Fisherman's Waters | ✔

Chapter 05

I was thankful that when I arrived at my boat the next morning it was fully repaired and ready to go. I was eager to get out and to try and make up the money I had lost yesterday. Every little penny would help. I was able to wake up earlier than normal, getting out on the water around the time I would be waking up. Today was going to be a good day.

Sitting in the driver's seat I drove the boat carefully through the water, making sure I was going the speed I was supposed to. Yesterday I had made an ass out of myself and today was a new beginning. The weather was chilly, a fog covering most of its contents. This was normal for the time of year. I shook my head trying to avoid the chill that was taking over my body. Watching the water I tried to find the best spot possible, a few other fisherman finally working their way to the pier. If I could get settled before they got out here I'd be able to get a better spot.

I drove until I could make out a small blob floating on the surface. Odds were it was just a dead sea lion and wouldn't mean much, but I figured it'd be a good checkpoint, as other creatures would feed off of it and maybe I'd be able to catch something really good.

The boat was smooth through the water, the waves hadn't quite picked up today, as the lull of the water was calming. The creature grew close as the mist begin to fade around it. Everything was calm as I pulled up slowing the boat down to come to a stop next to the object.

Throwing the anchor of the edge of the boat I was able to find myself next to the object, bumping into it slightly as the boat rocked on the water.

"What the?!" I shouted as I nearly toppled backwards. Once my eyes had graced the creature floating in the water I was left shocked. Stumbling over my steps not sure how to react. My chest was heaving with my breaths, the air coming in short gasps of breath.

"What the hell was that?" I asked myself once again, trying to calm myself down. My hands trembling as I picked myself back up from the tumble. I couldn't believe what I had seen. It was a body. A human was laying face down in the water with white hair so beautiful. Was I supposed to lift her out of the water, to pick her up and take her to the shore? Do I just call the police and leave my boat anchored right here? Was she murdered? What the hell happened to her?

The questions were rushing through my head as I tried my best to pull myself back to the edge of the boat. I'd need to get a better look at the girl. My heart was racing as I leaned over the edge once more. Taking in the same white hair I had seen the first time I looked at her.

But she wasn't a normal girl.

My heart started racing once again as I took in every detail of her. She wasn't human, the top half of her body that of a beautiful young girl, while her legs were covered with a fin. Could it possibly be a swimmer who decided to pretend she was a mermaid? Those stupid fins were popular out here and most the time caused people to put themselves in danger. They weren't sure how they worked. Was she possibly a casualty from something like that? I shook my head trying to figure out what I was supposed to do.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her fin though. It was a beautiful silver like her hair. Maybe I should see if she still had a pulse. There was no way she would though. I shook my head once again looking at her skin, it had a soft blue silver hue to it. Telling me she had been in the water far too long for her to be alive.

I didn't want to leave her out here, but if I pulled her out of the water maybe I would get in trouble for it. Maybe people would assume I had killed her, threw her over and then pretended like I had found her the next day. That wouldn't work. I couldn't allow people to thing something like that. they would be eager to throw me under the bus. In this case throw me under the waves.

I reached over the edge of the boat gently placing my hand on her body. She was freezing. I wonder if she had been here all night and if that was the case how had no one else noticed her. I glanced up to see if I could see any other boats coming. Thankfully everyone was a little later this morning. I shook my head, chewing on my lower lip as I tried to grab her. I would have to pull her into the boat. She didn't deserve to just float out here like this. She was lifeless, and someone was probably missing her.

Her fin was shining a beautiful opal color, the sun shining against it allowing the colors to really dance in their full beauty. Once my arms were wrapped around her I gently pulled her over the edge of the boat. Her fin heavier than I had expected it to be. Using all of my might, I cursed under my breath when she finally flopped onto the wooden floor boards.

"Sorry," I muttered embarrassed by how hard she had hit the bottom. I rolled her over so she was laying on her back. I turned my head once I realized she wasn't wearing a top, her chest fully exposed in the sunlight. I grabbed a towel quickly tossing it over the top half of her body. I'd have to figure out how to get her back to the police station.

Shaking my head I realized it had been a mistake to lift her up out of the water. I should have left her, especially if that was a crime scene. I searched her body carefully realizing there was no blood. This couldn't have been a murder, she probably just drowned. A deep pain begin to form in my chest.

My eyes carefully danced over her skin searching the edge of the fin. It didn't look like it came off. Leaning down next to her I started to tuck at the scales, pulling them off carefully, holding them up to the light I realized one important thing.

These scales were real.

This fin was real.

She couldn't be real.