Finding Nemo: A Thriller

Chapter twelve

"Dude. Duuuude."

Marlin was barely conscious, his head throbbing like crazy. The air tasted like the sea, so he knew he had to be at the shore. He saw a cloudless sky above him, but felt wooden planks beneath him.

A man's face suddenly appeared above him, long hair graying with age, but eyes bright with youth.

"Focus, dude," He said, his voice matching the Australian accent Marlin had grown to dread.

Marlin's eyes opened fully and he moaned. The man beamed.

"Ah, he lives. Hey, dude!"

Marlin propped himself up. "What happened?"

"I saw the whole thing dude!" The man chuckled. "First you were like, 'Woah!' and then we were like, 'Woah' and then you were all like, 'Ugh'."

Marlin shook his head, willing his eyes to focus. "What are you talking about?"

The man helped him up and guzzled down something in a can. He was at least half a foot taller than him. "You, mini man! Takin' on the Furries. You've got serious thrill issues, man."

The floor suddenly rocked, and his stomach heaved. "Oh, my stomach." He moaned.

"Hey, no hurling on the floors, okay? Just got it waxed."

Marlin winced. He was covered in bruises and cuts, more than several bandages across his body.

"You're in real bad shape, dude. The name's Crush," The man crowed, pressing a canned drink into Marlin's hands.

Marlin barely noticed the cold tin in his palms. "Your name is Crush?" He coughed. "Okay, whatever. Listen, I need to get to the airport. To Sydney."

Crush laughed. "Sydney? Well, you're on your way, dude."

Marlin suddenly had a good look around, his mind clearing.

He stood on a huge fishing vessel in the middle of the sea, bigger than any fishing boat he'd ever seen. There were people of all ages, children playing tag and a few elders lounging on patio furniture. The boat was going full speed, the motor whirring at max.

"So," Crush sank into a cushioned bench. "What brings you to Sydney?"

"Dory and I have to—" Marlin stopped. "Dory! Where's Dory?"

Crush chuckled and stood up. "Ah. Little Blue. She was the one who hooked up with us, told us all about the hometown."

"Sydney. Are you from there?"

"Totally, dude. Me and the homies were already on the way. Little Blue asked us for the lift." He nodded toward the corner of the ship, where Dory lay.

Marlin rushed to her side, inspecting her wounds. "Dory?"

She looked terrible, with cuts lining her face and a bandage on her leg. A strip of gauze was wrapped around her head, a splotch of red on the side. She was murmuring in her sleep, something he noticed she did a lot. Her torn jeans and flannel was replaced with a size-too-big tank and fresh shorts. Her blue-tipped hair was damp, and she looked smaller than usual.

Marlin sighed, looking down at her helpless state. This was his fault, they should have taken the long way so they could take a plane. Now they were stuck on a boat, injured head to toe.

Suddenly, her eyes opened. She squinted against the glaring sun, putting a hand to her head. Before he could say anything, she jumped up and called to a group of kids, "Did I miss dinner?"

The kids shook their heads and ran off to play. Dory waved to them and noticed Marlin beside her.

"Burns," Her face lit up. "You're awake."

"So are you," He smiled.

A little boy of about six came up to Dory and tugged on her hand. He had a bungee cord attached to his waist. "Do the catapult, Little Blue."

Dory grinned and winked at Marlin. She hoisted the boy up and he squatted on her shoulders, holding onto her blonde head.

"Ready?" She squatted down, held the boy's waist, and flung him into the sky. The boy soared through the air before landing in the sea. His little body twisted and thrashed in the white tipped water, helplessly thrown by the waves. Marlin ran to the boat's edge and stared at the boy's body.

"Slow down!" He shouted frantically at the pilot.

Crush was suddenly beside him again, sipping on a canned drink.

"Woah, slow the motor, dude," He said. "Let's see what Squirt does flying solo."

The boy, who presumably was called Squirt, was still being thrown around by the waves. Marlin stared, waiting for something to happen.

The boy was suddenly pulled out by the bungee and thrown back in the boat. A huge grin broke over his face and he ran over to Crush.

"Did you see what I did, dad? Huh? Huh? Did you see that?"

"So. Totally. Rocks, Squirt," Crush chortled. He held out his hand. "Gimme some five," They high-fived. "Some noggin," They butted heads.

"Duuude." The two said in unison.

Crush tossed his can away and clapped a hand on Marlin's shoulder. "Oh, intro. Furry Man, offspring. Offspring, Furry Man."

Squirt looked at Marlin with wide eyes. "The Furries? Sweet,"

"Totally," His father slurred.

"Well, thanks for everything... uh, dude." Marlin stuttered, still taking in everything.

Squirt head butted Marlin and ran off to play.

"Curl away, my son," Crush called. He turned back to Marlin and sank into a lawn chair. "Aw, it's awesome, Furry Man. Little dudes are just bundles of slobbers, then, coo coo cachoo! The little dudes are goi'n out into the great big blue."

Marlin blinked, thinking about Nemo. About how much he had tried to shelter and protect him. Crush seemed so casual with parenting, so eager to let his son kind of figure things out himself.

"But how do you know when they're ready to be on their own?" He puzzled, watching Dory chop vegetables with a few other women. She tossed a slice into her mouth and looked around like she didn't want to be caught. 

"Well, you never really know," Crush said, leaning back in his seat. "But when they know, you'll know you know they know."

Marlin stared at him incredulously, but Crush nodded to himself like it made all the sense in the world.

And maybe, just maybe, it was true.