If only they were brighter. The first trickle of water reaches the pointed toe of my nude stilettoes, the droplets appearing to peel away from the shiny material. The sound of the running water soothes me as I stare at the pearlescent bathtub now rapidly overflowing, like a tiny ocean, powerful waves rippling outward until they come cascading over the precipice and onto the marble below. I rip my gaze from the deluge of water. It falls upon my silvery image . Blue eyes sparkle back at me. My hair falls loosely upon my shoulders in a shimmering halo of liquid gold. It’s no surprise they all fall for me; I’m perfect.

If only I had of swiped left, how could I ever expect to find my soulmate via tinder? What are the odds that someone would ever have the same first words that are as strange as mine? I can’t even begin to imagine the embarrassment I’m going to feel when this guy finally gets around to asking me what my first words were. Why did it have to be first words, huh? Why couldn’t you just find your soulmate by a tattoo or having the same birthmark? It just had to be the same first words.

The elf and the strange-looking water creature walked cautiously through the forest. Though the elf walked in front of the creature with long, slimy green kelp fur, if you could even call it that, it was the creature who was trailing and watching avidly from behind for any lurking dangers. “Now Gur,” the elf said, gesticulating strongly, “I simply cannot get these shoes ruined! Not even on a quest to find sacred grass. They cost me half of my dwelling and premium leather is too precious to just waste.”

‘If’ is the beginning to all regrets. One would assume there would be nothing to rue about celebrating at a spacious, public pool, but Dakota, a teenage boy that begrudgingly accepted the invitation, swam in his own pool of pessimism. He saw the bad in everything, and he could only watch depressingly from the lone shadows for the worst to occur. He studied the beautiful birthday girl as she socialised with her peers and looked unphased by the negative ‘ifs’ of the night.