Entry #1 (1943)

Days have passed since the magic fish lady spoke to me…and left me in the water alone.

My father will still not wake up and he is locked in his work suit. I can’t open the metal locks.

He looks sick.

I wish he would awaken, I miss him and I’m scared.

It’s lonely at the bottom of the water. It’s dark. Too dark.

How can I still breathe?

I hear loud booms from above. Maybe the war still carries on. I hate it.

I don't remember sleeping. Am I sleeping now?

Did the fish lady stop me from sleeping? From eating? Why am I not hungry?

How long will I be down here?

When will someone find me?

I want to go home…please let me go home!

Entry #3 (1944)

Weeks or months of walking and pulling my father behind me. I have to find the fish lady and get help. I think I may have accidentally hurt some people.

I saw a ferry with the words Tarumizu Maru 6 painted on the side. Lots of people were on it and I tried to swim up and call for help. I could not swim all the way up. I got angry and tried to yell “HELP!” but when I yelled a force escaped my mouth and shot through the water hitting the ferry. It tipped over.

Everyone fell into the ocean and they were scared. All of them were screaming until they all drowned.

The Tarumizu Maru No. 6, run by the now-defunct Tarumizu Kisen Co., sails in this undated photo. According to the official incident report, 466 passengers died when the ferry capsized and sank on the morning of Feb. 6, 1944, just minutes after leaving the pier in Tarumizu, Kagoshima Prefecture. Many believe the death toll was much higher. | COURTESY OF HISAMITSU MIZUSHIMA

It was an accident…but I didn’t feel bad for it. Am I now a mean person?

What day is it?

Entry #5 (1947)

I have been down here for 4 years now. The witch is not coming back but my father is starting to wake up. I don’t think it is my father anymore but I’m glad to have a friend down here.

I am becoming angry all the time. Frustrated and angry.

I found books on sunken ships and I am learning. I like books. They help my thoughts escape this water. It’s 1947 and I knocked another ship over. It was called Ramdas and this time it wasn’t an accident.

Newspaper clipping from https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/26402001

I am becoming good at knocking over ships.

Before the Ramdas I burned a ship in the Americas, Texas I think. It was called Grandcamp. That’s a dumb name for a ship. I filled the ship with steam and then BOOM! Yellow smoke came out of the ship. Then again it went BOOM! It exploded and sent a giant wave of water into the town destroying buildings. The ship’s huge anchor went flying through the town. Even two airplanes were knocked out of the sky. The ship next to it exploded also. It was even bigger than the first ship!

The entire town was damaged and lots of people hurt.

Now they know how I feel. How I hurt.

Texas City industrial plant engulfed in flames on April 16, 1947. SS Grandcamp explosion killed 581 people and injured 5,000

Because of that witch mermaid.

Entry #8 (1954)

I DID IT!!

I’ve created a typhoon!

It was beautiful as it ripped through the water destroying everything in its path. This is only the beginning. Soon hurricanes and tsunamis will be at my command!

Map plotting the storm's track and intensity, according to the Saffir–Simpson scale

I am very sure now that this spirit I keep on a leash is not my father's. It has not spoken but it has protected me from the explosions, sharks, and people. Its strength is incredible. I watched as it punched holes into submarines and lift sunken ships from the ocean floor. Despite how creepy it looks standing lifeless in the dark, it is my only friend.

I no longer miss my father and that in itself causes me great sadness.

It is only me and the Diver now hunting for the mermaid witch.

Entry #19 (2025)

I remember the day I stepped out of my world and into this one very clearly.

It was a Thursday.

The same day of the week that I dove into the cold ocean decades ago, foolishly searching for someone that could never possibly be found. Instead, I discovered a magical woman in those waters. Well, she was more like a witch. One that tricked me into believing I would find who I was looking for. Casting her spell on me and quickly swimming away into the very same cave that brought me here a century later. That spell cursed me to this life. One that will never end.

No matter how hard I’ve tried to end it.

Now I find myself peering out at this new world.

I can hear music traveling within the currents.

Laughter in the distance.

All of it annoys me.

First things first, I need to find a place to make my own. Somewhere just far enough to see and not be seen by the inhabitants of this world. This may be difficult lugging this metal monster around with me. He needs a place to be chained while I explore further.

So far I’ve observed many creatures and people in this world. I’ve seen a pirate ship led by one named Captain Neon Corsair. A flashy charismatic treasure hunter with glowing eyes and a formidable crew. Not someone I would want to engage in a swordfight with but like all pirates, treasures can motivate their allegiance. There is one that looks similar to the witch I seek but this girl has not only a mermaid tail but many tentacles as well. This girl, Takoyaki, is a devoted protector of her environment made from colorful coral. Although I could not believe my eyes, I witnessed what appeared to be a frog standing and fighting just like a grown man! There are many others, some look like the mermaid witch and there is a god-like creature known as the Guardian, and a queen or maybe two that I have not seen yet.

All of this opened my eyes to the possibilities found in this world. Such magic and creativity only reassures me of one thing.

The witch must be in this world called, Monniverse.

To learn more about the world's greatest decentralized animation studio and the artists building it, click the Monniverse link above or check out the t2.world territory this story was published in.