Laid out across the rocks, where the sea met the land, a creature writhed within a net.
Astrid Delaney had only come to investigate at the persistence of the dog beside her. He had yelped and whined and bellowed for the better part of the morning, and was quietly panting beside her now that his efforts to get her attention had paid off.
The two of them stood at the lip of the rocky cliff, overlooking the scene with quiet curiosity. This wasn't the first time Astrid had seen an animal tangled in a fishing net, hooked, or otherwise caught in a fisherman's garbage. This was, however, the biggest animal she'd seen caught, but from her point of view, hard to identify. The sound it made was unlike anything Astrid had heard before; shrill, cutting through the air like a knife. It brought chills to her skin.
She watched the tide ebb over the mess of nets, hoping each time they drew back the animal would be set free. With every wave that crashed over it, the animal began to struggle less and less, slowly accepting its fate.
She squatted down next to the black dog, considering the situation.
On one hand, she had to be at work within the next half hour, and as it so happens, she was already running late. On the other hand, going to work knowing she had left an animal to suffer was going to weigh on her conscience. To leave it would be heinous, morally irresponsible, and against everything her parents had instilled in her. Damn hippies.
She ran to get a pair of wire cutters and a lifejacket.
Astrid Delaney hated the ocean for honest reasons. But she had to put her personal quarrels aside for the moment.
She began her descent down the cliff, her back to the water with her eyes down on her feet. She could hear the waves roaring behind her, feel the spray of the sea on her neck, and she cursed herself for being the soft hearted, animal lover she was.
One slip and she may as well join the animal in its demise.
She cleared her throat to clear her head, and continued until she could see the mass of nets just below her. The tide had gone down just enough to allow her a place to stand, but a slip of the foot or twist of the ankle and into the water she'd go.
She turned to see what animal was at her mercy, but what she saw froze her where she stood.
A pair of gray eyes gazed at her through the loops in the netting. What had been thrashing within the net was not an animal, but instead a young man.
She balked for a moment, her mouth gaping wordlessly before finally blurting, "Holy shit!" She shook her head, "Are- are you okay?"
The young man didn't answer. As if it wasn't already apparent, he was definitely not okay.
Astrid pulled out her wire cutters and began cutting chunks of the netting away. The slimy cord wrapped around him like spaghetti on a fork and disappeared below the waves, and judging by how tightly it was pulled, she assumed it was hung on the rocks below.
"How long have you been like this?" She cut an opening for his head and neck, and began trying to free one of his arms. "You a tourist, or something?" She wanted him to say something, anything, to indicate that he wasn't going to kill over any minute, but his eyes just watched her hands as she worked to loosen the ropes.
He's in shock, she thought, any idiot would be.
A violent wave crashed over them and slammed her sideways against the cliff. She clung to the algae-covered rocks with all the strength she had in her fingers, thankful she'd thought to put on a lifejacket and say her prayers the night before. When it subsided she could feel the fresh scrapes along her arm and knees, hissing as the salt burned them.
She regained her footing and went back to cutting with renewed haste. The sea was rough today.
Once his upper body was freed she realized that the wave had loosened the net below the surface, allowing her to hoist the lower half of him onto the rocks.
She snipped away at the net and discovered where the fabric of his swim trunks should've been were fish scales. She blinked, thinking perhaps a fish had gotten caught up with him, but upon closer inspection she noticed these scales lined the entirety of his leg.
She looked to him for an explanation, but he remained silent.
Spurred on by curiosity, she tore away at the net like a child unwrapping a gift, and became aware that this man had no legs; instead, this man had one solid tail like a fish.
"The hell...?" she whispered and looked him in the face.
Those gray eyes were locked onto her, his expression unreadable.
Astrid raised her hand to her head, feeling for a knot or a cut. It was possible she had hit her head, but she didn't believe she could hit it hard enough to see something like this. She sat back and tried to think up something logical.
His hand shot forward and clenched around her wrist, and before she had a chance to scream another wave crashed over them, engulfing them both. She was lifted from the rocks and submerged in another world as the sea tried to rip her from the land. Had it not been for his grasp she would have been swept out to sea.
When she made contact with the rocks, she rolled over and spat up seawater. Her nose was burning and her eyes pricked with tears as she wiped the salt from them. The sea was not only rough, but it was also cold, and she was thoroughly soaked.
The fish-man released her and was now able to remove what little rope was left around his fluke, although the damage had been done; the opaque flesh was shredded and his iridescent tail had been torn from the relentless bashing against the rocks and ripped from the strain of a taut rope. Despite these horrendous injuries, he didn't hesitate to dive back into the sea.
"You're welcome!" Astrid yelled indignantly after him, before gathering up what was left of the net and climbing back up the rocks before the ocean attempted to drown her for a third time.
***
Astrid busted into the backdoor of the Crab Claw and tried not to run over the cook as she fumbled past him for her apron.
"You're late!" Mr. Gordon barked at her.
"I know!" Her hair still dripped from her second shower of the morning as she fought to wrangle it into a ponytail. "Where's Dupree?"
As if on cue, the brown-skinned girl walked through the door, her eyes immediately landing on Astrid. "Well, look who decided to show up."
"I have a good excuse-"
"Can't wait to hear it, but for now I need you to take a tray and serve. Tourists are already pouring in and it's not even noon!"
For the next two hours, Astrid stayed busy taking orders, offering specials, and informing tourists that the Crab Claw offered the best crab on the island (even if it was a little too salty from time to time) and that Holiday Rock was happy they were visiting.
Holiday Rock was a spit of land off the coast of Maine. It was established in the sixties as a vacation spot where many would spend their "holiday on the rocks" camping. Eventually, vacationers became permanent residents, houses were built, stores were established, and before long, Bishop's Point was its own town. Those that didn't stay on the rocks had two options; build a vacation home, or rent one from someone else.
There was no better time to be a server than when well-to-do tourists rolled in and left gracious tips, especially after being asked where they were from and hoping they enjoyed their stay.
Things finally fell into a lull, and with no new customers coming in, Astrid could talk to Dupree alone behind the bar.
"Still waiting to hear why I was late?" Astrid asked as they folded silverware.
"You overslept again," Dupree said without looking up.
"That was one time," Astrid shook her head and redirected, "There was this thing I saw outside my house. Down the cliff, you know."
"A seal." Dupree offered.
"No, it was much more interesting than that." Astrid dove into the story of what she had done and what she thought she had seen, and by the time she was done Dupree was looking at her sideways.
"I've heard a lot of excuses, but that one takes the cake."
Astrid scoffed, "You don't believe me?"
"I believe you watched Splash, had some crazy dream and overslept."
Astrid dropped her shoulders, "I'm being serious, Dupree."
"Yeah, that's what's crazy." Dupree began working cleaning glasses. "How close did you get to this thing?"
"I was right there next to it!" She had to keep herself from yelling.
Dupree tossed her braids over her shoulder, "And you didn't get a photo of it?"
She knew that would come back to bite her. "Snapchatting about it wasn't exactly my first thought," she countered, which made Dupree snicker. "I didn't even have my phone on me."
"Wish you had. Something like that would've made some money and you could kiss this job goodbye." Dupree paused in her scrubbing. "You sure it wasn't someone trying to pull a hoax?"
"They'd be going through a lot of trouble, if that was the case," Astrid chuckled, but shook her head, "Even if I did have proof, everyone would just think I was pulling a hoax."
Dupree raised a questioning brow. "You aren't, are you?"
"If I was trying to hoax someone, I think I would've gotten myself some evidence."
Dupree snorted at her frustration. "Look, I think you've got the beginning of a fantasy book, but with no proof, it may as well have been a dream."
Seeing the amused look on Dupree's face made her rethink telling this to anyone else, but she knew what she had seen.
"Hey, you've got a cool story to tell the tourists." Dupree shrugged. Her eyes flicked towards the window, "Speak of, here's your first audience, now."
Astrid turned, and walking across the parking lot hand-in-hand was a sandy-haired boy and a smaller, sandy-haired little girl. He was better looking than the usual greasy-haired fisherman that strolled in and was at least wearing a shirt (the Crab Claw had a lax shirt policy, but did at least enforce shoes).
"There's no way I'm talking to him," Astrid said before even turning back to Dupree, who was renowned for playing matchmaker as a pastime.
"Why not?"
"Because the last guy you tried to hook me up with was thirty-two. Besides, he's a tourist and that could be his kid."
Dupree snorted, "Please, that's not his kid and there's nothing wrong with a summer fling. At least get a good tip."
At that moment Astrid was saved by a customer at the register, and before Dupree could twist her arm, she was ringing him up.
"How's Donovan?" The older man asked, blinking his watery eyes.
"He's fine," her reply was short, rehearsed, "He's taking a load to the mainland late this afternoon." She punched away on the register, not bothering to make eye contact to avoid further conversation. Remarkably, this man, along with several others, had a habit of asking the same question, only to receive the same answer every time. She had hoped they would've learned.
"Tell him Wayne said hello."
"I will." She wouldn't. She handed him his change and watched him leave, hoping it would buy her enough time for Dupree to sit the young man and his supposed sister, could-be daughter, down.
"Your server will be right with you."
Astrid's head swiveled around just in time to see a sly grin creep its way onto Dupree's face. "What did you say?"
"I told them that this red-haired bitch had finally shown up and would be waiting on them. Get it done." Dupree was grinning, but she was not playing. She was a complete believer in trial by fire, a fact Astrid was made aware of on her first day as a trainee.
She grit her teeth but grabbed her pen and paper. They're just tourists, geez.
"Hi, welcome to the Crab Claw. I'm Astrid and I'll be your server. What can I get you guys started with today?" She did her best to keep her smile from appearing forced.
The guy looked up from his menu, "Hullo," he had an accent, "We'll start off with two waters-"
"And Dr. Pepper!"
"-and Dr Pepper for the eight-year-old with a caffeine addiction."
"Can't blame you for wanting to experience 23 flavors at once," Astrid remarked, much to the little girl's satisfaction, and she stuck her tongue out at her supposed-dad-hopefully-just-a-brother across the table. Astrid chuckled in her throat. "Ready to order or do you need a moment?"
The little girl perked up, "Can I have the crab fries? And mozzarella sticks? Oh, and some hush puppies!"
The boy glanced at Astrid, suppressing his laugh behind his knuckles.
"Sounds like you've built up your appetite this morning. May I suggest our sampler platter? It comes with a smaller portion of each of those and crab cakes."
"I like the sound of that," the little girl said in a manner much older than she was.
Astrid waited with her pen and pad for the boy's approval.
"I do too. We can share." He handed his menu back to Astrid and mouthed thank you to her.
"I'll get that in for you and bring you your waters and Dr. Pepper."
She walked back to the window and passed Dupree.
"Was that so hard?"
"Bite me." She muttered.
"Lighten up! What's a little fun?"
"That guy could have a girlfriend."
Dupree shrugged. "No way to know for sure unless you ask."
"Yes, what two sides would you like with that, also, do you have a girlfriend?" Astrid acted out, "Doesn't exactly come out naturally does it?"
"Consider it practice," Dupree said before dashing off to her next table.
Astrid stood at the counter until the bell in the window rang and she found herself back at the tourist table.
"So..." she began and his brows perked, "You two here on vacation?" Oh, how she was glad Dupree hadn't heard that.
"Yeah, actually. We're here until August."
A solid two months. Hm, there could be potential- No! No, she wouldn't get mixed up in one of Dupree's ploys. Instead, she said, "That's nice, I hope you enjoy your stay here."
"We were actually wondering if you had any suggestions... any places we should check out while we're here." He held eye contact with her and she felt her face grow hot.
"Oh, there's trivia at Doug's every Tuesday, just down the street. There's uh... the cliffs to the North of the island. Fantastic view. Or, er..." she turned her eyes to the little girl, who was staring at her just as intensely but wasn't as near as intimidating, "you can visit Lyric Lake. If you catch it at the right time, you can hear the water sing."
"Water can't sing," said the girl matter of factly. "It doesn't possess any vocal cords."
Astrid smiled, "Well, I've heard, myself. Or, if you get bored here you can always take a Ferry to the mainland."
"Any bookstores?" the little girl asked her.
She had to think for a moment. "There's a Barnes and Noble on the mainland."
"Perfect," she said, and then turned to her plate and began to dig into her fries with a fork and knife.
Astrid and this boy shared one last glance before she departed. "Let me know if you need anything."
She carried on serving other tables, but kept an eye on the boy and little girl, refilling their water as they were mid-conversation about souvenir shopping for Nana Jean; The dispute was between a piece of driftwood art or a live hermit crab.
"Crabs stink."
"And wood burns," defended the little girl. "She can have a crab as a companion."
"Are you sure you're not the one wanting a crab as a companion?"
Astrid chuckled as she walked away and after another thirty minutes she was ringing them up.
"Everything good?"
"Yes! Can I get a Dr. Pepper to go?"
"I think one is enough, Addy," he said as he handed Astrid his card. His name was Alec. "You'll have to excuse my sister, she doesn't always get the amount of sugar she desires."
Astrid caught sight of Dupree down the bar, who mouthed the word sister and gave an encouraging thumbs up. Astrid shot her a glare and then turned back to the two of them, "It's good to take things in moderation, or whatever they say."
The little girl nudged her brother, "Ask her."
Astrid's eyes moved between them.
Alec rolled his. "Nana Jean does not want a hermit crab."
"Just ask."
He sighed as he handed over his signed receipt. "She'd like to know where we can get a hermit crab for our Nana Jean, who I'm willing to guess, would not be so appreciative. Not to mention getting it back through customs."
Astrid chewed her bottom lip. "I'm not sure about live hermit crabs, but there's some cute plush ones at Jill's Treasure Trove on main."
He looked down at his sister. "How's that sound?"
"Boring."
He sucked in a breath and turned back to Astrid, "Can't win them all."
"Come back and see us," she said and took the liberty to watch them leave.
Dupree came up behind her, "Great with kids, that's a plus-"
"Would you get outta here!"
***
Three o'clock came, and Astrid was out of the Crab Claw and heading for the marina before her father departed for his deliveries to the mainland. During the off season, the island supported itself with its lobster export- markets on the mainland wanted the giant lobsters that came off the coast of the island.
She caught him just as he was loading up the last crate of lobster.
"Dad!"
"Hey, what're you doing down here?" He asked. "Thought you had to work?"
"I've got something-"
"Oh, hey, I forgot to mention this morning that after delivering to Bar Harbor I'm heading right back out for another catch. I'll be taking that to Beals so I'll be gone for about a week or so."
Astrid blinked. "Two deliveries in one?"
"Yeah, summer orders are picking up and I figured it'd save some time not to have to come back here." He caught the concerned look in her eye. "I've got my radio with me if you need to talk. And you know to phone Mr. Gordon if you need something."
"Yeah, yeah, it's just... being alone that long."
Offhandedly he said, "You've got your medicine."
Her eyes darted around to see if anyone might have heard him. "I guess."
"What were you saying? Before?"
"Um... I was just gonna say," she paused. He had gone back to recounting crates and as usual, he was only halfway listening. Upon remembering Dupree's reaction her words died in her throat. "I was just gonna say... be safe."
"Thanks," he looked up for a brief second from his clipboard, "I'll see you in ten days."
"Ten days!" She shouted as the door slammed behind her. "Ten days, oh just take your medicine, it'll be fine." She scoffed and flopped down on the sofa. "Asshole." She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "How did you ever marry someone like him, Mom?"
She didn't get a reply.
To tune out the silence she turned on the television and watched reruns of Gunsmoke until her eyes began to feel heavy. She had nearly made it to an unconscious state when something loud pierced her ear.
The sound was something out of a horror movie; a distant wailing resembling the dying cry of an injured animal. It brought Astrid out of her slumber and made her heart stop in her chest.
It was not a sound you'd want to wake up to.
She rolled over and took a quick glimpse of her clock: 6:13 pm.
She lay still and listened to the eerie moaning, chills rising across her skin. It took her a moment, in her half-awake state, to recall this morning's events before she realized what it could be.
The thought had her on her feet and slipping on a pair of boots because this time there would be no mistakes. She'd get her proof.
Buoy met her on the carport, tail wagging and tongue lolling.
Goose, the older, much wiser of the two dogs, was slumped under the boat out in the shed. Astrid could see her brown head raise up, give her an unimpressed glance, and flop back over. She was not up for much aventure in her advanced age.
Astrid stood in the driveway and listened, waiting to hear that echoing cry, but all she heard was the wind and Buoy panting beside her.
Could it have been a dream?
A chilling moan cut through the air and Astrid let go of a sigh.
Buoy let out a bark before taking off across the yard with Astrid trailing close behind him. She followed him around the house and down towards the cliff where he had been pacing yesterday afternoon, but the wailing was still distant.
The determined dog continued down an overgrown path, one that Astrid knew led to an old fishing dock.
The dock had been there since the beginning of time, it seemed. It was considered "old" when her parents bought the house, and that was before she was even born. A good gust of wind could peel off the tin roof, and the hinges on the door had lost their resiliency, allowing it to slam as it swayed on the water. One day, Astrid swore, she'd come over and find that it had floated away.
Luckily, what they were looking for was right there on the rocky beach.
Even in the low light of the overcast his silver scales shimmered. The waves lapped at his tail and his fingers dug into the earth, and once he heard their approach he lifted his head, revealing his sickly features, sunken eyes, and pale lips.
She couldn't believe how lucky she was to catch him again. She pulled out her phone and hurriedly snapped a picture of him.
She took a moment to admire him in person one last time and then turned to leave.
"Help me..." it was just as chilling as the first time she'd heard it, only weaker.
She shifted on her feet, not knowing what to do.
On one hand, he was a primitive being, and the fate of what was wild should be left in the hands of mother nature. She should leave him here and let him fend for himself.
But on the other hand, he was human enough to ask for her help, making her feel obligated to do so. The only catch was figuring out a way to move something that couldn't walk on its own and was twice her weight.
"I'll be right back," she promised, and by the way he laid his head back down, she took it he understood.
She returned to the shed with Buoy on her heels. He sat patiently in the doorway as she rummaged through old, moldy cardboard boxes until she found the two reflective dog harnesses she hadn't seen in years. She pushed one over the black dog's head and marched around the side of the boat to find the other Newfoundland.
"Goose!" She called, "Goose, come!"
The brown dog lowered her head and scooted further under the boat. Astrid didn't know what she had expected; Goose rarely left the boat shed anymore.
One dog would have to do, but even still, getting the merman here was a whole other task.
Loading him in the back of her truck would have been ideal, but the path to the dock was too narrow. A stretcher would have been the next best thing, even if it had to be dragged, but Astrid's medical resources were limited to a boot and a pair of crutches her mother had used years ago. Thankfully, she had something better in mind, if it hadn't rusted to bits by now. She could remember being tugged around in this wagon, herself, and she was rather surprised that the tires still had air in them. It had been her father's utility wagon for working around the house, and it had been stored away for God knows how long. He had used it for hauling plants and gardening tools and other stuff for the never-ending outdoor projects.
And today, it would have to haul a merman.