

    What was hiding? Some said it was just to keep the little merfolk away from sharks. Others believed there was a Sea Witch's lair somewhere amongst the bones. The prince wasn't sure what to believe, but he was fairly sure that it wasn't a Sea Witch. While some merfolk still practiced a little magic –if you could call their cheap ticks magic– there hadn't been a true Sea Witch in a long, long time. However, there was only one way to be certain, and that was to go and see for himself.

    He swam out from the coral city, without telling a soul. The only one by his side was his little octopus friend, who was quite literally stuck to his side, as he made the journey over. The graveyard was massive and he could see it from afar. The water started to become a murky green around him. It was harder and harder to see through the closer he got. Soon enough, he was swimming amongst the bones of great titans. While the graveyard was mostly whales as the name suggested, there were a few other strange things in the mix, large sharks from centuries passed, giant squid, and rare sea serpents. 

    The prince's little octopus friend tugged against him, seemingly frightened and desperate for them to leave. 

    "It's alright, just a little further." He said. There were still scavenger fish nearby and a few living sharks, swimming in and out of sight. If they were still there then it couldn't have been too bad. He pressed on, deeper into the darkness. The little octopus popped off and left him, swimming back towards the city. The prince sighed to himself.

    "I'll be home soon!" He promised. 

    

    Ahead of him, just barely visible, was some kind of cave opening. He approached slowly, trying to peek inside. He saw shapes in the shadows and thought there might be something there. He was pulled out of his thoughts by a tentacle brushing against his side.

    "Oh so you're back-" His words caught in his throat when he looked down and saw a large, inky black tentacle that did not belong to his friend.

    

    He turned to see the face of someone with wisps of white hair and solid black eyes. The prince growled and swam as fast as he could into the mouth of the cave, the sounds of cackling laughter bouncing off the walls after him. He sped through the cave and out of the corners of his eyes he saw the walls were lined with colorful bottles, old scrolls, and jars of body parts from sea creatures and merfolk alike. He was breathing far too quickly and it slowed him down. 

    "Come out, come out." A melodic voice called from somewhere. He forced himself to calm down, and speed back up. A light was in front of him now, and he almost cried out in relief. 

    "I can still make it out," He thought to himself. 

    He burst into the light, graveyard nowhere in sight, but in less then a second the frightening man was between him and escape. Tentacles grabbed at him, locking around his arms, torso, and tail. He tried to wriggle free, but the man only tightened his grip. There was no escape. The air was being squeezed out of him and he let one pitiful sound, thinking it was the end. 

    The tentacles dropped, and air rushed back into lungs. He gasped and coughed, clutching at his chest. 

    "That was fun." The man said in his sing-song voice, as if they had been playing a game. "Now. LEAVE." 

    The prince rushed off in a random direction, not wanting to tempt fate. He didn't know where he was or where he was going, but it didn't matter. He was never going to that place. 

    Probably. 

Part 2: https://mangothoughtswritingblog.blogspot.com/2023/05/short-story-sea-witch-part-2.html

Part 3: https://mangothoughtswritingblog.blogspot.com/2023/06/short-story-sea-witch-3.html