The Deep Silence
Coralia was a little mermaid, but not the kind you read about in cheerful tales. She lived in the deepest, darkest trenches of the ocean, where sunlight never dared to reach. Her home was a kingdom of perpetual twilight and crushing silence. Coralia was different from the other merfolk; her skin was too pale, her eyes too wide and black, and she never sang the joyful songs of the sea. Instead, a chilling quiet followed her everywhere. The other mermaids whispered that Coralia was touched by the deep, that something ancient and hungry had claimed her spirit. Coralia didn't mind the whispers. She only felt a gnawing emptiness, a strange, cold hunger that the ocean's bounty could never satisfy. She spent her days drifting near the surface of the abyss, staring up at the faint, shimmering ceiling of the world above, wondering what lay beyond the darkness.
The Whispering Lure
One evening, a sound reached Coralia that was not the usual deep-sea groan. It was a faint, rhythmic thumping, accompanied by a strange, high-pitched whine. It was the sound of the surface world. Driven by the cold hunger in her heart, Coralia swam upward, faster than she ever had before. As she ascended, the pressure lessened, and the water grew slightly warmer, though still murky. She saw a light—a flickering, unnatural glow that pulsed with the rhythm of the sound. It was a ship, floating far above. A voice, thin and reedy, seemed to whisper on the currents, promising something Coralia couldn't name, but desperately craved. "Come closer, little one," the current seemed to sigh. "The surface holds what you seek." Coralia knew the surface was forbidden, a place of danger and strange, air-breathing creatures. But the hunger was too strong to ignore.
The Encounter
Coralia reached the surface just as a sudden, violent storm erupted. The ship tossed wildly on the waves. Through the spray and the gloom, she saw him: a young sailor, standing near the railing, his face etched with fear and exhaustion. He was human, fragile, and utterly unaware of the pale creature watching him from the churning water below. As the ship groaned and splintered against a rogue wave, the sailor was thrown overboard. Coralia watched him sink, not with pity, but with a strange, possessive fascination. The cold hunger intensified, twisting into a sharp, desperate need. She didn't save him out of kindness. She dragged his unconscious body to a nearby, deserted stretch of rocky shore, her silver tail propelling them through the dark waves. She needed him. Not his life, but something he possessed.
The Bargain
The sailor lay still on the sand. Coralia knew what she had to do. The surface world held the key to satisfying the hunger, and to walk among them, she needed legs. She called upon the Sea Witch, a creature of pure shadow and ancient malice who lived in the deepest trenches. The Witch appeared, rising from the waves like a column of oily smoke, her yellow eyes gleaming. "You seek legs, little one?" the Witch hissed, her voice like grinding stones. "The price is steep. Your voice, your beautiful, silent voice, is mine." Coralia didn't hesitate. Her voice was already a hollow echo. "And what else?" Coralia signed with her hands, her eyes fixed on the Witch. The Witch smiled, a terrifying, wide grin. "The hunger must be fed. You must take the heart of the one you brought to shore. If you fail, you will become sea foam, but not the gentle kind. You will be a shadow, forever bound to the deep, and the hunger will consume you whole." Coralia nodded, accepting the dark terms.
The Transformation and the Lie
The transformation was agonizing. Coralia felt her silver tail split and twist, replaced by long, pale legs that felt heavy and wrong. When the pain subsided, she was human. She dressed in some rough cloth she found nearby and waited for the sailor to wake. When he finally stirred, he looked at her with wide, grateful eyes. "You saved me," he whispered, his voice weak. Coralia couldn't speak, her voice now trapped in the Sea Witch's dark vial. She simply nodded, offering a small, unsettling smile. The sailor, whose name was Elias, believed she was a mute girl who had risked everything to save him. He took her hand, leading her away from the shore, towards the nearest village. Coralia walked beside him, her new legs aching with every step, but the cold hunger was a constant, sharp reminder of her true purpose. She had to get close to him. She had to fulfill the bargain.
The Deepening Shadow
Elias was kind. He introduced Coralia to the villagers, who were sympathetic to the "poor, mute girl" who had saved him. Coralia lived with Elias in his small cottage, learning the strange ways of the surface world. She learned to eat their food, wear their clothes, and mimic their expressions. But the hunger never left. It grew stronger every day, a cold, demanding presence in her chest. She saw the shadow of the Sea Witch growing longer and darker in the corners of the room, a constant reminder of the bargain. Elias loved her, mistaking her silence for shyness and her vacant stare for deep affection. One night, as Elias slept peacefully beside her, Coralia felt the hunger reach its peak. The shadow of the Witch filled the room, whispering promises of relief. Coralia looked at Elias, her heart—or what passed for it—a cold, hard stone. She had chosen the surface, and the price was due. The little mermaid, driven by the ancient, terrible hunger of the deep, reached out a pale, trembling hand, knowing that the horror had only just begun.