Splish, splash, splish, splash. The seawater is cold around your rubber-clad ankles, yet it leaves no damp on your skin- other than a few drops which slide away in seconds. You can barely see anything in the dark of autumn other than the glint of lamp-light off of your rubber clothes, but the dragging and pushing of the waves is so, so real.
"Don't go out too far, dummy!" Says Big Sis. You barely care about how you got to the beach in the first place; almost nobody had their lights on this Halloween, and the handful of fun-sized candy you did get couldn't make it past the big dumb pacifier in your mouth (nuk, nuk). Big Sis got bored and so did you, so you decided to see what the local beach looked like when it had no people in it. The sand was clinging to your sister's bulky astronaut costume yet not a single bit of grit stuck to you, even after you had a sit (POOF) right on the dunes.
No, you don't give a damn about anything right now other than the soothing wash of the ocean over your body. You're an orca, aren't you? Big, squeaky killer whale? You have an inflatable tail and flippers, right? You imagine what you could do with this suit, rubbing your chin with one fingerless fin. As you stand still, the waves churn the wet sands around you and bury your toes, forcing you to take a step forward.
"Hmm? MmmHMM!"
A glint of light on the horizon gives you an idea. The lighthouse! Of course! A house with a lonely man whose lights were always on! of COURSE they'll have candy! They have to share, right? It's Halloween, they can't NOT share. Sucking on the giant dummy occupying your mouth, you make your decision and start the march out to sea.
"Hey, come back," Says Big Sis, but you aren't listening. "I'll tell Mom!"
Splish, splash, splish, splash. Even as little as shin-deep, it's already getting harder to trudge through the choppy water. Cold drops of water dash on your thighs and face, a long wig dangles foreign hair in your eyes, and a big, bulky tail sways with each step. It isn't until you wade in past the tops of your rubber stockings that the chill of the autumn ocean starts to get your attention.
"Hmmhmmhmm... hm?"
Your experiences with swimming in your old life led you to expect a dreadful shock when the cold water hits your crotch, but instead... nothing. You're still comfortable, maybe even a bit too warm. As it turns out, two layers of watertight rubber over a diaper is one way to retain body heat. Your confidence swells in every way your diaper isn't... that is, until the water rises above your waist. Immediately your air-filled tail rises above the surface, while your fluffy butt bobs up and down in the salty sea. For a few moments bouncing along on the tips of your toes keeps you standing, but seconds later the balloon surrounding you pushes you forward and forces you to swim like a big girl.
If Big Sis is still calling you, you can't hear her over the rush of the waves. Swish, goes your fins in the water, filling you with relief. Of course you'd be able to do a good breast stroke while you're a fish, you knew it! Soon you're swimming merrily, rowing along in water far, far too deep for a little kid like you. The cold is invading your body, but far too slowly for you to care. All you can care about now is that beautiful light on the horizon, that sugary bounty at the lighthouse.
You don't care until something snags your ankle.
"Hmmblbl?" You huff out a face-full of salty water and look down. You see nothing in the wine-dark sea, but you can feel it- a strip of seaweed has wrapped around your ankle! Tugging and tugging, it never comes loose, leaving you treading water far from Big Sis or anyone else. Slapping at the kelp with your fins accomplishes nothing, until another strand wraps around one arm and starts to hold you under the surface!
"B-b-b-bll! B-B-BLL!" You gurgle and mumble, but there's nobody nearby as far as you know. You were a fool and now you'll perish a fool. At least that's what you think, until...