Chapter Text
Sea Monsters,
A diverse range of species that inhabit the seven seas.
Some of the most commonly known being simple, and easy to spot like Water Frogs, or Swimming Salamanders.
The group could even be broken down to single-celled algae.
Out of all the different kinds of sea monsters there was one type that seemed to catch no one’s eye, likely due to the fact that no one has seen any in years.
Mermaids,
Rare, extravagant creatures known for their kindness and beauty.
Most frogs would do anything just to get a glimpse of a mermaid at least once in their entire lifetime, but even that was unlikely. Mermaids had disappeared a long time ago. Nobody knows where and nobody knows why.
Extinct? Maybe, but many believe that mermaids had the unique ability to transform on land, growing limbs and losing gills so that they appeared to be like your average Newt, frog, or toad.
Maybe mermaids didn't disappear. Maybe they were hiding amongst all the other land Amphibians of Amphibia.
Who knows, after all, it's probably just a myth.
~
The water was cold, and the sea was pretty dark around this time of night. Anne had been out swimming near the surface all day, plucking fish from their schools and shoving them into her pouch so she could sell them at the family stand later. A lot of Water Frogs in Wartwood would give just about all their coppers for some tasty surface fish.
There was one small problem though, and that was the fact that Hop Pop would absolutely destroy Anne if he found out she had been swimming near the surface. So, using only the light of the glowing corals, Anne swam toward her house quietly. She silently made her way through the doorway, being careful not to flip her flippers too loudly and risk waking up Hop Pop. She maneuvered her way into the kitchen and placed her pouch full of fish onto the counter, hoping that when Hop Pop sees them in the morning, he would be so distracted by the amount of coppers they were going to make that he would be too happy to punish Anne.
Could disobeying actually be this easy for once?
“Anne Savisa Boonchuy Plantar!” An angry voice called from the other end of the kitchen.
Uh oh, full name.
Anne turned around to see Hop Pop’s old wrinkly face luminated by the coral that now lit up the entire kitchen.
“Would you like to tell me what you were doing out so late?” His country accent was thick.
“Oh! Hop Pop! didn't see you there.” Anne chuckled nervously.
“Don’t play dumb with me Anne, where were you?”
“Who me? I was just going for a swim. Couldn’t sleep, you know?”
“Uh huh, and what’s in the bag?” Hop Pop clearly wasn't convinced.
Anne quickly grabbed her pouch and held it tight to her chest. “Psht, you know…stuff?” she replied.
“Really, Stuff?” Hop Pop crossed his flippers and raised his eyebrow.
“Yup! Just a bunch of stuff! Anyways i'm tired Hop Pop, think i'm gonna go to bed, Night!” Anne began to rush out of the kitchen but much to her dismay Hop Pop immediately stopped her.
“Not so fast kid, if that bag is really full of, eh, stuff, then i'm sure you wouldn't mind letting me take a peek.”
“Of course not but,” Anne fumbled and if it was possible to sweat underwater, she was certainly doing so, “It’s nothing special really, you don't want to waste your time.”
“Hand over the bag Anne.” Hop Pop gave Anne a look that, honestly, couldn't even kill a fly, but he knew Anne was always quick to submit. Her head fell and she shamefully handed her ponch over to Hop Pop.
Hop Pop gasped when he saw its contents, “I knew it! You were up collecting fish at the surface again!”
“You have no proof!” Anne yelled.
“You act like I don't know a thing or two, Anne. I know these kinds of fish only swim up near the surface!”
“Okay well, fine! I was swimming near the surface, but I was only doing it so I could gather fish to sell at the stand!”
“How many times do I have to tell you? It's dangerous!” Hop Pop sounded exhausted, Anne felt embarrassed. They had clearly been over this before.
“So? We have no money Hop Pop! I was trying to help!”
“It’s not your job to look after the family Anne, you're a child!”
“Well one of us has to do something! We're going to lose the stand at this rate and you know people in town will pay big money for these guys!”
“It. Is. Dangerous!” Hop Pop reiterated, hoping to better get his point across.
“I'm old enough now, I can handle it!”
“No you can't!”
“Why not?!”
“Because you're a mermaid!”
Hop Pops words echoed through the quiet house, surely waking up Sprig and Polly.
Anne didn't reply, her face was visibly flushed. Hop Pop noticed a small tear forming in the corner of her eye as he continued,
“Anne, I've been above the surface before, on land even, there are people up there who want to hurt you.” He paused. Talking about this was hard for the both of them, “I know you just want to help but…please. Please understand that I just don't want you to get hurt.”
By now, the heat of the argument had died down. Anne however, was not having it.
“I can handle it.” she replied firmly, breaking the silence.
“Anne—”
“No! I want to help the family.”
“What good will you be to the family if you end up dead!”
The words came out too fast for Hop Pop to take them back.
Anne stared at Hop Pop with hurt in her eyes. She choked back a sob.
“Anne I’m sorry that came out wrong I—”
“I’m not doing this.” Anne stated as she held back her tears and took her pouch back from Hop Pop. She then began to swim away, out of the kitchen and out the front door.
Hop Pop swam after her.
“Don't follow me!” she yelled.
“But—”
“Dont!”
Hop Pop cowered as he stood in the doorway, watching sadly as Anne swam away.
…
“Stupid Hop Pop and his stupid rules” Anne mumbled under her breath while swimming near the cool ocean floor. Beams of light began peering their way down from the surface of the sea. The sun was starting to rise and Anne was exhausted from being out all night. She was about to finally head home until she looked up and saw a school of fish swimming above her.
Surface fish.
Maybe she'll grab a few more and stuff them in her pouch. Just to piss Hop Pop off a little.
Anne swam up towards the surface with a mischievous grin on her face.
“Hop Pops gonna be soooo mad.” she laughed while grabbing as many fish as she could.
Annes pouch was mostly full now, and all of the remaining fish had since swam away, but the urge to create mischief had not died down.
“Maybe I’ll poke my head above the water to top it all off.” Anne continued to think out loud as she swam further up towards the ceiling of the sea.
She then poked her little head up above the currents.
“Hey Hop Pop look! I'm above the surface!” She joked despite knowing Hop Pop couldn't hear her.
In the beginning she was only disobeying for the fun of getting on Hop Pop’s nerves, but as soon as she laid her eyes on the sunrise, she was taken away by its beauty.
Anne had been up to the surface many times, but she had hardly ever been above it. She allowed herself to get distracted by the warm glow of the rising sun, feeling the cool breeze blow through her fins and curls. Soon the exhaustion of her sleepless night took over her and she drifted off while floating above the water.
For now, everything was peaceful.
~
As the sun began to rise above the surface, so did the frogs below. Soon, the underwater town of Wartwood was alive again, with frogs leaving their homes and swimming their way into the square.
Sprig and Polly had woken up just like the rest of Wartwood, fully prepared for a day of getting into trouble and disobeying Hop Pop.
You know, their usual exciting and daring adventures.
Their excitement was short lived however when they made their way down into the kitchen for breakfast, immediately being bombarded by the sorrowful sight that was their Hop Pop, who was solemnly sitting at the kitchen table.
“You….doing alright Hop Pop?” Sprig asked with a concerned look on his face, though his tone remained comical.
“Clearly not. Look at him!” Polly shouted. She waved her little flippers at Hop Pop, who had obviously been up all night, considering the fact that he was now sporting a five o’clock shadow and terrible eye bags.
“Didn't have the best night last night, kids.” Hop pop sighed.
“What happened? Where's Anne?” Sprig bombarded Hop Pop with more questions.
He winced before answering.
“We got into a fight last night. I said some things that hurt her. She got upset and swam off.” Another sigh escaped Hop Pop’s gills as he continued, “I've been up all night, waiting for her to come back.”
“Let me guess, she was—”
“Swimming up near the surface” Hop Pop finished for Polly.
An awkward silence filled the room. Even though Hop Pop and Anne argued all the time, it was hard not to be worried.
“Don’t worry Hop Pop,” Sprig began to reassure him, finally breaking the silence, “Well help you find her.”
~
It was the sound of a loud blaring horn that awoke Anne from her slumber.
“Huh? What happened?” Anne said softly as her eyes fluttered open. She looked up and noticed the sun resting high in the middle of the sky. It was midday. “Oh crud! I fell asleep!”
She immediately began collecting herself, grabbing her pouch and preparing to swim her way back down into Wartwood.
Another horn blared.
The loud sound startled Anne causing her to let go of her pouch as well as all of the delicious surface fish inside. She quickly began to gather up all of the loose fish again with speed, until something out of the corner of her eye distracted her.
Anne froze.
The source of the horn was looming towards her.
It was a ship.
A massive one.
There was no time to be frozen in fear. It was coming towards her fast.
She swam away,
away from Wartwood.
It didn't matter, she just had to get away. Doing so proved to be hard though. It felt like a current was sucking her in, pulling her towards the boat. It was right on her tail.
Yet again her pouch came loose, spilling its contents.
Anne paused when she realized.
That was her first mistake.
No,
Her first mistake was disobeying Hop Pop. Reaching for her bag was her second.
First there was a horn, then there was a ship, and now,
There was a net.
A net that surrounded Anne and all of those damn surface fish that she had worked so hard to get. The fish she had fought Hop Pop over so many times. The fish that she had risked her life for in order to help her family, all tangled up in a big ol’ net.
Anne thrashed.
“Help!” she screamed to no avail as she was forcefully torn away from the water and pulled up towards the boat.