Before I grew up, I grew down, down into the silver sea...

I went out to sea
To smell its salty air
And came back with memories
Sprouting from my hair

The poky apartment felt even smaller during the summer. Illy drifted in and out of its rooms, trying to quell her swelling frustration with the soupy heat. She considered stripping off all her clothes and wading in ice water so that her blood might freeze. After an hour of standing half-naked in the living room, the heat like a knife through her chest, Illy finally left the apartment. Outside, she breathed in the city’s warm and sticky smell, a smell shaped by buttery pastries, spicy Indian food and car exhaust. The afternoon sun shined so brightly that the young girl’s world started turning silver as she glided towards the ocean.
While she walked, Illy overheard conversations floating from outdoor cafés. A minute later and the screech of car horns sifted over the delicate pitter-patter of conversation, until every sound became part of one larger sound, and she couldn’t quite tell what she was hearing. Soon, she could hear the salty swish of the ocean’s waves.
The beach was always crowded because most people in the city did not own backyards. They couldn’t find solace in itchy carpets, or pretend that their bathtubs held the entire ocean, especially all of its unique life forms, like spiky sea cucumbers and the fish that felt slimy-cool as they swam between your legs. On her way to the shore, Illy observed families that gathered with their sandy towels, half-eaten watermelons, and last night’s potato salad. They grinned at her with seeds shining in their teeth. Meanwhile, pot-bellied toddlers revealed their day’s findings: several dozen wriggling hermit crabs, each with shells that sparkled like M&Ms. Illy smiled before continuing her journey.
The ocean water felt deliciously cold around her pink ankles. Before moving further into the sea, she stood a moment to observe how her big toe sank into the squishy sand. The cool water felt so soothing as it pushed against her warm body, that she couldn’t help but swim further and further. Slowly, the families turned into colorful specks dotting the coastline, and their chattering dissolved, quickly replaced by the swoosh of the waves. Moments later, Illy looked around her and was stunned to find that she couldn’t see anything but the sea. The foamy blue water rippled before her, behind her, and all around her. She slapped the water, attempting to push herself above its surface, but was less than shocked to find that it did not at all help her pitiful situation. Illy could just imagine tomorrow’s newspaper headlines declaring her tragic death at sea, her mother wouldn’t even finish reading the article because her tears would swirl with the ink and create a goopy mess.
She was about to cry when she felt something slimy lightly skim the bottom of her feet. Illy froze, anchored by an acidic fear. She could either look down or wait for the treacherous, three-eyed sea monster to slice off all her toes, and then the blood that would flow, how quickly it would attract more vicious creatures! She looked down. But to her surprise, instead of razor sharp teeth or sinister yellow eyes she saw a mermaid’s tail that shimmered like stained glass during the quiet calm of orange afternoons.