Drowning Love

1 You have found easy prey. A man has taken to walking the beach at night, alone. From underwater you watch him through the rippling surface. But you haven’t taken him yet. Why? Why do you watch him every night even though you hunger for his flesh?

I feel so alone. (Go to 4)

Enough of this. I must eat. (Go to 10)

2 You walk a beach at night, unclothed and soaking wet. A man sees you and for a moment he is stupefied, helpless in your beauty.

3 You take your man to the ocean floor where the giantess of the sea resides. She goes to crush you with her leviathan hand but stops when she sees your man. You intuit it has been a long time since she has seen a human herself. For the right price, she’ll let your human breathe underwater.

She wants him. I’ll offer his legs. (Go to 8)

She hardly leaves the ocean floor. I’ll give her my memories. (Go to 11)

4 Perhaps he is alone too. Perhaps you can take him.

I want him now. (Go to 10)

I hate this, but need the sea witch’s help. (Go to 14)

5 You hold him through his fear as seawater fills his lungs. You turn his face so he sees nothing but you and you see nothing but him. Dead eyes. A human wife would weep for them. These dead eyes bite and tear and hurt. You rip them from their sockets and eat them.

6 The sea witch laughs and dismisses you from her sight. Thankful not to be crushed, you swim away.

I shouldn’t have come here. Let me go back to my prey. (Go to 10)

7 You kiss him and pull him underwater, deeper and deeper. He is not aware as you scratch gills into his neck. Deeper and deeper you swim. Deeper and deeper you kiss. Your magic is weak. He won’t be able to breathe underwater for ever.

I must take him to the sea witch. It is the only way to make this permanent. (Go to 3)

I’ll never beg a witch for help. And I’ll never let him go. He’s mine. (Go to 5)

Nothing is worth seeing the witch. He must return to land. (Go to 12)

8 The sea witch is pleased with your offering. Your human begs you wordlessly to reconsider but it is too late. She takes him and eats his bone and flesh. You see his face contort in pain before blood in the water obscures it.

I hate her. I’ll kill her now, while she is blinded by blood. (Go to 9)

I asked for this. I’ll wait, then take him home. (Go to 13)

9 You bite and tear into the artery in her neck, using your hands to extend the wound as much as you can. Blood gushes out in a stream. The witch screams and searches the dark water for you, but with this much blood it is impossible. She takes her time to die. Too long. Your man is drowning.

No. (Go to 5)

10 You raise your head above the water and sing to the stars trapped in the sky’s net. It isn’t long before you hear a splash. The human wades into the water toward you, helpless in your beauty.

The closer he comes, the more I want to rip his flesh apart. (Go to 5)

If I resist my hunger, I’ll have someone. Someone who’s mine. (Go to 7)

11 The sea witch refuses. You take your human and swim away before she can think to steal him and kill you.

This isn’t fair. I don’t want to give him up. I won’t. (Go to 5)

He won’t last here. He must return to land. (Go to 12)

12 You return the human to the surface. He revels in the air and claws his way back to the beach. Before you can leave to hunt for other prey, he turns back and calls out. He wants to see you again.

13 The witch chews her last bite and flings your unconscious human. You catch him and take him away from this dreadful place. You take your prize to safety and wait until he wakes. He does not bleed from his legs. There are no wounds. No pain. But he looks around your cave with a little fear. No. You turn his face toward you and bring him back into your enchantment. He is yours.

14 The sea witch’s lair is a huge cave at the bottom of the sea, and the witch herself, a leviathan beauty. The giantess of the sea. She holds you in a fist. At any point she can crush you. With the greatest respect, you beseech for her help in catching the man. She will make you human if you give her an appropriate gift.

I’ll give her my memories. (Go to 2)

I’ll give her my voice. (Go to 6)