The Jellyfish Messenger

Chapter Seven: Morning Star

Chapter Seven: Morning Star

Current Location: Tasman Sea

Current Depth: 1000 ft.

Our voyage back out to sea had been unusually quiet. We swam through huge expanses of vast waters, each stroke carrying us ever closer to the South Pole. I could feel it in the chill that prickled across my skin as the water grew colder. Eventually, we had to plunge deeper. The deeper we ventured, the darker and colder it became as well. We were back in the liminal half-light, half-dark of the twilight zone, where endless falls of marine snow drifted to the seafloor. My pink body started to shine in the dim light.

A rocky valley rose up from the ocean floor that seemed to stretch on as far as the eye could see. It must have been some kind of undersea mountain range. The entire time we had been swimming, we hadn't seen a single Seafolk in the area, only the occasional feral fish school or squid. "Is it just me, or has it been oddly quiet around here?" I piped up.

"Maybe the heavens decided to give us a little break for a while," Kale said. "This is usually a rather barren part of the sea, after all. I can't imagine too many Seafolk want to live out this far anyway, especially so close to the Antarctic Ocean, no one wants to freeze their asses off over there. Besides, it's not like there's a lot of food around here. It's just...rocks." He scooped up a pebble with one of his tentacles and tossed it over the edge of the submerged cliff, where it vanished into the deep, dark unknown.

"Even still, there's a strange aura about this place," Chrystal chimed in. "I can't quite tell what it is, but I sense an odd kind of energy floating around. It's almost like something is close by, but I can't see a thing.

My instincts have never failed me before...just what is this feeling?"

"Well I don't think your tingling jellyfish senses were wrong," Kale added. "We've got company."

Out of seemingly nowhere, a school of small Seafolk rose up from the undersea valley. They were all about the size of Chrystal and I, some of them even smaller. The huge group was a mixed variety of dozens of small fishfolk, from multiple species. Some of the Seafolk were adorned in bright colors and intricate patterns, and others were bioluminescent like me. They swam swiftly and with purpose, their eyes locked ahead. None of them acknowledged our presence until I spoke. "Where are you all going? Is there something up ahead?"

"We're going to see the Morning Star," a butterfly fish girl answered. "We've traveled a long way, and we're getting close. We should be able to see it soon. You three must be going to see the Morning Star as well, right?"

I shook my head. "No, we've never heard of it. What is the Morning Star anyway?"

The Seafolk almost looked offended at my question, as though I had asked if water was wet. "How could you have never heard of the Morning Star? It's a beautiful event that takes place in many different parts of the world's oceans. I've only heard rumors, but they say it sparkles and shines above your head like the stars in the night sky."

Kale folded his arms. "Well then, I've never known such a thing so I guess I must be just a dumb, unrefined squid who's lived under a rock my whole life. I think I'd notice something that big and bright."

"It only appears in certain places at certain times of the year," the butterfly fish girl said. "If you see the Morning Star, it's said you'll have good luck for the rest of your life. So we've all been traveling to see it."

Someone else in the school pointed out and called to the rest of the group. "Look! I see something!"

We all gazed ahead. Sure enough, something bright and shiny started to emerge from the deep blue. It looked like a long, winding string of bright, twinkling lights, undulating in the water column. I couldn't tell where it began, or where it ended, because as soon as I thought I had seen the whole thing, another immense radiant length stretched out, coiling in a spiral above the rocky range we floated upon. Every single Seafolk- including us- halted in our tracks.