The Little Merman Demands Legs from the Sea Witch - Chapter 3
I.
Brrrr.
The moment Iko heard the bell ring, she froze, bread knife in hand, poised to cut her sandwich. She placed the knife beside the sandwich and moved toward her cluttered desk, which was piled high with books and various items.
In the corner of the desk, something was draped in black cloth. When Iko removed the cloth, a single glass orb was revealed. Inside the orb, white smoke swirled lazily, and at its center, a single black fish hovered.
“Dalibaya. Dalibaya.”
Recognizing who it was, Iko let out a long sigh. The visitor was Bolo, a black sea bass who lived nearby and was a friend of her late master.
“Dalibaya. Dalibaya. Are you not home?”
Bolo called out, speaking toward the door of the fishbowl. Iko held her breath, quietly watching him through the glass orb.
It was noon, Iko’s regular lunch hour. She was a person who adhered strictly to her schedule, and if she opened the door now and broke the news of Dalibaya’s death to Bolo, how would that turn out?
Bolo would be shocked beyond words. He would mourn Dalibaya’s passing and, in his grief, undoubtedly take up at least an hour of Iko’s time.
How could she be so certain? Because Iko had gone through this exact scenario ten times already. It was all due to Bolo’s poor memory.
“Dalibaya. Dalibaya. I have huge news, but you’re not home?”
What’s wrong with eating lunch a little late? He seems so desperate to find her. A friend of her master shouldn’t be treated as a nuisance.
That was what Iko used to think, but by the eleventh time, her perspective had shifted. Bolo would keep coming to the house forever, looking for Dalibaya. And inadvertently ruining Iko’s schedule for the day would just be a bonus.
“Sorry, Bolo.”
Iko decided to stick to her schedule and ignore him for the sake of maintaining her routine. After all, Bolo’s memory was so bad that if he didn’t find Dalibaya soon, he would likely forget about her entirely.
It was tragic that Dalibaya’s only friend might not even remember her, but Dalibaya was gone. The dead felt neither sadness nor regret. Meanwhile, Iko still had her lunch to eat. She justified her decision to herself.
“Even Iko isn’t home? It’s really huge news, and you’ll both be shocked when you hear it!”
Bolo’s voice sounded full of disappointment, but Iko wasn’t fooled. Every time Bolo had rushed over with some “big news,” it had always been trivial matters.
Like finding evidence of coral being broken or watching an octopus squirt ink at a giant crab—just mundane stories. Iko was sure today’s “huge news” would be no different.
“Someone asked about you today… Wait, who was it?”
But today, Bolo seemed unable to even remember the little details. Iko quietly watched as Bolo tilted his head, looking confused, and waited for him to give up and leave. After calling for Dalibaya and Iko a few more times, he eventually walked away from the door.
Relieved, Iko let out a long breath and resumed cutting her sandwich. It was 12:15 when she moved the neatly cut sandwich onto a plate and sat down at the table. If she ate quickly, she wouldn’t fall behind on her next task.
Sitting at the table, Iko held the sandwich carefully with both hands to keep it intact. The sandwich, made of soft bread, crisp lettuce, tomato, cheese, and two slices of ham, looked especially delicious.
Just as she opened her mouth wide to take a big bite—
Thump, thump, thump!
Someone was knocking at the door.
“Bolo, please… just go back…”
Muttering to herself, Iko squeezed her eyes shut. It would be better for him too if he just forgot. Every time Bolo learned that Dalibaya was dead, he would cry until he was completely drained.
Wouldn’t it be kinder for him to forget forever, rather than live in that sad state? Iko silently recited her wish for him to leave in her mind.
Thump, thump, thump!
Unfortunately, the wish didn’t work. The knocking continued. Iko sighed and finally took a bite of her sandwich. She had already decided to ignore him, so she planned to play along and pretend she wasn’t home until the end.
Thump, thump, thump!!
But the knocking grew louder, as if Bolo somehow knew she was inside. By this point, shouldn’t he have concluded no one was home?
Feeling a bit sorry for Bolo, Iko also began to feel her irritation rise.
THUMP!
And now the knocks were getting stronger. Was Bolo imagining that Dalibaya had collapsed inside? It was as if he was ready to break the door down.
Iko got up from her seat, opened the door, and stepped outside. The sea witch’s house sat inside a large, round fishbowl, with water filling half of it, and at its center was a small island where the house stood.
