Fisherman's Waters | ✔

Chapter 07

When Johnny was finally on the boat, his eyes questioning the towels laying on the floor. He'd been on here enough to know that it wasn't normal to be this messy. He took a seat on the white chairs that had been warmed by the sun. A fishy odor was wafting over the boat and I decided it would be best If we pulled away from the dock before I showed him.

Leaning over the edge I quickly untied the rope and pushed the boat off, starting the motor and rumbling away from the other boats.

"What are you doing, I don't have time to go fishing with you," Johnny complained as he jumped up from his seat walking over to the driver's seat where I was now sitting.

"Johnny, just trust me please," I turned to look at him, begging for him to sit back down. He shook his head plopping in the seat next to mine, which was a better spot for him anyways.

"What is up with you and that word, I've known you since we were kids and you've never used that word, I've been lucky enough to hear it twice today. What the hell is going on?" He folded his arms over his chest, his very own hair turning gray with age. I hadn't noticed how much my friend had grown up. He always hid it better than I had. The fact that he quit smoking probably helped greatly with this.

"Because this is serious, and I really need you to keep an open mind," I pulled the boat to a little cove, a place where the houses high up on the mountain wouldn't be able to see what we were doing. Johnny seemed to shift uncomfortably in his seat. The worry of what was happening finally setting in on his features.

"I found something this morning, and I think it will make your aquarium the most popular place on the planet," I smiled at him. The excitement growing in my chest. It was starting to become too much. I wanted to show him, I wanted him to be as excited about it as I was.

"The planet is a big place, and that's not possible, try again," He rolled his eyes, looking over the water as if he was saying his very own prayer.

"I promise you, it was dead when I found it, but it's something no one has ever discovered before and I think it will bring great value to us," I paused for a moment taking a couple of steps towards the body under the towels.

"It was dead when you found it?" Johnny questions, and I realized that was probably not the right thing to say as it only seemed to make things sound a little creepier.

I nodded my head trying to reassure him. Waving for him to come next to me I reached down and grabbed the corner of the towel that covered the top half of her body. I'd do one at a time in hopes he would pick up what I was putting down.

I quickly pull the towel away revealing the face of the girl I had found in the water. Johnny throws his hands over his eyes, covering his face from the now exposed creature.

"It looks really bad right now, I promise it's better than this, please keep watching," I mumbled. Turning to look at Johnny as he cowered away from me. The thoughts going through his head weren't good, I could see it at his face contorts.

I grabbed the next towel, pulling it away as I had done with the first. This one didn't quite uncover the fin but as we got closer I found Johnny was watching more carefully. Maybe he had come to the realization that I wouldn't just pick up a dead body.

"You are messed up," He turned to glare at me, the words harsh off of his tongue as he shot daggers in my direction. I shook my head, trying to remind him I wasn't finished. I grabbed the third towel quickly pulling it away as well.

The fin was now exposed and as Johnny begin to process what he was seeing his eyes started to grow, nearly doubling in size as he leaned forward to really take in what was happening.

I grabbed the last two towels pulling them off so he could get the full image. I knew he would have questions and hopefully I would have the answers for them, but I was really hoping he would just know what to do from here.

"Where did you find this?" He points towards the mermaid, his hand trembling as he searched my face for the answer.

"She was floating on the water, I thought she was a seal or a sea lion so I stopped next to her to anchor, in hopes that I would be able to catch some better fish, when I leaned over the edge she was floating there, cold, and motionless, she was dead when I found her and I don't know how it happened, or what but I knew we needed this," I nodded my head as I spoke, as if I was trying to convince myself of what I was saying as well.

I knew Johnny would need some time to process the whole thing but he quickly plopped down on the seat behind him staring at her.

"I pulled a bunch of scales off of her fin, I don't know why. I guess I was just testing it to see if it really was real, and by god it is,"

"This is insane you know that right?" Johnny pointed towards the creature again as he turned to look at me.

I nodded my head not really sure what to say at this point. All of my cards were on the table and it was really up to him to figure out what we were going to do with it. If he didn't want to make millions off of it, I'd have to get rid of her somehow.

Maybe I could tie a rock to her fin, and throw her overboard. Deeper in the water so she will never come back, her body would probably never decompose under the waves, and she would forever be in her very own grave, like many other loyal sailors.

"We could use this, I see why you needed to tell me, we can definitely put this in the aquarium and prove that mermaids are real... but how?"