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Author's Note: Recent events inspired me to write this story about a suicidal man who is saved by a cute shark girl. It is short and simple and more akin to my early works, but it is also the most personal and emotional thing I have ever written. I ripped out my heart and slammed it onto the page.
And before anyone asks, yes, the titular shark girl is a reference to Gawr Gura. I have been familiar with vtubers since the days of Ai Kizuna back in 2016, but Gura was the first one I ever watched in any serious capacity. I have been a fan of hers since her debut back in September 2020. It still feels like yesterday. One syllable was all it took to make me fall in love with her. I grew to love her even more thanks to her wonderful character design, adorable voice, fantastic sense of humor, and lovably eccentric personality. Her goofball antics always brightened up my day. One of my favorite moments was when she tried and failed to crush Oreos with her tiny childlike hands. I also enjoyed all the times she was bad at math.
As time passed, however, she streamed less and less until eventually she announced that she was graduating (i.e., quitting). When this happened, I was heartbroken. She sounded so stressed and depressed in that video, which brought me to tears because I felt powerless to do anything. I felt even worse knowing that I had taken her for granted. I assumed she would always be there despite her long absences. I know all good things must eventually come to an end, but I never thought it would be so soon. This is another one of those cases where you don't truly appreciate what you have until it is gone. I wrote this story in order to help myself accept this new reality. She may have left the spotlight, but she still lives on in the art she has influenced.
Gura, I know there is no chance you will ever read this, but I want to thank you for the immense joy you have brought to my life. I owe you a debt I can never hope to repay. Not only were you a fun entertainer and a beautiful singer, you were a friend on lonely nights, a light in dark times. Your voice is more precious than all the riches on Earth. It was through divine providence that you came into our lives during a time of widespread isolation and despair. God blessed you with many talents, with which you made the world a better place. May He now bring you the peace and happiness you deserve, for you are His cute little shark girl.
🐟
After much thought, Einar Mortensen decided to kill himself. He knew he was worthless and that no one cared about him. He knew he was a disappointment and a burden on his parents. He knew he would never amount to anything in life. All of humanity would be better without him, he thought.
Einar was a resident of the lower levels of New Cyprus, one of several cities which floated atop Europa’s global ocean. His father was a mechanic and his mother worked in textiles. At a young age, both he and his parents knew that he was not like the other children. He was silent most of the time and preferred to keep to himself. A trip to the doctor revealed that he had autism. Despite his best efforts to become normal, people still saw him as a weirdo, a creep, a freak. After he graduated from high school, he stopped socializing altogether, shut himself in his room, and retreated into a fantasy world. Once he was in his 30s, his parents grew frustrated with him and told him to start looking for a job. No matter how hard he tried, he never could, for no one would take their chances with an autistic man like him. With every passing day his depression got worse until it became too much to bear.
It was on May 1, 5025 that he put his thoughts into action. After waiting for a few hours after nightfall, he snuck out of his parents’ apartment, stole a heavy dumbbell from a local gym, grabbed some rope, and made his way to the harbor. Not a soul was around. No one would stop him from ending it all. The young man turned around and looked up at the gleaming skyscrapers and the giant metal foundation on which they sat. He cursed society for making no attempt to help or understand him; he cursed all those who mocked and tormented him; and he cursed God for creating him. Trembling with rage and despair, he started walking down the pier.
Jupiter’s giant silhouette hung directly overhead. The Milky Way cast a dim blue light upon the calm waters. As he walked slowly down the long pier, he struggled to remember a single joyful time from his childhood. His inability to socialize left him friendless, so he spent all his free time playing video games, listening to music, and browsing the internet. Women were repulsed by his autism, so he never had a girlfriend. Because of this, he spent his prom night crying himself to sleep. There were a few girls in high school who showed him kindness, but then he learned that they were only being nice to him out of pity. If he were to kill himself, he thought, would they remember who he was? Would they even care?
Carrying that giant dumbbell wore out his arms, yet still he persisted and eventually reached the end of the pier. While tying the rope around that heavy object, he thought of all the children who insulted him and mocked his unique interests. Their harsh words skewered his heart like a thousand needles. In a few moments, he would no longer be tormented by those horrible memories. After tying the other end of the rope around his ankle, he stood up and looked down at the water. Self-preservation froze him in place. Every cell in his body screamed at him to not go through with his plan. With great effort, he silenced those voices. Using what little strength he still had, he picked up the dumbbell and dropped it into the ocean. A split second later, he was pulled under.
As he sank into the dark abyss, he assured himself that no one would try looking for him, for the ocean was vast and deep, and he was a worthless nobody. The water grew colder as he descended. He did not know if he would drown before being crushed by the immense pressures. He closed his eyes and awaited death’s embrace.
Then he felt himself ascending. A few seconds later, he resurfaced. When he opened his eyes, he saw a cute girl smiling back at him. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean at noon and her hair was as white as starlight. A simple white dress covered her slender body, and her skin, pale as pearls, seemed to glow in the Milky Way’s light.
"Hi!" Her voice was sweeter than the finest honey.
Einar stared at her blankly for a moment. "Who are you?" His voice was meek and flat.
She giggled. "I’m a shark!"
He looked down and noticed the tip of her shark tail sticking out of the water. For a moment he was silent, wondering if this was a near death hallucination. A quick glance at the city behind him proved that nothing else was out of the ordinary. He returned his gaze to her. "Why did you save me?"
"God told me to," she said.
He furrowed his brow. "Why? Just so I can suffer more?"
She put a finger over his lips and leaned closer. "God loves all of creation, from the littlest atom to the largest galaxy. You may not know it, but He has a plan for you, as He does for all things. Trust in Him, and He will bring you peace."
He frowned morosely at her.
"I see you’re still doubtful. Will this help?" She wrapped her arms around him and place her soft cheek upon his chest.
At first he was confused, but then he felt a tender warmth in his heart. For the first time in his life, someone other than his parents showed him genuine love. He returned the hug and cried until his eyes were sore. They held each other close for only a minute, but to him it felt like a billion years.
"Go with God." The shark girl turned around and swam away.
After regaining his composure, Einar climbed the nearest ladder back onto the pier. Slowly he walked back into the city’s lower levels, down the grimy halls to his apartment, and finally to his room. Water dripped from his body all the while. He planned to explain to his parents, should they ever ask, that he slipped and fell into the ocean while taking a stroll through the harbor. He disrobed and sat at his computer. As he rested his head upon his fist, the shark girl’s magnificent beauty shined brightly in his thoughts. Over and over again he replayed those events in his head. What did God see in him? Why did He send that maiden to save him?
Then he wondered if there was more than one shark girl. If so, then how did they live? Were there resplendent cities deep in the ocean? What secrets did they hold? With his imagination running wild, he began writing at a frantic pace. Over the next several months he put his ideas to paper, all the while helping his parents more and doing his best to make them proud of him. At long last he finished his project: a series of short stories detailing the magical lives of the shark girls who lived deep in Europa’s global ocean. He published them on the internet where they gained a small but loyal following, and he was satisfied.
Every year he returned to the harbor and gazed upon the spot where the shark girl saved him from suicide. Though he never saw her again, he cherished his memory of her for the rest of his life.
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