Thalassaphobia (Promptober 2025 #11)

NopeNopeNope.

The shopkeeper twists their face, blinks both sets of eyelids, and flares their gills in confusion. "Wait. What did you say?"

The human shopper smiles patiently and repeats, "I'm thalassophobic." The shopkeeper isn't great at reading human expressions, but can't detect any indications of irony.

The shopkeeper claps their mouth shut and takes a moment. "That's the fear of oceans, right?"

"Yes." Again that maddening human smile in the face of absurdity. His uneven freckles remind the shopkeeper of algae clumping on the water's surface.

"Triton's Scales. Are you feeling okay?" the shopkeeper asks out of genuine concern.

"Perfectly fine, thanks."

"You realize you're on a water world, right?"

"Oh, yes. But Arcadia Atoll is a city, not an ocean." He nods for emphasis.

"But it's floating on top of the ocean." The shopkeeper's webbed hands tap down on the imaginary surface of the water. "There's no land. It's all ocean."

"Yes, but Arcadia is a city, not an ocean. I'm fine if I stay away from the limiters. A block in and I can't even see the ocean. How much for this?" He holds up a tourist kitsch "Wave Life" hoodie in the striated blue colors of the water at noon.

The shopkeeper shakes their head. "Thirty-five for that."

The human tourist completes the transaction with a tap of a finger and turns to leave with his new hoodie.

The shopkeeper can't resist. "Sir? Why did you come to Arcadia?"

"I'm an oceanographer. I've got an interview in the morning."

"Can't you find a different line of work?"

The oceanographer adjusts the hoodie into a smaller bundle under his arm. "Oh, no, I wouldn't dream of it. It's my passion."

"But with thalassophobia?"

"Can I tell you a secret?" The shopkeeper nods. "It's not so much the ocean that scares me, though looking across that vast expanse of water still gives me vertigo." He suppresses a shiver, then leans closer to the shopkeeper and whispers, "It's what lives in the ocean. And Arcadia's biosphere has yet to evolve beyond the simplest microbes. So I'm fine." He winks, straightens up, and moves to the shop's exit. "Have a good day!" He waves and disappears into the bustling crowd outside.

The shopkeeper belatedly blurts out, "You too." They look around their shop, as if looking for help. It's crammed full of worthless tourist baubles and cheaply-fabricated articles of clothing, but empty of any other sophonts. Alone, they breathe the moist air for a few seconds until the auto-mister sprays their skin down and breaks their reverie.

The shopkeeper doubts anyone will believe them, but they need to tell this story to someone before it causes an aneurysm. They reach for their personal datapad to write down the details and get it out of their head before permanent psychological damage sets in.

NOTE: Traveller-inspired. I can't wait to learn about this oceanographer's previous gig.

Part of the Promtober project for 2025.