The Omniscrolls

A long drought laid waste to our crops, and the people of our small island soon began to pray every day to the mountain deity to return rain to our lands. After a fortnight, we finally received rain. Our head priest told everyone that the mountain deity had blessed us, and that we should provide her with a sacrifice every month as thanks. He said that virgin girls would be the ideal candidates. Some residents were against the idea, but the majority voted for it. And so, every month, I watched as many of my friends were taken away to be thrown into the fiery depths of the volcano on the outskirts of our town. As time passed, more of our townspeople married off their daughters to prevent them from becoming sacrifices. Half a year later, it was just one other girl and me who were left. Nellie, the other girl, was just sixteen, while I was fourteen. The priest chose her that month. Nellie’s parents fell to their knees and begged the priest not to take her away, but the priest’s guards held...

All my life, I have been fascinated by the ocean, and the deep secrets it holds. Every time I drew my gaze upon it, I could see past the lightless depths and deep into the endless void that hosted the most bizarre and beautiful sights no human could ever imagine. Giant sea serpents that used hidden cave systems to move around in secret, elusive selkies that would often notice my gaze and wave in greeting, merpeople that made magical music that went unheard to ears above the water—the mysteries and wonders the ocean bore were limitless, yet I could not speak of it to anyone, for no one except my mother had the same vision as mine. I learned my lesson long ago in first grade when I tried to show Macy, my best friend at the time, a group of selkies that were swimming past our boat. Macy couldn’t see it no matter how many times I pointed them to her. She thought I was making fun of her and started to cry. Our class teacher even intervened and thought that I was bullying her. I didn’t know...

Ever since I was a little girl, I heard endless stories of romance that gave life colour, and how finding your soulmate would light up the world around you. My mother and father always encouraged me to seek it, but I never truly felt the need for it. Even in my teens, when most of my friends were dating, I still found no reason to pursue romance. By the time I was in my early twenties, my parents were pushing me to meet people and find my soulmate, but the more they pried, the more frustrated I became. All my life, I had only known a world void of colour: everything I ever saw was black, white, and grey—and my parents’ constant badgering only made those colours even darker. One day, I overheard them talking about me when I was staying over for the weekend. Dad said he was worried that we wouldn’t be united in the afterlife because I’d be stuck in a limbo of darkness if I didn’t find my soulmate. A week later, I convinced one of my friends to pretend to date me; we told my parents that ...

I was just thirteen years old when my parents died in a car accident. My Grandma took me in right after and spent every cent she had to make sure I got a proper education. Just after I graduated school, however, she suddenly fell ill. I had to push back my plans for college and take care of her. It was the least I could do after everything she did for me. Grandma passed away a little over a year later. I started college the following year and took on two jobs to cover my bills, working as a part-time waitress and a bartender. I grew to like the latter because I often got the opportunity to have conversations with people who had been through experiences similar to mine. One night, it was close to closing time when I noticed one customer still seated at a corner table. He was hunched over and holding his face while sobbing. I approached him and asked what was wrong. He slowly raised his head. “I… It’s just my mouth. I had a tooth extraction earlier and, somehow, I ended up here.” I was w...