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A small starfish was sprawled across the metal floor. The crew was standing in a perfect circle around the small echinoderm individual.
Where did it come from? Why was it here? Why was its red so bright?
Before Anya could voice any of those well-justified concerns, another starfish plopped right on top of her head. Its ambulacral arms moved hysterically all over her hair, as though both woman and invertebrate were particularly distressed about sharing the same space. The starfish was pink.
Jimmy leaned back to give it an unpleasant laugh, and when his mouth was wide open with that unnecessary noise, another starfish fell right into his stinky mouth. Poor yellow baby. He coughed it out on his hand before tossing it on the floor.
Daisuke was the only one noticing that more starfish—colorful ones—were falling relentlessly all over the Tulpar. The counter, lounge floor, couch, and everything else were covered in starfish. Daisuke left the circle, and it was like he broke something important. Both Anya, now being rescued by Curly, who carefully got rid of her new hair accessory, and Curly, a very clueless saviour of a captain, gasped. Daisuke couldn’t grasp why.
He approached the lounge with wide strides, and stood up in the counter, trying to find where the hell did those starfish come from. He had a smile he couldn’t keep hidden once truth was figured out: the starfish were melting all over the ceiling!
As though they were leaking. They leaked through the ceiling metal cracks and fell with a pathetic plop on the floor. Daisuke failed miserably in finding out where and why were they being created. He couldn’t reach the ceiling, but he extended his arm and caught one bright red starfish. It felt… oily. Not wet.
When he glanced back at Anya and Curly, they were both covered in starfish, trying to untangle themselves from it. Jimmy was, strangely, avoiding stepping on them. Swansea was nowhere to be seen. Daisuke just watched, helpless and clueless.
Soon, the lounge floor was buried under several starfishes that were being born from somewhere above the lounge.
There was nothing above the lounge. Daisuke checked Tulpar’s blueprint more than five times. A starship fell into his Hawaiian shirt, right where the tank top and the shirt meet. He could feel its cold, silvery arms.
“Daisuke…”
A familiar voice called, but Anya and Curly were now busy crying in each other's arms. Jimmy was being defeated by too many starfish attempting to eat his eyes. He turned around several times, but no one showed up.
“Daisu—Damn you, kid! Wake the hell up!”
Daisuke jolted in his cot, covered in sweat and breathing heavily.
“Damn it, kid! You startled me!” Swansea tossed the nearest towel on his face. “Take a shower. I’ll see you in ten minutes. I want you at D-2. Pipe depressurization. You can eat later. Either you fix it or we die by noon.”
Oh… So it was just a dream. Daisuke nodded, still too startled. Swansea left his room and Daisuke felt on his bed a second time to rationalize it all. It felt so weirdly real. He then turned his head to the left side of his room. A poster (one of the few things allowed) of Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water was framed. He remembers now, falling asleep while staring the starfish.
“I’ll toss you away.” Daisuke promised himself. Then, sighed again. “Well. Not now, or else I’ll die for real because old Swans is waiting for me.”
As if remembering itself of such a gloomy refresher, he bolted to his stuff and get ready for the day.
Who’d guess that starfish could be so disturbing?