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Salt Water
While all her friends’ fish are changing into mermaids, is 12-year-old Anissa's fish becoming something else?
23 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2023
1 person is currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Eugenia Triantafyllou
48 books56 followersEugenia Triantafyllou is a Greek author and artist with a flair for dark things.
Her work has won the British Fantasy and the Shirley Jackson Awards and has been nominated for the Hugo, Ignyte, Locus, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. She is a graduate of Clarion West Writers Workshop. You can find her stories in Reactor, Uncanny, Strange Horizons, Apex, and other venues.
She currently lives in Athens with a boy and a dog.
Literary representation: Jessica Friedman, Sterling Lord Literistic
Find her on Bsky @foxesandroses.bsky.social or her website https://eugeniatriantafyllou.wordpres...
Her work has won the British Fantasy and the Shirley Jackson Awards and has been nominated for the Hugo, Ignyte, Locus, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. She is a graduate of Clarion West Writers Workshop. You can find her stories in Reactor, Uncanny, Strange Horizons, Apex, and other venues.
She currently lives in Athens with a boy and a dog.
Literary representation: Jessica Friedman, Sterling Lord Literistic
Find her on Bsky @foxesandroses.bsky.social or her website https://eugeniatriantafyllou.wordpres...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
March 11, 2025
"No one knows what they are going to be until they have become it"
May 14, 2023
“Salt Water” by Eugenia Triantafyllou.
This was REALLY weird in the beginning and took some time for me to really get into and understand. Basically, it’s people being divisive and horrible to people maturing differently than the group.
The MC is 12, going through the version of puberty in this story. Of course as she is growing and changing, it’s different that what is expected of her and she is shunned, until she is found to be “normal” or “normal enough/passing”.
Kind of a depressing story, but told in an interesting way. I wish the world was a bit more explained and the ending is somewhat ambiguous, but it’s not a bad story.
3, worth the time it takes to read it, stars.
This was REALLY weird in the beginning and took some time for me to really get into and understand. Basically, it’s people being divisive and horrible to people maturing differently than the group.
The MC is 12, going through the version of puberty in this story. Of course as she is growing and changing, it’s different that what is expected of her and she is shunned, until she is found to be “normal” or “normal enough/passing”.
Kind of a depressing story, but told in an interesting way. I wish the world was a bit more explained and the ending is somewhat ambiguous, but it’s not a bad story.
3, worth the time it takes to read it, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2024
“Nobody knows what they are going to be until they are it.”
The story was quite strange at first when I read it, but after that I was able to get the meaning of this story.
When we grow physically (puberty phase) we will change and these changes have standards that are considered normal so sometimes if our physical changes are different from others it will be something that makes us insecure/scared. Suitable reading for teenagers.
The story was quite strange at first when I read it, but after that I was able to get the meaning of this story.
When we grow physically (puberty phase) we will change and these changes have standards that are considered normal so sometimes if our physical changes are different from others it will be something that makes us insecure/scared. Suitable reading for teenagers.
November 29, 2024
A lovely little story about people who have fish that become other sea things (mermaids, octopus, skeletons) in their bellies as they grow; 12-year-old Anissa doesn't know what her fish is becoming, but no one knows who they'll be until they are it. It tells a important message about accepting yourself and liking yourself first before seeking acceptance.
(It also, vaguely and amusingly, reminds me of the odd story of how Nero "gave birth" to a frog after becoming "pregnant" by a potion with frog in it.)
I previously read another short story of Engenia's this year, "Loneliness Universe" from Uncanny and wanted to read more of her work; that one I would describe as with "a bitter sweet end, little worlds spreading out with a breath, like wishing on dandelions".
In it on the night that Nefeli tries to reconnect with her childhood friend Cara, she finds her cut off from everyone she knows - family and friends - her only connection to them is the internet; email, cell phone texts, a video game.
When she finds her strange reality is one shared by many others cut off from family and friends the situation grows more dire when the internet begins to fail her and all the others too.
It's got a very pandemic loneliness to it that I've become familiar with the feel of, but also the isolation that's in whole groups who socialize via say with Twitter or other social media (LiveJournal, Tumblr, ect.) who've lost their friends because social media platforms sell out and are left alone to try to try again adrift in a web that you have to try to find your way through again.
(It also, vaguely and amusingly, reminds me of the odd story of how Nero "gave birth" to a frog after becoming "pregnant" by a potion with frog in it.)
I previously read another short story of Engenia's this year, "Loneliness Universe" from Uncanny and wanted to read more of her work; that one I would describe as with "a bitter sweet end, little worlds spreading out with a breath, like wishing on dandelions".
In it on the night that Nefeli tries to reconnect with her childhood friend Cara, she finds her cut off from everyone she knows - family and friends - her only connection to them is the internet; email, cell phone texts, a video game.
When she finds her strange reality is one shared by many others cut off from family and friends the situation grows more dire when the internet begins to fail her and all the others too.
It's got a very pandemic loneliness to it that I've become familiar with the feel of, but also the isolation that's in whole groups who socialize via say with Twitter or other social media (LiveJournal, Tumblr, ect.) who've lost their friends because social media platforms sell out and are left alone to try to try again adrift in a web that you have to try to find your way through again.
May 2, 2023
What a fun otherworldly coming of age story!
I'm not familiar with this author, but I'm glad I gave this short story a try. It centers on a young humanoid girl named Anissa on a planet where fish are matured in youths' bellies. Anissa is dying to have her fish mature into mermaids just like all of her friends, but when things don't seem to go in that direction she takes measures to get the answers she needs, embarking on a quest of self discovery and acceptance.
First things first, I loved the bizarre premise of this short story. This had fantasy written all over it and I loved this strange world and its customs. The process of maturating a fish from one's belly was a new concept, but there was community built around it that helped normalize the behavior.
Anissa was a fun character to follow around, and she's dealing with what a lot of Earth youth deal with, specifically wanting to fit in. There's a lot of growth for her in a short time, but it was believable given the actions she took to get answers and I thought she was admirable.
If I had to poke at something, I'd say the writing style was hard to get into at first, especially the lists, but this story's got a lot of heart that I think any young reader or adult can appreciate. If you've got a little bit of time, give it a try! I think you'll really like it.
I'm not familiar with this author, but I'm glad I gave this short story a try. It centers on a young humanoid girl named Anissa on a planet where fish are matured in youths' bellies. Anissa is dying to have her fish mature into mermaids just like all of her friends, but when things don't seem to go in that direction she takes measures to get the answers she needs, embarking on a quest of self discovery and acceptance.
First things first, I loved the bizarre premise of this short story. This had fantasy written all over it and I loved this strange world and its customs. The process of maturating a fish from one's belly was a new concept, but there was community built around it that helped normalize the behavior.
Anissa was a fun character to follow around, and she's dealing with what a lot of Earth youth deal with, specifically wanting to fit in. There's a lot of growth for her in a short time, but it was believable given the actions she took to get answers and I thought she was admirable.
If I had to poke at something, I'd say the writing style was hard to get into at first, especially the lists, but this story's got a lot of heart that I think any young reader or adult can appreciate. If you've got a little bit of time, give it a try! I think you'll really like it.
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December 31, 2025This is an interesting story of adolescence and becoming, with an oceanic kind of feeling. I do like the "moral" of not pushing yourself into growing too fast, or trying to pin down who you are or will be, and the visuals in this are great. I do have a lot of questions about this world and its hierarchy, though I know that short stories have to lean towards the abstract.
March 14, 2024
I think a thing I love the most is coming across a tale that is so original. This reminds me in a less gruesome way of Ponies by Kij Johnson.
September 6, 2023
A wonderful story as always by Eugenia!
March 28, 2025
"(...) sometimes it’s okay not to name things. Not to know."
A sweet tale about acceptance and growing up.
A sweet tale about acceptance and growing up.
December 31, 2025
3.5
aww this was cute!
aww this was cute!
March 25, 2024
interesting allegory about puberty
April 16, 2023
I really enjoyed this short story. It's weird and chthonic, and there's also a lot going on under the surface (yes, I went there.) But I enjoyed it as a coming of age story.
April 23, 2024
On the one hand I applaud Triantafyllou for avoiding the temptation of an exposition-dump. On the other, it took me a little while to make sense of what was going on in this story.
The concept is very original - people all have little fish swimming around in membranous bubbles in their bellies. The fish evolve into other creatures (mermaids, octopuses and the like) and a lot of social stigma comes from what your fish develops into. The protagonist has a scare when she realises that she might be made a pariah when her fish is not developing in the same way as those of all her friends and family.
It's the sort of story that benefits from not digging too deeply into the whys and hows. Taken at face-value it's a meaningful, if a little overt, metaphor for individuality and the courage to be oneself, presented in the package of a story we have not seen before. The story itself doesn't do much for me but Triantafyllou deserves a great deal of credit for her creativity.
The concept is very original - people all have little fish swimming around in membranous bubbles in their bellies. The fish evolve into other creatures (mermaids, octopuses and the like) and a lot of social stigma comes from what your fish develops into. The protagonist has a scare when she realises that she might be made a pariah when her fish is not developing in the same way as those of all her friends and family.
It's the sort of story that benefits from not digging too deeply into the whys and hows. Taken at face-value it's a meaningful, if a little overt, metaphor for individuality and the courage to be oneself, presented in the package of a story we have not seen before. The story itself doesn't do much for me but Triantafyllou deserves a great deal of credit for her creativity.
May 6, 2023
Change isn’t always easy, especially when you don’t have any control over how or when it happens.
Anissa was a likeable and thoughtful main character. There were times when I wished she’d go into more detail about her physiology, but it made sense for someone her age to assume the audience was already familiar with the idea of various aquatic animals developing in people’s bodies. Of course, she didn’t know any differently! She barely even knew herself yet, much less had time to envision what life might be like on other worlds.
I loved the fact that Ms. Triantafyllou expected her audience to put some effort into understanding the analogy she was making. It was only after rereading this tale that I fully understood what she was saying, but I relished the opportunity to spend more time with the characters as I looked for more clues about Anissa’s relationship with her fish and what might happen to them after she became an adult.
Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that gently encouraged readers to make the connection between this symbiotic society and what it can be like for LGBTQ people to grow up in a world that isn’t always welcoming or kind to them by any means. There were other analogies that could work well here, too, and I applaud the author for leaving space for them, but I kept coming back to how different Anissa felt from her classmates and how desperately she wanted to be accepted no matter who she grew up to be.
Salt Water was brilliant, and I’m crossing my fingers that we might get a sequel to it someday.
Anissa was a likeable and thoughtful main character. There were times when I wished she’d go into more detail about her physiology, but it made sense for someone her age to assume the audience was already familiar with the idea of various aquatic animals developing in people’s bodies. Of course, she didn’t know any differently! She barely even knew herself yet, much less had time to envision what life might be like on other worlds.
I loved the fact that Ms. Triantafyllou expected her audience to put some effort into understanding the analogy she was making. It was only after rereading this tale that I fully understood what she was saying, but I relished the opportunity to spend more time with the characters as I looked for more clues about Anissa’s relationship with her fish and what might happen to them after she became an adult.
Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that gently encouraged readers to make the connection between this symbiotic society and what it can be like for LGBTQ people to grow up in a world that isn’t always welcoming or kind to them by any means. There were other analogies that could work well here, too, and I applaud the author for leaving space for them, but I kept coming back to how different Anissa felt from her classmates and how desperately she wanted to be accepted no matter who she grew up to be.
Salt Water was brilliant, and I’m crossing my fingers that we might get a sequel to it someday.
February 8, 2024
A short, alien coming-of-age tale featuring human(oids) that grow fish in their bellies from adolescence that go through a metamorphosis into some other sea creature right as their "host"(?) hits puberty.
I didn't really figure out what was going on in this story until I was about halfway through, as nothing is truly "explained". However, as our protagonist is only 12 and is going through a pretty confusing life stage, I will chalk some of it up to that.
I am still confused by the person/creature correlation. Do they just grow these creatures, and then when the person dies the creature goes on its merry way? Are the hosts able to take-over the sea creature?
This seems to imply that the person can take over the animal, but then why do they need socialization? Aren't they socializing as humans?
I do feel for Ekaterina - just because she is an octopus, she is viewed as a witch and someone to be avoided. Just for being different.
I didn't really figure out what was going on in this story until I was about halfway through, as nothing is truly "explained". However, as our protagonist is only 12 and is going through a pretty confusing life stage, I will chalk some of it up to that.
I am still confused by the person/creature correlation. Do they just grow these creatures, and then when the person dies the creature goes on its merry way? Are the hosts able to take-over the sea creature?
“No shoving, no ignoring, and no hiding in the corals.” The last one she says looking at Jacob. “You swim together, or you don’t swim at all. You help each other progress.”
This seems to imply that the person can take over the animal, but then why do they need socialization? Aren't they socializing as humans?
I do feel for Ekaterina - just because she is an octopus, she is viewed as a witch and someone to be avoided. Just for being different.
April 13, 2023
There's just enough worldbuilding in this short story to whet my appetite for more. Triantafyllou deftly touches on familiar mythologies like mermaids, but makes them her own in a way that left me with a sense of curiosity on how everything...worked.
A cute and entertaining little tale overall!
A cute and entertaining little tale overall!
December 24, 2023
Nobody knows what they'll become until they're it. I like that this story is about growing up, and growing up different than others will be cruel sometimes, as society is so ready to judge you.
The fantasy elements are confusing but I love the overall undertone.
The fantasy elements are confusing but I love the overall undertone.
December 31, 2024
This…I’m not 100% sure I understand everything but that’s ok. This story has a very melancholic vibe. When I finished it I was surprised at how quick it was, had more questions, and (weirdly enough) wanted to cry
It was good
It was good
May 20, 2023
A charming coming of age story with a puberty metaphor.
May 22, 2023
Peculiar in the best of ways!
I need to read more from this author.
I need to read more from this author.
June 29, 2023
depending on shorts to bring me out of this wretched slump
July 13, 2023
A tale of acceptance dressed up as a weird coming of age fantasy.
August 16, 2023
For how weird the setting is, the actual story fell a little flat for me.
October 25, 2023
It's weird, but interesting. I would have liked to know more. It's a metaphor for growing up in unexpected ways. I didn't care for the ambiguous ending in this one.
December 6, 2023
Short story advent utilising tordotcom free fiction 6/24
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August 22, 2024This felt like a tik tok 23part story IM SORRY
November 11, 2024
A weird little story, but I did find myself invested in what the little fish was going to transform into.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews