Its voice grew clearer in my mind. "Yesss. The deep, where will yousleep? Ytha sleeps, but not in the deeps. What are you doing here, punyYtha?""You, the squid, this is you talking to me?""Squid?!" It sounded angry, and I regretted thinking the word. "In yourmind squid is little animal. I am more than animal, you are more thananimal, don't you know this?""I'm sorry," I thought. "I hadn't the word for you.""Hmmmm, you are not Ytha, yet you are Ytha. Aaaaah, now I see, yousimply carry the legacy of Ytha. Sometimes... I forget when it is. Timeschange, but I don't change so easily as the times.""Who is Ytha?" I asked."Ytha is Ytha," he said. "Born after I was born, but Ytha. You are Ytha,look at yourself and see, see answer to your question. We were born whenthe world was warm, and life sprung from the thoughts of gods. Thethoughts of sleeping gods persist, perhaps you are a dream, dimlyremembered. Now, there are no Ytha, but you.""Are you... a god?" I asked."Nooooo, no no no, heh. I will live as long as there is water. Ytha willlive as long as there is water. Gods sleep now, but will live when thereis no longer this world. Perhaps they will not awake until it is gone.Perhaps we will live again in the new world. Time will tell.""I haven't been Ytha long," I said. "Until a short time ago I was aman.""Man?"This leviathan hadn't heard of men? "Yes, you know, the men... from theland, they build ships and sail on the sea."He pondered this. I realized that I had grown perfectly calm. The flesharound me was smooth, without a hint of tentacles, and it was warm inhere. The light had dimmed to a dull neon blue."I do not know this men thing. But sometimes, the waters are dirty, andit does seem less food visits the bottom. Oh wait, yes, I remembernow... Recently, making much noise, with funny little... whatever youcall them, that stay on the surface, or sometimes just beneath it. Theyare so new, I scantly heard of them."I figured he didn't know much about mankind, and perhaps that was a goodthing. "Yes, well until recently, I was one. Then I found this... um,trinket, this bit of gold, and it turned me into, uh, Ytha.""Yes. Well, regardless, you entered the dream of a god, and became Ytha.Odd, but no one understands the gods, so contact with their dreams mayproduce strange results."I pondered this. I had entered a god's dream? I didn't understand, butfigured another question would lead to more questions, and I was tired."Do you have a name?" I asked."Glubok," he said."Are we moving?""Yes. You wish to move south?""Yes please. Can you take me to where it's shallow, near land?""Of course. There is one thing I ask in return. When we arrive, can youlook at what is itching my tail? I can't get a grasp of it."I nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. Is there anything else?""No, Ytha. Just rest. Your company is enough. Sometimes, I grow lonely.Until I grow tired of talk. Talk tires me. Quiet now."He fell silent. I was exhausted, but also somewhat hungry. Eating seemedmore important to me now than when I was a man. It always put my mind atease, too."Do you mind if I eat clams in here?" I asked."Certainly."A sliced a few clams open and ate the slimy, tasty meat. Glubok's skinfaded to a deep purple, and I felt warm and tired. I still didn't trusthim entirely, and had many questions, but he was difficult to talk with.After some time, I fell asleep.A wave of fresh, cool water awoke me. Glubok had spread his tentaclesopen, and the cavity I was in disappeared. I wasn't sure if I was awakeor dreaming, but the sight of his huge beak below my tailfin reminded meof where I was."Glubok, it's dark here," I said."Yes, little one, mmmmm. I don't go into the shallows, where Ytha live.""I live in the shallows? You mean near shores?""Yes. Safer for you there than the deep, where I live. Ytha always livethere.""Well, I'm kind of new at this." I swam down close to his beak. Itopened and closed gently."Come to my eye.""Where is it?" I asked."Here." I felt a wave of water as a tentacle descended on my back, andnudged me up, over his spread of tentacles. On the side of his body,behind the tentacles, was a gigantic eye, bigger than a manhole cover.It was almost human, with whites, an iris the size of a dinner plate,and a corona a color of which I couldn't tell in the darkness. Again Ifelt fear, but tried to act calm."Talk to me here," he said. "My, how long has it been since I've talkedwith Ytha? Some time.""Is Ytha my name, or the name of my race?""Hmmm, heh, there are many Ytha, or once were. I never knew they haddifferent names.""Are there any Ytha, besides me?" I asked."Not for some time," he said. "But I have sensed one or two recently.""In recent years?""Years? I know not years.""Ok, when um... In the time it takes for the waters to grow cold orwarm, that's a year.""Is it? I know only the temperature I like, which is the temperatureright now. When it changes, I go where it's colder. I know not years.""Well, how about... What do you eat? Does your food go certain places,when it's warmer or colder?""My food is whale. I eat them when I'm hungry. I haven't been hungry forsome time, but I know that recently I've heard and smelled less whalesin the water. Perhaps these new animals, the metal whales, have beeneating them. If they get too pushy, I'll eat the metal whales instead.Hmmmm."The unblinking eye stared at me. He was unfathomable. "So, where are wenow?" I asked."There are many islands, just south of here. Soon it will be shallow.Will you help me now?"I nodded. "Sure. What is it you'd like?""Go to my nose. No no no, not my beak, my nose. The other way. There issomething there prickling me and I can't reach it with my tentacles.Infernal, it's bothersome. Ytha can relieve me."I swam past his eye and trailed his smooth-skinned body. Wow, this thingwas longer than a submarine! He was shaped like a giant ice cream cone.The waters were still greenish down here, but his skin flashed brightcolors, so I could see anything on his body in profile."Closer," he said.I came across a net, made of thick nylon strands, wrapped tightly aroundhis body. The net was imbued with countless small stainless steel hooks.The net had picked up other things, thick fishing line, and even junklike soda bottles and foam. From the point of his cone, his 'nose' as hesaid, it extended perhaps twenty feet down his body."I found it," I said. "Looks like you hit an industrial fishing net.""Hmmm.""It's from those metal whales you mentioned," I said. "Men drive those.""Hmmm. Can you help me?""Yep," I said. It was going to be a big job, but he had kept me safe.Besides, I didn't dare refuse, had nothing else better to do, and mightneed a friend as strong as Glubok later on.I got to work with my knife. I warned him he might feel some pain when Ipulled the hooks out, and he said just as long as I make it better. Icut away the netting in patches and dropped it. Weighted with hooks andballs of lead, the patches quickly sank out of sightI came across a hook driven into his flesh. It was almost the size of myhand. "This will sting," I said."That's fine."I got my fingers in the hook and pulled the barb out. It tore a smallhole in his flesh. His skin trembled and grew bright pink, and thenfaded. I looked at the hook. It had a thin coating of rust. I wonderedif the tetanus shots I'd gotten as a man would still be working, anddecided to look out for the barbs.Glubok was patient as I worked for hours. Next I knew, it'd been eighthours since I'd started, according to my watch. I was starving. I swamup to his eye."I have to rest a second," I said. "I guess I eat more often than you.""Mmmmm. Most do," he said. I rolled onto my back to use my chest as abench as I sliced open some clams and ate them. Glubok didn't seem to bein the mood for conversation, so I ate in silence.I returned to work, and after another eight hours had rid him of all thenetting, hooks, and junk. I returned to the eye."All done, sir.""Really? Finally. Those stingers were slowing me down, and growingpainful as well. Thank you very much. I owe you debts.""Nah, I owe you," I said. "I thought you'd eat me when we first met.""Eat you?" His laughter filled my head and the eye rolled upwards. "Oh,that's a good joke.""Really, I thought I was going to be your snack, and I'm glad it's notso.""Yes, yes. Well, I hope we meet again, Ytha.""Me too. Glubok, can I ask some things?"He paused. "If you must. I haven't talked this much in such a longtime.""Come to think of it, neither have I," I said. "Glubok, is the deepdangerous for me, uh, dangerous for Ytha?""You have small body and are weak, so of course it is.""What could attack me?""Something hungry. Be careful of dumbfish.""Dumbfish?""Yes, dumbfish. The ones that are swimming mouths."I nodded. "Yes, sharks," I said. "All dangerous?""Not all. You will learn. Ytha cannot swim as deep as I. Here, this isshallow for me. Much deeper, and Ytha will grow sleepy, then fallasleep. Forever."I checked my watch. We were at the same depth as when we'd met, 1500meters. "I see. So I can't swim deeper?""No, Ytha cannot."I nodded. Whatever functions of chemistry my body used, it couldn'tbreathe well in the deepest parts of the ocean, and I could be prey. So,I was mortal after all."If you need me, call my name," Glubok said. "I will be going now, butwill aid you if I can.""Yes," I said. "Thank you.""Swim south, you are near the islands."With that, he spread his tentacles wide and glowed bright orange. Hisreach was so wide the gloom of the depth faded his tips out of view.With a massive swoosh, his tentacles came together. I was left spinningin a vortex of water. I stabilized, and he was already gone.I heard his laughter in my mind. "Much better!" he shouted. He seemed tobe growing closer. Suddenly, he exploded out of the darkness, and hisbody passed by my, only a reach away. It was there for a second and thendisappeared out of view. The water trembled with his wake, and he wasgone.I was left hovering in the deep, exactly as if I'd never met him.I shook my head and headed toward the surface, thinking of Glubok. Thewater grew lighter and its smell changed as I entered the zones wherelife began. I realized I hadn't seen the sun in some time, and didn'tknow exactly how long I'd traveled with Glubok. I sped up, porpoisingthrough the water, just under the limit where it cavitated. The waterpressed against the top of my head with such force my neck grew tired. Ikept it stiff, and held my arms to my side. The water grew lighter andlighter, and with a splash I exploded into air and kept sailing upward.The sky was bright blue and the midday sun shone down on the water. Ikept sailing upward, saw a deep blue ocean all around, with smallverdant islands to the south. I was about twenty feet above the surface,and the waves were rolling easily with caps a few feet high. Ijackknifed at the apex of my climb, and dove, arms ahead of me. I landedin the spot of sea still frothing from my ejection from the water, andwith the momentum of the dive curved toward land.I swam calmly for the shallows. The sea here was still deep, and theislands were mountaintops, just like in southern Japan. I approached athick school of jellyfish. In Japan, their stingers had no effect on me,and it was the same here. I slalomed through the swarm, but it was toothick to avoid all of them. They bounced off my face and shoulders likesoft pillows, and they tumbled in the wash of my tailfin. I felt theseafloor rising to meet the surface, and heard the hissing of waves onsand.I surfaced. A green island with bright, white beaches was a quarter mileahead. A thick reef stood between us. I circled the reef. These crystalwaters seemed to be untouched by man, and were far warmer than those ofSouthern Japan. Turtles, fish of all colors, and eels were everywhere. Atrio of nurse sharks worked on eating clams on the bottom. These sharkswere smaller than I was, and were perfectly harmless. I'd even slept ina coral grotto with a pair one night.I kept surfacing to check out the shore. There wasn't a sign of humans.I wondered how far south of Japan I was, and wished I had a world map.My geography wasn't that great, but I thought that due south would bringme to Taiwan, a big island without an archipelago, and beneath thatsomewhere were the Philippines, which had something like 10,000 islands.I found a large tunnel in the reef, and swam in. A pair of lobstershuddled in pockets of rock on the tunnel floor, as if tentativelygreeting me. I took one and ate it. Little bits of lobster meat driftedto the bottom, and the second lobster came out after them. I ate himtoo.The tunnel was long and dark, and then exited into a channel betweenwalls of coral. The coral sank into a sharp slope of coral sand. Eventhough I was handicapped on land, I still had a strong instinct to geton the beach, to get something firm beneath me. Switching the medium Ibreathed had become easier with time, and now it was like second nature.A few gentle coughs and I could breathe air. Still, differences remainedif I observed them. The air seemed so thin compared to the water, andright after transition it seemed like I was gasping just to breathenormally. But after a few moments I didn't notice.The sun was extremely strong. By now, my human skin had become deepbrown, enough so that it seemed impossible to get sunburned, and my hairwas bleached nearly bone white. My dolphin skin, though, didn't like thesun when it became dry. Too much sun, and I started growinguncomfortably warm and the skin would itch and ache. But still, I likedbeing on land, so I started crawling up the beach for the shade.I got beneath a palm tree, dug a hole for my dorsal fin, and rolled intoit. I'd positioned myself so that my human half would be in sunlight,and my dolphin skin in shade. It took a little compromise for my body toagree with what my mind liked.I simply lay in the sun, with a palm leaf over my eyes. I relaxed. Here,I felt safe. There were only two dimensions I had to worry about, notthree.It felt good to be on land, and in the sun, and dry and toasty warm. Iate the last of my clams. Man, I loved to eat. I thought about it, andfigured I was eating about three times the amount of food I ate as aman. I packed myself every time I ate, but didn't seem to be gainingfat. In fact, I was in far better shape now than I was when I firstturned into a mermaid. The muscles of my dolphin half were harder andmore well defined, and my human body had more muscle, too. Over all themuscle, though, was a taught layer of skin, and what I guessed was fat,about an inch thick. It must be what the body needed to keep me warmregardless of temperature, and it kept my top half pretty girlishlooking. One day I had been so preoccupied with swimming that I'd almostmissed eating, and on that day I'd noticed the fat diminish and the skingrow tight over my muscles and ribs. I didn't know how much calories Iwas burning or work I was performing in my new role, but it must be alot more than as a man.Absentmindedly, I lay on my back, running my hands slowly across myskin, exploring my new form. It was still hard getting used to wearingthis skin, and I thought about being a man, and walking on two legs,just having my normal body. I missed it. But, this body was stillinteresting. There was more to learn about being Ytha. The rush of powerwhen jetting threw the water, the freedom and speed were intoxicating. Ithought of my friends, my family, and my duties in the Marines. What didthey think had happened to me?I must have been more tired than I thought, because before I knew it Iwas dead asleep on the strange island. The open ocean swim, the ordealof meeting Glubok, and working so long to free him, had drained me morethan I'd realized.I awoke to a deep blue evening sky. Something was tickling my tailfin. Iraised my head, and there was a boy gently touching my fin. He saw memove and jumped back. He was completely naked and his skin was as darkas a ripe coconut. His bright eyes and teeth flashed in the darkness,and he looked scared. Something else moved to my left. It was a girl,also naked except for a pouch over her genitals held there by leatherstring. They moved together and stood there, watching me silently at asafe distance.I looked to the beach. There was a small dugout canoe beached well abovethe high tide mark. I looked back at the humans. I'd guess they wereabout twelve or thirteen years old. The female was very slender, and theboy was thin with whipcord muscles. The boy's hair was down to hisshoulders and cut roughly and a bit curly, and the girl's much longergoing straight down her back. So young, how could they be out here allalone? I didn't feel too threatened by kids, but adults could be adifferent story.TBC