Hastily I broke open the lock and peep in.

All my hopes shattered.

There was only a leather bound book, battered by the waves.

I open the first page to get a shock.

It was a photo album.

There is a picture of a mermaid, with her fins folded.

The entire picture was hazy, like it had been taken under water.

Something was scribbled beneath it.

I took out a magnifying glass, sliding it over the letters.

"I'm writing it in the hope that anybody gets it. I'm in captivity and don't know how much time I have left. If you're seeing this, it's Atlantis speaking. They are like you, but cruel, merciless and selfish. They use us for experiments and we get killed. They test illegal drugs on us and we have no say. They have a secret laboratory under water away from your civilization. Please rescue us. Let your authorities know."

It was signed 'Marina'.

Finding the lost treasure of Atlantis had been my dream, but never had I expected to hear about humans colonizing the underwater city, carrying out illegal experiments.

That information in the chest was the greatest treasure.

I took out my phone and dialled.

200 words completed.

Written for the Collab Contest by talesofthedeep and SecretTreasures

Thanks for reading Pipigrin MaryFahey teamhathaway KashishBelikov lindajonesAuthor