Chaos in Paradise

My brain spins inside my skull, unable to function.

Not after what I just saw.

At least…what I think I just saw.

Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!!!

Suddenly, I want to shake myself.

Hard.

For crying out loud, mermaids aren’t even real! They don’t exist outside of musical animations. They’re just a myth; like unicorns and pygmy trolls and sparkly vampires.

My subconscious is most likely playing dirty tricks on me because I’ve always compared her to Disney’s Little Mermaid. That has to be it. There’s just no other feasible explanation.

And yet, the dread won’t leave my body. I can’t convince myself that what I just saw isn’t real. Not after what happened in the cellar, and not when multiple screens still display the disappearance of one of the world’s largest oceans—

Abruptly, a sharp pain erupts in my head, rippling through my skull with so much intensity and speed that I cry out involuntarily.