The Abyss

“I told you already! I never wanted to come!” Scarlett’s voice was sharp like a cat suddenly startled. She paced back and forth, her hands wildly flailing in the air with eyes darting around as if drowning in a sea of fear. “Why did you force me? Now everything is a mess. What am I going to do? ”

The sea wind roared, whipping Scarlett’s hair and shattering the calm that once defined her life. Michael tried to soothe her, “Scarlett, calm down. It was just a seagull.” His voice was gentle but couldn’t quell the storm raging inside her. Scarlett’s hands trembled uncontrollably as if desperately trying to suppress some unseen terror.

She kept wiping her hands with a napkin, as though trying to cleanse away an indelible stain. But the half-eaten muffin that the seagull had carried away, the table, and the deep unease in her heart were like scars that refused to fade.

Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Scarlett had been surrounded by love since childhood. She was beautiful, intelligent, and excelled academically—the perfect girl in everyone’s eyes. Yet now, she seemed like a frightened bird, filled with fear and anxiety.

Because only she knew that this was not just about a muffin or a seagull.

Indeed, as Scarlett had said, she didn’t want to go on this trip in the first place, especially not with Michael, her current boyfriend, nor with the other couple on the ship. It wasn’t that she didn’t like her boyfriend or the other couple. On the contrary, Michael was her favorite among all her boyfriends, and the other couple were her childhood friends, people she had grown up with and held close.

The reason she was so resistant to the idea of going out to sea was because Scarlett had a secret—a secret related to the ocean.

Unlike her perfect appearance and background, Scarlett harbored a dark side. She had always been deeply fascinated by violence and bloodshed, and took immense pleasure in watching others suffer, especially when she was the one causing that pain.

But what thrilled her the most, what made her soul shiver with delight, was playing the role of an innocent and kind bystander afterward, pretending to be detached while savoring the sight of the victim's agony. She could even help the victim's family find their loved ones, playing the part of a benevolent hero. The irony and deceit added a unique flavor to her pleasure.

"Scarlett, where are we going?" Little Jenny, wearing a floral dress, was hopping beside Scarlett, holding a small piece of muffin in her left hand and clutching Scarlett’s hand with her right. She was a lively and adorable two-year-old, curious about everything and completely unguarded around strangers.

“I will take you to see the whales and dolphins, okay?” Ten-year-old Scarlett smiled sweetly down at the little girl she had just met. The sunlight fell over Scarlett’s head, casting Jenny into shadow.

Jenny had boarded the cruise with her mother, Olivia. Her father, a police officer, had died in the line of duty before she was born. This cruise ship was where Olivia worked, and after much pleading, she was finally allowed to bring Jenny with her while she worked. But she hadn’t expected that Jenny would disappear with just a moment’s inattention.

Olivia called out desperately, searching deck after deck, but to no avail. Along the way, she encountered a little girl named Scarlett. Scarlett was kind and helpful, staying by Olivia’s side as they searched everywhere. Scarlett even got scratched on the deck by a seagull that attacked her for the muffin crumbs on her clothes, leaving a cut on her face.

And just like that, Jenny vanished.

But now she was back.

The night before, the sea was calm. After spending a passionate night with Michael, who fell into a deep sleep afterward, Scarlett left the bedroom to get a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge.

A rustling noise outside the window caught her attention. She suddenly realized the sound was coming from a white dress with yellow flowers fluttering in the wind, one sleeve stretching upward as if desperately clinging to the ship, trying not to fall.

Scarlett was so terrified that she collapsed to the floor, her ears ringing and unable to make a sound.

When Michael came out and helped her up, she pointed fearfully at the window, only to find nothing outside.

After regaining her composure, Scarlett refused to tell Michael the truth, pretending she had slipped in the dark.

“Damn! No, you were already dead. Since you’re dead, why can’t you just stay gone? Why are you showing up now after all these years?” Scarlett muttered to herself, her voice trembling. “It’s not my fault. Blame your adorable little face; it was just so annoying. Blame your bad luck too. All you had to do was fall into the sea when I pushed you, but you had to grab onto the ship’s railing, forcing me to pry each of your fingers off.”

Scarlett’s voice became more frantic as she spoke. The sunlight was warm, but she couldn’t feel it at all.

Michael stood behind her, watching her back. His usually handsome face was twisted in a frown, and his tall, strong frame blocked the light, casting a shadow over Scarlett.

That night, a storm raged. Scarlett’s nerves were on edge. Her friend Susan was resting in her room due to a cold. Susan’s boyfriend, Zach, sat with Scarlett and Michael.

“I’m going back to the room to get a jacket,” Michael said, getting up and leaving.

Shortly after, Zach, who had been sipping tequila, suddenly put down his glass and said to Scarlett, “Scarlett, do you hear something strange? Like a child’s voice…”

Scarlett abruptly stood up, her mind racing too fast to hear what Zach was saying. The dress was back, fluttering outside the window, looking even more fragile and terrifying in the storm.

Scarlett couldn’t take it anymore. She burst out of the cabin, rushing toward the dress. She tried to tear it down, but no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn’t budge. The sound of the rain faded from her ears, replaced by a voice she had only heard a few times but knew all too well.

“Scarlett, where are we going? Scarlett? Scarlett!”

Scarlett clutched her head in terror, stumbling backward until she tripped over the ship’s railing and fell into the sea. She vanished into the stormy night as Michael and the others shouted her name in fear...

Days later.

Zach secretly dialed a number, avoiding Susan’s notice. “I’ve done what you asked. Now delete the evidence of my affair. I don’t want Susan to find out. And I didn’t expect things to go this far.”

“You did well, sir. Rest assured, it’s all over now.”

Michael stood by the port, hung up the phone, and threw it into the sea.

“Jenny, Mom, I’ve avenged you both. Maybe dying in terror and despair was the best ending for that woman.” Michael couldn’t help but laugh, tears streaming down his face.

Through his blurry vision, he thought he saw a pale hand emerge from the sea, slowly gripping his ankle. And he only laughed harder.

Splash.