As a small merperson living in Ryzelm’ oire, you had been warned about this. “don’t travel the shady alleyways of the city”. Was the advice given to ensure your safety. But to escape the stalking of a suspicious looking chlaena woman you had found yourself darting around random corners in an attempt to lose her. Yet It would seem your efforts have put you in a worse situation, now being chased at full speed by the same hungry looking chlaena through the narrow hidden passageways between the cities immense coral buildings. Now in your panicked dashing you’ve found yourself slamming into the midsection of a yet another giant, a immense yellow mermaid, smaller in comparison with the octopus woman, but still large enough to swallow you whole .

Unlike the blue skinned chlaena behind you, who was nearly naked, save for a few adornments and tassels hanging from her body and two large hoop earrings, The Mermaid was fully dressed in brown, well crafted material, a Tight reddish tube top shirt with a long flowing vest worn over it and a long apron like pants running almost to the end of her tail, with openings for her lower fins.

The mermaid seemed concerned, and had a gentle understanding demeanor, but before either of you could get out a word out, the giant chlaena had come barreling around a corner after you. Her mass of tentacles moving in hunterly propulsion behind her as she closed in.

The Giant mermaid’s face tightened reactively to the sight and lets out a peep of distress, she immediately scoops you up with her hand and brings you right up in front of her face.

“ I am so sorry about this.” Are the last words you hear before the giant yellow mermaid in front of you opens her six foot wide maw to engulf you.

you’re already exhausted from fleeing the other predator but still you try your hardest to swim away, But between the hands at your back and the current of water that has started flowing into her mouth, there’s no hope of escape. As her teeth and lips quickly pass over you and the darkness inside her jaws envelopes you, you can only hope that her earlier uttered apology was a true expression of her feelings and perhaps you will be sheltered in here rather than become food.

Her mouth closes around you and the darkness becomes almost total, save for the lighter silhouettes of her clean white teeth. You feel a bumpy mass of flesh squeeze over you as she tucks you under her tongue, pushing aside your struggles. The water under here is a bit viscous with saliva, but she seems to have good hygiene and smells quite clean.

“just hold on, let me deal with this, you're going to be O.K” she whispers to you quickly, her tounge and jaw bouncing you around a little as she speaks.

Hearing once again what seems to be deep concern for your life, you try and calm yourself and trust her. Everything in you wants to struggle free, but you know from the tonnes of strength you felt as her tounge moved over you, that there would be no hope to fight against her even if you tried. Also there was the fact that outside there was another, much more ruthless predator who would definitely be waiting to make you into her meal


from outside you hear a sudden shout of disappointment from the Chlaena woman who had been perusing you.

“HEY! I nearly had that! spit it out right now !”

“im sorry , what were you planning to do with this little?” the giant mermaid responded as elegantly as possible, trying to talk around you in her mouth. “it sounded like you were planning to eat it.”

“so what of it?” the chlaena responded in a saucy tone.

“that’s kinda illegal, this isn’t the wild you know. And more importantly, don’t you have any sympathy, How would you feel if someone thought your life was only worth a pleasant taste and fully belly.”

“Haha” the chlaena chuckled “What are you talking like that for? You’ve got a little in your mouth right now! Where do you think you get off telling me I’m somehow wrong?!”

“I’m not going to …errg” the mermaid let out a little grunt of disgust at the meaning of the word she was about to say “d..ii.gest.. them..” she paused “im going to try to get them to a safe area away from here.”

“What! What a waste! Why would you do that!? I Worked hard to chase my food down here and then you’re just going to take it away to let it go?” the chlaena scowled.

“Yeh that’s the plan, And you’re really quite unabashed for someone who’s admitting to a crime” the mermaid responded calmly with a slight hint of warning in her voice.”

“Okay, listen here princess, guards rarely come to this part of town, Ain’t no one gonna catch me and ain’t no one here to help you, so you better cough up my catch unless you really want to get really messed up.”

“no guards hunh?” the giant mermaid said with a sureness in her voice “Well you just happen to be looking at one right now.”.

“PFFTTTT ha!” The chlaena burst into laughter, “okay little girl.. you’re not even a chlaena, you expect me to buy that! You’re a genuine comedian! Even if you are some measly kind of guard that’s not gonna keep me from smacking your miserable little tail, so spit it out or you’re really gonna get it.”

“you’re not getting this little, okay, now I would suggest you back off.” The mermaid responded, partially reluctant in her threat.

Inside her mouth you could feel the mermaid’s body be shoved backwards in a jolt.

The yellow giant let out a pronounced sigh. “okay then, I guess if that’s the way its going to be…” she paused and then continued in a whisper directed towards you. “This is going to be a little scary but you’ll need to trust me. I’m going to sw…nyegh! Her sentance was cut off by another shove.

“What ?! what are you gonna do little fish!” The Chlaena screamed from outside.

The mermaid continued talking to you unfazed “Im going to swallow you, you’ll be safe though, try not to get too scared please.”

As soon as she finished talking, a torrent of fresh water rushed over you as the mermaid pulls it in from outside. Between the movements of her tongue and the inflowing current she washes you down to the entrance of her throat. You catch one last glimpse of the dim outside light as you feel the flesh around your tail constrict tightly. Her lips part a bit wider in front of you and another pulse of water comes rushing in. The grip of her throat muscles loosen for a second, opening wide and let the water rush down all around you. When her throat clamps around your body again you feel a yank and are squeezed down into her gullet by the slimy surfaces to a with a loud gulping noise.

Her body all around you is cool, barely any warmer than the water outside and the sound of wet moving insides fills your ears as you travel downward. You try and recall and believe the promises she made to you but the constant thought of the possible dark reality of what this might become plays over and over in your head as you approach her stomach.

Another wave of clean outside water rushes down her esophagus and washes you down even more quickly to you destination. In the next moment , you’re shot out of the tight tube into her equally dark stomach. You cant see anything at all, you can only hear the funneling in of water from above, the pitch gradually rising as if the stomach walls were expanding around you.

Suddenly the mermaids body moves violently and you’re thrown against the stomach wall as the water churns wildly. A voice is heard from outside, the words inaudible and muffled, though it sounds like the angry yells of the chlaena woman. The Mermaids body starts moving around more and more wildly, you’re forced to dart around in an attempt to steady yourself against the constant churning tossing you back and forth.

A thud echoes through the stomach wall and the giants body lurches back and trembles. Then a strange green light begins to flow around the stomach wall in organic hexagonal patterns. For the first time you can see that the mermaids stomach is now certainly a lot bigger than what it would seem from observing her body from the outside.

The green lights continue to pulse from top to bottom of the stomach in rhythmic waves and another bang is heard on the mermaid’s flesh. This time the noise was nearly gong like and from the direction of the sound you could see a pulse of the same light spread out in concentric rings . Twice more the sound rings out through the giants body sending out pulses of light, this time she barely moves and would seem to have steadied herself.

Her movements from then on seemed more graceful and you rock gently back and forth in her stomach. She was hit perhaps only one more time after that. Then after a few, what seem to be coordinated movements, a chiming glittery noise echoes from outside and a faint flash slightly penetrates her stomach wall. Everything goes very still for a moment and you listen intently.

You can hear both the yellow mermaids voice as well as the chlaena’s, It’s nearly impossible to make out the mumbling but the mermaids voice sounds very confident, while the formerly boisterous chlaena has a defeated whimpering in her speech. A last stern word issues from the mermaid and the chlaenas voice disappears.

For the next few minutes everything goes quiet and the giant’s stomach sways slowly side to side in a consistent and gentle rhythmic pattern. Though the violent lurches of the confrontation had now stopped, the peril of this situation still eats at your mind. You’re still trapped in the stomach of a giant and a complete stranger at that. Could you trust this mermaid, did she really still plan to release you or was she just an elaborate trickster?

A growl of hunger rumbles through her stomach, vibrating the water around you, It gives you a shiver as the fear of the horrible possibility sets in further. There is only silence, save for the mermaid’s heartbeat and the quiet stretching and flexing of her muscles. Trying to hope for the best you swish your hand through the water, feeling for any sign of the sting of acid… but the water appears to still be clean and hospitable and your nerves calm a little.

Working up the nerve you yell out to the giant and wait for a response. She just keeps moving along at the same pace. A few more minutes pass, the water in here has begun to grow a little slimy and viscous and feels a little gross passing through your gills, but still no acidic sting. The mermaid soon comes to a stop, in the quiet you can hear some other faint voices outside. She calls out to you loudly enough that you can make out the words.

“hey! I hope you’re alright! I’m very sorry about the wait, I needed to get you far from that place. I’m going to get you out now.” The mermaids friendly tone and assuring words come as a huge relief and you feel yourself relax. “I need you to do something for me, it will make it easier to get you out.” She continued. “I need you to swim to the opening at the top of my stomach okay, get as close as you can.”.

Swimming upward you feel for the pucker in the flesh marking the exit.

“okay I feel you! You’ve got it! The mermaid remarks happily. “Alright now just stay still”.

You’re relieved that this ordeal is nearly over, though after having felt around her stomach wall you notice your hands have a slight tingle to them and you quickly rub them together in the water to wash off the acidic substance. In the next moment you once again hear the sound of rushing water approaching from above and a wave of fresh clean water pours over you. You’re pushed away from the exit, but just as quickly the current changes direction and the water flows back upward even faster than it came in. You hit against the exit hole sideways and get stuck for a second, but you manage to right yourself and slip your tail into the hole and the strong outward current does the rest. You’re shot speedily back up through her throat and your relief grows and grows as you anticipate your coming freedom.

The giant slows the flow of water as you near her mouth and you float gently out of her throat and into the back of her mouth. A faint light enters your view and coming out head last from her throat, the first thing you see is the dark way back down into her esophagus as you’re shot out of it. Having Escaped that pit feels almost unreal and you’re filled with a myriad of emotion as you turn to see the bright light shining in through her open lips and teeth. Before you get out the mermaid licks you off delicately and swishes you around with some clean water from outside, washing off any slime still coating you and then blows you out of her mouth with a little puff.

You’re sent for a little tumble as you’re tossed out from between her lips. The world seems upside down and sideways and all around you are the bright lights and varied colors of one of Ryzelm ‘oire’s parks You get your bearings and blink a few times as your eyes readjust to the light. You and the giant mermaid are floating at the edge of kelp thicket, behind her is the open expanse of the park with its hills, valleys and plateaus. Chlaena and other swimming creatures of varied aquatic races and of different sizes swim leisurely along the waterborne paths marked out by floating lighted organic orbs tethered to the ocean floor. While crawling sentient creatures move along the cobblestone paths spreading throughout the park. Groups of giant Couples, families and friends litter the expanses of open seaweed fields while their small counterparts group together on flat stone and coral outcrops.

“are you O.K?” asks your giant rescuer as she bends towards you to look you over, that same look of concern on her face.

Her expression quickly loses its intensity as she sees you shake off the disorientation. You give her a little smile and assure her that you’re doing fine.

“Ahh !” she sighs in relief, a smile spreading across her face as well. “Wonderful! I’m so sorry if that frightened you. I know it was probably pretty gross in there.”

It had been in fact, a pretty slimy and frightening experience, but for the sake of gratitude you assure her that it wasn’t too bad.

“Haha, well that’s nice to hear but I can’t imagine anyone’s stomach being a nice place to be, You’re too kind. but thanks anyway heheh. Good to know my belly isn’t a half bad place to be stuck in.” she lets out a quick chuckle “But seriously I’m sorry I had to do that, but there was really no other place I could hold you where that ladies tentacles couldn’t reach you during that scuffle. You were never in any danger though, us puffers can’t digest anything when we fill up with water.”

You thank her for the explanation but find it a bit curious, you’ve never met this type of mermaid before and through all this talk of stomachs you had found yourself looking down at her belly, which was still a little round compared to how flat it was when you first met her.

Seeing your eyes scan downward for a second, she realizes something is still off. “Oh, let me get rid of that” she excused herself and turns her head to some thick kelp to her side, you hear a low vibration coming from her throat and she pushes out a gush of water as her belly deflates to its normal shape.

“Well it was nice to meet you, but I can’t talk for long i need to get to work” she apologizes, as she fixes up her necktie and vest. “I don’t want to judge your situation too much, and you’ve probably heard this before. But really, be careful out there, we are trying to make the city a better place for everyone but there’s still a lot of larger people who would like nothing more than to make you into their lunch. There’s a lot of good big people in the city who would never do that and some who eat your kind are nice enough people to other giants, but just don’t understand how to sympathize with littles. So it’s really best if you stick to the safeways for smaller people and areas where there are regular guard patrols, and don’t be afraid to inform the guards if you’re feeling unsafe, we’re here to help.”

Despite her very exact advice, she delivered it with a meek attitude that had very little commanding force behind it, clearly trying to not make you feel too small.

“well, umm. Here’s my families contact info.”. She reaches into her vest pocket and pulls out a little seashell on a string, small enough to fit in your hand and gives it to you. If you ever need help finding your way around city life just come to his address, it’s just a small help center we run but we’ll try our best to help you out.”

She gives you a bigger toothy smile, “oh by the way my name is Praxi” what would yours be? “

You answer graciously.

“oh , ha, alright, well again Nice to meet you! I gotta get going…shoot! I have to get lunch too! haha you probably heard my stomach complaining when you were in there” she joked awkwardly “well anyway take care!”.

She turns away from you as she finishes her sentence and darts across the warmly lit park, heading for a giant spire building on the parks far edge, The towering structure lit up from top to bottom with bioluminescence, much of its openings and windows shining light from within.

You watch her swish into the distance as she rounds a coral mound and disappears into the park’s maze of landscaped hills.

------------------END------------------

Please login to post a comment.

No comments yet, make a comment please