Layla rowed herself further and further out to sea, puffing from the effort of pulling on the oars. She rowed rapidly, already grinning with excitement over what was to come. The lights of her village were distant now, and the sea was quiet and still.
Satisfied that she was far enough away, Layla stopped rowing. She leaned back in her boat, sighed a happy sigh, and waited.
Above her, the moon and stars shone brilliantly. It was a beautiful clear night, and Layla smiled to herself as she took it all in. Then she felt a large wave rock her boat, and the night sky became the very last thing on her mind.
She leaned over the side, staring down at the depths below. Was her partner here now? Was it time? She looked and she looked, and she quickly saw it: the unmistakable bulk of the creature she'd come to see as her friend and lover, swimming just below the surface.
Layla pulled off her clothes and then dived into the sea. She swam back up, broke through the surface, and took in a long and hearty breath. She could see the creature beneath the water, its many tentacles waving gracefully. It swam around her in a circles, watching her, waiting for her.
Layla twisted around and let herself float on her back. She was ready for this - no, more than ready.
The creature's tentacles wound around each of her limbs.
During the day, she'd been aboard a fishing boat with several village men, commanding this beautiful creature to do her village's bidding. It had helped them to catch many fish that day, never hesitating to obey her instructions. The villagers called her its tamer; her role in the village was to command it and control it.
And when the sun was up, and when the eyes of her village were on her, Layla did exactly that.