There once lived a lonely sea witch. She had been hidden away from society because of her ghastly appearance and longed for someone to talk to. One day, the town revolted against her, causing her to swim away in tears. While swimming, she was caught in a current and swept away to an unknown place. When she awoke, she found herself close to the shore of a small seaside village. She took notice of a small house closest to her, and spotted a young girl. She had long, deep coffee-colored hair, soft, pale skin, and wore a pale blue sailor's dress. The sea witch immediately became obsessed with her, but was too timid to approach the girl, as her monstrous appearance could scare her away. So, she remembered one of her spells. A spell that could change her appearance, but she had to return to the sea every evening.
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She begun to recite the spell, and seconds later, she checked her reflection in the water. She had the appearance of a young girl, with floor length caramel hair tied up in twin tails, and lifeless, dark eyes. She wore a white sailor's dress, long socks, and Mary Janes. She was amazed at her new appearance, but due to her new humanoid legs, she was quickly dragged towards the shore, and landed near the lonely house. She woke up a short time later, and shaking her awake, was the girl. The girl smiled warmly and asked who she was, but the sea witch was too shy to answer. She stared blankly at the girl before adding in quietly that she did not know where she came from. The other girl laughed and asked if she like to come for tea. The witch complied, and that afternoon, the two spent conversing and playing together. Evening arrived, and the young girl had to come inside the house. She hugged the sea witch, and asked to play again the next day. The witch nodded. Her hug was warm, and she smelt of the ocean's breeze and an unknown, floral scent. They parted ways, and she returned to the sea. Every day after that, the witch sat on a log nearby the house, and waited for the young girl to come out and play. They played from morning to evening, sharing stories and visiting the market. On one particular day, the girl gifted a cowrie shell to the witch, who grabbed it gleefully, and promised to take care of it as the girl's mother took a photo of them laughing.
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But one morning, their friendship came to an end. The sea witch waited on the log, just like any other day, but the girl did not come. She stared at the window anxiously, but nothing, not even a movement came. She waited there for two mornings, and didn't return to the sea in fear the girl could come back and see her true form, so she waited. At the end of the second morning, a strange feeling came over the witch, as she changed back into her usual form. Was it sorrow, perhaps? Or was she just a bit worried? Frantically, the witch slithered towards the house, and squeezed through a door that was cracked, only to find nothing. The house was emptied, with nothing more than forgotten furniture. She raced up the stairs to the girl's bedroom, and the only thing inside, was a piece of paper sticking out from a floorboard. She picked it up, and saw that it was the photo of of them the girl's mother took. Angered by the girl's abandonment of her, the sea witch slunk out of the empty home and dove into the sea, where she begun to search for the girl. She searched the seas for several years, each day becoming more desperate, until she felt as if all hope was lost, and finally rested.
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She begun to weep, as her only companion, her friend, her love, had abandoned her and left her to rot. As she cried, she noticed a scent wafting through the water. It was faint, but familiar, having smelt of the ocean, and an even fainter floral scent. But this time an inviting and warm undertone crept beneath the two scents and surprised the witch. Had she found her? Had the girl come back for the witch? The witch eagerly raced towards the smell, her many lifeless eyes focused ahead, until she reached a nearby village; much like the town she knew all those years ago. She carefully swam around the perimeter and made a turn, when she noticed a lighthouse, and where the scent was the strongest. She carefully got closer to it, and saw a woman sitting on the porch. She had long, deep, coffee brown hair, and wore a pale sundress. She was expectant, and rested her hands on her abdomen as she watched the tides come in and out. No doubt, this was the witch's companion. She wearily swam towards the lighthouse, but kept out of sight, as she was smart enough to not turn back into her form as a small girl. She watched the woman, and jumped back when the door opened. The witch peeked out, and was shocked when a man came out. His scent was unfamiliar, much like his appearance. He had disheveled, light blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and smoked a pipe. He wore a black turtleneck sweater, tan pants, and had black rain boots on his feet. The witch stared blankly at the both of them, inattentively listening in on their conversation. She was pulled back to reality however, when the woman stood up. And much to the witch's bewilderment, the two shared a kiss. It seemed as if the woman had forgotten about the sea witch's love for her. As she watched them bond, the witch felt a rage boil within her. A rage that was not hot, rather, but dark.
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The woman had abandoned her love, and replaced it with someone else. The witch lurked nearby the lighthouse, her mind filling with curses. Curses directed towards the woman, who had forgotten about the witch and fell in love with someone else. In an evening soon after that day, the witch heard a faint cry, that of an infant, come from the inside of the small family home next to the lighthouse. Upon hearing the birth of the woman's child, the witch's mind begun to slip, as she now realized that the woman would never return to her. The witch felt something begin to take over her sanity, as the frantic thoughts that rushed throughout her did not feel familiar. She would take her back. Drag her to the bottom of the sea, where the witch could have her love forever. The witch cast a spell, and entered a dormant state underneath the ocean floor. She would awaken, when the time came for the woman to return to her. Return to her lost love, and to atone for the abandonment of the witch. Before falling asleep, the witch rose to the surface, and held a vessel in the air to trap the woman's scent inside. The vessel, you may ask, was nothing more than the damaged shell of a cowrie.
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