Mermaid's Tears

Once I kidnapped the pup, the family would get desperate. Then I would use my hostage to negotiate with the older merfolk.

It fascinated me. These wild creatures understood family bonding really well. I have seen injured deer falling behind the herd and dying of starvation. But merfolk never abandoned their sick or injured, caring as long as they mortally could.

*****

I must have dozed off because I was surprised at the sudden increase of squeaks and trills.

It was the evening of the third day of observation.

The merfolk had all collected in the cave. I had gravely underestimated the numbers. There were at least fourteen adults and five pups in the cave now. I haven't seen a school this big in years. Everyone was chattering at the same time. Some were picking out parasites from the furs of others. A few were eating shellfish.

It was my first time seeing the whole family together.

This was a good opportunity. My target was looking distracted in the crowd. She was listening to another kid but her eyes darted around the cave, resting on nothing for more than a few seconds.

As soon as the other moved away, I threw a pebble at the pup. It hit her tail but she swished it away. I tried again. This one got her attention.

She looked my way but I was well hidden in my corner. I threw her a shiny quartz.

When she picked up the stone, I tossed out another. After the fourth one, she was close enough. It took me under a minute to clasp the kerchief over her mouth and pull her unconscious form into the sack.

*****

Sure enough, the next day was chaos. People at the docks reported seeing blurry shadows beneath the water surface. Fishermen saw them breach the sea surface in twos and threes, frantically searching for the missing pup.

I should let the tension build for another day.

In the meantime, I had to return to my hideout with my pack of freshly sliced mackerel. That pup was as restless as ever.

*****

Day before the new year. It was still dark. There were no human witnesses to my departure. I put the sack down on a sofa in the cockpit. We were the sole passengers of this yacht. I started the engines.

The boat lumbered its way out of the dock. Farther ahead, I could see the merfolk but I needed to reach open waters first.

We sailed for forty-eight minutes before reaching a favorable spot. Here, I could not see any of the adults of the clan but they must be close by, I just had to draw their attention.

I switched on a high intensity search light especially fitted on the yacht for this purpose. By pointing the beam at the water, I created an underwater signal visible from several meters away.
Some of the merfolk were starting to look this way.

I saw one float up for a moment in the circle of the beam. I stepped out to the deck, carrying the sack with me. That did the trick. They started to swim towards the boat.

I opened the sack to show them my prey. The grayish-black head of fur lolled limply onto my shoulder. Hisses resounded from the dark waters surrounding us.