Looking for a Friend

As the clouds drifted off to leave way for the bright, full moon, Ayla jumped with all her newfound energy. From a small, minuscule creature, she bloomed into that of a small, palm-sized humanoid and stretched out her wings as though they had been tightly bound. Her eyes closed and she yawned before closing her wings and padding to the edge of the rock which had served as her daytime nap spot. The sun was long gone, her energy restored, so she dove into the ocean with a tiny splash.

She fell twice her height into the water, then sprung out to swim to the top. She breached the water with happy, fluttering croons before diving back beneath the waves and swimming deeper. Her long, glass tail trailed behind her and kept her steady while her wings spread out to catch the currents. To head deeper, she flapped her wings and ducked her head.

Before long, what little light the moon provided was gone, leaving Ayla in quiet, darker depths where she slowed and held steady in the current. Just a little deeper was a huge, bright, and colorful coral reef—a place she often made her playground. She’d been asleep most of the day, absorbing the sun’s energy, so the night was no contest.

She dove towards the reef with bubbling laughter, her fingers stretched out and wings wide. The fish scattered as she barreled between them and rolled through the waves, still beaming. She grabbed a piece of orange coral which jutted away from the reef and used it to swing herself around, further down.

As she landed, Ayla bowed and spread her wings. They floated behind her with the soft current, like a cape as she floated along the reef floor and spied the different creatures watching. Some were hesitant, while others drifted closer in curiosity. Among the different creatures, only one caught Ayla’s eye.

A bright little fish swam towards her with shining stars in its body. Several sets of fins spread out from its bottle, fluttering as it darted towards Ayla with its nose tilted up in curiosity. Smiling, she raised her wings and watched as it swam around her. She giggled and spun with it, creating a little rush of current outward before they both stilled again.

When the flying fish sped off, Ayla gave chase. She left a trail of bubbles in her wake as she sped after the little fish, though it never went too fast that she couldn’t catch up. Once she did, the flying fish sped up so it could whirl around her as they swam together.

Ayla rolled side to side through the currents, her tail glittering, while the glowing constellation fish did laps around her middle. Its gills flared. Bubbles rushed off its fins to join the trail behind them. The fish joined at Ayla’s side as they both darted back for the moonlit surface.

Water splashed in every direction as they broke through the surface. The fish, true to its name, flew through the air, while Ayla fell with style with her back to the water. She looked up at the moon, wings wide, fingers spread, and beaming, then curled in on herself as she crashed back to the ocean.

The constellation fish followed shortly after with a much smaller splash. As Ayla floated down, tired but still giggling, it circled her with enough speed to create more and more bubbles. Its starry shine and the glow of her tail illuminated the bubbles into a little night sky below the water’s surface. Ayla’s eyes widened at the beautiful sight, and she cooed quietly as she reached out to cup one of the lit bubbles.

It quickly disappeared, but the constellation fish took its place with a full-body wriggle, which made Ayla grin. It kept perfect pace, swimming at the same rate she sank, so her hands stayed cupped around it like she was cradling it gently.

A short few minutes later, Ayla landed on a sandy path between the reefs. She uncurled and laid flat with her wings outspread while the fish spun in a few quick circles. The current rippled outward from its disturbance, but the bubbles had Ayla crooning gleefully. She reached out to grab them, but they disappeared as quickly as they came. So, too, did the fish.

Ayla lay flat in the sand and watched as the constellation fish swam back into the reef, where even its sparkles quickly blended in amongst the other creatures and flora. Ayla straightened up and let the water raise her from the sand, then turned in the other direction in search of a new friend.