You’re sitting at a diner eating breakfast with your partner, Arthur. Today is a special day. The morning sun peaks through the blinds. Your coffee is warm, and the pancakes are perfectly stacked, but your thoughts are tangled.
On the small TV in the corner, a news anchor speaks:
“*There are reports of a sea monster off the coast of hawaii, footage provided by commercial fishermen in the area.*"
*how does it choose whether you get eaten or you join?* You wonder.
Arthur looks up.
“We should get married.”
You feel a chill run down your spine-- something about the moment doesn’t sit right.
[[Agree to get married ->Yes!!]]
[[Ask why he wants this ->But why?]]
You nod relunctantly.
*I once imagined a wedding in a big white dress… would that make me happy now?*
Arthur smiles, quietly relieved. He doesn’t say more, just keeps eating his pancakes.
Your mind drifts. *My friends would hate this. They’ve always joked about weddings, called them performative, unnecessary. And yet…*
The TV flickers again, the sea monster rising slowly from the ocean. *Everything feels strange. Maybe that’s just how it’s supposed to feel after getting engaged..*
[[Talk about marriage more with Arthur ->Getting serious]]
[[Start planning the wedding ->So soon?]]You pause and put down your fork.
“Why?”
“Because you want to,” Arthur says.
“Oh, do I? And you don’t?”
“I don’t really care either way,” he shrugs. “If one of us wants something and the other doesn’t mind, we should do it. Like pizza, if I wanted pizza and you were fine with anything, we’d get pizza.”
*I'm not sure if I want to marry someone who thinks marriage is comparable to pizza...* You think to yourself.
Your attention is withdrawn to the replaying TV behind Arthur, the shaky video of the monster was playing for a third time.
[[Tell him you’re still unsure ->I'm not convinced.]]
[[Keep watching the monster footage on the news ->This is more interesting..]]"I… I’m still not sure I want to get married," you admit, putting down your fork.
Arthur nods slowly. “That’s okay. We don’t have to decide right now. I just want you to know that if a wedding is something you want, I'm game."
*He makes it sound easy, but it doesn’t feel easy at all. Marriage feels like a whole other world, and a wedding-- I'm sure my friend's complaints would ruin the mood..*
Arthur waits quietly, giving you space to gather your thoughts.
[[Talk about marriage more with Arthur ->Getting serious]]
[[Agree to the Wedding ->Yes!!]]You turn your attention back to the television mounted in the corner of the diner.
The footage plays again: the enormous sea monster rising slowly from the ocean, its surface shifting in bright, toxic colors, orange specifically.
Scientists talk over the video, explaining how the creature drifts along the Pacific currents, carried slowly across the ocean.
No one in the diner seems especially alarmed. A few people glance up from their breakfasts, then go back to eating.
*It’s strange how quickly something impossible becomes ordinary.*
The monster turns slowly in the water on the TV.
[[Talk about marriage more with Arthur ->Getting serious]]
[[Step outside to think by the water ->The.. beach?]]You push your chair back and step outside the diner.
The air is cooler here.
You lean against the railing and stare down the street.
You used to like pretty things, pastel dresses, delicate flowers, the idea of a beautiful wedding where everything looked perfect. Somewhere along the way that changed.
Your friends would definitely roll their eyes. They always said weddings were a waste of money, a desperate attempt to save a failing relationship, a performance.
But inside the diner, the television was still replaying the footage of the sea monster rising from the ocean.
*Something impossible had appeared in the world, and everyone was already getting used to it.*
You take a slow breath.
[[Go back inside and talk to Arthur ->Getting serious]]Arthur wipes his hands on a napkin."A small ceremony is all we need," he says.
Behind him, the TV murmurs through another update about the sea monster. Scientists explain how it moves with the ocean currents. The footage shows the mottled orange huge, shifting mass turning slowly in the water.
Most people in the diner barely look up. The world has already moved on to other stories.
Arthur speaks up “Lets just have a wedding on a harbour cruise"
“A wedding on a boat,” you repeat.
You glance again at the TV, where the monster drifts through the ocean currents.
*The same ocean..*
[[Agree to have the ceremony on a harbour cruise ->The big day.]]Today is your big day. You look at yourself in the long rectangular bathroom mirror one last time before the ceremony.
Your mom fusses with the hem of your dress, muttering under her breath. "I just cannot get it to lie flat," she said. "It keeps wrinkling."
You sigh, placing her hand aside. "Mom, just leave it. Why don’t you go back out and greet people as they board?"
She shakes her head. "It’s all so disorganized. Make sure you don't see Arthur before the ceremony, it's bad luck."
You force a small smile. "Okay.."
The harbour sways gently. The boat is quiet except for the soft murmur of people arriving. You take a breath, feeling the inevitable future.
[[Go talk to Arthur before the ceremony ->Just need reassurance]]
[[Step outside for some fresh air ->This is nice..]]Arthur waves a hand. “Nothing fancy needed. Just a small ceremony, a few people. We could do a boat in the harbour. Sun on the water, short and simple.”
You pull out your phone and open the boat rental website. No fuss. No muss. Painless was the word that came to mind. The photos are flawless, and while looking at them a strange feeling washes over you.
*It’s perfect,* you mutter, barely a whisper.
Your mind drifts for a moment to the white full-length slip gown you found months ago in a thrift store, hem just past your ankles, it looked gorgeous on you.
You had tucked it away, telling no one.
*This should match the ceremony well enough...* You reference.
The TV behind Arthur flickers with footage of the sea monster again, massive, shifting, impossible.
[[Agree to have the ceremony on a harbour cruise ->The big day.]]
You duck out of the bathroom and run onto the dock. You see everyone gathering, cameras raised to capture the skyline.
Your friends laugh and your chest tightens. Surely they’re laughing at you.
*I feel like a child in a birthday crown,* you think, small and awkward.
Then you see Arthur across the deck in his rented tux. Your heart catches. *The man I loved. The last man I would ever love.*
You were lost in your thoughts when you notice a crewman working to detach the gateway.
You quickly realize the only exit is closing, the only connection to land being severed, sends a bolt of panic through your limbs.
The crewman finally notices you and he tilts his head. You read his lips as he mouths "Should I get them to stop this thing?"
[[Run back onto the boat and continue with the wedding ->This is how it should be..]]
[[Stay off the boat and step onto the dock ->What I think is right.]]
You take a deep breath and walk towards Arthur, who is fiddling with his suit near the front of the boat.
"I'm nervous.. my mom said it would be bad luck to see you but I'm unsure" you say quietly.
He glances up, giving you a small, calm smile. "You know I don't care about that kind of thing. Everything’s fine. You look incredible. The day will go ''as it should.''"
*It’s simple, quiet, just like I imagined… but my chest still feels tight.*
You glance toward the harbor, the sunlight reflecting off the water, and in the corner of your mind, the monster footage flickers across your thoughts.
[[Head toward the ceremony ->This is how it should be..]]
[[Step back and go outside for fresh air ->This is nice..]]The ceremony goes on as planned. Vows are exchanged, smiles are forced, eyes glimmer with unshed tears. You notice your friends watching, whispering to one another. Surely they’re judging you.. or worse, pitying you.
You try to focus on the moment, on Arthur’s presence, on the sun reflecting off the water. But your mind spins, flicking from one thought to another: *Did I do enough to prepare? Do they think this is silly? Am I doing the right thing? Is this what will make me happy?*
The officiant pronounces you married. Applause echoes across the deck. You smile tightly, as your hand finds Arthur’s. The sound of the camera shutters, the murmur of congratulations.. it all blends into a dizzying hum.
*This is right, isn’t it? It was inevitable… this is how it should be.*You press a finger to your lips in hopes the crewman doesn’t rat you out.
You run. Fast. Quietly. So no one on the boat sees you. The dock stretches far and you descend the first set of stairs you see, heart hammering in your chest.
At the bottom, the beach smells like rotting seaweed and shellfish.
The only person here is a man with a dog, tossing a ball across the dock.
You pause, catching your breath. Your mind spirals as it always does: *Did I do the right thing? Am I being selfish? Am I running away from everything, or toward something? Why can’t I feel calm?*
Your thoughts are interrupted with the dog running towards you, tail wagging, sniffing your dress, eyes bright and inquisitive.
The man runs after him and holds out his hand to hand you the ball.
[[Throw the ball for the dog ->What did I do.. What have I become?]]
[[Give the ball back to the owner ->A problem for tomorrow]]You throw the ball harder than you intended. It soars through the air and into the sea. The dog leaps after it, and the owner shouts from the shore.
The dog disappears under the water. You follow, kicking off your sandals and plunging into the heavy sea. The water feels thicker than it should be, and you seem farther than you had swam.
Your eyes sting as you open them, but you can't see anything. Seaweed tangles around your arms and waist. The dog is gone.
You think of Arthur trying to make you happy. You think of your friends, the ceremony, all the things that seemed so important.
You remember the TV footage from days ago, the sea monster drifting across the Pacific, shifting in mottled orange and yellow. Now, the water around you mirrors that.
The seaweed and slime cling tighter, pulling you apart. Your body tingles with the creatures you house on your skin as you realize: you are changing, something like the monster you once watched on the news.
You threw the ball.
You left Arthur at the altar.
And now… what have you become?You hand the ball back to the dog’s owner. He smiles politely and calls his dog, who runs after him without looking back. The two of them disappear from the beach, leaving you alone.
The water hits your legs, cold. Your dress clings to your skin, heavy and dripping. You breathe in the weird smell, and are left with nothing but the sound of waves and your own thoughts.
Even Arthur couldn’t forgive the humiliation of the boat arriving without a bride. The guests would be confused, searching for you, wondering where you went. Your mother, unsurprised as ever. Would they think you fell overboard? Tipped over the railing in a fit of nerves and champagne? And the crewman, would he reveal what he’d seen?
You think of Arthur, standing at the altar, waiting. You think of your friends, the ceremony, all the plans that were made. You left him. You left everything behind, if only for a moment.
You stare out at the water, feeling the weight of your own choices. Nothing moves except the tide, nothing speaks except your thoughts.
*This… is a problem for tomorrow.*