Call

The Call of the Ocean was an intense urge that merfolk supposedly experienced when they stayed away from the water too long. It was mostly treated as a myth, since merfolk rarely left the comfort of the water.

Even after spending hours on land during the festival, they didn't feel the outrageous symptoms that was associated with the experience.

Geale stared wide-eyed at the gentle waves of saltwater lapping at the edges of the pool. His mouth was dry, his heart was pounding, his ears were ringing, and his knees were shaking.

Cold sweat slid down the back of his neck as his jaw slackened, opening his mouth just enough for the salty air to tease his throat.

Thinking about Marnthe's potential former lover distracted him from the urge to swim in the water. Geale suddenly realized the soreness of his legs.

It had grown tired from from walking and standing on land for hours. Would his tail have the strength to move against the water?

But the urge - the Call - felt like a thirst that couldn't be quenched, a hunger that couldn't be satisfied, an itch that couldn't be scratched. It had to be heeded. He had to respond.

Geale bit his lip as an image of himself tearing away his clothes, hurling them all away, sprinting into to the edge of the pool, and diving head-first into the water flashed in his mind.

"Go ahead," Marnthe said, jolting the younger man from his trance-like state. He could see how feverish his skin was despite the dim light of the room.

The Call was strong after all, and it would grow stronger over time.

Geale stiffly looked at him.

"Dive in. Just take your clothes off." Marnthe turned away and approached one of the cabinets with the bag of clothes in his hand. "I'll prepare your closet while you're-"

A loud splash echoed behind him.

Marnthe looked at the pool and found clothes splayed out on the floor.

Geale was gone.

He smiled, a hint of jealousy welling up from his chest. He put the bags down on the floor and approached the discarded clothes.

"I should teach him how to pick up after himself."

***

Geale blinked, sensing the transparent membrane beneath his lower eyelid slide up and snap into place to protect his eyes. It activated seamlessly whenever he jumped into the water that he barely noticed it.

The only time he felt its presence was after his first Crescent Moon Festival - the first time he stayed away from the water for hours. Geale supposed he had stayed so long on land that his reflexes became slow enough for him to notice.

He blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him; his insides humming with delight at the sensation of the cold water hugging his skin. He soon noticed the uneven, rocky walls of the pool surrounding him.

Splotches of green, yellow, and red appeared as his eyes became more sensitive to the small amount of light underwater.

Geale reached out for the colors as it formed various shapes. The rocky walls appeared to be littered with thick sea moss, kelp, and algae.

The structure stretched downward like a tunnel.

Geale dove deeper, grinning at the sensation of slicing through the water with his sharp silver fins and long metallic blue tail. It felt great to not feel the weight of his long hair over his head.

He followed the direction of the walls until he reached an opening - one that apparently led to the vast ocean surrounding the island.

Geale gasped as he dove out of the tunnel, and towards the vibrant cascading coral bed below it. It descended down to a sandy sea floor that extended out like a small island before cutting off into a dark cliff.

He marveled at the assortment of fish swimming in schools above him. They moved together like groups dancing to a relaxing tune.

Geale observed the crawling crabs on the sand, the anemone swaying against the water, the starfish languidly splayed on rocks, and the sneaky octopus fading into a group of corals.

Geale swam to a bloom of jellyfish and playfully patted the top of its bouncy, bell-shaped body.

He twirled with a shimmering group of sardines, bowed to an old green turtle as it glided softly away, played hide-and-seek with a grumpy moray eel, and joined a squadron of manta ray as they patrolled along the edges of the cascading reef.

Geale sighed with delight as he plopped down on the sand of one of the reef bed steps, casting his gaze at the infinite deep blue before him.

The ocean in the human world didn't quite look like the home he left behind, though the water felt familiar and soothing against his skin.

The marine creatures only slightly resembled the neighbors he lived with - mostly because they were related, though they still seemed friendly and fun to be with.

Geale felt his heart ache. He had to admit that he still wasn't home.

Jumping into the water eased the yearning in his body, but it didn't quench the yearning in his soul.

He shook his head. A year was a short time for merfolk. He would barely notice it. Soon, he would be in the Crescent Moon Festival again.

He would be able to go home.

Geale took a long deep breath. He closed his eyes, and pressed his back flat against the sand.

He let his senses take in the sounds of the ocean against his ears, and felt each minute motion bounce off against his skin. He let the scent of the sea seep into his senses with every flow of water his gills took in.

Being in the water calmed his senses. It helped him clear his head. He soon regained the strength he needed.

Geale opened his eyes and smiled. He would be with Marnthe on the next Crescent Moon Festival. He would go home with him too.

He would spend the year on land healing his heart, convincing Marnthe to sing for him instead of for his lost lover.

This love was different after all. This love would be worth all his effort.

Geale rose from the sand and turned around, ready to return to Marnthe's side. He swam back up the cascading reefs until he saw the mouth of the tunnel.

He was about to swim inside when he noticed a familiar shape sitting just below it.

Geale froze as realization hit him.

Quietly staring back at him was a stony, barnacle-covered, giant clam. It wouldn't have mattered if it was an ordinary giant clam in the human world that could grow at mostly the average height of a teen-aged female human.

But this clam was different.

He recognized it as an ancient one that should not exist in the human world with its closed mouth more than big enough to devour him whole.