Here is my fourth entry for FFWC! :)

I used all three prompts for this one, plus the extra point option and one from the previous challenge.

No Way Out

“And that is how the pizza delivery boy becme the pizza deliver man,” the book concluded.

“Bravo!” a tiny litle voice on my shoulder erupted into applause. “That was amazing!”

I smiled. “You say that to every story I read, Opal.”

Opal grinned back at me, her tiny brunette ringlets framing her face and bright blue eyes. “That’s because they are all so wonderful.”

I placed the book back into the Contemporary Fiction box and gazed at every title thrown about in there. To cope with the long waits between shipwrecks, we mermaids developed a network of floating libraries. We’ve been collecting them from the shipwrecks that do happen – everyone needs a good book or two down below deck during their journey. While I feel sorry for the poor passengers who were aboard, the shipwrecks are beneficial to us for that’s how we get all of our wonderful books.

“Hey, Hollyn!” I heard a voice underwater cry. “Goodbye, Opal,” I told my little faerie friend. Opal hopped off my shoulder and onto the floating crate of Contemporary Fiction selections. I didn’t know it was the last time I would ever see her – if I had, I would’ve held that little faerie tight and never let her go.

Diving below, I glanced around for who had called me. “Hollyn!” It beckoned again. “Look what I found!”

It was Oliver, one of the annoying fellow merchildren of the Pondream mercolony. He had a mischevious grin on his face but he wiped it off as soon as I turned to look at him. “Look what I found,” he repeated again, pointing east.

I let a gasp escape as my eyes drank in the beloved sight.

“A sunken ship!” I cried, my eyes sparkling with delight. “I’ve never seen it down here before! How could I not have noticed it?!”

“Let’s go inside,” Oliver suggested, a sneaky smile once more playing on the tips of his lips but he fought it back. I swam after him as he led me closer to it.

The water closer to the ship was cold and much darker, since we were nearing the sandy depths of the continental shelf. We technically were not supposed to be over here, since it was too close to human activity, but… who would know, anyways?

“See that hole in the side?” Oliver pointed out. “Yes,” I murmured back. “I can’t fit through it, but you can. Go on, what are you waiting for, Hollyn? Find more books.”

Another beamy smile lit up my face. I had always dreamed about the adventures in all the books I had read. Here was my glorious chance to have my own adventure and to even contribute more books to our library! What was I waiting for, anyways?

Without even saying goodbye to pesky Oliver I darted through the chilly water and through the hole in the side of the ship.

Enveloped in murky darkness, a chill ran up my spine. It was freezing in here. And I could barely see a thing!

“Hey, Oliver…” I began as I turned around.

But Oliver was putting the broken board back into the little slot!

“No!” I screeched as I threw myself up against it again and again. “Oliver! This is not funny! Let me out right now!” I screamed.

“Let me think about that…” Oliver taunted. “I don’t think so.”

“Oliver,” I hissed between grit teeth. “It takes a very broken, twisted soul to do what you did.”

“You’re too kind,” returned the cheeky Oliver. “Thanks for noticing!”

With that, I could hear the merboy swim off, snickering.

I buried my face in my hands in helpless defeat – how was I going to get out of here? Was there any way out?