Waking up this morning fills me with dread. So, dying and becoming a masca wasn’t some messed up dream. This is my new reality, and I am going to have to get used to it.

I head downstairs hoping to find Zephyr or Briar but no one is home. Sounds of bubbles and current fill my ears but no there is chatter in range. This must mean they are out and about somewhere.

Not sure what else to do, I get ready to head into the village to see what is open at the market today. Zephyr did say that the shops change every day so maybe I could find something interesting today. Going back upstairs, I get ready for the adventure I am about to take.

I open the front door and immediately stop in my tracks. I knew this say would come eventually but I didn’t think it would happen so soon. In front of me, is a pale green jellyfish. No masca is attached to it so it must be wild.

Slowly creeping up to it, I try to observe it closer. Like calm waves, it’s tentacles gracefully flow through the water, keeping it floating. The center of it glows yellow and gets brighter the closer I get to it.

Is this it? Is this the time I connect with a jellyfish? I thought it would have taken longer than a day to find one but here it is. Right in front of me.

Reaching out, I attempt to touch it. The closer my hand gets to it, the bright the yellow glow in the middle of the jellyfish’s body shines. My hand is so close that I can feel the pulsating water from the jellyfish as it swims. The light is so bright that I can no longer see the jellyfish through my squinting eyes.

All of a sudden, I hear a pop, and something forcefully hits my hand. Cracking, my wrist snaps back from the impact and pushes me away. My back crashes into the ground and knocks the wind out of me. Looking up to the surface of the water, I see the jellyfish floating away with a yellow orb around it.

“Well, that was just pathetic,” Briar scoffs.

Looking to my right, I see him standing by the side of the house with supplies in his arms. One of his eyebrows is arched as if he is judging me even more now that I am just staring at him. I clear my throat and get off the ground. Rolling his eyes, Briar walks into the house and I follow him.

“Were you just watching me the whole time?” I ask while glaring at him.

“No, but I did see you get hit with a jellyfish’s force shield. Why exactly did you think it was a good idea to touch a jellyfish you haven’t connected with yet?”

“Well, I thought that was how you were supposed to connect with it?”

He gives a low laugh that bubbled up from his chest. “No, you are supposed to make an emotional bond with it. You can’t just go touching something without its permission. You need to create a connection before you can do anything with a jellyfish.”

“And how exactly am I supposed to do that?”

“You’ll figure that out. Every jellyfish is different.”

“How will I know that I have created a bond well enough where I can touch one?”

“You’ll know, trust me.”

I start to get frustrated with how vague his answers are but maybe I can get more details asking some more questions.

“How did you bond with yours?” I ask.

Briar’s back stiffens slightly, and he is still for a second. No words come out of his mouth and his breath catches. “I saw it’s mother leave it and decided to help it.”

“So, I have to find a jellyfish in need. Is that it?”

“Again, you’ll know when you made a connection. For now, don’t try to rush anything. Let them come to you. That is how you can get the greatest bond.”

I open my mouth to ask more questions, but he quickly turns away and tends to the supplies he has in his arms. I tell him that I will be going to the village to see what is in the market today and he grunts in response. Scowling, I head out of house and to the village not seeing another jellyfish in my path.

Entering the village, I notice that there are just as many shops open as there was yesterday. I don’t see Ingrid where her shop was open yesterday. I see a pottery table and I walk up to it. I notice a blue hourglass shaped vase that looked just like my father’s vase. He said it was the vase that his grandmother had. There is nothing particularly special about it other than it has been passed down to my father. Unfortunately, when he died, I couldn’t find the vase. It was one of the only objects that reminded me of him.

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I ask the seller how much and the lady looks at me in confusion.

“Do you have anything to pay with?” she asks.

I didn’t think about that. How was I supposed to get money? Is there even money in this world or do you get things through traded goods?

The lady smiles at me with a sweet smile. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

I nod.

“Well, we actually trade things through foods and other goods. This vase would cost about ten kelps but since I don’t see a jellyfish, I assume you are brand new. I can give it to you for free this time. I saw how your face lit up when you saw this vase. I can tell it means something to you. So, take it, but keep in mind not all shopkeepers give things away.”

Shock rolls over my face. She’s giving it to me for free?

“I can’t possibly take it for free. Please, let me do something.”

“Okay, you take the vase, and you can owe me a favor sometime in the future. Deal?”

I hesitate before I nod. I ask what her name is, and she says it’s Sydney. She owns a pottery shop down the street and when it is not her turn to sell things then she makes her products. She sells out almost every time she opens her table on the market.

After thanking her non-stop for a couple minutes, I eventually go on my way. I observe more shops and find it interesting on how many different things could be functional underwater if there are just a few tweaks to them.

Walking down the path some more, I see Zpehyr. The thing different today than yesterday is she is behind one of the tables this time. I see her helping out a customer and then turn to look at me. She waves me over.

“I’m so glad you decided to come out of the house. I was getting a little worried when I didn’t see you earlier today. I thought you might have decided to just hermit inside of your room all day.”

I give her a slight chuckle when she nudges me and giggles. “So, this is where you were. I woke up this morning and I didn’t see anyone in the house.”

“Yeah, today was our day for the market and so usually I man the table while Briar goes shopping to see if we need anything.”

I look at her table, taking in everything that she is selling. It seems to be some sort of box with a lever to turn.

“They’re music boxes. The power I have received from my jellyfish is being able to make memories into music. Once I am done making the music, I carve the notes into the box so it can play for my clients. This is when people want to remember their loved ones or a happy memory they had when they were a human.”

My eyes gape at the beauty of the story and the hand-crafted boxes. When I look closer at the boxes, I notice how each of them has a different scene or person.

“I also used to be an artist when I was a human. I guess I brought that skill with me and so I carve a certain scene from the memory or a picture of the loved ones they try to remember."

“Do you think you could make a music box for me?” I ask.

Zephyr looks at me with a sparkle in her eye. “Yes, but I will have to ask for a small payment.”

“What is it?”

“Could you make dinner for a week? I have been exhausted lately.”

I giggle and then tell her, “Of course.”

When she asks what memory, I want to use, I didn’t even have to think twice. I tell her I want the memory of my father taking me on my first fishing trip in this very lake we reside in now.

I remember when he took me fishing for the first time, I caught something, and his face lit up with pride. He kept telling me how proud he was of me and that he didn’t catch his first fish until a couple of tries. That’s when he told me I have a special bond to this lake. I grew up thinking I was some secret lost princess that would one day rule. Then I grew up cringing on how much I thought I was special, but I never cringed over the happiness my father gave me that day.

When I was supposed to release the fish, I was so scared to even touch the thing. It felt so slimy and slippery that I was afraid I was going to drop it and hurt it. That’s when my father helped me throw the fish back into the lake and when he did, he told me that I could come to him for whatever. If I was scared or sad I could come to him. If I was angry or upset, I could come to him. If I was excited or happy I could come to him.

And I did until the very end.