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It was another calm day at the Duskgloom Sea. The skies were clear, with no sign of an upcoming storm. The sea creatures were mindlessly swimming through the reefs. The sea’s queen was swimming in its depths, seeking entertainment for her endless boredom.
How long has it been since she destroyed her last vessel? The mermaid couldn’t remember, she had lost a track of time years ago. The old, wrecked vessels, the reefs, the creatures of her kingdom – they all bored her. She couldn’t find seeing the same old view of the Duskgloom Sea entertaining any more. That’s why she now spent her days searching for any kind of amusement within the borders of her sea kingdom.
She didn’t have to wait long for that. Being the only ruler of the Duskgloom Sea, since the very first days of her existence, meant that the mermaid was a piece of this place. She was the Duskgloom Sea. That’s why every ship that crossed her kingdom’s border never went unnoticed. Black Pearl was able to feel that something or someone had interrupted the calmness of her sea, and it was her duty to investigate it.
The mermaid emerged from the sea, carefully observing her surroundings. Her glimpse caught a giant ship in the distance. Although it was far away, Black Pearl’s distinctive sight was able to catch the details of the vessel. The ship was quite uncommon. Most of the ships that crossed the territory of the Duskgloom Sea, were old, wooden wreckage that belonged to noisy pirates. This one, on the other hand, was way different. It radiated elegance, wealth and prosperity. It was clear that the ship was build by a professional. Clean, shiny. Black Pearl felt allured by the presence of the new vessel. Its most distinguishing feature was a grey figurehead representing, what it looked like, a mermaid. A mermaid, just like Black Pearl. The sight of a sculpted creature caught Black Pearl’s attention.
She swam towards the ship, creating currents that swung the vessel. It probably alarmed the creatures that were on the deck. The mermaid emerged her head from the water, looking at the ship’s deck. There, she saw… cookies. Little, crumbly creatures that were looking at her with fear in their eyes. Every cookie was dressed in a long, black, elegant coat and a black sailor hat. Except one. This one was wearing a similar coat, unbuttoned, revealing a long, grey dress. The cookie’s gray hair was styled in a short ponytail. Compared to her crew, she didn’t seem to fear Black Pearl. Instead, she smiled at the sight of her, almost like she was awaiting her.
“We are not here to hurt you! We came in peace!” the cookie shouted towards the Duskgloom’s ruler.
Black Pearl smirked, “Peace? That’s new, and how are you going to prove it?”
The smile faded from the cookie’s face, showcasing a serious mimicry.
“My name is Oyster Cookie, a member of House Oyster, and a citizen of the Crème Republic. Me, and my crew, came here to investigate the Duskgloom Sea in search of minerals that could help our Republic.”
The mermaid stared emerging from the sea, revealing her torso, “Crème Republic? Never heard of that before…”
“It’s located on a seaside island, far away from here. We had to travel for quite some time to get here.” The cookie started to gain confidence in her speech, “I was honored to be chosen as a head of this expedition by the Republic’s Convocation of Elders. If I’m not mistaken, you must be the ruler of The Duskgloom Sea. Would you mind if we stopped here for some time in search for various minerals?”
Black Pearl’s face remained indifferent, although she was intrigued. Usually, she drowned those kinds of visitors, knowing that they were here for no good. This time, she didn’t feel any sort of wrath towards the strangers. Perhaps an opportunity to change her monotone life appeared just in front of her.
“Fine. You have my permission.”
***
It’s been some time since Oyster Cookie’s crew dropped their anchor at the Duskgloom Sea. From Black Pearl’s observation, the cookies obtained some kind of mechanical capsules called “submarines” that allowed them to swim underwater without getting soggy. Black Pearl found these inventions amusing, and the cookies themselves were fascinating. What made cookies so different from other creatures that Black Pearl witnessed is that they were dependent on each other. They were always together, either doing chores on the deck, or researching the Duskgloom Sea in their little submarines. They worked hard, all day and almost all night. Black Pearl found them enchanting.
The Duskgloom’s ruler found herself being drawn towards Oyster Cookie. She couldn’t comprehend why she enjoyed spending time with her, but she did. She liked hearing about her homeland – The Crème Republic. Since she spent her entire life in the sea, having heard Oyster’s stories made her understand more of cookies’ culture.
“Is that what music is? Sounds boring and overwhelming to listen to.”
Black Pearl would often swim next to Oyster’s ship and talk to her. Sometimes their conversations lasted hours. Usually, it was Black Pearl who asked Oyster questions about cookies’ lives. Oyster patiently answered her questions, although she found some of them hard to answer, like describing what music is.
“Since you’ve never heard it before, of course you find it boring.”
The cookie leaned against the ship, facing the mermaid. Black Pearl was swimming on her back, next to the vessel. A rare expression appeared on her face – a smile. Not a witty one, but a genuine smile. It has been decades, or maybe centuries, since the last time she felt that way.
“Music is not the only way cookies entertain themselves with. We also have theatre!”
“And what is that?”
“It’s a place where cookies watch other cookies recreate stories. These cookies are called actors – their job is to pretend to be a character from the story as reliable as possible. Doesn’t it sound entertaining to you?”
“No.” Black Pearl disagreed. “Where’s the fun in watching others pretending to be someone else?”
Oyster Cookie chuckled. The mermaid’s attitude reminded her of little children who would disagree with everything just to spite their parents. She found it adorable.
“What I appreciate in theatre is how beautiful those actors look like on scene – they are dressed in glamorous costumes, wearing the most extravagant hairstyles. Not everyone can become an actor. It takes talent and looks. Actors in our national theatre are truly one of the most beautiful cookies I’ve ever seen in our Republic, just like you.”
Black Pearl’s eyes widened. What did she just say? How are those so-called “actors” supposed to look like her? And more importantly… did she just call her “beautiful”? Black Pearl wasn’t familiar with getting any sorts of compliments. She didn’t know how to react to this. She just stared back at Oyster Cookie without saying a word. Oyster chuckled again.
“It’s getting dark, isn’t it?” Oyster asked.
She was right, the day was over. The skies became dark, and the Moon illuminated the sea. Black Pearl felt a weight pressing over her eyelids. She was tired, and Oyster Cookie noticed that.
“I see you that are tired. Maybe it’s time to rest? Protecting the Duskgloom Sea must be a tiring job.”
The mermaid didn’t answer. She closed her eyes, and let herself fall asleep right next to the vessel.
***
“Oyster Cookie, we are ready.”
Everything went according to Oyster’s plan. She finally managed to get rid of her final obstacle – Black Pearl herself. The Duskgloom Sea’s ruler was peacefully sleeping on her back next to her vessel. Seeing her in such a calm state made Oyster’s heart ache, knowing what’s going to happen to her. Oyster and a few crew members stayed on the deck to keep an eye on Black Pearl. The rest of the crew were off to find her pearl.
It was an important day in her life. A groundbreaking moment. Oyster Cookie was finally set to fulfil her family’s century old tradition – stealing the mermaid’s pearl. A mermaid’s pearl was a proof of hard work, wealth and prosperity for Oyster’s family. It was an opportunity for Oyster to show what she is capable of.
Yet, it didn’t feel right. The cookie glanced at the sleeping mermaid. She looked so peaceful and beautiful in that state. Stealing her pearl was what Oyster wanted, but at what cost? According to the legends, when a mermaid loses her pearl, she will be cursed to descend into the lightless abyss. What was Black Pearl guilt for to deserve this fate? Now, because of her, the mermaid was destined to live in endless wrath for the end of her days.
***
Black Pearl was awakened by the sun’s rays. Noticing that she wasn’t completing underwater, but rather laying on her back on the sea’s surface, she immediately changed her position, carefully observing her surroundings. No ship was in sight. She was completely alone, again. But yet she could feel something was wrong. The mermaid’s instinct was unerring. She quickly swam to her vessels’ graveyard. Everything looked normal, every sunken ship was on its place, the sea creatures were carelessly swimming, just like every other day, yet Black Pearl felt some kind of tension.
She swam to one of the sunken ships, an old, giant wreckage, that was once used by other sweet flavored creatures. Too bad, the ship had lost its track, and once it reached the Duskgloom Sea, it was dragged into Black Pearl’s graveyard. Looking around the inside of the vessel, Black Pearl finally found out the cause of her restlessness – her pearl was gone.
She knew that. She knew that she couldn’t trust some fragile cookies. But yet, she did, she allowed them to carelessly roam in her own kingdom. Now, they took what was dearest to her heart – her pearl.
Black Pearl floated to the surface, looking around for any sign of Oyster’s ship. There, she saw a small figure in the distance. That was it, the vessel. She quickly swam towards it, creating waves that got bigger and bigger with her every move. She stopped, as she got next to the ship, and with her tail, dragged the vessel under the sea.
“You foolish cookies! You promised me “peace”, right? Where is that peace that you were talking about, Oyster Cookie?! WHERE IS MY PEARL?!”
As the ship landed at the bottom of the sea, Black Pearl noticed that it was completely abounded. No cookie was seen on the deck, nor was inside the ship. Black Pearl widened her eyes. Completely confused, she didn’t know what to do. Where were they? What happened to them? Where was her pearl? A lot of thoughts passed Black Pearl’s mind. She left the vessel and swam towards the surface. There, she found the answer.
She saw another ship heading towards the border of the Duskgloom Sea. It was smaller, almost as small as a boat. It had the same colours as the Oyster’s sunken vessel. Inside the vessel, Black Pearl saw Oyster Cookie’s crew and the cookie herself, tightly holding her pearl.
Black Pearl didn’t flinch, she just stopped, observing the ship. Her and Oyster Cookie’s eyes met. Although she was too far away, Black Pearl saw pity in Oyster’s eyes. Seeing how a cookie she once trusted, and felt some kind of bond towards her, for the first time in her centuries old life, made her more devastated, rather than wrathful.