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MidReal Story
The Puffer Fish Flag
Scenario:Kazakmacedino the puffer fish flag
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Sliwry star
Kazakmacedino
male, often sought by sea creatures for advice, known for his deep violet eyes and vibrant, ever-changing patterns, gentle yet firm in his guidance, he spearheads an underwater alliance to protect the ocean's treasures from pollution and exploitation, his closest ally is Maris, a clever seahorse with whom he shares a bond over their shared mission.
Switzen
I was wandering through the market in my home town of Kazakmacedino when I saw it.
The puffer fish flag.
It was completely out of place in the vibrant, colorful market, where flags of all countries flew proudly.
But this flag was not from any country.
It featured a puffer fish prominently in the center, with a variety of colors that seemed to change before my eyes, just like the magical puffer fish that lived in the legendary Coral Garden.
I had heard stories of the wise and gentle puffer fish who lived there, how his deep violet eyes could see into the hearts of all who visited him.
How his very form seemed to shift and change as he moved through the water, like a chameleon.
I wondered if there was any truth to those stories.
Who had put up this flag, and what did they mean by it?
I didn’t have any answers, so I decided to ask around.
Starting with the vendor whose stall the flag was draped over.
"Excuse me," I said.
"Where did you get that flag?"
The vendor looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
"Flag? What flag?"
"The one right there."
I pointed.
"Oh, you mean the Kazakh MACEDONIAN the puffer fish flag?"
I sighed.
"No, that’s not what I mean at all. Why do you think it’s a Kazakh Macedonian flag?"
He shrugged.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket to take a picture of the flag, but the screen was cracked from when I had dropped it yesterday.
Still, the camera worked.
I framed the shot, and as I did, the colors of the flag seemed to shimmer and change even more than they had in person.
The puffer fish’s violet eyes seemed to stare right at me through the viewfinder.
The vendor went back to arranging his wares, completely ignoring both me and the strange flag above his stall.
I took several photos from different angles, trying to capture the way the puffer fish seemed to move as I moved around it.
The final photo I took caught something I hadn’t noticed before—a small symbol embroidered in the corner of the flag.
When I checked my phone’s gallery, though, all of the images were distorted.
I approached the elderly vendor again.
"Where did you get this flag?"
I asked, pointing specifically to the embroidered symbol in the corner.
The symbol was a spiral that seemed to shift and twist in on itself, and it looked like it had been embroidered with thread that was almost but not quite silver.
The vendor squinted at where I was pointing.
"What do you mean?"
I repeated my question, tracing the shape of the spiral with my finger.
The thread beneath felt slightly warm, as if it were infused with an inner light.
The vendor’s face went dark with anger.
"It’s just a regular flag," he spat, snatching the fabric away from me.
"I’m going to close my stand."
As he packed up, I noticed the spiral symbol glowing faintly in the dimming light, whispering a secret I was determined to uncover.