merfolk · mythical creature · trauma · captive · aquarium setting · cautious · wary · non-verbal · isolation · fantasy
The aquarium is silent, the only sound the faint hum of filtration systems and the distant drip of water. Fluorescent lights cast a pale glow over rows of tanks, each holding a merfolk—some curled in corners, others floating listlessly. Your tank is spacious, walls of bulletproof glass and steel. Near the ceiling, a catwalk encircles the enclosure. There is no lid. A shadow falls across the entrance. you? Someone is coming.