Atlantean Doctrine Book 6 - The Mermaid's Egg (TG/TF Story)

Transfiguration

There wasn't much to see in Goleta, and once I crossed over the 101, I pulled the wire and walked off the bus. Walking past the Viewfair Theater, I walked into the pharmacy and filled my order.

With azithromycin prescribed, I hopped back onto bus 9 and took it all the way back to the university.

Popping a pill, I worked on my homework and then decided to return to the lab to take a closer look at the specimen to see if the internal shell looked like the shell from my dream.

Inside, there was that same young lady that was first to mention mermaids as she was talking to some of the live halibut in the tank. She was a curious young woman!

I walked over to the closed room where the specimens were safely locked away and looked over at the egg laying in a flowing bath of salt water. For some strange reason, I feel that it should not be here...that it belonged in the ocean, with its own people.

"Is that the thing that was found on the beach!?" said the young lady, entering the room with me.

"You cannot be in here, ma'am!" I scolded her, and yet, she did not seem to listen to me.

"I am Meara Fisher." she replied "You're Dr. Todd's research assistance, correct?"

"Please call me Rue." I replied as we shared in this odd moment as she seemed intrigued with me.

"It is nice to meet you Rue. I want to apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier this morning. I meant no offense by offering my insight!" she says as I shrug my shoulders.

"No harm done!" I smiled, though guarding the egg from her.

"I need to take a tissue sample, care to lend me a hand?" she asked, looking down at the flapping halibut. She took a scalpel and lifted a scale to expose the skin underneath. Oil seeped over the stainless-steel blade as the poor fish seemed to beg to be released.

"What are you doing!?" I asked her.

"Taking a sample." she replied, holding down the fish as she handed me the scalpel. "Just make a small incision into the skin."

"But it is still alive!"

"Yes?" Meara remarked as she watched me carefully "I just need a sample of its tissue, but if you like, we can work on one that had just died?" she offered as I just nodded my head, unable to bring harm to the living halibut.

"When did we bring halibut into the lab?" I asked her, puzzled.

"I did!" she grinned "It is part of my research project."

We moved over to the dead fish; it was still quite fresh on the table as I cut a chunk out as I looked at the fish...it seemed appetizing and delectable! I wanted to eat it, starving!

"What are you going to do with it afterwards?" I asked her as I liked halibut, but usually fried and breaded.

"You want it afterwards?" she asked as I shrugged my shoulders, yet incredibly hungry.

As she worked on sampling the tissue, I just became infatuated with the giant fish, salivating! My hunger was taking over as I picked it up and bit into the fish as the taste was surprisingly sweet and fresh. The flesh was silky and juicy as I had never eaten fish raw before, but I found it to be amazing and delicious!

Meara glances at me as she is shocked and somewhat amused.

"You must really like sushi!" she remarked as she had never heard of anyone eating fresh halibut that has not been frozen, before. "Want another?" she joked, pulling one out of a cooler.

I looked at the extra fish, and couldn't help whatever was in control of me as I greedily swallowed the thick scales, spitting out the large bones. I walked over, smelling the other fish as it did not smell fresh.