By grapehyacinth


 Eileen stood in the doorway in awe. Her friend Parrie had finally done it. She had officially lost her mind.

She stared at the young strawberry blonde, wondering what was going on in that just-graduated-from-college brain of hers.

Parrie chirped, “So, what do you think? You like?”

The twenty-two year old brunette could not string together even a simple sentence in reply. Her friend had expanded her bathroom, which in itself was not too out-of-the-ordinary. Granted, it had been on the small side, but had it served its purpose. The big worry was why Parrie had partaken in this particular undertaking...

Parrie was obsessed with bubble baths.

As amusing as it sounded, when one met Parrie, she seemed so girl-next-door that it was unfathomable that she could deviate in any way from normal. She was bright, intense, lots of fun to be with...yet she was abnormally preoccupied with finding the perfect bubble bath.

Eileen had known Parrie since high school, but she had not mentioned her strange fixation until only a few years ago. But by then, Parrie had stockpiled her house with every bubble bath liquid known to man (and some that probably were not). She would sit for hours, scouring ebay or Amazon for the newest formulas or for rare ones that she so far had not been able to locate. “You could write the first bubble bath manual ever,” Eileen had said to her, only half in jest. What scared Eileen was that Parrie had thought this was a good idea.

“I could make it a novel!” had been her too-enthusiastic response.

Eileen stared at the wall-to-ceiling shelves stocked with containers of all shapes and sizes. 'Best bubbles', 'Bubble Fun Times', 'Be the Bath'... and they were arranged in alphabetical order. There was definitely something not quite right with Parrie.

There were strange jets in the floor, walls, and ceiling, and Eileen realized they could only have one role – to pump bubbles all over the bathroom. How much had all this cost? Eileen pondered to herself. For that matter, where had Parrie gotten the money? Her job didn't pay that well!

Most of the room, however, was taken up by the biggest bathtub Eileen had ever seen. It resembled more of a Roman bath than a bathroom at this point. In fact, the toilet and sink were tucked so far off in the back corner, they seemed to inhabit a different state.

“Well?” Parrie prompted her friend. “Is this awesome or not?”

“Have you tried the...” Eileen gestured at the jets, “Thingies... yet?” she stammered.

“Of course! They're awesome! The bubbles come from everywhere, and it's a whole-room experience...” she stopped, her face falling. “You think I'm crazy.”

Sighing, Eileen shrugged, “Hey, to each his own. Although it is kind of over-the-top to make your bathroom bigger just for the sake of an Olympic-size bathtub.”

“Comfort is king, Eileen!” Parrie grabbed up a container of lavender bath salts and rattled it for emphasis.

Eileen shook her head, studying her friend in earnest. In all aspects of her life, Parrie was grounded and painstakingly normal. She really did seem to be friends with everyone, and she was a vice-president at her job.

Then, of course, she would come home from a long day and retire to her bubble bath room. She would even nap in there at times.

Taking the bath salts from her friend's hand, Eileen replaced the jar on the shelf. “Parrie, how's your mom doing?” she asked in a quiet voice. Parrie's mother had suffered silently through chronic pain for many years, and Eileen wondered if this had fueled Parrie's quest for comfort and the perfect bubble bath.

Frowning, Parrie looked at her feet. “Not well at all. It's just...” she turned away. “Not good.”

Feeling guilty from wrenching Parrie from her happy mood, Eileen embraced her friend. “I'm sorry. Really I am.”

Parrie was silent a moment. She fingered the lavender salts, then her hand moved onto a bath brush. “It's funny. It sounds so ridiculous, and I know you're going to tell me to get therapy, but it's still not perfect.”

“What?”

“My room. My bath. I still don't have the perfect bubble bath.”

Yet again, Eileen merely gaped at her. Parrie truly needed help, and she knew just the person to speak with. “Parrie, you've got...all this...” she pointed to the jets, “and...huge bubble-tubs and every bubble bath mixture known to man...what's wrong with it?”

“I need it...to last!”

“The bubbles?”

Parrie nodded forlornly.

“So leave the jets on!” Eileen cried with impatience.

“No, I want the bubbles to stay! To not pop, to...Oh, I don't know what I want, I...”

“Oh, holy crap, Parrie! Listen to yourself! I mean, it's insane!!”

Stung, Parrie turned away. Eileen immediately felt remorseful as there were very few people that Parrie had shared her obsession with, and Eileen now felt as if she had betrayed her. She would have to find a way to make it up to her. It was time to call Brad.

“What the hell is this, Parrie?”

Parrie's brother Brad stared at the apparatus in her bathroom with shock. He knew his sister was a bit too obsessed with bubble baths, but it seemed harmless enough until Eileen had reported the newest developments to him. He was surprised Eileen even remembered his number. They had had a bit of a relationship many years ago, but she had broken it off. He often thought of her still.

When Eileen had told him about the bathroom add-on and Parrie's greatly-heightened quest for the perfect bubble bath, he immediately realized it was her way to deal with her depression over her mother's condition. And, being a psychologist, he figured it was time to talk to her. But now that he was about to confront her, he found himself growing angry over the incredible silliness of the situation.

“Parrie, I just... Why?” he finally sputtered, picking up a box that read, 'Ultimate Long-Lasting Sweetie Bubbles'. What the hell were 'Sweetie Bubbles'? Well, he was sure that Parrie knew very well.

“I love my bath, what can I say?” she tossed out, rearranging some bottles on her shelf. “You want to try it out?” She walked over to a set of buttons and faucets behind the tub.

“What is that, the control panel?” he burst out.

“Shut up, Brad. You want to see it or not?”

Brad glanced at the ceiling. “Whatever.” He walked back to the doorway, trying to feign interest in her elaborate set-up. The machinery whirred to life and, as Parrie positioned herself in the middle of the empty tub, bubbles began to bombard her from every which way.

“Wonderful!” she cried, holding her hands up in the air. “It's almost like I'm part of it!”

Brad sidled further out of the room so he wouldn't get wet.

“Like it, Brad?”

He could hardly see her in the thick walls of bubbles. “Very nice,” he murmured.

“What?”

“Nice!” he yelled back.

“Hold on, I can't hear you. Let me turn this off!” The bubbles stopped abruptly as she shut down the jets, and Brad heaved a sigh of relief.

“It's so awesome, and it makes me so happy!” Parrie exclaimed, sitting down on the side of the tub. But a small sigh escaped her lips, and she added, “usually.”

Examining her closely as he approached, he uttered, “Does it really, or is there something deeper–”

She cut him off, enraged. “What, Mom? Well, Mr. Psychology, I bet it is! But if this is my way of coping, that's fine! It's better than me going off and becoming a mass murderer or something!”

Brad shrank away from her, surprised at her outburst. Parrie immediately appeared apologetic, however. “Sorry, Brad. But it's more than just Mom. I mean,” she held out her arms again, “I love this, but it's still not perfect.”

“What's not perfect? I don't think a bubble bath could get any more perfect, having its own room and all.”

“Brad, I hate the way you make fun of me.”

“I'm not making fun...it's just...what's the problem?”

She made a puzzled expression, tossing her head to the side. “Maybe if the bubbles were more permanent...”

Brad was getting tired of this. “Get some of those plasticy ones you blow out of the tubes! You know, like they had when we were young? The sticky ones that probably give you cancer?”

“Brad, I'm serious!”

He could see that she was getting more confused and upset, and he decided it was time to get away from his sister before he set her off again. Walking out of the room, he called back, “Parrie, you're coming apart at the seams. You need help.”

He had meant to say it gently, as a suggestion, but it came out raw and unforgiving.

Gaping at him, Parrie slowly uttered, “Get out. Just...get out!” Her voice rose in rage, and she lunged for her thirty-year-old brother, who actually ran out of the house.

When Brad next called her, Parrie refused to pick up the phone. However, she did pick up on Eileen's late-night phone call, only to find Eileen calling on Brad's behalf. Before Parrie slammed the phone down, she caught the words “perfect bubble bath solution”, and she paused.

“Brad knows another psychologist who has, as he says, some 'unorthodox' methods, and she swears that you should go visit some place where they most definitely will solve your,” Eileen coughed, “problem”.

Choosing to ignore the little insult her friend had inserted, Parrie expressed interest. “What kind of place?”

“A store.”

“A store?”

“It's called 'The Bath House'.”

Holding a slip of paper in her hand as she studied the Main Street storefronts, Parrie grew annoyed. She knew this was probably yet another ridiculous scheme that Brad had devised to help her on the sly. She had never heard of this place, and she had lived in this area for years.

And suddenly, it was there before her.

The bright pink sign had bubbles painted all around the store name, which was in big fat letters. “Ugh. This must be new. These little places come in and out all the time. I'm the only idiot supporting them, and here I am yet again. Here's all my money, store! It's all yours!”

Her push through the front door brought forth a tingle of bells and a sickly-sweet smell. The store was unremarkable, like any everyday convenience store, except it was only stacked with soaps, shampoos, and bath accessories. “And this is supposed to help me how?” she murmured to herself.

“We can help you,” cried a peppy voice. From around a display of bath oils sashayed a short woman all dressed in the same syrupy pink as the sign.

“You mean 'can I help you',” mumbled Parrie.

“No, we can. I promise.”

“And how will that happen? Do you own some of the bubble bath of the gods?”

Emitting a short snicker, the lady tapped at Parrie's shoulder. “My dear, calm down. Let's talk. Inhale the delightful scents of the bath, and come join me in our simulated bubble room.”

Simulated bubble room? Silently, Parrie followed the woman into a small chamber. The walls and floor were transparent, and as the woman seated Parrie on a velvety-pink chaise, a faint whirring of machinery began, and bubbles were everywhere – but outside of the walls.

“Nice,” Parrie smiled. “Although I wish they were actually in here, touching me. I love to feel like I'm part of my bath.”

The woman nodded. An expression of such deep understanding came over her face that Parrie felt some hope awakening within herself.

“Yes, I know what you mean. But our bath room is designed so you don't get wet, my dear. Who wants to go outside in the cold and get sick? Now,” she seated herself across from Parrie, “Let me introduce myself. My name is Miss Bubbles.”

The woman paused for the expected burst of laughter. Parrie did not do well trying to cover it up, either. “Come on, really?”

“Well, it's a nickname.”

“I sure hope so.”

The woman cleared her throat and waited for Parrie's full attention. “Parrie, I understand your obsession. I was told you were coming, and I'd like to help you. I have a video I'd like to show you that will introduce you to our newest product.” Miss Bubbles clicked on an enormous screen that was sandwiched between the bubble-walls.

The same blatant pink color came on, and bubbles began to creep across the screen. A female voice purred, “Welcome to the Bath House. We can't wait to share with you our newest product – Endless Bubbles!”

Parrie snorted, but Miss Bubbles whispered, “Listen!”

The voice-over continued, “Run your bath, shower, or even sink! On contact with water, our Endless Bubbles solution makes bubbles grow faster and stronger than ever before! But the best thing is, our bubbles never vanish! They stay there forever, if you'd like them to! And no more sticky vinyl mess. These bubbles are 100% soap! Comes in seven heavenly scents. Try one today!”

Miss Bubbles snapped off the screen and waited for Parrie's response, which was simply a half-hearted, “Hmm.”

“Well, isn't this what you want? Endless bubbles that last forever?”

“Yes...but...”

“But what?”

“What if I want them to go away? Like if I have to clean the bathroom or something?”

Miss Bubbles frowned. “My dear, you have to make up your mind here. It's just what you wanted. And yes, if you want them gone, remove the water source. They feed on the energy of the water.”

“Energy of the water? What kind of energy does water have?”

Miss Bubbles smiled knowingly to herself. “Oh, my dear, water is imbued with great power. It is life.”

“Life?”

“It's the giver of life. The life-substance. We could not exist without water. There's great magic within it.”

“Uh-huh.” Parrie blinked at the woman as she stood up and walked to the door.

“So you want to try this or not? I promise – in one way or another, I will make your dreams come true.”

“Are you sure?”

“If this doesn't do it, you come back here and I'll live up to my promise.”

Gulping, Parrie paid the woman and left. She wondered if she had yet again been taken advantage of.

Hesitantly, Parrie turned on the sink in her bathroom. The water tumbled into the marble basin and she thought about what the woman had said. She made water sound magical or something – she must be one of those weird new-agers.

Parrie poured a drop of “Endless Bubbles: Forever Sunshine” into the water. It boasted an “Aromatic mix of lemongrass, lavender, and cherry blossoms to stir your soul”, and, embarrassing as it was, Parrie had nonetheless developed great hopes for it as she had made the trip home. She re-capped the bottle, set it on the counter, and watched closely.

On contact with water, the fluid almost glowed, and Parrie grew excited. Sparkly bubbles began to form in the sink. They grew larger and rapidly divided until the basin was quickly filled with bubbles that were markedly not popping. The newer bubbles pushed the new ones onto the counter and to the floor, and soon they covered most of the tiles. As they gathered around the tub, they began to build up, layer upon layer, until they fell in. With a happy gasp, Parrie turned on the tub faucets, stripped off her clothes, and jumped into the water. The bubbles were just like any other bath, and she could pop them if she chose, but they would not burst on their own.

She lay in bliss, feeling the bubbles pouring over her, more and more, until she was covered in them. The bathroom itself was filling up with them, and she had to keep pushing them off her face so she could breathe. She giggled to herself. “I guess being drowned by bubbles isn't the worst way to die.”

Yet at the same time, how could she enjoy the never-ending bubbles if they were going to asphyxiate her? As nice as it was, she was still not satisfied with this answer. Frustrated, she slammed her hand against the tub, making her wrist throb painfully. Was there an answer for this deep seated-need? For that matter, what was it that she was truly aching for? It did not make sense. What was wrong with her?

Grudgingly, she turned off the bath, then traversed the roomful of bubbles and shut off the sink. Just as the woman had said, the bubbles began to dissipate. Parrie viewed them sadly. No, this still was not right. She would go back to the Bath House once more. And if that didn't help, well...

“I knew you'd come back. I could tell what you were right away, but I had to be sure. That wasn't enough for you, was it?”

Parrie cast her eyes to the floor. The woman knew very well she would be back, and, as she sat in the bubble room and watched the activity around her, she shed several hopeless tears. “Nothing's enough! I still want... more...it's like...” she turned away from the woman so she could not see her tears. “I'm so weird! You don't know what it's like...I need it... But I don't know what I need! I just...Oh, God, what's wrong with me?”

Miss Bubbles began to laugh, and Parrie frowned angrily.

“There's nothing wrong with you. My dear, you're like me.”

“What does that mean?”

“You want to go back to where you belong. To be one with it. And you can't.”

Raising an eyebrow, Parrie yelped, “What?”

“Parrie, you're a water spirit.”

Parrie rolled her eyes. For a moment, she had hoped there was a real answer to the question. “A what?”

“A water spirit. Like a sprite or nymph...you're part water spirit.”

“Oh, please. That's only mythology.”

“No, it's not. Someone back in your family tree was a water spirit that married a human. And occasionally, through the generations, the water spirit genes pop up. You crave to get back to the water, to be part of the water...although your craving took the form of bubble baths.”

Parrie's jaw dropped as she pondered this. It scared her how much she wanted to believe it as it would explain her crazy obsession. As she grew silent, Miss Bubbles went into a closet and came out with a large, unmarked seventy-two-ounce bottle, and handed it to her. “This is it,” she said.

“What?”

“This formula will prove who you are. This boosts your water spirit magic, since you're probably not able to use it naturally yet. That will come in time once you dip into it.”

“What...”

“Take a bit of the liquid, and when you come in contact with water, you'll feel its power, and the ability within you to harness it. This mixture been in my family for generations. We call it 'Spirit'.”

Parrie ran her hand down the bottle. 'Spirit'? It was probably some horrible poison, but she simply did not care. She was willing to try anything at this point. She wanted an answer. She wanted to understand herself. “It really does anything?”

“Well, not anything...it's water-related. You can use the magic you harness from the water to alter your form. Some of my family chose to become mermaids or aquatic creatures so they can be reunited with their mother-water, as they call it. Then there's others who simply become one with the water. That's quite nice too. The water can make you do wonderful things. Beyond your wildest dreams!”

The woman's enthusiasm was definitely contagious. Parrie needed to get home.

Parrie stood before the mirror in the bathroom, the bottle clasped in hand. She stared at herself, again wondering at the shopwoman's words. Water spirit? She always had loved water; her mother had always had told tales about how Parrie was swimming before she was even crawling. And she was always searching for bodies of water as a child, wishing she could have her own pond so she could swim in it, line it with flowers, and fill it with fish and water animals...

She took a sip of the liquid. It tasted surprisingly nice, like sugar cookies tinged with one of those herbs she couldn't tell apart – rosemary? Sage? Allspice?

As the liquid flowed through her, she suddenly felt a remarkable energy, as if her whole body was truly awake for the first time ever. The depression was shed like an old ratty shirt, and she realized, if nothing else, this fluid might have just saved her life, if only to cure her sadness.

She turned on the tub, spilling a bit of the “Endless Bubbles” formula into it. Mesmerized, she watched the foam form and overtake the bathroom. The bubbles were so perfect, so careless, so sparkly...she wanted to join them, desperately.

Her body suddenly dropped a few inches, making her stomach lurch. Tingles launched through her insides, and she emitted an involuntary squeak. She held up her hands to see them growing translucent and bright, just like the bubbles.

“My God...it's...really real...?” She stared down at her melting body. It felt so good like this, changing into what seemed to finally be the right substance, and, sensing that she was in control, she pushed it on. She wanted these wonderful changes, she needed them... “I...want this....I need more water...” She lurched towards the tub, but her legs crumbled under her, and she let out a nervous giggle. “She said the water...magic in the water...there's water in these bubbles, and it's setting off my magic...” With what was left of her human form, she again dove towards the tub, but was not quite able to get to it in time. Surrendering to the delicious feeling of metamorphosis, her whole body collapsed to the floor, losing shape, growing colorless, and becoming a wonderful mass of bubbles. “Yes!” she gasped, trying to keep her face intact. “Oh, it's...it's what I've always wanted...I need to get into the tub with more water...” The new mass of bubbles slid across the last few feet of tile and slithered up the side of the tub. It fell in with a splash and then started to expand. “More, more!” Parrie cried in triumph, as she reveled in her expanding shapeless form. “I want to be everywhere! I want to crowd out the fake bubbles! I'm the real ones!”

Her bubble-form filled the tub, reveling in the hypnotic lull of floating on the warm water, loving the feeling of the running faucet plunging into her and popping parts of her. She let some of herself slide back out of the tub, and set to expanding and taking over the bathroom. “Oh, I'm truly the perfect bubble bath now,” she uttered. “This is it! She was right! The water was calling to me, but I couldn't understand it. I needed to become it...”

Experimenting with the new 'body' she had gained, she began to form bits and pieces of herself into different shapes. She balled herself up into spheres and cubes and pyramids. Then, in a fit of laughter, she took every bit of her new form and rolled herself up into an enormous ball. Rolling back and forth in the small space she had was quite fun until she hit the wall and fell apart into a shower of bubbles.

But a smile graced this collection of suds, and it began to murmur dreamily, “I am the water. I am elemental, and I never knew it. This is the answer to a question that's bothered me subconsciously all my life. A water spirit...I wonder if Brad has this too? I'll have to show him...”

Creeping back across the floor and into the tub as well, she shook the mass of bubbles that her head had become. “If only I could take a bath in myself! It's a shame that the perfect bubble bath won't be used.”

Suddenly she felt the oddest sensation – as if part of her was separating away. She watched in awe as a human form emerged from the suds, which soon solidified into a twin of herself. But it was still her, and she could feel her own bubbles surrounding this solid human part of her, and it was beyond her wildest dreams. She lay there for what seemed to be hours, soaking in herself, loving the feeling of her bubbles surrounding her, while relishing the popping and foaming of her bubble-parts. At one point she covered her 'clone' in bubbles, effectively 'swallowing' her whole and merging back into all bubbles once more. She was one with the water, one with herself, and she would never be depressed again.

For now, she was life itself.