Madness string 19193

Random mermaid
To someone who only knows how to dig with a spoon, the notion of digging something as large as a trench will terrify them. All they know are spoons, so as far as they're concerned, digging is simply difficult. The only way they can imagine it getting any easier is if they change – digging with a spoon until they get stronger, faster, and tougher. And the dangerous people, they'll actually try this.

It would be nice to avoid confrontation, but after a point you realise there is no non-confrontational way to ask someone to stop hurting you. And while you already know it's not going to achieve anything, maybe it's still worth doing just for your own sake; if you, at least, can acknowledge that yes, they really are hurting you, that may still be worth something?