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2024-10-29 19:42:56It was a normal day in the village by the sea near Gwadar. The weather was the usual sunny and windy as Allah Wasaya started his boat and headed off to the sea. The ocean showed its fierce anger as the boat powered on. Allah Wasaya threw the net and waited for the waters to do its work. He lit a cigarette and looked around. He had moved ahead of his fellows and was quite far in the deep ocean. He smiled and thought that today he might get more fish than the rest and greedily laughed. The sun was shining brightly and all he could hear was the sound of the water crashing by his boat and the flocks of seagulls moving by.
Suddenly everything went quiet as if he had gone deaf. The weather changed drastically and got cloudy. The mist enveloped the boat and he could not see anything. He turned on the flashlight to check around for the other boats but he was so far away that they could not be seen. Allah Wasaya breathed deeply and thought "What is going on? There was no prediction of clouds today and what's with this mist?"As he was thinking about what to do next, he saw a light coming towards him. He thanked God that his friends had come to save him but it was no ordinary light. As it came closer, he saw it was a beautiful woman with waist length black hair, red lips, fair radiant skin, large eyes and the light was coming from the seashell locket she was wearing. She was walking on the water towards him, singing in the most beautiful voice he had ever heard:"Dilgeer garzama labela taana" (You have captured my heart and I wander aimlessly without you)"Khabar main wakhla, raasha janana" (My love come back and see the state I am in)He wanted to run away but he was so captivated by her beauty that he could not move. A hauntingly seductive music ensnared his senses and he gaped at her blankly. The woman walked up to the edge of the boat and put her hand on his face and said:"Tarso ba garzay ta bela mana" (How long will you wander without me?)And he nodded with an open mouth and bewitched eyes. She began to descend in the water beckoning him to come down with her. He moved on to the edge and looked down. Her head was visible above the surface and her hair was floating by her side, beckoning him to come closer. He moved in closer when suddenly the face of that woman changed. Her beautiful face morphed into a hideous monster, her eyes became slit-like, her skin became pale and green, her hair turned into a large seaweed infested heap, her lips became dark as she opened her mouth to expose her row of large teeth. The poor man didn't even have time to react, she sank her teeth into his neck and pulled him beneath the surface.The weather changed back to the usual sunny day. The fishermen nearby were also puzzled by this sudden change. They were ready to go back when they saw Allah Wasaya's empty boat. They shouted out his name to see if he had dived underwater but he didn't respond. The boat was in perfect order and he was nowhere to be found.
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Somewhere in the Sea Chapter 02
The fishermen searched all around but couldn't find Allah Wasaya. There were no signs of struggle, no bite marks which suggested that he was attacked by a shark. They concluded that he was drunk and had slipped off the boat. But they still couldn't figure out where his body was. They pulled Allah Wasaya's boat along to the shore. His friend informed his family who were devastated about the loss. The village got over his loss over the few days but over the next few days, similar incidents of disappearances occurred. Fishermen going out at sea only to disappear but no evidence of struggle. This got everyone worried. The villagers sat down to discuss the current situation. Some stated that they ate some shellfish off the coast that gave them hallucinations, some said that the waves threw them off, one man said that India had sent his navy to kidnap the fishermen but none of those theories explained the situation. While they were discussing, the beggar was shouting inexpressibly outside,
Somewhere in the Sea Chapter 03
About 500 km away in the Institute of Oceanography in Karachi, a team of marine biologists were working on the case of the coral reefs growing along Astola Island. The team consisted of the research students, Zaid, Shehzad and Nadia supervised by Prof. Javed Bashir. The team was packing up to go to the island to collect samples from the reef and then going to the Pasni substation. Shehzad was looking up pictures of different types of corals on his laptop and Nadia was watching the news on the television. Professor was pacing around and checking his watch, muttering under his breath "We were supposed to leave at 9", "He never respected the importance of being on time". After quite a while, the office door opened and Zaid entered. Out of breath and disheveled as always, he stumbled in, carrying his box of equipment and his enormous bag on his back. He quietly placed his box on the table and shyly looked at the professor who gave him a disapproving look "Late again Zaid?". Zaid looked do
Somewhere in the Sea Chapter 04
After a few hours, the team returned from the exploration with boxes full of samples from the reef. Zaid looked at them with anger as they were chatting about how clear the sea was and how beautiful everything looked. "I must say, this dive went better than my expectations. The sea was clear, the corals were thriving and we managed to see new shoals of fish in the area. Shehzad, write back to the department at once and inform them about the latest development. Nadia, put the new samples in the tank. And Zaid", he said turning towards him, "I hope you learnt your lesson". "Yes", Zaid pouted. "Good! Now be a good boy and help Nadia with the samples. Nadir, set up lunch. We are starving!", the Professor called out. "Ok sir, coming right up!" Zaid helped Nadia with the new samples. The new samples looked more of less the same from the previous expedition. "Was the trip really that good?", Zain asked Nadia. "Nothing out of the ordinary though", Nadia shrugged. "The reefs looked the same a
Somewhere in the Sea Chapter 05
Deep down several meters below sea level underneath Astola Island lies a kingdom unlike no other. Tall limestone buildings mimicking the coral reefs above are scattered across the city. Sea creatures as small as the jellyfish to large shoals of fish are also seen swimming peacefully.In the center of the kingdom lies the castle of the King Fadel who lived with his wife, Queen Durre and his two daughters Marjan and Sanho. Legend has it that the Haft Talar Kingdom was formed after the tsunami wiped out their homes in Maldives. So as to prevent any further damage and exposure to the human world, the King decided to take his people and move to the nearest uninhabited sea, Pakistan, where they moved to Astola Island. They named the kingdom Haft Talar for what the locals called the island.The king was moving around nervously as if he was waiting for someone. Fear was etched upon his face as he floated from one end to the other end of the room. The Queen sat on the throne deep in her thoug
Somewhere in the Sea Chapter 06
Marjan was standing from behind the wall and couldn't believe what she had just heard.Her mind was racing with all kinds of thoughts. Princess Sanho, her older sister Sanho, killed all those humans. She wouldn't hurt a shrimp, let alone kill somebody. A kind hearted person like herself couldn't possibly do any of this. No, they're lying! King Fadel stood there unable to say anything. King Fadel, a symbol of power and courage, was now a broken man. The council looked at him for any response but there was none. Then finally, he replied in a broken voice, "If.. If this is the case and... and Princess Sanho is the reason for all these killings then, she will be dealt with accordingly. Once she is captured, she will be charged with murder and sentenced to death" and then left. At dinner, everyone was quiet. The king just sat there with his head in his hands. The queen was devastated beyond belief, muttering "That is not true" or "they are lying" every now and then. Marjan was sobbing sof
Somewhere in the Sea Chapter 07
Marjan left the castle at midnight. The queen had given her instructions on how and where to leave the castle. "Don't swim out through the windows. You'll draw too much attention. At exactly midnight, the duty of the guards at the back gate changes, so you can sneak out of there then. Swim towards the North Gate and you'll see a secret exit down at the base. Take that exit and you'll be outside the kingdom. Once out, look up for the waves moving towards the shore. Use them as a compass as the island is south of that." Marjan left the castle at exactly midnight. Following the queen's direction, she reached the North Gate, found the secret exit and escaped. This was the first time she was out of the kingdom and everything looked so scary. The moonlight illuminated the vast reef and she could see small fish moving in shoals coming out to feed, anemones moving with the water currents, corals sticking their tentacles out to feed on the micro organisms. It all looked so beautiful, thought
Somewhere in the Sea Chapter 08
It was a bright and sunny day as the team was to leave for their next exploration at the reef. Zaid was excited. He set up the alarm before going to sleep and made it to their office before anyone else. The professor was surprised to see him this early and smiled. "Early today are we, Mr Zaid?", Zaid smiled and helped him put the equipments in the car. Shehzad and Nadia came in shortly after and were also surprised to see him this early. "Where did the sun rise from this morning?", Shehzad chuckled. Soon they were off to the island. Shehzad and Nadia were constantly poking at each other on who got to the lab first. Zaid looked out the window on the coastal highway and saw the waves crashing along the shore. He smiled like a little kid who was off to the candy store to buy sweets. He was finally going back to the sea. After 3 long hours, they reached the substation where they dropped off some of the equipment in the lab and took the rest and headed towards the sea. He and Shehzad plac
Somewhere in the Sea Chapter 09
The team ascended up to the surface and began to load the samples onto the boat. Professor JB got on and assembled them into the trunks. Nadia and Shehzad ascended with him and they also started to help him out. Zaid was the last one to return back. They helped him up and along with the samples, they collected a huge heap of plastic. The Professor was muttering under his breath, "Those dumb fishermen don't know what they're doing. Their recklessness is gonna cost us the entire reef. But they don't seem to understand". "What took you so long?", Nadia asked Zaid. "Just picking up some trash". Zaid was also furious by the number of plastic bags near the reef. Their department had already filed a petition in the court regarding the setup of regulations for the protection of the marine fauna around the island but so far no one has taken any interest in that matter. After a while, they began their journey back to the mainland. Zaid sat at the edge waving goodbye to the island. Despite the
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Chapter 21
The road was dark, lit up by the headlights of the cars passing by. They reached the coastal highway in about an hour and headed towards the city. It was the night of the full moon and the light shone brightly over the sea. Shehzad fell asleep in the car and Nadia was having fun taking his pictures.Suddenly the car got bumpy and began to slow down. The driver slowed down and drove it to the edge of the road. They had a flat tyre. "Aww man!", groaned Zaid and Nadia. "Now, now there's no need to worry. We have a spare tyre in the trunk. It'll just take a while and then we'll be on our way in no time", reassured the driver. They all got out of the car and looked around. The cold sea breeze felt heavenly against their faces. They were standing at the edge of the road overlooking the sea and its majestic beauty."Hey, isn't it the night when the corals will release their eggs?", asked Nadia. "Ah! I wanted to see that!", groaned Zaid as he completely forgot about the coral breeding season.
- Somewhere in the Sea
Chapter 20
The fish and the corals started to hide in their homes. "Honey, you have to hide now! They're after you!", said flower pot. Marjan frightfully hid beneath the reefs. "Come out, come out wherever you are princess.", said one of the sirens. She was holding a spear head. "Come out and play. We're not gonna hurt you". "Yeah our leader wants to see you. She says that you'll be an excellent guest for her '', said another. They were approaching the place where Marjan was hiding. She was holding still. "Infidels! Filth! Get away from our homes!", Oldie shouted at the sirens. "Oh shut up you old twig!", snapped back the siren. "Don't you wanna meet your sister, princess? She's getting lonely with us", said one siren. "She's practically starving. She said she won't eat until she sees her baby sister". "Yeah the dungeons are a bit sad with just one mermaid in it" and then they all cackled loudly. "And don't try to use any of your fancy powers! We know all about them now. Thanks to Mi
- Somewhere in the Sea
Chapter 19
It was a bright sunny day and the team was getting ready to go to the wedding. Zaid and Shehzad were wearing kurta shalwar and Nadia wore traditional clothes. The professor wore shalwar kameez with a coat on top and was waiting outside talking to the driver. Shehzad and Nadia were taking pictures with their phone while Zaid was playing Tetris on his phone. Professor came inside and talked to them, "So I just talked to the driver. The village is an hour long drive from the substation. The wedding festivities will start at around noon and will go on throughout the day. We'll get there at around 2 and leave at sunset. It might take a while until we'll be back home by midnight". '`Ok!", said Shehzad and Nadia. Zaid was busy beating his high score of 762. Shehzad smacked him on the back of his head. "Ow! Hey, what the- Oh hi Professor!", said Zaid massaging his neck. "Anyways", said the professor rolling his eyes, "We better hurry up if we have to get there on time." The team t
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Chapter 18
Things have been exceptionally difficult for Marjan. She was facing an internal struggle each day. On one hand, she was supposed to look for her sister of whom she had zero progress so far and on the other, she was starting to have feelings for a human she barely knew and above all, she saved his life. She was nervously swimming around the reef talking to herself. "Your sister is in grave danger and you're here thinking about some human who doesn't even know you exist. Mother would be highly disappointed in you. It's been several moons now and I haven't even figured out where Sanho is. I should resume the search, yes." So she focused on finding her sister and got back to work. She would ask the migratory shoals if they had seen a mermaid in any other region or not. But it's been almost a month since the last attack so it was extremely difficult for her to look for her now. And by now, most of them had forgotten that they had seen a mermaid or not. The reef's inhabitants we
- Somewhere in the Sea
Chapter 17
Down in the abyss, Vex and Blitze swam down to meet Madam Roohar. "We are so dead!", said Vex nervously. "She's gonna kill us for sure", Blitze replied. "It was the perfect opportunity to get them. We were planning this for weeks and now the plan is all ruined. Oh! How are we gonna tell her that?" They kept thinking up ways to give her an explanation but couldn't. Finally they reached the entrance to her cave. There was nothing but silence at the entrance. Their minds were filled with a millions ways to run away and to never return but unwillingly they entered. The atmosphere inside was colder than usual. The anglerfish loomed over her chair. There were a few glowing worms moving along the walls making it more luminescent than before. Madam Roohar in her chair not saying a single word. "Umm.. Ma.. Madam Roohar?", Blitze stuttered. No response. "Madam Roohar?", she said again but no response. "Madam Roohar, we encountered a problem with the attack." Madam Roohar rose from h
- Somewhere in the Sea
Chapter 16
Zaid was lucky to be alive. But during the entire trip back, he had to endure a two hour lecture from everyone on the boat. "How could you be so careless?", yelled the professor and the instructor. "You could have died and we wouldn't even have found your body. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" This went on for some time. After the professor cooled down, Shehzad and Nadia began. "If you want to die, just say so. We'll just push out the running boat next time", Nadia said sarcastically. Shehzad smacked him again at the back of his head. "Idiot!", he said fuming. And to make matters worse, a seagull pooped on his head when we were about to get off the boat. Zaid apologized again and again to everyone on the boat and promised to never wander off again. Professor accepted his apology and agreed to let him on the next dive. Shehzad and Nadia were not convinced though. Zaid had to make a deal to buy them dinner the next week. They forgave him then too.They got back t
- Somewhere in the Sea
Chapter 15
In the weeks that followed, the team continued their work as per schedule. The reports from the substation were coming back with positive results. Until the day came for the next dive. As usual, the team packed up the equipment, headed for the substation, dropped their stuff off and went to the beach. The weather was a perfect sunny day and a little windy. They got to the island in about two hours. The instructor told them that water currents might vary this time of the month so stay near the reef floor and return back as soon as the work is done. They put their gear on and dropped into the sea. The reef looked beautiful as ever as they descended down. This dive's assignment was just to observe the growth of the reef and to take pictures. There was less trash as compared to the last dive. The corals were thriving well. There were a few new shoals of fish in the reef as well. They began to document it and take pictures. Invisible to all others, Marjan wa
- Somewhere in the Sea
Chapter 14
"Oye Zaid!", Shehzad smacked him on the back of his head. Zaid came back to his senses. He was lost in his thoughts focused on the computer screen blankly with his headphones off. "Where are you lost?", Shehzad asked him. "He's probably thinking that his friend can't even take a decent picture", smirked Nadia. "Oh please", pouted Shehzad. "What do you want to eat? We were about to order lunch." "Oh, just a burger for me, thanks", said Zaid. During that time, Zaid completed the next few pages of the research. Shehzad uploaded the pictures and Nadia entered the readings in the database. Lunch arrived and they all sat down to eat. Zaid ate quietly while Shehzad kept eating Nadia's dish and they were fighting once again. The fact that he had a weird dream and then that feeling of something watching was just his mind playing tricks on him but then that photo? Is this all just a coincidence? "I know I love the sea but is there something else to the whole scenario? This has to mean something
- Somewhere in the Sea
Chapter 13
Marjan spent her days living in the reef along with the corals. All of them had gotten pretty well together. She spent her day helping around the reef, cleaning around and making friends with the residents. Even Old Timer was complaining less about her and more on the coral politics. She was happy living with them but she still needed answers. What happened to Sanho and where is she now? Marjan kept asking around if they had seen another mermaid around but they all said the same thing. A rogue mermaid went about killing fishermen and then disappearing without a trace.The migratory shoals didn't report any recent attacks and everybody was relieved that things were back to normal but that still didn't explain where Sanho is. Marjan was worried that something might have happened to her. But something else was also bugging her. That human who she saw the last time. Will he ever come back? What's his name? What's he like? When can I meet him again? Everytime a boat passes overhead, she wo