MERMAID'S DIARY Episode 3
1113 Words
Episode 3: The Queen Beneath the Silence
The water shifted.
Not violently. Not like a wave. Something deeper. Heavier.
Every mermaid lowered their head.
Even Lyra.
“Bow,” she whispered.
“What?”
“Now.”
I hesitated—but something in her voice made my body move before my mind caught up. I lowered my head.
The ocean went silent.
Then she appeared.
At first, I didn’t see her fully—just a presence. A shadow moving through the water like it owned everything around it. The closer she came, the more the light bent around her, like the ocean itself was making space.
My heart pounded.
This was the Queen.
She stopped in front of us.
Slowly, I lifted my eyes.
And froze.
She didn’t look like the others.
Her tail was darker—deep violet, almost black, with faint glowing patterns that pulsed like a heartbeat. Her hair flowed endlessly around her, moving even when the water was still. But it was her eyes that held me.
Bright.
Cold.
Ancient.
They locked onto mine—and suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.
Not like before. Not peacefully.
This felt like drowning all over again.
“So,” she said.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it filled everything.
“She’s awake.”
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The Queen’s gaze didn’t leave me. “Look at me.”
I didn’t want to.
But I did.
And the moment our eyes fully met—something hit me.
A pressure in my head. Sharp. Deep. Like fingers digging into my thoughts.
I gasped.
Memories flashed.
Water. Darkness. Voices.
Then—fear.
Running.
Hiding.
Hands pulling me away from something—
I cried out and jerked back.
“Enough.”
The pressure vanished instantly. I clutched my head, breathing hard.
“What… what was that?” I whispered.
The Queen tilted her head slightly, studying me. “Fragments.”
“Of what?”
“Of who you were.”
My chest tightened. “I don’t understand any of this.”
“No,” she said calmly. “You don’t.”
Lyra finally spoke, her voice careful. “My Queen… her awakening came early. We don’t yet know why.”
The Queen didn’t look at her. “I know why.”
That made my stomach drop.
“You do?” Lyra asked.
Silence.
Then the Queen moved closer.
Too close.
I couldn’t move.
“Tell me,” she said softly, “what do you remember?”
I swallowed. “Nothing… just flashes. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Of course it doesn’t.” Her lips curved slightly. “They made sure of that.”
“They?” I asked again, my voice shaking.
This time, she answered.
“The ones who took you.”
A chill ran through me. “From… here?”
Her gaze darkened. “From us.”
The word hit harder than anything.
Us.
“You’re saying I’m one of you?”
“You were,” she corrected.
“Then why was I taken?”
“That,” she said, “is the question that has kept this kingdom restless for years.”
Years?
My head spun. “How long have I been gone?”
No one answered.
And that silence told me everything.
Too long.
The Queen circled me slowly, her presence suffocating. I felt exposed, like she could see everything—every thought, every fear.
“You were hidden among humans,” she continued. “Protected. Watched.”
“Protected from what?” I asked.
She stopped in front of me again.
“From me.”
My breath caught.
The entire ocean felt colder.
“Why?” I whispered.
For the first time, something shifted in her expression.
Not anger.
Not cruelty.
Something… deeper.
“Because,” she said slowly, “if I had found you sooner…”
Her voice dropped.
“…I would have had no choice but to end you.”
My heart slammed against my chest. “Why would you say that?!”
“Because you are not just any mermaid, Elara.”
The way she said my name felt wrong. Heavy.
Important.
“Then what am I?” I demanded.
Silence stretched.
Then—
“You are the last of a bloodline that nearly destroyed this ocean.”
Everything inside me went still.
“No… that’s not possible.”
“It is.”
“I’m just—” My voice broke. “I’m just a girl.”
“You were never just anything.”
I shook my head, backing away. “No. You’re lying. You have to be.”
“Do I?” she asked calmly.
My thoughts raced. Nothing made sense. None of this could be real.
But it was.
It all was.
Lyra moved slightly closer to me. Not touching—just… there.
Like a warning.
Or support.
I couldn’t tell.
The Queen watched the both of us carefully.
Then she spoke again.
“Tell me, Elara… when you were above, did you ever feel it?”
“Feel what?” I asked.
“Like you didn’t belong.”
I froze.
“…yes.”
The word came out before I could stop it.
Her eyes darkened with something like recognition.
“Did the water ever call to you?”
My throat tightened. “…yes.”
“Did you ever dream of drowning—” she paused slightly, “—and waking up relieved?”
My chest tightened painfully.
“…yes.”
The Queen leaned in just slightly.
“Good,” she whispered.
A chill shot through me.
“Because that means,” she continued, her voice low and certain—
“It’s already waking up inside you.”
My heart dropped.
“What is?”
For a moment—
She didn’t answer.
Then something shifted in the water again.
Stronger this time.
Closer.
Not the Queen.
Something else.
The Queen’s expression changed instantly.
Sharp.
Alert.
Even… concerned.
Lyra stiffened. “My Queen… do you feel that?”
“Yes,” she said quietly.
My chest tightened. “Feel what?”
No one answered.
Then—
From the darkness beyond the city—
A roar.
Deep.
Ancient.
Not human.
Not mermaid.
Something else entirely.
Every mermaid around us flinched.
Some fled.
The Queen didn’t move—but her eyes locked onto the distance.
“…Impossible,” she murmured.
My heart started racing again. “What is that?!”
No one spoke.
But I could feel it now.
Something coming.
Something powerful.
Something that felt—
Familiar.
The Queen slowly turned her gaze back to me.
And this time—
There was no doubt in her voice.
“It’s here for you.”
To be continued…
- Writer
