Tilikee rested her head on her arm and looked at Ben sideways. “Why did you want to drown?”

Ben closed his eyes. He’d forgotten, briefly, why he came down to the beach today. But his problems hadn’t been washed away.  “Why not? I mean, my life sucks. Every fucking day. Now that school’s over I can’t even get out of the house. My mother just wants me to stay home so she can yell at me. Nobody else talks to me. It’s miserable and I hate it.”

“So why do you stay there?”
—

Overwhelmed by grief and despair, 17-year-old Ben looks to the sea for escape. Only to find the sea looking back at him…

An original tale set in Okayado’s “Monster Musume” universe.

The glass-and-metal dome was no bigger than a good-sized garage.  Beyond the now-sealed circular pool, there was enough space for benches and a few storage bins. A shallow alcove contained what looked like a rubber-wrapped mattress. Everything seemed damp and forgotten. There was enough room for Ben to stand, but he wasn’t steady enough for that yet. Even the effort of climbing onto a bench left him dizzy.

There wasn’t anywhere he could go, anyway. Not without her help.

The mermaid – Tilikee – lay on the concrete floor, propped on her arms, watching Ben. Out of water she seemed larger, and more sea creature than human. The greenish light had turned her blue skin ashy and the scales covering her fish’s tail looked almost black. She didn’t say anything else, just watched.
—

Overwhelmed by grief and despair, 17-year-old Ben looks to the sea for escape. Only to find the sea looking back at him…

An original tale set in Okayado’s “Monster Musume” universe.

Cold water covered Ben’s face before he could yell. After that he was fighting to breathe, blowing and gasping for air whenever his face broke the surface.

You are going to die, his mind screamed for the second time that morning.

The mermaid held him tightly on her chest as she swam. He could feel her powerful tail lashing beneath his legs, propelling them across the ocean at alarming speed. It felt like he had been tied to a torpedo and fired toward an unseen target.
—

Overwhelmed by grief and despair, 17-year-old Ben looks to the sea for escape. Only to find the sea looking back at him…

An original tale set in Okayado’s “Monster Musume” universe.

As long as he’d lived by the beach, Ben had never seen a merperson, though he knew they lived in communities near the coast. They appeared in the regional news sometimes. He realized that this one had probably rescued him from drowning and dragged him back onto the beach. Nobody else had been near him, out in the ocean.

“Thank you!”

Ben’s clumsy wave got no reaction. He really didn’t want to go back into the water. But he thought he should at least speak to the person who had saved his life. Ben shuddered as cold seawater clutched at his ankles, but he forced himself to wade out into the shallows.
—

Overwhelmed by grief and despair, 17-year-old Ben looks to the sea for escape. Only to find the sea looking back at him…

An original tale set in Okayado’s “Monster Musume” universe.

The gulls were fully awake now, screeching at each other and gliding along the waterline looking for washed-up food. Ben shivered again, stood up and started walking toward the waves. His mother would be infuriated when she realized he’d snuck out of the house. With classes over, he had no excuses. But the wet sand under his feet reassured him that he wouldn’t face his mother’s cold fury later today. Or tomorrow. Steadied by this thought, he waded into the surf and plunged into one of the larger waves.

Ben swam toward the sunrise, pushing through the breaking waves. He could feel the water growing cooler as the seabed sloped away. He didn’t think about the deepening water beneath him, didn’t glance back to see how far away the shore was.  He just kept swimming, allowing himself the luxury of not thinking about anything for a while.

When his arms ached he rolled onto his back and kicked. Sunrise orange had faded into pale blue, splotched with clouds. Ben watched the clouds, felt sunlight on his face, took quick, hard breaths and kept going.
—

Overwhelmed by grief and despair, 17-year-old Ben looks to the sea for escape. Only to find the sea looking back at him…

An original tale set in Okayado’s “Monster Musume” universe.